A good audiovisual design does not depend on the products or brand that you install, it depends on how the designer observes the challenge and proposes appropriate solutions for it.
Juan Tamayo*
In today's boardrooms you can find a variety of audiovisual solutions, from a monitor, TV or screen connected to a computer to be used with a free or paid IP-based video calling software, or you can find a telepresence system with modern designs and the latest technology. But regardless of the technology used, if it is not the right one for the room, this is going to be a waste of money and a headache for the relationship between the client and the designer/installer company.
What is the best system to install? It is the big question that end customers ask themselves as corporate companies, who seek to acquire systems that are reliable, that fit their measure, that are easy to use and that do not generate feelings of frustration. The latter is the most common feeling that can be observed in the after-sales visits I make because a system does not work properly. And I go back and ask the question, what is the best system to install?
To solve this question, the first thing that the person in charge of the design or the commercial must be clear about is what the client is looking for, and the secret is to ask the right questions. I do not agree with making designs only based on plans, as I often had to do. The sales force of any audiovisual company must be linked to the design area and work hand in hand, or if possible, the seller must behave as a designer and ask these questions which can be:
Who or who will operate the room? This defines the level of complexity in the system that the designer must deal with. In other words, the system can be operated directly from the equipment or an additional interface must be included that saves the user time and headaches.
Are the room dimensions suitable for a boardroom? Before choosing the video projector, or monitor, before calculating the power of the amplification system and locating the video conference cameras, make sure that the room meets minimum visual ergonomics characteristics, meets necessary acoustic conditions and is suitable for video conferencing operation such as lighting, background colors and other elements. If the designer or the salesperson solved the first two questions, they already have a lot of work done and possibly their design is more in line with the client's expectation.
Now, he has already analyzed the minimum necessary conditions of the physical space, but he should not forget the minimum conditions necessary for the installation of the infrastructure. Is the solution you propose an analog wired solution? If it is analog you must think about how to install the necessary infrastructure for the laying of the wiring. Remember that audiovisual wiring is abundant and in some cases of large diameter, keep in mind possible interference in the signal by electromagnetic noise
Is it wired but digital over own cable, for example HDMI? Remember that digital signals directly depend on the transmission distance, the longer the cable the signal deteriorates the faster. In some digital technologies the cables should not measure more than 2 meters.
Is it digital but is its transmission based on IT networks? This is a crucial point. The installer thinks it's just installing Cat5E or Cat6 cable, but it's only the first step. The person in charge must ensure that the entire network infrastructure can support the audio-visual solution, that the bandwidth required for the solution is supported by the native network or in the event that it is not able to install a new network and manage it independently. This means that the person in charge of the design must be able to talk to the client's IT area.
Are you considering a wireless solution? On many occasions the contractor companies opt for this option, because it is relatively easy, does not require cables and the connection is very simple. What designers/vendors don't count on is that these solutions depend on a resource that is very limited, the electromagnetic spectrum.
Before proposing wireless solutions, perform a radio frequency analysis. Delving a little into the subject, wireless video projectors have a small drawback and that is that in order to guarantee a running video without stops it makes a signal delay and memory storage. This can result in that when playing a video with audio, if the signals travel separately, the audio is heard first than the video, so be careful in how to transmit the signals wirelessly.
Now you have knowledge of what the customer wants, analyze the room and can calculate how to install the infrastructure. The only thing missing is to check if when installing the audio, video and control elements, you will not encounter physical problems or obstacles. When you visit the space, make sure how the air conditioning, lighting circuits and other elements in the sky that may generate inconveniences when developing your audiovisual project are installed.
Don't feel sorry to ask if it's possible to make changes to systems that aren't yours, it's better to ask than to look for unnecessary and expensive solutions. A good designer must be able to communicate with other areas, find solutions to the problems raised and not try to solve everything from its design.
As you could read, a good audiovisual design does not depend on the products or brand that you install, it depends on how the designer observes the challenge and proposes appropriate solutions for it. The article is based not only on the experience I have as a designer, but also on the audiovisual design theory delivered by InfoComm. A good designer must prepare and train.
I hope this article has been of all your interest, if you have doubts or concerns please write to me at [email protected] or [email protected].
*Juan Tamayo is a Sales Engineer for sound installations in Latin America from the company Audio Technica.
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