The James A. Byrne United States Courthouse, located in the heart of Center City Philadelphia, houses the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Constructed between 1970 and 1975, its blends modern architecture with its historic surroundings. It now blends modern technology trends and with future-proof solutions from Visionary.
The James A. Byrne Courthouse faced a challenging situation with 50 courtrooms, each outfitted with different audiovisual products and manufacturers. This lack of standardization among audiovisual systems made it nearly impossible to determine the specific equipment in each room. Additionally, much of the technology was outdated and failing. As a result, the Pennsylvania Eastern District began to evaluate the next iteration of courtroom technology. A significant amount of time was dedicated to product research to identify a unified ecosystem that could be implemented moving forward.
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“I prioritized finding stable, long-lasting products for our AV systems,” said Michael Corkery, director of information technology for the District Court. “Initially, we considered another manufacturer, but supply chain shortages forced us to explore alternatives. During this search, I connected with Visionary. Their PacketAV Matrix Series claims of low Power-over-Ethernet draw and minimal bandwidth consumption initially seemed almost too good to be true. Visionary’s devices operate at just seven to 10 watts, which would significantly reduce the strain on our power draw requirements. Additionally, Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series consumes only 200 Mbps and I’ve seen it settle in as low as 80 Mbps, a critical factor when evaluating bandwidth needs across our production network.”
Corkery and his team tested the Visionary demo kit and it became clear the PacketAV Matrix Series was the right fit to achieve their goal to adopt a fully converged model utilizing existing infrastructure. After a tour of Lincoln Financial Stadium and seeing Visionary’s solutions in action at such a large-scale venue, "solidified my confidence in our decision," Corkery recalled. "I approached this project with complete vendor neutrality and Visionary earned its place solely on its technical merits. As a result, we equipped six courtrooms in 12 months with the PacketAV Matrix Series, and the results have been outstanding.”
At the James A. Byrne United States Courthouse, a typical courtroom design includes a prosecution table, a defense table and occasionally a third table for additional attorneys or U.S. attorneys. The jury box typically features eight to 10 monitors, each equipped with Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series decoder. At the attorney tables, there are two monitors per table, resulting in a total of six PacketAV Matrix Series decoders, along with source devices. Additionally, the system incorporates a wireless presentation solution connected to an encoder and a large display in the gallery, often an 86-inch monitor. In the initial courtroom installation, an MV4 Multiviewer was implemented, with plans now underway to upgrade to MV5 Multiviewers. The system is designed for scalability and longevity, achieved through close collaboration with Visionary.
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“In June of 2024, we received our first MV5 Multiviewer and are integrated it into the new courtroom,” explained Corkery. “We’re currently working on the third of the six initial courtrooms and plan to make another purchase later this year. Our goal is to upgrade 25 courtrooms over a five-year timeline, starting December of 2023. Our rapid implementation plan is designed to address our outdated systems by upgrading five courtrooms per year over the next five years. This overhaul is critical, as we’ve encountered issues with faulty equipment disrupting trials. These upgrades will not only enhance reliability but also future-proof our courtrooms for years to come.”
Visionary is known for its outstanding customer support and commitment to building strong partnerships. Corkery highlights this commitment, sharing, “The support from Visionary's team has been outstanding. While I try not to bother Lewis too much, he’s always proactive – regularly texting, calling and checking in to ensure everything is running smoothly. Chuck Larson [Director of Training and Support for Visionary] has also been an invaluable resource, offering technical guidance that has made our collaboration seamless. Initially, there was some back-and-forth communication, but as I became more involved and took the lead, the process became much more streamlined. Working with Visionary’s pre-sales and technical teams has been a real pleasure. It’s a stark contrast to my experiences with larger companies.”
