To better engage their K-12 students, the Compton Unified School District (CUSD) in Southern California offers an esports program. An Extron XTP System is at the heart of each esports lab installation for a seamless AV switching and distribution solution.
The esports program was conceived to enable growth of a student’s social and emotional well-being and open avenues for their future. Esports activities include afterschool individual and group competitions and tournament play among CUSD schools and with other districts through a variety of organizations. CUSD’s esports program has been so successful that colleges and universities, such as California State University, Dominguez Hills, partner with them to help students strive for higher education and see the potential for careers in esports and the related technologies.
The technologies built into the CUSD esports labs on the various school campuses enable seamless presentation of the gaming content, including instantaneous content updates triggered by student reactions and interactions at multiple stations. The AV system design encompasses delivery of 4K video content and selectable audio signals from a production-quality computer system to multiple large-screen displays. Two professional AV integration firms were involved in the multi-phase project. DI Technology designed and implemented the esports gaming computers, and EKC Enterprises designed and deployed the AV switching and distribution solution, selecting Extron to meet its requirements.
“We have a lot of qualitative data from coaches, teachers, and administrative staff explaining how students who were indifferent to their studies have turned around because of our esports program,” said Alvaro Brito, STEAM administrator, Department of Educational Technology and Innovation for Compton Unified School District. “Technology such as Extron XTP is a contributing factor to student transformation and success.”
The XTP Systems provide enhanced-performance switching, maintaining AV signal integrity and image quality throughout the session or tournament. As an example, an extended case study from Extron looks at a recent tournament held at the Davis Middle School esports lab. To immerse players and spectators alike in the actin, an Extron XTP II CrossPoint modular matrix switcher routes selectable combinations of gaming video, clear sound, player statistics, and more to the room’s five 86-inch 4K commercial displays.
Extron XTP HDMI scaling receivers deliver the AV and inserted control signals to the displays. Content is also sent to the show-casting system during tournaments. An Extron IP Link Pro control processor used in combination with the 10-inch TouchLink Pro tabletop touchpanel located at the production station facilitates AV system operation.
