237 WSEC can function as a:
Everything that an instructor should want to do can be accomplished from the front of the room at the instructor's station. There is a computer screen located there, along with computer controls, and an AMX room control touch panel.
The lights in 237 WSEC are controlled by a light switch located near the entryway and by the AMX touch screen. The room is divided into three zones. There's a front wall wash, general student lighting, and an entryway set of fluorescent lights. There is also a set of incandescent can lights that can be used also. These incandescent lights can be dimmed if needed. Also, there is a fixture that is always on in the back of the room.
Controlling the screens and projectors is probably the most important function for the instructor. There are 4 screens and projectors in this room. Each projector can view any of several different inputs. Most of the inputs can be put on any or all screens, with the exception of Access Grid Screens.
Turning the projectors on or off is a simple matter of pressing the appropriate button for the projector you wish to control. The same for raising and lowering the screens. One nice feature of this room is the 'mute' button for the projecor. This blanks the output without having to turn the projector off.
Selecting which input for the projector is also easy. Just press the appropriate input for the projector of interest. You can choose from:
Note that Access Grid 1 can only be put on Projector 1, Access Grid 2 only on Projector 2, etc.
The only caveat with screens is that Screen 2 is the one that is connected to the audio system for the DVD/VCR and the computer. If the DVD video is playing on Projector 1, you will not hear any audio from it until you also put it on Projector 2.
Volume controls are simple up/down sliders. The Classroom AV is the master volume for the room and is the only one the instructor normally needs to use.
Other volume controls on this page control the Wireless microphone level, the Access Grid input and output levels, and the Polycom input and output levels. However, these should be left alone.
All of the volume controls also have a "mute" button underneath them. This mutes the assocaiated stream. For the "Classroom AV", it mutes the sound to the room. If you mute one of the "Out" streams, then the remote site will no longer be able to hear you.
There are 4 cameras in the room. They can be aimed and zoomed around the room using controls on this screen. There is also room for several preset positions. Also, you can select which camera is used for Polycom input from this screen.
At this time, only three cameras are active. We have taken the Rear Right camera video signal out and replaced it with a video feed from the Document Camera. If four cameras are needed, or the document camera isn't needed however, it's trivial to switch it.
Camera PresetsWhen you press on a microphone button on the front rows of desks, the AMX system can automatically tell the closest camera to switch to a view near that microphone. This is enabled by the Auto button on this screen. If you don't want this feature, you can turn it off.
You can also select a camera position by pressing the microphone location on the screen. This has the same effect as pressing the microphone button as far as the cameras are concerned.
To select DVD or VCR, press the appropriate button near the top of the screen. After than, the controls are pretty simple. Remember that to hear the audio, Projector 2 must be displaying the DVD/VCR
Here is where you can control the Polycom system. In order to functionally use this screen, you need a projector to be showing the Polycom system. You can manually enter addresses, select from the University's speed-dial list and move around the Polycom control screen with the arrow keys.
To use the room as a display classroom, you simply turn on the desired projectors and select appropriate inputs. If you need audio, be sure to select the audio source as projector 2. Note that Projector 2 need not be turned on to get the audio, it just needs to have the source selected.
Polycom is one of the more well known videoconferencing companies. We can connect to other Polycom systems using the Polycom in this room. To use this, you'll need to turn on a projector and select Polycom on at least one of the projectors.
Most places that you'll connect to will be in the University's Address book. You can access this by using the arrow keys to highlight the Address book, then press enter. Then, use the arrow keys to navigate through the book. Press enter when you find the site you want to connect to.
To control the camera view, there are near and far buttons on the AMX Polycom display screen. Also, to end the call, there is a button labeled "hangup" (at this time the button doesn't work, and is supposed to be fixed during fall break).
Access Grid is a multi-user videoconferencing system. It allows numerous users from around the world to videoconference with each other. You can select as many video windows to use as you have screen space and network bandwidth for. It is also capable of simultaneous displays of web pages and PowerPoint presentations under the control of a single person. This allows remote sites to be presented with the same high-quality presentation as the local users.
237 WSEC is setup to have four different Access Grid displays, each on a separate projector. These are just four different Microsoft Windows desktops (in our implementation). You can put anything you want on these windows for local use, but only Access Grid video, presentations, and web pages are shared across the network to other Access Grid sites.
To use the room as an Access Grid node effectively, you need an operator in the back room, who controls the cameras and the Access Grid displays. For simple setups and low importance meetings, you may not need someone stationed there the whole time, it may be sufficeient to just setup the system at the beginning of the session. However, if something goes wrong, or a remote site needs something there would be nobody there to take care of the matter.
Some views of Access Grid in use, here and at other locations:
The setup of an Access Grid node is documented on Access Grid's web site. But, a block diagram view is here
To use the room as a combination of uses, select different inputs for the projectors and turn them on. This may work well for some situations and poor for others. If you are viewing data or people from a remote site and teaching a class or other presentation, it will probably work well. However, note that items you project on your computer screen will not show up on the remote sites. Therefore, if you are the leader of a session, you may not be able to mix modes as the remote sites won't easily be able to see what you're doing.
For instance, if you have both Polycom and Access Grid running, there is no facility in this room to patch two video or audios together. The only method would be to focus a camera on a projected screen and feed that to either Access Grid or Polycom. This leads to significant degradation of the video.
Reservations are required for 237 WSEC and must be approved by Dean Ballard. To request a reservation, please visit the College web page and click on the "Faculty and Staff reservation requests" on the left side, and then fill in and submit the form.
Last Update: 13-Oct-2005
