UK integrator Saville Audio Visual has invested £500,000 (€550,000) in new facilities at its York head office. The refurbishment includes purpose-designed demonstration rooms for HD videoconferencing, HD telepresence, interactive presentations, digital signage and 3D projection.
The design and fit-out was coordinated by the company’s NE sales team, with Saville craftsmen and engineers working alongside external designers and contractors through the six-month transformation process. In addition to themed graphic fascia panels and bespoke conferencing suites, the project also included relocation of most internal offices and ripping out part of the first floor to accommodate the York AV rental and conference operation.
The company’s key suppliers also contributed, enabling the rooms to incorporate state-of-the-art projectors and the latest flat screen developments. Particularly impressive is said to be the Immersive Telepresence suite which, like the other rooms, also demonstrates the ease with which iPhone, iPad and laptop technology can be used to interface with meetings.
“The HD picture and sound quality is exceptional and the curve of the fascia has been carefully designed to reflect the shape of the table,” said Saville business manager for Unified Comms, David Willie. “This, plus the positioning of the screens, cameras, microphones and speakers, is critical in creating a truly natural feel for video meetings, as if all the participants really are in the same room.”
The suite was built, installed and commissioned by Saville’s own team in less than two weeks, incorporating Polycom codecs and three 60” Sharp high definition screens. The 28 foot-wide, floor to ceiling fascia is finished in birds-eye maple to match the boardroom table, also manufactured in-house and featuring pop-up data and power connection panels. The facilities include real-time collaboration, enabling parties at different sites to share and work on documents simultaneously.
The Telepresence room, the smaller Enterprise HD videoconferencing suite and a comprehensive interactive meeting room are all networked via an Evoko Room Manager system, with touch-sensitive screens outside each door that display the booking status of a room.
At an open day attended by specially invited guests and senior council officials, the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor David Horton unveiled a plaque to mark the official re-opening of the building.
“This investment confirms our commitment to stay at the forefront of the UK communications industry,” said Saville MD John Sills. “The new showrooms demonstrate the very latest in digital technology – they are amongst the best, if not the best, in the country.”
