International Training Center in Turin, Italy Selects Extron Systems For Signal Routing and AV System Control

The International Training Center, ITCILO, in Turin, Italy recently completed new AV systems for a major classroom renovation project using a wide range of Extron products, including TouchLink Configurable Control Systems. ITCILO is an advanced vocational training institute and part of the United Nations program for technical cooperation with developing countries. Each year the Center runs 450 programs for 11,000 people from 180 countries, including diplomats from around the globe.

We chose Extron because of their wide range of high performance products and expert customer support.

Eugenio Battiston, BPC Managing Director

The hub of the ITCILO Turin campus is the Piemonte Pavilion Conference Center, which includes a 350-seat auditorium, six classrooms with 30 to 150 seats, a simultaneous interpretation system with five booths for multilingual conferences, four offices, and a reception area. ITCILO wanted to network and centrally control the six classrooms, three of them on one floor, and the remaining three on a separate floor. Each large room is referred to as a "Piano" and is divisible into three smaller rooms.

AV Needs

Each classroom included a projector and display, with additional LCD displays in the halls, to display video and audio from each of the rooms. ITCILO needed to transmit scaled video along with audio signals from a variety of sources including computer, DVD, and satellite, to the classroom projectors and sound systems and hallway displays. They also wanted to include nine CCTV cameras for videoconferencing. The system would route signals from composite video, RGB, HDMI, and S-video sources. Each Piano would have its own control system, with additional overarching control of the entire AV system.

Networking Hardware and Software

Italian AV integrator Battiston Professional Congress, BPC, designed the system using Extron switchers, scalers, extenders, controllers and TouchLink ^® touchpanels, along with Extron web-based control software. According to BPC Managing Director, Eugenio Battiston, "We chose Extron because of their wide range of high performance products and expert customer support."

Switching and Scaling

BPC routed incoming signals through Extron MTPX Plus twisted pair matrix switchers to Extron DVS 304 DVI AD Video and RGB scalers. The scaled signals travelled through Extron MTP twisted pair transmitters and receivers to Extron P/2 DA 4xi and P/2 DA 6xi distribution amplifiers which split and amplify the signals before sending them to the projectors and displays.

Local and Centralized Control

For local control, BPC installed an IPL 250 Ethernet control processer and a TLP 700TV TouchLink controller in each Piano. For centralized control, BPC used a third IPL 250 control processor, Extron IPL T S6 and IPL T SFI244 Ethernet Control Interfaces, and two TLP 700TV TouchLink touchpanels, one in the control room and another in the reception area. The IPL 250 was configured using Extron's free Global Configurator software and managed with Extron's GlobalViewer web-based AV resource management and remote control software.

With GlobalViewer software, TouchLink touchpanels, and IP Link controllers, ITCILO personnel now have the flexibility to manage, monitor, and control both Extron and third-party AV equipment in the Piemonte Pavilion and provide high definition educational programming to their wide variety of international students.