Monitoring remote railways in multiple locations can be a challenge. When Calgary’s Command Centre required remote monitoring at the busy transportation hub they called in Evolution Presentation Technologies to integrated sixteen 55-inch displays stacked in an 8x2 configuration to achieve a bird’s eye view of train locations with the ability to zoom in anywhere when needed.
“It’s like a mini-NASA in there now,” said Evolution Presentation Technologies’ Account Manager, Chris Meaney, who oversaw the system integration. “The video wall spans the entire wall so it’s ultimately very effective for the operators to keep their eyes on the areas they need to monitor daily.”
Cameras are installed alongside MuxLab’s processing equipment to transmit live video over IP to all video wall displays for 24/7 access. MuxLab’s Video Wall 4K over IP PoE Extender Kits (model 500759) connect many HDMI sources to many displays via a 1Gig Ethernet Switch. With this solution, 4K video can be delivered long-range to create a video wall of nearly any user configurable size. Each source connects to a transmitter, which delivers 4K through the switch to the receiver connected to a display. Ethernet connectivity enables anytime/anywhere viewing free from traditional cabling constraints.
By electing to use an IP-based solution, the entire installation was more cost-effective and easier to implement, Meaney noted. Evolution Presentation Technologies’ team was able to avoid traditional cable-based solutions for transmitting 4K HDMI such as fiber, which can be costly to implement. The biggest challenge was finding the correct Ethernet Switch.
“We went to a 48-port managed PoE switch because if you use a more cost-effective switch, your performance can suer. You can’t go low-end in this kind of mission-critical installation. We needed a heavy, reliable system and that’s what we went with,” added Meaney. “MuxLab’s AV over IP solutions have proven to be exceedingly reliable; they’re not only easier to install but they’re also ultimately more cost-effective.”
