Integrator TwistedPair and distributor Polaraudio have created a comprehensive AV solution for a London-based public relations company. The new system – installed as the company relocated to new premises – provides instant access to rolling information from a variety of external media sources, as well as the ability to share internally produced AV content between individual divisions or across all offices.
The installation had to enable a number of separate feeds such as Freeview and Sky HD to be sent to large format display units (including a videowall) across offices and meeting rooms on three floors. As well as external TV networks, display outputs from a number of Mac minis were also to be distributed through the system. The final part of the brief was for a control interface to allow users throughout the various locations to choose the content they wished to view.
Polaraudio recommended WyreStorm HD distribution and control solutions. Stuart Leader of Polaraudio designed a system that would enable the distribution of 15 different sources located in the company’s IT room, to 48 large-format display units. The system was straightforward to install and operate and offers a scaleable solution that can be easily added to or restructured. The alternative to the Wyrestorm solution, given the requirement to service 48 LFD outputs, would have been to use a 64 x 64 HDBaseT matrix, much of whose capacity would remain unused. By comparison, given the requirement for only 15 inputs, the Wyrestorm system offered a bespoke and highly cost-effective alternative.
Fifteen Wyrestorm NHD-IPTX transmitters (one for each source) were installed in a 3U rack cage to take HDMI signals from the source units and encode them to JPEG2000 data streams. These streams are sent down standard Cat6 cable to two Cisco SG300 Smart Switches (joined by a 1Gb fibre link) which support IGMP snooping. The switches behave as a matrix to distribute the streams via further Cat6 to 48 Wyrestorm NHD-IPRX receivers assigned to the LFD units, including a videowall in the reception area. Visually lossless, the streams are decoded by the receivers back to HDMI for output to the display.
The stream traffic is controlled via a Wyrestorm NHD-IP-CTL controller. While the controller can receive IP commands via a Crestron or AMX control interface, on this occasion Wyrestorm’s Enado control system was employed. Enado can be programmed and controlled via a web browser and is designed to offer maximum control flexibility, eliminating the requirement for proprietary devices. The GUI will display on any client device with a web interface. In this way, any of the source inputs can be routed to whichever output or combination of outputs is required. In this instance the Enado system has been programmed to control all the sources across three floors from the IT room while allowing limited control from local devices.
Stuart Leader, head of installation at Polaraudio, described the benefits: “The Wyrestorm network HD offers a superb, flexible solution which is incredibly simple to install and operate. There is no requirement for special cabling – it operates on standard network cabling and its scaleability means that there is no inherent ‘waste’ of inputs or outputs as might be the case using a traditional matrix system. If the end-user wishes to add any inputs or outputs to the system, they can do so easily and incrementally in either case. It’s not difficult to see that the cost-effectiveness of such a set-up merits significant consideration. At Polaraudio, as the name suggests, we’ve always had a strong association with audio solutions and technology but it’s worth remembering that video solutions are also very much part of our business and as this project demonstrates, in Wyrestorm we are distributing an undisputed AV gem.”
Simon Toleman, director of AV at TwistedPair added: “The installation itself was pretty straightforward. The product is great and the only real pressure was the very narrow timeframe we were given because of the extensive building works that were taking place. Stuart’s preparation at the design stage and assistance during the project meant that in spite of the squeeze on our time, everything was comfortably achieved. Wyrestorm and Polaraudio came in to commission the system and I know that the clients are very happy indeed with the results.”
Given the relentless pace of global communications, the here and now of broadcast media is an absolute essential of PR life. With the application of brilliantly conceived technology from Wyrestorm, delivered by POLARaudio and installed quickly and efficiently by TwistedPair every employee can see exactly what they want, where they want, whenever they want, as easily as switching on 48 screens.
