KEDGE Business School Creates Innovative Learning Center with XTP Systems & IN1608 Scaling Switchers

KEDGE Business School in France is one of only 58 business schools worldwide to have earned triple accreditation of EQUIS, AMBA, and AACSB for MBA programs. The school is committed to creating new modes of teaching and instilling responsible management practices for the Wine and Spirits industry. To support a growing student body, KEDGE built a new state of the art lecture facility at their Bordeaux campus. They teamed with AV integrator Triaxe Audiovisual Professionals to implement the high performance AV switching and distribution solution designed in consultation with Extron application engineers. The enterprise-wide AV system included Extron IN1608 scaling switchers for in room presentation and an XTP Systems® design to link the lecture halls.

Extron’s XTP System and IN1608 switchers provided all that we wanted in our new lecture building.

Eric Renelleau, Audiovisual Technician, KEDGE Business School

“From project conception to realization, it was a great adventure that included evaluating a huge variety of AV equipment for the new building,” says Eric Renelleau, Audiovisual Technician at KEDGE Business School, Bordeaux Campus. “Extron’s IN1608 switcher is a perfect fit for the lecture halls, and the one XTP System ties all of our halls together.”

Building Installation

The new building features 11 lecture halls that range in size from 80 seats to 500 seats, 42 classrooms, five IT labs, and four meeting rooms. Extron XTP DTP 24 shielded twisted pair cable provides the infrastructure for signal transmission between IN1608 presentation switchers, XTP® matrix switcher, and associated transmitters and receivers. Its quality construction and shielding protection ensured optimal performance and reliability in supporting the long transmission distances throughout the various lecture halls and meeting spaces. “The economic value and demonstrated performance of the XTP cable pleased the KEDGE representatives, and the installers appreciated the quick and easy termination possible with this cable,” says Patrick Corthondo, Sales Director at Triaxe.

Each lecture hall provides a standard selection of local sources such as a Blu-ray® player and document camera, digital and analog AV connectivity for portable devices, and a high performance projection system that makes use of Christie DHD775-E HD DLP projectors. Classrooms include an EPSON BrightLink 485Wi Interactive WXGA 3LCD Projector. The 500-seat lecture hall and one of the 160-seat halls provide two projection systems for added versatility and optimal viewing conditions throughout the venue. Display resolutions are standardized to 1920x1080 in the lecture halls and 1280x800 in the classrooms. Also, a videoconference system making use of the Lifesize codec is integrated into Lecture Hall 10, supporting shared instruction with remote sites as well as enabling collaborative sessions between students or colleagues.

IN1608 Scaling Switcher for All In-Room Presentations

The Extron IN1608 Eight Input HDCP-compliant Scaling Presentation Switcher provides AV signal routing within each lecture hall. The team selected this particular switcher because it included all of the desired functionality in a single enclosure. These included high performance scaling for HDMI and analog video sources, local and remote AV signal distribution, and simultaneous video output to drive up to three display devices. The IN1608 features four HDMI and two universal analog video inputs for local equipment along with two DTP twisted pair inputs for long distance transmission from in room floor box locations. In addition to general source and display connectivity, the inputs and outputs were also utilized to provide connection to and from a centralized XTP System. The built-in IP Link® Pro control processor in the IN1608 was used in conjunction with Extron MediaLink® controllers to provide in-room control of the AV system, while the Ethernet port was tied back to the Control Room to support remote monitoring and control.

In Lecture Halls 9 and 10, an HDMI input and output on each of the room’s two IN1608 switchers were interconnected to allow content sharing for maximum flexibility in the dual presentation spaces. The ability to remotely power DTP transmitters and receivers reduced requirements for power drops and further streamlined the system design within each lecture hall.

Video

HDMI signals from in-room floor box locations are extended to the IN1608 using the Extron DTP HDMI 230 Tx transmitter. A low-profile receiver is mounted with each video projector, accepting scaled images directly from the DTP output on the IN1608. To support portable devices with analog video output, the switcher’s two universal video inputs are primarily used for VGA laptops; however, these inputs are easily configured for use with many other analog formats. The advanced scaling engine converts all incoming digital and analog video signals to the standardized resolution. “The IN1608 switcher was selected because it could successfully handle the wide variety of resolutions available on newer laptops as well as reliably support the legacy sources,” says Corthondo.

Audio

The lecture halls required sound reinforcement for microphones and support of audio from a variety of recorded content. Also vital to KEDGE, the AV system had to have the capability to support at least five microphones, simultaneously. To enable exceptional sound, all 11 lecture hall designs include the Extron DMP 128 digital matrix processor. Each processor provides various audio tasks and signal routing within the room, including support of wired and wireless microphone feeds, audio conferencing with acoustic echo cancellation — AEC, and distribution to amplifiers feeding overhead speakers. According to the integrator, technologies built into the DMP 128 processor, such as Extron ProDSP™ 32/64-bit floating point signal processing, automixing with multiple mic groups to handle the large number of live microphones, and eight channels of AEC for effective remote conversations between multiple locations, made selection of the DMP 128 an easy choice.

Control

Extron MediaLink controllers enable system power On/Off, input selection, and volume adjustment within the lecture halls, and provide control of local and connected sources as well as the projection system within each classroom. Room size was used to determine which MediaLink controller, either the MLC 226 IP or MLC 104 IP Plus , best suited the primary function of the space. In lecture halls, each MediaLink controller is connected to the network via Ethernet, while RS 232 ports are utilized to operate the IN1608 and provide display control over the twisted pair cable to projector locations. Downloading the Extron Control app provided an additional point of control from an iPad. “When monitoring and controlling a MediaLink within an iPad, the response is immediate and there is no delay, even in the most spacious rooms,” says Renelleau.

KEDGE selected these MediaLink models for the proven reliability and flexibility of the controllers, which are already in use in other campus buildings. Additionally, the simple-to-use button functionality provided familiarity to instructors holding classes in the new building. Renelleau stated that the staff members appreciated the system on/off capability and being able to easily switch between digital and analog sources.

XTP System for Centralized Control

The Extron XTP System links the lecture halls to support overflow situations as well as video conferencing between rooms and with remote sites. At the heart of the building’s AV system is the XTP CrossPoint 3200 matrix switcher. The modular 32x32 matrix switcher is populated with a combination of input and output boards to support local and remote endpoints. Each lecture hall installation includes an XTP HDMI transmitter and receiver to enable content sharing between all locations, including the Control Room for centralized monitoring and control. In addition, the design took advantage of XTP enabled Ethernet extension to connect all IN1608 switchers for resource management and Help Desk applications. Use of the XTP Ethernet pass-through port on each extender reduced the number of independent network drops required within the halls. XTP transmitters and receivers are powered remotely by the XTP CrossPoint® matrix switcher, which further streamlined installation.

The five largest halls are equipped with two or three HD SDI PTZ cameras to support the building’s video conferencing system. The XTP System is used to share the VC codec between halls. Extron DSC 3G HD A scalers perform 3G SDI to HDMI signal conversion to tie the 12 PTZ cameras into the AV system. XTP HDMI input and output boards are used for connectivity within the Control Room for displays, multi-image processors, streaming devices, and the resident VC codec.

Extron’s GlobalViewer Enterprise provides centralized control of the building’s AV applications and XTP System. Already used in other campus buildings, this server-based AV resource management software allowed a system operator to monitor and control AV routing and presentation from the Control Room using a single Extron TLP 1000TV . This design also enabled enterprise-wide scheduling and help-desk functionality to assist instructors new to the campus.

Successful Outcome

From equipment installation to system commissioning, the AV project was completed within a two-week semester break. Spaces within the new facility are used regularly to support KEDGE’s 31 MBA programs. According to Corthondo of Triaxe, the administration at this triple-accredited business school is quite pleased with the high quality and dependability of their AV systems, especially the signal switching speeds within the lecture halls. “We are proud of what has been accomplished at the Bordeaux campus, and in such a short time,” says Eric Renelleau of KEDGE. “Extron’s XTP System and IN1608 switchers provided all that we wanted in our new lecture building.”