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Presentation Systems
Control Freak
6/1/2007
A Hot List screen displays equipment and areas on campus that require technical support, while a realtime interactive help desk feature allows users in the classroom to send help and maintenance messages to IT support staff. The AMX software supports preset equipment configuration, recurring reservation scheduling, and conflict resolution. And it provides a web-based graphical user interface (GUI).Equipment control and management notwithstanding, one of the most useful features of this type of software is the classroom-scheduling capability, says InfoComm's Lemke. The scheduling capability allows administrators to organize not just who gets to use the classrooms and when, but also what equipment and systems (assets) and parts of those systems (features) will be available to each instructor when he or she uses a room. "These days, with college campuses so short on classroom space, the technology managers can use this feature to personalize how much of the available technology the professor sees for his or her room," explains Lemke. "They select, say, PowerPoint, but don't want videoconferencing cluttering up the control pad. They get only the things they use, which results in fewer service calls."
CRESTRON'S ROOMVIEW provides a 'big-picture view' of a campus' entire presentation setup.
Standardization is also critical to successful use and management of AV controller equipment, say campus technology pros. UAMS has installed a dozen AMX controllers and two Creston systems in all of its large lecture halls that seat 100 or more students. And from a user perspective, Bailey says, the key to the success of the university's AV control implementations lies in the consistency of the GUIs of the various touchpanels. "Between the two systems, we strive to make the GUI as close to identical as possible, from room to room and from system to system," he says. "The presenters know that the PowerPoint button, the DVD controls, and the volume controls all are in the same place. We never want them to worry about the technology. They shouldn't even have to think about it. They know now that they can walk in, push a button, and everything works."
But Bailey isn't alone in his quest for AV controller interface standards. Greg Bronson, project leader in the Academic Technology Services department of Cornell University (NY), has been evangelizing the standards cause for years. In fact, he's one of the prime movers behind an InfoComm-sponsored initiative to encourage system integrators to provide AV controller interfaces with a consistent look and feel. Bronson served as the first chairperson of InfoComm's Dashboard for Controls group, launched in 1999/ 2000.
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