In a collaborative effort between integrator Christian Nielsen at SmartLiving Consulting and Conny Drivemark at ICON Scandinavia AB, an RTI distributor, a plan was created that centered on a state-of-the-art control system that would allow the staff to easily command and control TV channels, audio, and lighting at the touch of button. The old installation was based on a component video matrix with manual control from front-panel buttons and multiple IR remotes. It was a complicated system that was hard for staff to operate.

Based on the special demands from the owner, SmartLiving Consulting did a complete bespoke system solution designed around the RTI control ecosystem. Using RTI touchscreens, processors, music streamers, customized with Integration Designer control programming software, and more, Nielsen was able to create a one-of-kind system that delivered video over IP with the utmost intuitiveness.

RTI makes its straightforward to install and integrate any audio, video, lighting, and related components into an intuitive control experience. For this project, video sources included six cable satellite boxes, two Macbook computers for video streaming, and an IP video camera.

Audio included a wireless mic with streaming audio from an RTI MS-1 Music Streamer. Other components integrated within the control system included a KNX lighting package.

At the heart of the system is a robust infrastructure based on the RTI XP-6s control processor. The video-over-IP transmitters, receivers, and controller provided efficient and scalable video distribution over the network with seamless control of every source. Audio distribution throughout the facility is handled by the RTI AD-16x audio matrix.

While there’s lots going on behind the scenes, the user experience is elegantly simple. The RTI KA11 touchpanel is customized to provide a simple control experience for the staff regardless of the task. The owner can also control the system from an iPad with the same user interface as the dedicated touchpanels.

The interface was designed from the ground up with simplicity in mind but with usable feedback for the staff to track things such as the current TV selection via a source thumbnail image. This allows them to see what’s playing on any of the 15 Sony displays. The old system required staff to guess. In addition, the KA11 features a pop-up page for volume level control with feedback for the multi-room audio system.

Another client request was providing a page with the function to schedule TV channels to play on specific displays, which can be done directly from the RTI touchpanel. This is the ideal solution for the staff when they get customer requests for programming they want to watch on a nearby monitor, such as live sports events and matches. On the touchscreen, staff pick the TV channel, the time to start playing the channel, and on what TV. The intelligence of the system really shines during the bar’s trivia nights and live band performances. Staff can turn all or select displays to the live feed, which is captured via the pub’s IP video camera.

As requested by the owner, the whole AV installation and programming was done in less than a week to keep the impact to business operations minimal. The installation speed was largely due to RTI’s Integration Designer programming software. Integration Designer enables 100% customization, allowing integrators to easily meet their clients’ tastes while satisfying any control or automation request.

“The staff is very pleased with the simplicity of the user interface and the automated features,” said Nielsen. “The customization that the RTI software offers with Integration Designer lets me as an integrator easily fulfill my clients wishes.”