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compromising the corners of the individual screens .
As for how content makes its way onto the display , Coniglio starts with an overview of the original mandate from Waterloo Engineering administrators . “ The initial concept they had would ’ ve been three displays from three different sources at the front , and then two screens at the back of the room that would mirror any one of those ,” he explains .
AV Group ’ s proposed 180-degree solution offered a more immersive educational and collaborative experience , which was obviously well received by the faculty as it enabled them to create a more expansive and fluid work environment for users .
A rackmount server feeds the multi-zoned display surface , loaded with a dual graphics card to maximize use of the entire canvas . To accommodate various presenters , an external graphics processing unit ( eGPU ) that can connect to a laptop via a single Thunderbolt connection was provided . It sits on the conference table and allows the screen of a connected computer to extend across three of the five display elements .
Much of the control , distribution , and processing is anchored in the Crestron environment , in large part because it makes for simple and straightforward evolution and expansion going forward . Wallace notes that AV Group handled all of the programming internally , and that the client was provided with a mockup of the GUI well in advance , then given a workshop tutorial on how it would operate before that particular element was approved .
“ Essentially , we have five 4K regions spanning the display , so we can output five 4K signals at this point ,” Wallace shares . “ The next step would be , without having to replace any hardware , they can add a video processor to bring more creativity and capability with multiple sources and windowing . Right now , they don ’ t have the ability to span a single output source across the entire display , but operating in the standard mode connected to the server , they have a desktop [ PC ] and can mouse all the way across ; it ’ s only when you get into different sources that you get those limitations , but if they want to progress down that path , the infrastructure will support it without having to change much about the system topology .” Complementing the more immersive display solution is an audio system that was similarly augmented from the initial client brief .
“ We went with a more powerful system than we normally would have designed ,” Coniglio offers . “ Since we ’ re giving them a display that creates this immersive environment , we figured we could deliver a better audio experience on the same level as the display .”
That system is built on Meyer Sound ’ s UP-4slim ultra-compact installation loudspeakers as the mains with a complementing MM-10XP subwoofer . Coniglio notes the current set-up can easily be expanded to a 5.1 configuration if desired down the road . “ I just love the sound of that product , and for an ultracompact design , it gives the best possible audio performance within that room while being very unobtrusive . For any type of content playback , the audio experience is going to be really , really nice ,” Coniglio asserts . “ If they ’ re doing anything in a presentation mode where a microphone is involved or if they ’ re trying to amplify anything within the room , the speakers are great at rejecting feedback ; with no effort , I can do a presentation with a mic pretty much right next to the speaker with no issues , so that ’ s a great feature for when they get into those kinds of uses .”
From a technical design and delivery perspective , everything went as planned over the course of the project ; however , the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 did impact the actual integration process . Coniglio acknowledges that the project served as a learning opportunity and informed their approach to working efficiently but safely on later projects throughout the year .
“ We had to work quite closely with the university to put together our COVID policies so that they ’ d match their policies for work on campus . It ’ s uncharted territory for all of us , and we were actually the first trade to do any work in that particular facility during the pandemic ,” Coniglio notes .
Speaking more generally about AV Group ’ s approach to one of their early flagship projects as a new firm , he adds : “ We have a
24 | Winter
2020