The Citadel military college equips its classrooms with Extron AV solutions

The new building 'Bastin Hall', dedicated to business students of the American academic center The Citadel, has switching systems, AV distribution and control Extron, plus digital matrix processors and audio speakers.

Founded in 1842, The Citadel It is one of the six major military colleges in the United States, located on a huge campus in Ashley River (South Carolina), whose academic programs are organized into five faculties: Business, Education, Engineering, Mathematics and Humanities, in which some are educated 2.300 students with the military system.

After two years of construction, Bastin Hall, which houses the Tommy and Victoria Baker College of Business, It is the first academic building located off campus, with a surface of 4.088 m², as well as the most advanced in technological equipment, primarily in AV learning and collaboration systems.

Mary Chapman Bates, Associate Director of Multimedia Services at The Citadel, has supervised the design and installation of the building's audiovisual systems, made by local company CamCor, with switching equipment, AV distribution and control Extron, in addition to digital matrix processors and speakers for audio in certain spaces.

The Commons

This large space functions as the main entrance, student collaboration, meeting and presentation area, for which it has a video wall in which public information messages are also displayed, as well as a projection screen and laser equipment.

The core of the AV system in this space is the presentation scaler switcher IN1808 IPCP MA 70 by Extron, which also provides 4K video to the ceiling mounted projector.

The switcher's audio outputs output to two digitally adjustable in-line speakers, mounted on each side of the screen, each with eight integrated amplifiers.

A digital matrix processor DMP 64 Extron selects and mixes audio from the six wireless microphones to transmit it to the switcher that, thanks to its processor control IPCP Pro integrated, Allows users to control all AV functions, lower and raise the projection screen and deploy the projector lift from a TouchLink Pro touch screen 725M 7”.

Versatile AV system for classes

Four standard classrooms, of different size and configuration, are equipped with AV solutions that operate with matrix switchers for presentations DTP CrossPoint 82 4K, with integrated IPCP Pro control processor and mono amplifier 100 W.

The classrooms have two laser projectors that receive 4K video and control from the matrix via cable DTP CATx. Students hear clear sound through nine speakers Sound Field 26CT ceiling mounted.

Available AV sources include a document camera, a screen mirroring wireless hotspot for portable devices, as well as three connections in wired DTP floor boxes.

The instructor's mobile lectern, which is also connected via DTP by a floor box, It is equipped with a computer and two touch screen monitors, plus an HDMI connection for an additional laptop. Added to this is a distribution amplifier DA4 HD 4K and a switch DTP T SW4 HD 4K to distribute and select AV sources.

Users control the operation of the AV system through a desktop touch screen TLP Pro 725T 7” on instructor's lectern, that communicates with the matrix control processor.

Flexible spaces

Located on the third floor, a divisible classroom has been created, Equipped with twice as many AV sources as standard. Each side of the dividable room has its own instructor's lectern, a document camera, a wireless access point duplicated to display and connections in wired DTP floor boxes.

Both sides of this divisible, flexible classroom share a single switching matrix, with scaler for presentations DTP CrossPoint 82 4K. To double the audio equipment of a standard classroom, eighteen Sound Field SF 26CT speakers have been installed, nine per side, powered by a single stereo amplifier XPA U 1002, with a processor IPCP Pro 250 to handle additional control of duplicate spaces.

Hybrid learning

Four classrooms are configured to record and send content via streaming, for which they have a digital matrix processor DMP 64 Plus and an HDMI and audio to USB scaling bridge MediaPort 200 to standard classroom AV system.

The DMP processor 64 Plus switches and determines audio from boundary microphones around the room, a wireless lapel microphone or wireless desktop speaker microphones.

The MediaPort 200 connect this audio, as well as the video and audio of the PTZ cameras that capture room activity, to the USB port of a computer with the software codec application Zoom, allowing remote students to participate in classes via live video conferencing.

PTZ cameras also send video and audio to the video platform Mediasite for storage and archiving, so remote students can stream class sessions at any time, on request, through the college's Canvas learning management platform.

Meeting and presentation room

Equipped with a 75” flat screen, presentations are also held in the dean's meeting room. A PTZ camera and wireless desktop speaker microphones connect to a computer running Zoom software for video conferencing.

An HDMI switch SW4 HD 4K routes content from sources to display device, depending on the selection made, on a touch screen TLP Pro 725T desktop connected to a control processor IP Link Pro S1.

Informal meetings held on the rooftop terrace also benefit from an AV system, for which there is a 55” flat screen protected from dust and rain and sophisticated audio with mixing capabilities.

From this outside room, wired and wireless AV transmissions are made from a connector on the wall plate., a digital signage source and a screen mirroring wireless access point.

a system XPA 2001 Extron provides audio amplification, running two weatherproof speakers with 200 In de potencia. A button panel MediaLink Plus 100, housed in a waterproof casing, controls AV system on/off and sound volume.