Kramer and Vision On AV Systems have brought AVoIP solutions to Facepunch Studios’ headquarters in Birmingham, UK.
Facepunch Studios required a major AV/IT upgrade to deliver collaboration between employees, with flexible and reliable BYOD wireless presentation capabilities in the boardroom and across all office spaces in its new Colmore Row home.
A key requirement for any IP-based solution is a stable and secure network for solid wireless access. Ubiquiti Enterprise Layer 3 switches were selected by Vision On AV Systems. Using a networked solution allows flexibility for control, which sees the AV system split into four zones: Media Wall No.1, Media Wall No.2, Boardroom, Office Audio and Remote Control Stations.
The central communications room serves as the hub of the AV solution, comprising the Kramer KC-BRAINware-5 for overall control. Kramer BRAINware is a software application that enables you to execute all room control actions straight from a computer without installing a physical Brain between the user interface and the controlled devices. Using Kramer BRAINware enables users to operate multiple devices over a network. For Facepunch these devices include encoders, audio-video sources, and multi-zone audio amplifiers/mixers, with all devices connected via Ubiquiti Enterprise network switches with fibre links.
Individual rooms have Kramer VIA wireless collaboration and conferencing platforms, interfaces, decoders, and local amplifiers. BYOD video conferencing was implemented in most rooms using the Via Connect 2 collaboration platform and VIA Versa virtual camera drivers, while the fully automated boardroom uses Kramer’s Via Campus2 presentation hub for streaming at up to 4K UHD resolution via HDMI, plus a camera-speaker bar. Additional decoders were added to the meeting rooms, the boardroom, the game development area, the bar, and interactive spaces.
The two imposing 3 x 3 video walls in the reception area show game footage, along with a large interactive screen enabling product advertisement content. An encoder/decoder solution was chosen for the 3x3 walls with easy source and audio changes, and remote device control using RS-232. One of the main challenges was readying the system for testing before the main network was fully operational. Using a simple router and a single SL-240C, Vision On AV Systems was able to commission the floor space-by-space, before moving over to KC−BRAINware once the network was fully commissioned, with external access to the Kramer server.