Complex Meeting Rooms
* In room computer
* Digital TV
* Sonos
* HDMI Airmedia (wireless video transmission)
* Network switching equipment and audio amplifiers & noise suppression
* Crestron tablet interface
* In-ceiling professional microphones
When it works, great. When it doesn't, all hell breaks loose. I was at work yesterday until 19:00 while 1 person and 2 via phone tried to fix a complex system built for my work.
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| This is something out of my nightmares |
These are very complex setups. They use a variety of proprietary hardware and special software to configure. They are not possible to setup out of box, because they require developer tools and some knowledge of audio routing and programming.
I don't like the Sonos device. And the company had some controversial ideas on "upgrading" your hardware.
Overly expensive, and unnecessary. You can save money by using a 3rd party solution such as Apple TV, NVidia Shield (I have one of those), or even the Amazon FireStick.
Yes, this is advice from someone who was stupid enough to pay $400 for speakers with plastic veneer on the wood. (Edifier S2000 Pro's). I'll never do that again.
Here are my beefs about using this solution:
1. Computers sometimes don't appear when you enter a meeting room; the Mercury table-top devices should recognize someone entering a room; and it does. But the switching side has other ideas, and sometimes it doesn't work.
2. No 4K output to the TV's. These are all 4K screens but the hardware is limited to 1080P.
3. The meeting room cameras cost $7,000 each. The video quality is good, but it better be for that price. They do auto-rotate, so that's a plus
4. The tablet-style Crestron control boards are great when they work. Terrible when they don't. Horrible when you have to take it apart to reset the battery because it won't turn on.
5. Complex setup makes it almost impossible to troubleshoot. Yes, you can login to the NVX device (it broadcasts audio and video over ethernet). But good luck on knowing what to do when you're in there. Once they come out of warranty, it will be expensive to fix because consultants are not cheap.
Gone are the days of meeting rooms without computers or anything. We are surrounded and overwhelmed with technology.Back in the 1980's, you could actually smoke in the meeting rooms.
Now, you have to wipe every surface you touch, before and after.
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