NC State University Revolutionizes Production Facilities with IP Connectivity
|
|
DELTA already had dedicated fiber runs linking their centralized operations center located in Ricks Hall Annex with six other buildings on the main campus and two additional buildings located up to 10.5 kilometers (6.5 miles) away on their Centennial Campus. Fiber links were being used simply as single-mode, point-to-point connections, providing the capacity for just four video signals per classroom transmitted back to the operations center. In addition to replacing systems that were beyond end of life, it was important to DELTA to provide much greater capacity if it was to meet its commitment to the wider university community for high-quality educational media supporting distance learning in an efficient, effective and service-oriented environment. For the year 2018-2019, this included more than 130 live courses and greater than 7,000 hours of classroom recordings, to support almost 50,000 students enrolled in online and distance learning courses.
The new system uses just 16 fibers to provide extensive networked capability, leaving 20 strands from the original installation free for future expansion. By taking a networked IP approach, the new system gave the DELTA team the capability of 32 x 32 HD signals from each remote building. This is achieved thanks to bidirectional 100 gigabit ethernet capacity across the fiber network.
Users can control and manage the entire network from a single point of contact, using Imagine Communications’ Magellan™ SDN Orchestrator, a field-proven software control layer. Each production area can design its own monitor wall, using Imagine’s EPIC™ MV multiviewers under the control of a Crestron GUI. EPIC MV is a highly scalable solution for probing IP streams and monitoring mixed signal types on a single canvas, while offering mission-critical system visibility across compressed and uncompressed IP workflows, and is an integral part of the monitoring solution at NC State. The Cisco Nexus 9336 router supports up to 7 terabytes a second to ensure there are no data bottlenecks.
Critical to the success of the system at NC State is the Imagine Selenio™ Network Processor (SNP), providing the gateway functionality between legacy SDI equipment and the IP world, as well as signal processing and networked video synchronization. This is a powerful and flexible FPGA-powered, software-defined device. Each 1RU SNP has 32 channels of HD processing, giving system architects the combination of complete flexibility and remarkable power in a very small footprint. The SNPs at NC State connect to the Cisco Nexus infrastructure via 10-kilometer transceivers capable of simultaneous 100 Gigabit by 100 Gigabit traffic within just two single-mode fiber strands.
“The Imagine ST-2110 IP network incorporating Magellan SDNO and Selenio Network Processors gives us a bi-directional distributed system that makes the whole campus one giant router,” said Tony Pearson, senior associate director, Video Communication Services from the DELTA team at NC State. “We use PTP timing and AES67 audio, so we can put together the video and the audio resources any class needs and instantly reconfigure for the next one.
“It moves us from a highly constrained system to complete flexibility today, and even more important, it secures our installation for the future,” Pearson added. “Thanks to the SMPTE ST 2110 standard, we can simply connect other devices ― like replay servers or cameras ― as we need to replace them, making the network even more powerful.”
Cassidy Phillips, VP Networking Solutions at Imagine Communications, added, “World events mean we are seeing a huge increase in demand for distance learning. DELTA is showing that, with the right infrastructure, production systems can deliver enormous capacity and productivity. This project also shows the power of standards-based solutions: it is because of the SMPTE ST 2110 standard that software from multiple vendors, running on COTS hardware, can integrate so tightly, providing the right broadcast look and feel while making maximum use of the underlying IT hardware.”
Phillips continues, “With this approach we are helping to transform NC State’s facility from SDI to an all-IP architecture, while delivering cost-effective support for legacy and next-gen workflows.”
Following an intensive four-year process of research, site visits, product evaluations, and real-time pilots in their work environment, DELTA decided in January 2019 that the SMPTE ST 2110 was the best route for their future workflow. The solution from Imagine Communications was chosen, and by April of that year, designs were finalized and approved.
DELTA’s in-house teams worked collaboratively with local integrator ClarkPowell and the Imagine team, to quickly complete the implementation in time to support the first classes of the academic year in August 2019.
For more information about Imagine Communications’ products and solutions, please visit https://www.imaginecommunications.com
The new system uses just 16 fibers to provide extensive networked capability, leaving 20 strands from the original installation free for future expansion. By taking a networked IP approach, the new system gave the DELTA team the capability of 32 x 32 HD signals from each remote building. This is achieved thanks to bidirectional 100 gigabit ethernet capacity across the fiber network.
Users can control and manage the entire network from a single point of contact, using Imagine Communications’ Magellan™ SDN Orchestrator, a field-proven software control layer. Each production area can design its own monitor wall, using Imagine’s EPIC™ MV multiviewers under the control of a Crestron GUI. EPIC MV is a highly scalable solution for probing IP streams and monitoring mixed signal types on a single canvas, while offering mission-critical system visibility across compressed and uncompressed IP workflows, and is an integral part of the monitoring solution at NC State. The Cisco Nexus 9336 router supports up to 7 terabytes a second to ensure there are no data bottlenecks.
Critical to the success of the system at NC State is the Imagine Selenio™ Network Processor (SNP), providing the gateway functionality between legacy SDI equipment and the IP world, as well as signal processing and networked video synchronization. This is a powerful and flexible FPGA-powered, software-defined device. Each 1RU SNP has 32 channels of HD processing, giving system architects the combination of complete flexibility and remarkable power in a very small footprint. The SNPs at NC State connect to the Cisco Nexus infrastructure via 10-kilometer transceivers capable of simultaneous 100 Gigabit by 100 Gigabit traffic within just two single-mode fiber strands.
“The Imagine ST-2110 IP network incorporating Magellan SDNO and Selenio Network Processors gives us a bi-directional distributed system that makes the whole campus one giant router,” said Tony Pearson, senior associate director, Video Communication Services from the DELTA team at NC State. “We use PTP timing and AES67 audio, so we can put together the video and the audio resources any class needs and instantly reconfigure for the next one.
“It moves us from a highly constrained system to complete flexibility today, and even more important, it secures our installation for the future,” Pearson added. “Thanks to the SMPTE ST 2110 standard, we can simply connect other devices ― like replay servers or cameras ― as we need to replace them, making the network even more powerful.”
Cassidy Phillips, VP Networking Solutions at Imagine Communications, added, “World events mean we are seeing a huge increase in demand for distance learning. DELTA is showing that, with the right infrastructure, production systems can deliver enormous capacity and productivity. This project also shows the power of standards-based solutions: it is because of the SMPTE ST 2110 standard that software from multiple vendors, running on COTS hardware, can integrate so tightly, providing the right broadcast look and feel while making maximum use of the underlying IT hardware.”
Phillips continues, “With this approach we are helping to transform NC State’s facility from SDI to an all-IP architecture, while delivering cost-effective support for legacy and next-gen workflows.”
Following an intensive four-year process of research, site visits, product evaluations, and real-time pilots in their work environment, DELTA decided in January 2019 that the SMPTE ST 2110 was the best route for their future workflow. The solution from Imagine Communications was chosen, and by April of that year, designs were finalized and approved.
DELTA’s in-house teams worked collaboratively with local integrator ClarkPowell and the Imagine team, to quickly complete the implementation in time to support the first classes of the academic year in August 2019.
For more information about Imagine Communications’ products and solutions, please visit https://www.imaginecommunications.com
ClarkPowell Update to Coronavirus and Covid-19
April 2, 2020
We hope you are all keeping safe in these uncertain times. We wanted to provide you with an update on our status and operations. All ClarkPowell staff that can work remotely are currently doing so. We are however still active in the field, as we are classified as an Essential Business, supporting Essential Businesses. This means that if you have service needs, we are still out there keeping your systems fully-functional. We are attempting to continue with our planned install schedule and are still booking new projects once approved. Our Sales and Design team are ready to help with all requests for new AV solutions to help organizations stay connected through this crisis and into the future.
Please be aware however, that we are only carrying out new installations that are ‘commutable’ from our main offices of Winston Salem, Charlotte, Raleigh and Columbia, SC as we do not want our field teams staying in hotels at the present time – apologies for any inconvenience that this may cause.
Our primary concern is the health and safety of our staff and customers, so we have implemented minimum requirements before sending our staff to site. All field staff have been issued with hand sanitizer and gloves, but we have to insist that you provide and respect the following before we can allow our staff access to your premises;
We hope you understand that these are difficult times which call for difficult measures, but we want you to know that we will continue to support you in any way that we can.
Kind regards,
ClarkPowell Management Team
Please be aware however, that we are only carrying out new installations that are ‘commutable’ from our main offices of Winston Salem, Charlotte, Raleigh and Columbia, SC as we do not want our field teams staying in hotels at the present time – apologies for any inconvenience that this may cause.
Our primary concern is the health and safety of our staff and customers, so we have implemented minimum requirements before sending our staff to site. All field staff have been issued with hand sanitizer and gloves, but we have to insist that you provide and respect the following before we can allow our staff access to your premises;
- Access to restroom facilities with hot water and soap available
- Hand sanitizer stations
- Social Distancing (6 foot minimum)
We hope you understand that these are difficult times which call for difficult measures, but we want you to know that we will continue to support you in any way that we can.
Kind regards,
ClarkPowell Management Team
Clark Powell is a Global Company with Family Values
ClarkPowell is a Global Company with Family Values
With everything that the Carolinas have to offer, one thing Read Clark felt was missing was a company that would offer exceptional service and superior value to AV professionals throughout the Carolinas. So, he founded ClarkPowell in 1983 to meet the need. More than three decades later, with four offices and averaging between 400 and 500 AV integration jobs completed each year, ClarkPowell is still a family company at its core. Read’s daughter, Stephanie Clark Bluhm, took over the presidency of the company in 2010. In 2016 her sister, Susan Clark Pinch, stepped in as president after Stephanie’s unexpected passing.
The Clark family is loyal to ClarkPowell—since 1983 not a single employee has ever been laid off. And that loyalty is returned. The first employee ClarkPowell ever hired retired in 2020. ClarkPowell is also a loyal member of PSNI—the company joined in 1990 as one of the first PSNI affiliates. ClarkPowell has partnered with other PSNI affiliates including Avidex, Cory's AV, Conference Technologies, Datavision, and HB Communications to complete AV integrations around the world.
And it’s not just work that has taken ClarkPowell all over the world. As a PSNI affiliate, ClarkPowell employees have enjoyed plenty of international fun, too. “I think my most memorable moment with PSNI was the PSNI meeting in Barcelona,” said Susan. “We had a wonderful dinner at a gorgeous castle where we were able to make friends with many of the new international PSNI members. And the visit to the Sagrada Familia—what an incredible opportunity to visit such a magical landmark! An opportunity that would not have been possible without the hard work of the PSNI team.”
Flexibility is the Future and ClarkPowell is Here for It
With more than three decades in the industry and thousands of successful projects completed, ClarkPowell has weathered plenty of changes and passing fads in AV integration. These days, Susan said, flexibility is king, whether it’s flexible spaces, flexible tools, or flexible integrations.
“We have seen a definite shift from traditional meeting rooms to clients wanting far more flexible spaces, such as multi-purpose rooms, huddle spaces and even open collaboration areas. This is being driven by the Millennial generation, as they tend to prefer a less structured work environment, working flexible hours and collaborating on-the-fly,” Susan said. “We also continue to see the merging of AV and IT with standards such as AVB, SDVoE, AV over IP and Dante working over standard network switches, rather than the traditional AV matrices that we have used in the past. We have had to become IT specialists in order to implement many complex systems.”
