Moving to AV Over IP Solutions
Mike Tomei, founder and owner of Tomei AV Consulting, says that small to mid-size classrooms tend to have point to point systems, which include HD based T transmitters in source devices in the classroom. This also includes HD based T receivers at the display devices in the classroom; however, even though there are signals being distributed through classrooms on CAT 6 cables between these HD based T transmitters and receivers, they’re not considered to be a network system.
This is where AV over IP solutions will step in, especially in a higher education setting.
“I think the trend here in higher ed is going to be looking at these AV over IP solutions that are including video and audio encoders and decoders,” Tomei says. “The encoders will be placed at the source devices, the decoders will be placed at the projectors, flat panel displays, etc. But these devices will be placed on the network. It will be a more flexible model than these point to point systems [we’re used to now].”
Tomei also says a similar trend will be seen with control systems.
“We typically put a control system or control processor in each room,” he says. “In the past when we didn’t have the network systems, that was necessary, because you didn’t have a lot of physical connections that had to connect to control processors, like relay connections for projector screens, etc. These control processors can be expensive because they have all these physical connections on them for these different control methods AV has at the moment.”
However, Tomei says that most manufacturers are starting to manage on IP-based control of their devices, education technology managers can now place a projector on the network and control it with a control system over IP. This management will help save classrooms physical space.
“Now you don’t have this physical need for a box with all these physical connections on it,” Tomei says. “You can look to something like Utelogy, a network or cloud-based control system, where it’s simply sending IP control commands to devices, and doesn’t have to be sitting in rack somewhere; it could be a server somewhere else on campus, not physically located in the classroom. As long as those devices are on that network, that kind of cloud-based server you’re able to get control signals to them.”
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