Multimedia Lecture Hall of MISiS – a Fusion of High Tech Solutions

A new multimedia lecture hall was opened in Moscow Institute of Steels and Alloys, National University of Science and Technology, on 23 October 2012. “A wealth of experience gained by our specialists under various projects in various spheres ensured that this lecture hall was designed as a high tech product that even exceeds many state-of-the-art solutions by certain parameters”, underlined Sergey Milyaev, the Business Development Director of Avilex.

A joint project of Panasonic and Avilex turned a classic and standard lecture hall with a top table and a tribune for the speaker into a state-of-the-art high tech hall for lectures, seminars, and research council meetings including with remote participants.

In addition to multimedia, the lecture hall is equipped with an innovative eco-visualization system of Panasonic Company. The system monitors power consumption and displays static data to motivate power saving.

The information display system installed in the lecture hall comprises two Panasonic PT-DW730ES projectors mounted below the ceiling and two motorized 300cm x 205cm screens. Each projector’s brightness is 7000 ANSI lm and resolution is 1280х800. The dual-lamp system enables 24х7 operation and prevents the risk of lamp burn out at midpoint. The information displayed on the main screens is replicated on four monitors at the top table ensuring convenient information perception. Both the signal from the speaker’s or operator’s notebooks and the signal from the videoconferencing system are displayed on the system screens. The lecture hall is also equipped with two robotized cameras, one pointing at the hall and the other at the top table. They ensure full-fledged broadcasting of what is going on in the lecture hall and are used both for communication sessions with individual users and as part of the distance learning system. Panasonic KX-VC600 HDVC system terminal is installed in the control room.

Content can be managed from the speaker’s tribune or interactive multitouch Panaboard UB-T880W in the left part of the hall. Besides, it features a graphic commenting functionality that enables putting comments above any application. This solution makes classes and reports more dynamic and demonstrable than classic slide shows.

The control room located behind the lecture hall houses the event control and monitoring system. Panasonic TH-42LF30 42” LCD display enables the operator to see all incoming signals (VC, notebooks, etc.) and select what should be displayed on the lecture hall screen at any particular moment. The operator has a control monitor receiving signals from two IP-cameras installed in the hall.

In addition the control room houses the eco-visualization system equipment that acquires energy consumption data and displays them as diagrams and charts on Panasonic TH-42LF30 42” LCD display located near the main lecture hall screens. Biamp Nexia audio processor that controls 4 wall and 10 ceiling mounted loud speakers forming the hall loud speaking system is also located in this room.

Thus, the control room system enables complete control of everything that is taking place in the lecture hall. The project’s characteristic feature is customized switching. All video signals are transferred via HD-SDI interface by Black Magic Design equipment.

The developed solution incorporates all equipment requirements to operate any contemporary higher educational institution ensuring versatile lecture hall applications for any specific task. And, most notably, this solution can draw the younger generation’s attention to environmental and energy saving problems and motivate them to find new solutions relevant to our country.

The state-of-the-art multimedia lecture hall being a prime example of innovations has been developed with due consideration of further upgrading and development.

In the long term, according to Sergey Milyaev, the Business Development Director of Avilex, the monitoring and control system can be brought outside the single lecture hall boundaries. MISiS National University of Science and Technology comprises 7 institutes and a distance learning faculty. “Just imagine – you can control any aspect related to equipment in every lecture room within a huge system from one point and at any time. E.g. switch off an operating but unused projector in another part of the city from your workstation. It's simple and efficient.”

Today the eco-visualization system displays energy consumption in the lecture hall and the control system enables the users to response to it immediately. If any equipment is not used but is switched on, it can be switched off immediately from the control panel. Combination of these innovative systems contributes to energy saving – but within one lecture hall only.

“Avilex has solutions, e.g. AMX SchoolView, that ensure not only equipment control in a definite room but uniting all lecture rooms of the Institute under management and control of one administrator, and institutes in a common control network. The hardware will extend and become more complex in the course of time, therefore such system implementation will, on the one hand, enable teachers not to focus on the technical aspects of the process and, on the other hand, enable administrators to monitor all the existing equipment without any additional costs and see any details: what is used, how often it is used or when, e.g., the projector lamp will burn out. This is a possibility to manage energy consumption efficiently. Application of such systems is inevitable, and the earlier it happens, the simpler is further informatization process for higher educational institutions.”

Another possible lecture hall development option is the lecture and meeting record keeping system.

“All information will be transferred to the record keeping system via cameras and microphones mounted in the lecture hall, where it will be stored in the respective directory. Such directory may be accessed via the University intranet or externally by the students to view the recorded lectures from any place in the world.”

This opens up new distance learning opportunities. These systems not only record and store information but feature a webcast functionality in real time. Thus, remote students can attend lectures and seminars virtually.