Pepperdine University Standardizes Graduate School Campus AV with Extron

Pepperdine University provides students with a range of educational opportunities, including graduate professional programs at its main campus in Malibu and a graduate campus in Irvine, California. The university wanted to standardize the AV systems in 22 classrooms and a larger tiered classroom at the Irvine graduate campus, so that professors and students would have the same experience regardless of which room they are using. Since, the two campuses are about 60 miles apart, it was essential that Pepperdine staff at the main campus would be able to remotely manage and support the AV equipment in Irvine to ensure smooth, simple, and effective operation. When the university decided to upgrade the AV systems, it hired AV integrator ClearTech Media - CTM, who selected a range of Extron products for the project, including switchers, twisted pair extenders, audio digital signal processors, amplifiers, speakers, TouchLink® -based control systems, and GlobalViewer® Enterprise AV resource management.

We chose the IN1606 to provide Pepperdine with a cost-effective solution for the classrooms that would deliver all of the necessary functionality in one compact box.

Christina De Bono, Owner and President - ClearTech Media

AV Needs and Challenges

Classrooms at the Irvine graduate campus span the second and third floor of a high-rise building. The standard 30-seat classrooms and tiered lecture hall required user-friendly AV systems that would enable professors to connect their devices and deliver high resolution video presentations. It was also essential for the AV system in the tiered classroom to integrate with videoconferencing equipment to support distance learning. Additionally, the Pepperdine AV team wanted to improve the efficiency of classroom AV equipment, and ensure simple and effective system operation. This includes the ability to monitor the maintenance needs of AV devices and provide remote helpdesk support to professors at the Irvine campus, all from a central location.

One of the challenges was that the existing AV floor boxes in the second-floor rooms were obsolete and difficult to access. CTM needed to add HDMI inputs, and coordinate with the tenant on the first floor in order to access the bottom of these floor boxes. Long cable runs are required in all the classrooms to accommodate the floor plan and reach the display devices. Another challenge in the standard classrooms was that the new AV equipment needed to fit in an existing enclave that was constructed for the original AV systems, so space was limited. In the tiered classroom, an equipment room provides ample space to house the audiovisual equipment, but long cable runs were a concern in this room as well.

Classroom AV Distribution

The integrator selected the Extron IN1606 Scaling Presentation Switcher and DTP HDMI 4K 230 Twisted Pair Extenders to provide video signal management in the standard classrooms. The IN1606 provides fast and reliable switching between sources, which include guest laptops at the instructor’s table and a DVD player, and delivers a signal optimized to a projector. The DTP HDMI 4K 230 transmitter helps simplify the cabling infrastructure by carrying high resolution video and RS-232 signals over one CATx cable to a compatible receiver above the projector. The switcher, DVD player, and other AV components are installed in the compact AV wall box which can also serve as a table to set down a laptop. CTM provided additional AV connectivity near the wall box with an Extron Extender Plus D VGA and Audio Line Driver wallplate and an Extron WPD 110 A Pass-Through Wallplate for HDMI, Stereo Audio, and Control.

“We chose the IN1606 to provide Pepperdine with a cost-effective solution for the classrooms that would deliver all of the necessary functionality in one compact box,” says Christina De Bono, Owner and President of ClearTech Media. “The switcher is great for handling various sources and signal formats which, combined with the audio capabilities and high-quality video output, made it ideal for this project.”

In the tiered classroom, CTM also installed an Extron Cable Cubby® 300S to provide convenient access to video, audio, and Ethernet connections. Video signals from the conferencing system, resident PC, guest laptops, and DVD player are distributed to a local flat-panel display and the classroom’s projector using an Extron DXP HDMI Series 8x4 matrix switcher. DTP HDMI 4K 230 Twisted Pair Extenders were also used to send video and control signals over a single CATx cable to the projector.

Enhanced Audio Capabilities

Source audio in the standard classrooms is managed with the IN1606 switcher. For the tiered classroom, CTM selected the Extron DMP 64 Audio Digital Signal Processor. The sound system in this classroom consists of distributed overhead speakers, plus several ceiling microphones. The DMP 64 provides essential audio functions including mixing and routing, as well as room equalization. In addition, the integrator used the Extron HAE 100 HDMI Audio De-Embedder to integrate HDMI audio from the DXP 84 matrix switcher.

To amplify the audio content, CTM chose the ENERGY STAR® qualified Extron MPA 401-70V Mono Amplifier for standard classrooms and the XPA 2002-70V Two Channel Amplifier for the tiered classroom. The MPA 401 delivers 40 watts at 70 volts for a pair of Extron FF 220T Flat Field® Ceiling Speakers. The patented Flat Field speakers provide an extraordinarily wide dispersion of 170 degrees for very wide room coverage, allowing just a pair of speakers to provide consistent sound levels throughout the room.

The XPA 2002-70V delivers two channels of 200 watts per channel for the 70 volt distributed ceiling speakers. These amplifiers are energy efficient, provide ample power for the speakers, and generate very little heat. The 1U enclosures save valuable rack space, especially so that AV equipment in the standard classrooms can fit in the compact AV wall boxes without the need for extra ventilation space or dedicated cooling.

User-Friendly Control and Effective Resource Management

For simplified AV system operation in the tiered classroom, CTM selected an Extron TLP 700MV 7" TouchLink Touchpanel mounted on a custom lectern, in conjunction with an IPCP 505 IP Link® Control Processor in the equipment rack. The AV system control interface on the touchpanel provides intuitive system operation, including source selection, selection of videoconferencing functions, audio level adjustment, plus the ability to power the projector on or off. The GUI is also customized to incorporate the Pepperdine logo and color scheme as part of the design. For standard classrooms, Extron MLC 226 IP DV+ MediaLink® Controllers mounted on top of the AV wall boxes provide simple-to-use interfaces to control and operate the systems.

Extron GlobalViewer Enterprise or GVE enables the AV team at Pepperdine’s main campus to provide remote helpdesk support for the Irvine graduate campus. The AV group is able to use the server-based AV resource management application to manage, monitor, and control the AV equipment over the university’s network.

“This project embodies many different types of AV applications being utilized today by higher educational institutions, including digital signage, distance learning, standard classroom AV, and mobile videoconferencing using a standard platform for AV,” says De Bono. “It is a great example of how a university with multiple remote campuses has leveraged network based AV control and diagnostics to remotely manage all of their AV systems.” Austin Oakes, Senior Project Manager at Pepperdine adds, “The GlobalViewer Enterprise platform is actually a big part of what made Extron a very attractive system for the university to be on.”

Results

The use of Extron AV equipment at the Irvine graduate campus fulfills Pepperdine’s needs for consistent AV systems that are cost-effective, reliable, and easy to use. “AV has become mainstream in higher education and the need for standardization is mission critical to our clients who have to manage hundreds of AV systems with limited staff and resources,” says De Bono. “Specific with Pepperdine, we worked closely with Extron to define a standardized platform for all their systems so that no matter what classroom a professor or student walks into, they would have the same experience.” For Pepperdine’s AV team, the ability to remotely manage these AV systems is a significant benefit as well.