After an introduction by our CIO Tracy Futhey, we were invited by Town Of Chapel Hill CIO, John D. Bjurman to see their recently renovated council chambers. The Town Hall’s ground floor was flooded back in June which lead to the remodel. This room is used for town meetings for the public which are also broadcast on Time Warner’s local channel 18.
The room features two hanging 55″ monitors as well as a large 90″ Sharp monitor which replaced a projector. There are 4 standard definition PTZ cameras stationed around the room.
The view from the council desk shows a large confidence monitor on wheels which allows the members to see the presentation while maintaining eye contact with the presenter (from the public). In this shot, you can see their control room’s window which has a Roland video switcher and a recently installed bi-amp audio processing unit.
A close up of the adjustable height, moveable staff table which duplicates the public presenter’s table. This can accommodate people of all sizes as well as those with physical challenges. The room uses a very simple Extron interface to select what is sent to the monitors – either the manager, staff or presenter (public).
The microphone levels are controlled in the control room. All meetings are staffed by AV professionals (not in the IT organization). The mics are always on and you push to mute.
Cost effective LED light was added prior to the flood. Its proximity to the ceiling saved it.
We all thought this was a GREAT idea to add power to an existing auditorium. This is in the last row reserved for media. It’s a very sturdy metal conduit with power outlets every few feet. Seemed much more serviceable and cost effective than installing in the seats or replacing the seats in a retrofit.
Another view of the 90″ Sharp monitor.
A company called “Strategic Connections” did the integration and John indicated they were very happy with the quality of their work. We’ve seen their trucks around Duke but thought they were more a cabling type company. OIT ITS will extend an offer to meet with them in the coming weeks. If anyone around Duke has any input on this company, please email us.
