Avilex has completed an upgrading project at the meeting room in the building of the Moscow City Government in Tverskaya street, known as the Marble Hall. In 2006, the hall was equipped with then state-of-the-art iLite 3 LED modules with a minimum pixel pitch of 3.5 mm, a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, and a screen size of 2.8 x 2.1 m.
The 2014 project included upgrading of the audio and visual equipment installed in the hall to the modern standards of quality.
The major focus was on the information display system. To provide higher quality of image and a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, two Barco LED screens were replaced with modern Leyard LED screens with a pixel pitch of 1.9 mm. Each of the screens has a resolution of 1872 x 1092 pixels and the size of 3.6 x 2.1 m. On these screens, the image is perceived holistically even from a short distance and is comfortable to view for meeting participants sitting close to the screen.
Leyard screens use LEDs with black casings; therefore the image has a rich, deep black color and is high in contrast. The screens are cooled down passively through the aluminum casing. Since there are no fans, the screen produces no noise, which is particularly important in case of top level meetings. These activities also require higher reliability of the screen. Therefore, the LED cabinets used for the project have power and signal backup systems to provide uninterrupted operation of the screen in case of malfunction. To install the screens, Avilex has designed special frames that make it easy to move the screen from the wall for rear maintenance.
Images are generated by Mitsubishi Electric video processor with preinstalled Simplays Wall software. The latter can create dynamic content layouts by combining presentation materials and live video windows in the familiar Microsoft PowerPoint interface. When running a presentation, Simplays Wall automatically opens windows reproducing the screen image on computers of all meeting participants, where they can view the image, switch between slides and make annotations depending on user rights. Moreover, with Simplays Wall the operator can remotely run presentations, manage their display and control the image shown on the screen.
The hall’s audio system has been upgraded using a high-performance Peavey MediaMatrix processor, which can acoustically adjust signals in real time. To transmit audio signals between the hall and control rooms, the system uses CobraNet interface which provides high quality, prevents crosstalk and interference, and helps to avoid other problems of analog switching. The hall has been provided with a specialized processor with an interactive user interface for audio equipment control, so that microphones can be turned on and off centrally and automatically.
For meeting management and annotation purposes, the hall has been provided with SMART Podium interactive displays.
The hall’s switching subsystem has been fully converted from analogue to digital. The system’s core is AMX Enova DGX multi-format matrix switcher which provides conversion, as well as reception and transmission of different types of video signals. Transition to optical connections and digital standards has significantly improved the quality of the content display, while avoiding signal losses typical of analog switching. The control system is administered from AMX touch screen with a specially designed graphical user interface.