Managing crisis and emergency situations doesn’t just require responders to be quick on their feet, it requires people to have robust, reliable monitoring and conferencing systems at their disposal. Most importantly, since time is of the essence, is the ability to have a quick, effortless way to control and automate evolving system needs. That’s the tall order Audio Video Allstars faced when integrating an incident response conference room that required a total automation and control solution for its commercial client. To allow participants to easily control the room’s state-of-the-art audio and video solutions on the fly, the company turned to RTI.

“This room was previously operated through another control and automation solution that never satisfied the client’s needs,” said Omar Rosado, team leader for Audio Video Allstars’ Commercial Division. “Since we had installed an RTI platform in another boardroom within the building, they wanted that same straightforward control experience in this room so they no longer had to waste precious time wrestling with how to turn things on. They have to be able to get started right away and bring a measure of order to stressful situations.”

To drive this experience, Audio Video Allstars integrated video sources for the room’s LG commercial flatscreens include DirecTV satellite receivers, a Samsung Blu-ray® player and an InFocus Mondopad for videoconferencing, whiteboarding, and data-sharing during meetings. To provide clean, clear audio throughout the room, a Symetrix digital signal processor was integrated with the RTI control platform. A Kramer 16x16 HDMI HDBaseT modular switcher provides seamless video switching with the RTI XP-8s providing advanced control of content and audio sources.

When an incident occurs, the client can use the room’s iPad running the RTiPanel app to power and control the system. The panel’s start-up sequence turns the system on and recalls the last source on all displays. Participants can select video sources for each screen, immediately allowing them to be tuned into the news or content from the room’s local rack PC and laptops from the table connections, and adjust mic levels for the videoconferencing system. The RTI system is programmed to shut down the system every day at 12 a.m.

Audio Video Allstars was able customize the RTiPanel app to give the client flexible output control. For example, with a tap of the screen, the Mondopad output can be routed to other displays for different view angles. In addition, the client can tile the screens together into one and run multiple monitoring and communications apps via a rack PC. The app also features a customized user page for more specified control during crisis and emergencies.

Because of the room’s masterful functionality and ease of use, it also doubles as a conference room, allowing users to easily present during meetings using the RTI platform.

“Although emergency response uses the most state-of-the-art equipment available, the complex control aspects of these systems can end up slowing down the teams,” said Rosado. “RTI is capable of incredibly advanced functionality on the backend while supplying users with simple, intuitive, and completely customized control on the front end. It stunned our clients because they never imagined that a room so critical and important could work so well and seamlessly. And as they need to add different equipment, it’s easily expandable, allowing them to keep pace with modern response and monitoring demands.”