18 November 2022
Big Ledwall for ACI Informatica’s hybrid auditorium
Big Ledwall for ACI Informatica‘s hybrid auditorium
A technology partner of the “Automobile Club d’Italia”, ACI Informatica has a long history that began at the dawn of Italian IT and continued with major projects to computerise the Public Administration and with the IT management of Italian mobility, achieving the dual objective of implementing the country’s digital transformation and contributing to the development of sustainable mobility.
For the provision of its services, ACI Informatica makes use of flexible infrastructures (systems, networks, plants) but at the same time equipped with high security and reliability criteria. The sizing of the IT systems managed in the 1,500m2 Server Farm demonstrates a considerable management capacity: 220 physical systems, 750 virtual partitions, over 6,000 connected peripheral points and 15,000 connected workstations. In this context, driven by the technological evolution towards hybrid working models, the technological renewal of the auditorium has become a hub around which to rotate the world of corporate events both internal and open to the community.
The client’s clarity of purpose facilitated the work of System Integrator Nada 2008, which handled the entire design and installation, acting in cooperation with value-added distributor Intermark Sistemi. The choice of audio/video technologies was made with the aim of satisfying all requirements, leaving room for the possibility of future evolutions.
Whether in-presence events, videoconferencing sessions or room usage situations with or without director support, a system as transparent as possible for the user has been created so that any personal device – Windows PC, Mac, iPad or other – can connect to the system in the most intuitive way possible.
The 138-inch all-in-one MAXHUB Ledwall
The display to the public could only be entrusted to the most innovative technology of the moment: a 138-inch Maxhub all-in-one integrated Ledwall Raptor series that presents brilliant images with vivid colours that capture the attention from the first to the last row of the 80 seats in the auditorium. Maxhub Raptor is an innovative product not only for the LED technology used, but above all for the technological integration that makes it as easy to manage as a traditional display. In fact, all components – power supply, digital controller, video and audio signal management, distribution of images to the interchangeable LED ’tiles’, wired and wireless connectivity – are integrated in the unit in just 30mm thickness, with front access and therefore very easy maintenance.
Intuitive presentation technology for presenters
The presenters’ table offers the possibility of using any device by connecting HDMI and USB to share the cameras and room audio: in this way, videoconferencing sessions can be initiated from any PC connected to the table with a professional audio/video level incomparable to the webcam and microphone of one’s own device. The simplicity of the system ensures that whoever connects can present their content to the audience only when they are ready, without having to share their desktop when opening folders or launching applications: the ‘Blank Output’ button is a guarantee of privacy and avoids distractions in the audience.
Automatic or director-controlled PTZ cameras
Pivoting PTZ cameras ensure the best framing of speakers and are operated in fully automatic mode based on open microphones, while at the control room, for instant and precise control, a joystick keyboard allows the operator to change shots and adjust the zoom with smooth, linear movements ideal for live events.
Integration of pre-existing technology
As this was a technological renovation, great care was taken to reuse what was still efficient, for example the microphones and public address system. The management of both the new devices and those already present in the hall was unified by the AMX control system with an NX- 2200 central unit and two 7″ and 10″ touch panels for the speakers’ table and the control room respectively.
Modular and programmable audio processor
Audio quality, both in terms of room sound performance and intelligibility of speech, is ensured by a programmable processor with a wide variety of filters, from low-pass microphones to equalisers, crossovers, audio source gain, feedback suppression and echo cancellation, through to ducking (automatic lowering of volume) of background sound on speech. The Xilica QR1 fits right in with the concept of room flexibility, being a modular product that can be modified and upgraded as technologies evolve over time.
Touch Panel for intuitive control for presenters, and full control for the director
La grafica completamente personalizzata aiuta gli operatori ad utilizzare la sala nella modalità più The fully customised graphics help operators use the room in the simplest mode, with just a few buttons recalling pre-set scenarios, when no director’s intervention is required, while switching to a more comprehensive and detailed mode in the most important events, when the director plays the role of supervising and conducting audio/video technology.
In addition to audio/video technology, the auditorium has the ability to record audio and video of each event, making the content immediately available on USB media, in parallel with the ability to process the recorded video file on board: Bee8+ is a multi-channel recorder that allows unique layouts to be created with several sources at the same time, for example to record the speaker and audience in smaller frames along with the presentation. The same images can also be streamed on social channels to create virtual events or to add internet broadcasting to in-person events.
AV over IP distribution, the heart of the installation
We are almost at the end and we have not yet spoken of a fundamental element, primarily responsible for the success of the installation and the possibility of any future upgrades: audio/video distribution over IP, i.e. the eight encoders and four decoders that manage audio/video streams over the network, with automatic scaling of the sources, seamless switching, the possibility of managing signals up to 4K, integrated control via LAN or serial, and AES67 compatibility that leaves the audio infrastructure open to the Dante® world, today the reference standard for networked audio. The 48-port PoE network switch is therefore the hub for both the distribution of audio/video streams and the centralised control of all room and control room equipment, demonstrating that the AV (Audio Video) sector is now fully integrated with the IT (Information Technology) world.
The digital transformation pursued by ACI Informatica in the mobility sector is a strategy that permeates every cell of this reality, and the auditorium is testimony to the fact that digital evolution has no application limits, from control rooms to conference halls, because it ensures the user the possibility to connect with the entire world in the simplest way and to operate in hybrid mode – in presence as well as remotely – without perceiving any operational limitations. ACI is a striking example of success not only for Italian mobility, but also for the choice of audio, video and control technologies, from the distribution of streams over the network to the display of images on the room’s “BIG Ledwall”.
- MAXHUB
– Raptor 138” – 138″ integrated all-in-one ledwall.
- AMX
– Netlinx NX-2200 Integrated Controller: Programmable network device specifically designed to control AV and building technology using different analogue and digital formats.
– Modero G5 7” & 10”: Desktop touch panel.
– N2400 Series Encoder & Decoder : 4K60 4:4 encoder and decoder, JPEG2000, LAN networking, Audio AES67, integrated scaler, crop/zoom, ledwall management.
- JOSAWA
– WU4k-HUB: USB Distributor/HDMI Connector.
– ALF-TG: HDMI and USB desktop accessories.
– ALF-SUK2 e ALF-SUK4: HDMI 4K 4:4:4 HDR Distribution Amplifiers.
– ALF-EXT60IR-18G: HDMI Full 4K 4:4 Extender on CAT5e/CAT6.
- Xilica
– Solaro QR1: Modular and programmable audio processor
- Reach
– Bee8 + HD: Multi-channel recording/streaming system
Are you interested in the solutions presented in this case study?
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Are you interested in the solutions presented in this case study?
Contact our team!