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Taking control: Mission-critical AV technologies

The vital nature of many control rooms means that they are natural recipients of the latest innovations in AV over IP, ultra-high-resolution video & display, and – of course – security, writes David Davies

Control rooms have always been regarded as early adopters of new pro AV technologies, from the latest audio systems and video walls to IP-based networking. In 2024, this tendency to want the ‘latest and greatest’ is arguably more pronounced than ever before thanks to the mission-critical nature of so many control rooms – especially those in heavy industry and government-related departments like defence – and the need to protect them against an increasingly complex lattice of security threats.

As this article will illustrate, the control room market continues to be a highly rewarding one for the developers of new KVM and IP-based products, management and monitoring platforms, and security technologies. It could also soon prove to be an important testing ground for developments such as cloud-based infrastructure and AI-enhanced data collection and analysis as they start to become more prevalent in pro AV.

Along with finding out about their latest control room-friendly solutions, Installation took the opportunity to find out what leading vendors think will be the next ‘great leap forward’ in terms of control room design and technology deployment.

“Organisations today connect virtually every new system and source over IP, and can therefore leverage IP-based KVM systems, extending remote access and monitoring capabilities within command and control environments,” says Tom Fitzgerald, Black Box KVM product manager. “With switching managed in the background, operators can access and switch multiple systems in a seamless manner simply using a single keyboard, mouse, and monitor setup.

“KVM technology offers ease to individual operators, allowing them to quickly share critical information they’re monitoring on their own displays, on a common display or video wall for the larger group to see. AVoIP and KVM over IP today can be implemented and managed through a single platform. AV-systems have evolved to include KVM control, and KVM-systems have incorporated AV processing and video wall control into their products.”

STREAMLINED & SECURE
The ability of KVM systems to support transparent and secure management, monitoring and control of an environment from a central location – especially invaluable to environments with multiple servers and computers – has always made them a natural fit for control rooms. Therefore, it also follows that these facilities remain inclined to adopt new KVM innovations enthusiastically, including those involving IP transportation.

Dan Holland is marketing manager at leading KVM solutions developer and manufacturer IHSE USA. He comments: “KVM matrix switches are designed to provide transparent connection between computers and user workstations in a typical source-switch-destination configuration. By examining the work environment of a control room system, it becomes easy to understand the value of security, video quality, and low latency of keyboard and mouse interaction for the user.”

He continues: “For instance, there is an increasing need for Smartcard/CAC reader access with permission-based access to shared network sources. A KVM matrix system can solve this problem by isolating the data signal for a keyboard/mouse separately from smartcard or CAC readers. Built-in control methods of the KVM switch allow permission-only access to touchscreen displays, podium presentation equipment, or an operator’s workstation prior to getting access to the CPU. As a secondary security level, a console display extender includes an OSD (On Screen Display) level username and password when the keyboard becomes active.”

Speaking more generally, the provision of complete protection against illegitimate cyber activity continues to be critical. “With today’s increasing threats to computer and network systems, making systems resilient to attack is paramount,” confirms Holland. “System integrators who design control rooms need to ensure the right products are used to support customer cybersecurity policies, including all sub-systems and components, against the potential risk of attack and exploitation for vulnerabilities. Conversely, products must include a more open-source infrastructure that offers the ability to obtain, gather, process and distribute information more effectively. As system designers walk the fine line between accessibility and security, they have found KVM switching to be an effective means to streamline data access while maintaining an important level of security and data quality.”

IHSE – whose products are found in control room environments in professional AV, industry, air traffic control, government/military applications and broadcasting – continues to add to its range of KVM matrix switchers, extenders and converters. From the company’s kvm-tec series, the KVM-over-IP-based Scalable Pro Line 5K extender supports up to 5K60 video and multi-viewer capabilities over a 10G network switch. Optimised firmware has made it possible to transmit 4:4:4 colour over a typical 10G network switch up to 5120×1440 @60Hz. 

“These extenders uniquely feature the ability to control and manage up to 16 computer sources on a single display via a single keyboard and mouse,” explains Holland. “By simply moving the mouse inside the gridded cell and clicking, the operator has full control of the source. In addition, up to four Scalable Pro receivers can be network-bonded to allow up to 64 sources across the four displays.”

VIDEO VERSATILITY
On the subject of displays, the importance of image quality in many control room applications – police and air traffic control being two prominent examples – means that they have tended to be among the first environments to implement new video formats. Therefore, while ‘standard’ HD and Full HD (1080p) continue to be very widely used, 4K is has also become increasingly prevalent.

This is something to which Just Add Power – which has focused on AV over IP products since launching its HDMI over IP distribution solutions in 2008 – can attest. Its product range includes 4K and 1080p transmitters, among other items, and the control room sector remains an important one for the Florida-based company.

Taft Stricklin, sales team manager for Just Add Power, says that from an early stage there has been an emphasis on “being able to do software and firmware updates [so] we can have products that last for decades. We’ve always believed in building products that are sustainable, and are forwards and backwards compatible.” 

An example is the MaxColor system, which is a 4K60, 36-bit colour, 4:4:4 colour format HDMI over IP distribution matrix. “We’ve stuck with being able to scale for the display, so you can have a combination of 4K60 displays, 4K30 displays and 1080p displays, and everything plays seamlessly on every screen.”

This is especially useful given that it’s common for control room environments to feature a range of screens with different resolutions. Variable tiling requirements are another important consideration. “With LED walls in command and control centres, for example, we provide the ability with our [4K tiler processors] to say, “I want to have these four images sized this way on these screens,’ or ‘I’m going to put in two tilers and I want to have eight images’, [etc]. Each tiler that goes into the rack, which is native on the network, can create four windows, and you can custom-size them, drag them around, and kind of do whatever you want.”

With the video distribution needs of control rooms continuing to evolve, it’s not surprising that Just Add Power’s focus on education – both on-line and in the form of in-house training sessions at the company’s HQ – has also proven to be resonant. “Our most impactful training is in-house at our facility in Florida,” says Stricklin. “It’s typically two-day training, and when you come out of it you know how to do everything in terms of building and configuring your networks – and making sure that they are secure.”

AV OVER IP
For Kramer, its AV over IP products – including the KDS-7 and KDS-17 streaming solutions designed for 1GE networks – “have been key to our success in the control rooms market,” says Theo van Niekerk, regional product and solutions director, Kramer. “These products provide high-quality video streaming and distribution over IP networks, with the KDS-17 offering advanced audio integration and network segmentation features. When combined with Kramer Control, our comprehensive control and automation platform, we deliver end-to-end solutions that streamline control room workflows and enhance operational efficiency.”

Invited to provide some insight into Kramer’s R&D process in this area, van Niekerk reveals that it “focuses on the seamless integration of AV over IP and Kramer Control. We collaborate with customers to understand their specific requirements, such as low-latency video transmission, smooth source switching, and intuitive control interfaces. By leveraging the capabilities of our AV over IP products and the flexibility of Kramer Control, we develop solutions that are tailored to the unique demands of control room environments.”

Video wall and control rooms solutions provider Datapath can also attest to the popularity of IP-based infrastructures. “AV over IP is now almost ubiquitous in the control room market,” observes Matthew Tibbitt, senior product manager, Datapath. “Its ability to allow information to be securely delivered to the right places at the right time is a key driver in what customers are looking for. We’re constantly looking at new technology trends to ensure that when source content requires, for example, 4K to every endpoint we are in a position to deliver it.”

For Datapath – which has supplied solutions to customers in energy production, big data, transportation, security, sports telemetry and other verticals – one of the most significant recent developments has been Aetria. 

Comprising Aetria Designer design software, Command Center unified interface, Network Manager appliance for simplified set-up and management, Aetria WallControl for management and control of multiple video walls, and the Aetria Workstation for control room operators, Aetria is Datapath’s integrated solution for the design, management and operation of control rooms of any size.

“Aetria continues to go from strength to strength [and] we have installations all over the world,” says Tibbitt. “The command and control room market continues to be Datapath’s key focus for development as there are so many different control room verticals that can be addressed.”

As for the security issue, he observes that this has “always been paramount to control room customers. In many cases, they are dealing with highly sensitive data that must remain secure. To alleviate concerns we have recently undergone penetration testing on our Aetria system, with great success!”

Kramer also continues to evolve its security protection, notes van Niekerk: “We implement encryption protocols to protect video and data transmission over IP networks, and the KDS-17’s network segmentation support adds a layer of security. Kramer Control also includes UI pincode functionality, providing an additional level of security for accessing the control interface.”

CONNECTIVE COLLABORATION
Pro AV control, collaboration and connectivity technology mainstay Crestron observes increasing crossover between the requirements of ‘traditional’ control centres with customers in other markets such as enterprise and education, where there is a comparable need to “monitor spaces and technology on mass”.

Joel Mulpeter, director product marketing at Crestron, continues: “The technology for control rooms is also used in different markets for multi-purpose rooms, where there’s a need to quickly see information. That need, and the need to react to what is seen and monitor that for the next situation, is unanimous across vertical markets and for situations related to security, technology and knowledge. A prime example is what we did for the New York Giants, where we equipped the team’s draft room to upgrade the process from manually moving magnets on the walls to a digitally powered command centre with multiple screens that can display resourceful data to power some of the team’s most important decisions.”

In terms of specific product developments, the company has been adding features and products to the Crestron DM NVX AV-Over-IP platform since its inception. “Recently we’ve added the possibility of using the USB HID (Human Interface Devices) data from keyboards to trigger actions in our control systems. This allows users on the floor to fully control the room through shortcuts, ranging from which sources they display and zoom into to turning the lights on,” says Mulpeter.

Along with security and reliability, Courtney Mamuscia – senior director of marketing at video wall processing and control solutions manufacturer RGB Spectrum – highlights the “huge importance of connectivity, including the ability to collaborate effectively and securely not only within your organisation, but outside of it as well.” 

Simultaneously, there is also an ongoing demand for solutions that support streamlined infrastructures so that, for example, “instead of having 10 computers to see 10 different sources you may only need two computers, and our [back-end processing solutions] are what allows you to tie everything together in a single system.”

Product-wise, RGB Spectrum is “always advancing” its Zio portfolio – which features wall processors, multiviewers, encoders and decoders, among other products – while Mamuscia also draws attention to the new SuperView IPX, a high-performance multiviewer that was showcased at InfoComm 2024. Displaying image quality at up to 4K 60Hz resolution with display windows any size, anywhere on screen, the multiviewer’s features mean that it is “an ideal fit for the superior image quality and flexible display requirements of many control rooms”.

IP STANDARDISATION
The widespread adoption of IP-based connectivity inevitably prompts a question about whether – as, for example, in broadcast – the control rooms market is increasingly standardising on specific IP technologies. Providing a response is Andrew Starks, director of product management for Macnica and the marketing work group chair for AIMS (Alliance for IP Media Solutions).

“Since the early days of media-over-IP for live production, two technologies have been predominant – NDI and SMPTE ST 2110 – with NDI initially becoming more popular in the pro AV live production market,” he says. 

“Currently, we operate in a mixed environment of baseband SDI, NDI and ST 2110. While NDI remains popular, ST 2110 is gaining traction, and the introduction of IPMX will only accelerate this trend.”

The requirements of individual customers will inform the selection of specific IP technologies. “Different users have various reasons for their choices,” confirms Starks. 

Datapath has developed Aetria as a complete control room solution

“For those with demanding requirements for reliability, latency and scalability, SMPTE ST 2110 is the most popular choice. Many users prioritise price and accessibility, which has contributed to NDI’s impressive market share. However, as the market matures, the cost of ST 2110 systems has decreased, and the ease of installation and operation has improved, reducing accessibility challenges. Additionally, IPMX builds on ST 2110, maintaining its positive attributes while offering flexibility that simplifies management and support. This includes support for compressed workflows and asynchronous sources.”

In addition to providing a wealth of educational content about IP technologies, AIMS has this advice for control room customers. “We recommend requiring open standards and specifications in your next installation,” says Starks. 

“By doing so, you ensure that your investment is protected from supply chain issues or a single vendor’s future business decisions. Additionally, you’ll benefit from the collective expertise of hundreds of industry experts from over a hundred organisations who have developed, created and promoted these open standards.”

TECH TRENDS
How the control rooms market will develop over the next few years – both in terms of technological trends and customer requirements – is of course of huge importance.

Tibbitt suggests that the availability of LED walls in control rooms will “continue to grow apace”. This is confirmed by Mathieu Arnould, sales manager France & North Africa, INFiLED EMEA: “LED screens drive this sector by offering very advanced technologies. The next big step in the control room market is the reduction in prices on finer pitch pixels like the P0.9 offering the best, most suitable and finest image for this type of use.”

For RGB Spectrum, Mamuscia indicates that there will continue to be a prioritisation across the sector of “ergonomics and the whole issue of how can it be made more efficient for the desktop operator to get information and then stream it to a general location and/or a mobile workforce. Which means that pulling in large amounts of data, processing it quickly and enabling high quality content will [continue to be
very important].”

From Mulpeter’s perspective, there is a growing need for control facilities “to not only reference the content in the room from compute, but also information from BYOD devices brought into the spaces and content from compute in other locations. This brings in technologies like our recently released DM NVX software that allows a compute to have an application installed that will transmit a DM NVX stream directly to the network with no extra hardware.” With control centres also on the rise in “verticals such as enterprise and education”, so is the “need to be able to view the entire estate and dive into issues [easily]. We expect that this demand for control rooms will keep expanding over time.”

As the internal expectations and external pressures on control rooms continue to increase, there is every inclination that it will remain a rewarding market for many pro-AV vendors. And as one where technical requirements are often finely attuned and mandated, it will also remain an important testing ground for emerging technologies.