The large ballroom at the children’s health center in Luga City, Russia, served as a simple meeting room with tables, chairs and portable audio/video equipment. But with the addition of a multimedia system, it became a versatile facility for use by residents and employees.
The ballroom is now a multi-functional area that hosts high-tech presentations, conferences, disco dance parties and movie viewing for a variety of age groups – and it all happens with the click of a computer mouse. Local integrator A Screen used Kramer Electronics products to create a simple, seamless solution. A trio of Kramer matrix switchers and specially developed software are at the heart of the system.
The Kramer VS-1616V 16 x 16 switcher is used for composite video and S-video, as well as audio switching. The Kramer VP-88 8 x 8 switcher provides component video switching and the VP-66 6 x 6 switcher is used for RGB video. Three Kramer VP-719DS scalers provide conversion of various video formats in RGBHV for preview monitors. Kramer distribution amplifiers and a transcoder are also included in the system.
To activate the system, users select their preferred ballroom “mode” from the computer program. Click on “Movie Viewing,” and the system activates a multi-channel audio system, DVD player and video projector. A 6 x 4 m screen is lowered from the ceiling.
Click on “Dance Party,” and a dynamic light is added to the theatrics, while the projector displays various lighting effects that keep time with the music. Adaptor-hatches on the 23 x 38 foot stage are connected to microphones whose signals are fed to a mixing console for heart-pounding, enveloping music.
Click on “Presentation,” and a full suite of audio and video equipment becomes available, along with a separate computer and preview monitor at an operator’s work station. A 200-inch screen (measured diagonally), replaces the larger one and the projector’s lens is automatically set for shorter projection distance. The system switches to rear speakers, turning off the center channel and subwoofers. Presenters have access to two video cameras, two S-VHS VCRs with a TV aerial antenna, a satellite tuner, a CD/DVD player with karaoke, a DVD player, a DVD recorder and an MD recorder. A computer is incorporated as a video server for real-time digital recording of events.
The stage and presidium table are equipped with local network, video, telephone and microphone connectors. Six 15-inch monitors display the main presentation screen, a separate video program or information from a document camera, as determined by the presentation operator.
The Kramer Electronics products are located in a separate control room along with the audio and video sources. The versatile line has turned the children’s health center ballroom into a versatile solution in itself, meeting a variety of needs.
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