When the auditorium at Detroit’s UAW-GM Center for Human Resources was earmarked for renovation, integrator TVS Communication Solutions (A division of Conference Technologies, Inc.) looked to Lightware USA and High Resolution Systems (HRS) to provide solutions for room control plus signal extension and distribution. Lightware USA is the US sales and support office for products from Hungary-based Lightware Visual Engineering. HRS develops and builds professional audio visual control system software and solutions.
The UAW-GM Center for Human Resources is the national headquarters for the partnership between the United Auto Workers and the General Motors Company. It delivers top-quality education and training to UAW members and GM salaried employees throughout the US.
The center’s auditorium seats 400 and features a rear-projection LCD videowall. But much of the auditorium’s existing technical equipment had been in use for the last 16 years and was reaching the end of its life cycle. The space needed reliable, future-proof technology to handle the demands of room control, signal extension and signal distribution.
TVS had numerous options to select from for video switching and control systems. But based on the integrator’s extensive knowledge of the space and past experience, TVS knew that Lightware and HRS were the most cost-effective options available for securely controlling, distributing and managing the room and its video and audio signals. TVS also knew that Lightware and HRS’s expertise, understanding of the challenge at hand and professionalism would play a key role in providing a full end-to-end solution for the client.
“We had used Lightware technology in other venues and knew that Lightware provided excellent results,” says Alex Mills, Vice President of Sales with TVS. “Lightware was very flexible: It would be able to accommodate the client’s future needs, extending its longevity. Other options were not flexible and would have to be abandoned and replaced if there was a significant change in usage, incurring extra cost for new equipment as required. Lightware and HRS offered the best future-proof solution within the timeframe and the proposed budget.”
TVS opted for a Lightware MX-FT17 with a mix of HDMI and Fiber I/Os as the signal router for the system. The HDMI inputs and outputs of the matrix allow for analog audio embedding and de-embedding, which manage audio signal routing to the DSP. The fiber transmitters for the auditorium’s stage and podium have HDMI, VGA and DVI video inputs along with digital and analog audio inputs with auto source selection to send the correct video and audio source to the matrix. Fiber optic outputs of the matrix feed HDMI receivers back down to the stage, the signals on stage and provide backstage signal monitoring.
In partnership with TVS, HRS installed its Enterprise-1ss Rack Control Server providing custom programming and on-site configuration of the control system. The HRS Windows app was used to run the control system in password-protected kiosk mode on three of the Microsoft Surface touch panels throughout the room. HRS also provided two of its TSC-7C PoE wall-mounted capacitive touch screen control surfaces.
The control system provides an easy-to-use interface for UAW clients and other system users allowing them to manage signal routing and switching of the Lightware matrix as well as a Blu-ray player and other devices requiring control within the room.
“Lightware and HRS were great to work with,” says Mills. “They explained every step of the process and were ready to offer details of how the system would answer all the needs of the end client. The solution is a thing of beauty that anyone can use effectively with little or no guidance.”
About HRS
HRS develops and builds professional audio visual control system software and solutions using cutting-edge technology and reliable frameworks. We connect people on a daily basis with the technology around them to help improve their daily business functions, presentations, conferences and brand experiences.
About Lightware USA
Lightware USA is the US distributor of professional AV products manufactured by Lightware Visual Engineering in Budapest, Hungary. With the flexibility of the Lightware product line, the Lightware USA team is able to assist with the design for some of the highest performance systems in the world. Router sizes ranging from the robust UMX4x4-Pro up to the impressive 160x160 25G Hybrid give Lightware USA the edge over the competition when it comes to routing multiple video sources to the ever changing variety of displays in the industry. Their array of solutions for extending the highest resolution video formats, including 4K and 3D over Cat or Fiber, puts Lightware USA on the forefront of cutting-edge technology.