Sponsored Content
A recent classroom AV upgrade at Virginia Tech has afforded instructors and students alike the ability to remain connected to their remote counterparts—utilizing a dynamic, BYOD approach to collaboration technology that facilitates a seamless lecture experience. In a virtual interview powered by one of the university’s new, ceiling-mounted microphones from Panasonic Connect, Eric Brooks, audio engineer, and Rob Viers, director of Classroom AV Services at Virginia Tech sat down with Cindy Davis, brand and content director for AV Technology to discuss the update, and how pandemic-era technology decisions have set VT’s campus communities up for present and future success.
Audio has always been a consideration when selecting new campus AV products, but according to Brooks, it took on an entirely new significance in the wake of COVID-19. “Post 2020, everyone was used to calling with clear audio; your face was close to the laptop screen and you could hear everyone really well,” he explained. “And so, when we started to come back in person, we really had to take audio into account as far as folks in these hybrid settings. This helped us shift our focus to ceiling microphones, and making sure that classroom audio was clear and concise not only for local students or faculty but also for those on the far end of the call.”
Since the beginning of the upgrade, the team at Virginia Tech has outfitted approximately 50 percent of their 350 AV-enabled classroom spaces with at least one ceiling-mounted microphone and camera, facilitating flexible in-person and hybrid learning. “We basically turn the room into one giant webcam, so end users can just plug a USB into their computer and utilize whatever software that they want,” Viers said. “It's been very popular, so we're trying to get it into every single space. Of course, budget and time don't always allow for that, but we're utilizing it in as many locations as possible.”
Speaking from a standard classroom with a capacity of 25 to 40 students—equipped with just a single ceiling mic—Brooks and Viers came through crystal clear. “This Panasonic Connect ceiling microphone also allows for an extension out to add a couple more Dante channels for lapel or handheld mics or what have you,” Viers said. “If I was an instructor and I had a long day, I could utilize that and not have to speak very loudly. I'm not exactly yelling right now. I'm more or less just talking and the single microphone does a great job picking that up.”
Multi-purpose
But in addition to these upper-level classrooms, a unique multi-purpose room now offers higher-end and executive-level users an unparalleled meeting experience. “This room has five projectors, two televisions, three ceiling-mounted microphones, and 11 cameras, on top of 44 Panasonic Connect digital wireless DECT microphones,” Viers said. “The room itself had to be very versatile so that a standard class could hold a session very easily. We can shift into what we call the governance mode when the president's council is in session, and then we also have special guest layouts as well.”
Previously, according to Viers, meetings for any of these higher-end users were a massive, manual undertaking. “We would bring in a full video production suite—40 microphones and four cameras—and we'd have operators running everything just to provide that realistic feeling of an actual video production for the people on the web call,” he said. “We're talking six to eight people, and six to eight hours of setup and teardown.”
Standardization and Ease of Use
For Brooks and Viers, standardization and ease of use were foremost concerns when it came to outfitting learning spaces of every size during this upgrade. “It just makes life easier on end users. So, whether you come to the Blacksburg campus or the Northern Virginia campus, or even the upcoming Innovation campus—we want you to experience that same look and feel when it comes to engaging with the technology,” Viers said. “We don't actually support computers in many of the classrooms, so our BYOD has to be open and inviting for everybody.”
To further ensure that future end users are able to reap the benefits of the recent installation, Viers pointed out that they have tried to steer clear of hardwired connectivity. “A lot of what we do these days is IP-based,” he said. “With our cameras, we're trying to go a lot more NDI, if at all possible. We’re certainly looking at PoE for powering them and things like that—leveraging the network as much as possible.”
Brooks was quick to credit Viers’ design work, as well as Virginia Tech’s installation team and programmer, for the success of the university’s massive AV rollout. “There was a lot going on between the planning and on the back end, but over the course of roughly a week and a half it all kind of came together.” He continued, “The end users have been incredibly happy with it. And with the simple USB connection, no one's the wiser as to the smoke and mirrors behind the curtain.”
Click here to see Panasonic Connect's AV portfolio.
Change work. Advance society. Connect to tomorrow.
At Panasonic Connect, we harness our decades of expertise and listen to our customers to provide innovative, forward-looking solutions that help you reach specific goals and meet evolving industry demands. What sets us apart as a leading technology provider is our ecosystem of partners, innovators and integrators that we work with to connect customers to the right technologies that move your business forward.
