Central New York had a shortage of large venues that could support regional public, private, and sponsored events. Recognizing this need, Syracuse University included a 744-seat auditorium into their new National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building. It was designed to support a wide range of activities, including a theater for community and government agency events and campus lectures. Similar to the other rooms within the center, the auditorium is fully ADA compliant. The main display is a nearly 32-foot wide videowall. Two smaller videowalls installed on either side of it are dedicated as secondary monitors. Located within this room are eight PTZ cameras for use with web-based video applications, including Blackboard™ Collaborate Ultra and Zoom. The consulting firm Theatre Projects was brought in to design the AV system. Teamed with the university’s ITS Learning Environments and Media Production department, they selected Extron products, including XTP Systems, the SSP 200 surround sound system, and an IP Link Pro quad-core control processor that supports the multiple TouchLink Pro touchpanels.
“Extron products allow us to easily transform from a classroom style lecture hall to a multi-candidate debate stage, as well as a 7.1 surround sound theatre,” says Robb Sharpe, Instructional Technology Analyst of ITS Learning Environments and Media Production at Syracuse University. “This versatility makes the K. G. Tan Auditorium located in the National Veterans Resource Center at Syracuse University a world-class presentation and production space.”
The heart of the AV system within the K. G. Tan Auditorium is the XTP II CrossPoint 3200 modular matrix switcher. It is configured to provide instantaneous AV signal switching and distribution from various installed and BYOD source devices, including 3G-SDI and uncompressed HDMI video resolutions up to 4K/60 in 4:4:4 color space. AV signals are extended up to 330 feet (100 meters) over shielded CATx cable. The SSP 200 system decodes and processes 7.1 surround sound for clear, echo-free sound from local and remote sources, which is vital within this large space. The trim level and delay for each channel, along with internal Dolby noise and full-bandwidth pink noise, were used to sequentially calibrate each speaker. For intuitive AV system operation, the installation includes a variety of TouchLink Pro touchpanels in screen sizes up to 17” for multiple points of control within the auditorium and from the adjacent control room.
