New Bedford, MA--Recognizing the importance of a capable and intuitive AV presentation system, New Bedford, MA-based Southcoast Health System has embarked on an ambitious program to re-vitalize its training capabilities — and this has led to the deployment of several Showtime presentation systems from Brea, CA-based Altinex.
Portsmouth RI-based Promptus Communications, Inc., a design / build firm with a focus on network access, AV video conferencing solutions, and encryption for businesses, was contracted to design and deploy Southcoast Health System’s new AV equipment, which is now an integral part of the presentation systems at several of the health provider’s properties, including Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, MA, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford, MA, and Tobey Hospital in Wareham, MA. Paul H. Fredette, COO and CTO of Promptus Communications, discussed the advantages the Altinex Showtime systems offer and his reasons for deploying them at Southcoast Health System’s hospitals and off-campus centers.
“The Altinex Showtime Model 2600, with its ability to support three computers and three video sources makes an ideal package for many presentation setups and, as a result, is the most prevalent system we’ve deployed,” Fredette said. “Model selection is primarily determined by the number of computer connections required in any given room and this is precisely what makes the Showtime packages so appealing. The system is scalable and, hence, can be readily tailored to the requirements of the space.”
The Altinex Showtime systems include sound reinforcement with an integrated amplifier, speakers, and support for a microphone input. In addition to the electronics, the systems also include all the necessary cables. These presentation packages offer users two control methods: an automatic source ‘detect-and-select’ feature and a one-touch button controller. The automatic selection feature is triggered when a new device's video signal is detected. For example, when a guest speaker connects to the computer wall plate and powers up, the computer image is detected and the Showtime system sends that image to the projector.
At St. Luke's Hospital, Knowles Hall is a multipurpose conference space used for internal meetings, training, religious ceremonies, and hospital clinical meetings such as tumor review boards. When Promptus Communications revitalized this facility, Fredette integrated the Showtime 2600 system with a Polycom HDX7000 video conference package so that the selected presentation could be observed by the remote participants using Polycom’s People+Content functionality.
“The Altinex Showtime system, combined with the HDX7000, is a very complete and cost effective AV presentation solution when compared with earlier AV installations provided by other AV integrators,” Fredette said. “The display can be either a combination projector/auto screen or a flat panel display—and this is not model dependent, so there’s tremendous flexibility when it comes to selecting the most suitable equipment. For sound reinforcement, the Showtime systems offer 2- or 4-ceiling speaker solutions, depending upon the room size. In some of our installations, ceiling microphones have also been used.”
“Over the past two years, we’ve deployed Altinex Showtime systems in roughly ten of Southcoast Health System’s facilities and we anticipate roughly another four deployments during 2012. The use of a common solution for many rooms has greatly enhanced usability and simplified system training considerably. Our customer now insists that all new rooms use the combined Showtime/Polycom solution. The Showtime systems are easy to use, cost-effective presentation solutions that, when packaged with the Polycom teleconferencing equipment, offer tremendous bang for the buck.”
