Classroom Digital Conversion

will begin shortly

Jeffrey Donahue Webinar Moderator

Binghamton University (Retired)

Classroom Digital Conversion

Sandra Miller, Chair

William Paterson University

Jeffrey B. Donahue,

Binghamton University (Retired)

Kathleen Dooley

Midwestern University

Willie Franklin

Otterbein University

Mark McCallister

University of Florida

Mark Ramsden

Le Moyne College

Aileen Scales

Indiana University

Robert Schmitt

Portland Community College

Susan M. Zvacek

University of Kansas

Professional Development Committee

• Good technical understanding of what it means to

convert a room from an analog to a digital signal

• Understanding of the benefits and the potential hazards

• Tangible “takeaways”

Goals of Webinar

• Each panelist has prepared a 20 minute presentation and

will take a few questions at the end of their presentations

• Please enter questions in the text boxes at the lower left

corner

• All presenters will participate in a panel discussion at the

end where you can submit questions for all to answer

• If you are experiencing audio problems, run the Audio

Setup Wizard under the meeting tab or call (812) 855-2064

How To Participate

Panelists

Matthew Silverman Project Manager

Learning Space Design

George Mason University

Tim Schnabel Director of Education Programs

Extron Electronics

Tim Schnabel Director of Education Programs – Higher Education

Extron Electronics

Digital Conversion

Overview

• Industry Reason for the change

• Analog & Digital Signal Characteristics

• Find opportunity through change

• Factors to consider in decisions

• Resources moving forward

What has happened

• Broadcast TV in the U.S. has transitioned from analog NTSC to digital ATSC.

• New video technology in displays devices, video sources including 3D formats are digital in nature.

• HDMI, DVI and Display port are becoming standard in most equipment.

• What is driving this in the classroom?

– $, better image, higher resolutions

Impact of Analog Sunset to

Video Outputs

Video Source Device Content Displayed Analog Outputs Status

Blu-Ray Disk player Commercially sold Blu-ray Disk Standard Def after 2010, disabled after 2013

PC Commercially sold Blu-ray Disk Standard Def after 2010, disabled after 2013

PC Protected content e.g. iTunes Depends on the individual agreements between

service provider and content owner

PC Non-protected content No requirement to disable

Satellite/ Cable TV Box Subscribed channels May not be disabled in the U.S.

Satellite/ Cable TV Box Video on demand

In the U.S., only disabled for new services offering

first run movies for 90 days or before availability of

disk

• August, 2012 - AMD, Dell, Intel Corporation, Lenovo,

Samsung and LG Display announce intentions to accelerate

adoption of scalable and lower power digital interfaces

• August, 2012 - Intel plans to end support of VGA in 2015 in its

PC client processors and chipsets. AMD plans to remove native

VGA output starting in 2013

• PC and display manufacturers seem to be indicating the future

is HDMI and DisplayPort starting in 2013

Source Connections - Future

Digital Video Characteristics

• Synchronous

– Must transition at specific intervals

determined by the clock

• Signal swing

– The difference between high and low

values

• Clock period

– The minimum allowable time between

transitions Digital Data Parameters

Analog & Digital Video Formats

• Analog Video

– With Analog video, using an interface we “pushed” the

signal to the destination

– The signal is “One Way”

• Digital Video

– With Digital Video, we recover the signal at the

destination, either in the destination or with the use of

an external device

– The signals can go “Two-Way”

• Video flows 1 direction

• Data Flows in both directions

Analog & Digital Signal Shapes

• With analog video signals the

shape is important

– Amplitude = intensity

– Rise and fall times = sharpness

• With digital video signals Bit

Errors are important

– Can the receiving circuit properly

identify a data bit as being high or

low

Digital Video Characteristics - Loss

• Difficult to anticipate

– Image quality does not

degrade like analog

• Cliff effect

– Occurs when the receiver

can no longer distinguish

high and low values

• Too many bit errors have

occurred

No image

=

=

=

Digital Video Characteristics - Variables

• There is no way to determine a device’s sensitivity

– This information is not listed in the product’s specifications

The manufacturer may not even

know or test this

Poor Good Excellent

Poor

Good

Excellent

Interoperability

• The emphasis going forward is to build

products that establish the best in

Interoperability.

– Working with equipment that might not exactly

follow the specifications

Distribution

Amplifier

Switcher

Making the Choice A/D or Both?

• New signal types are continually introduced

• Sources and displays are rarely replaced at the

same time

– New sources like Blu-ray players or higher end

computers may need to remain compatible with

displays and projectors

– New high resolution flat panels and projectors may

need to remain compatible with order sources such

as VCR recorders and DVD players

The Toughest Question

A. Stick with tried and true analog for now?

B. Build a D/A hybrid system that mixes?

C. Build tomorrow’s system today with all digital

with some provision for legacy analog?

• It Depends!

• Application, budget, specialization, systematic

change factors.

Impact of Higher Resolution

Selecting the Right Signal Distribution

Infrastructure

• Needs assessment of the overall goals of the Institution

– Total Distance locally? - Any Remote locations?

So you want to go Digital?

• Define your sources

– Digital and / or analog

• What resolutions? 1080p, UWXGA, WUXGA

• HDCP Consideration for Blue Ray and cable

or satellite broadcasts

– Displays and entire signal path must me HDCP

compliant.

Factors that lead up to signal

distribution decisions • Local or sharing of content and resources

• Local distance requirements – Will it interface to a system

• Will legacy equipment need to be supported until a technology upgrade is rolled out to the campus?

• Age, size and type of facility is it

• What if any limitations to cabling are there?

• What are my audio requirements?

Design for Reliability

• Select the Right Components

– Look for reputable manufacturers with reliable

support system in place

• Reduce the number of potential failure points

• Plan for ongoing support

• Design using a scalable approach

– Defined as the capability to expand an existing

system as the classroom operational needs change

The Big 4 in Digital Performance

• Signal Integrity

– As data rates go even higher & signal paths

become more complex

• Device Compatibility - EDID

• Content Protection

• Quick Switching

Supporting Documents

www.extron.com/digital

• Digital Design Guide

• HDCP - Technical

Overview

• Understanding EDID

• ABC’s of Digital

Video

• DRM for the A/V

Professional

• Analog Sunset

Tim Schnabel Director of Education Programs

Extron Electronics

Jeffrey Donahue Webinar Moderator

Binghamton University

Matthew Silverman Project Manager

Learning Space Design

George Mason University

Making the Move to

Digital AV Classrooms

at

George Mason University

Overview

• Decision Factors in Going Digital

• Planning for Digital

• Round One of Digital Installations

• Status of Digital Classrooms at George Mason Today

• Planning for the Future

External Pressures (2009)

• Analog Sunset and Blu-Ray

• DRM

• End of VGA

Internal Thoughts (2009)

• Supporting faculty and students with the

devices they bring

• New classroom building coming online in

January 2011

– AV systems planning begun in 2009

– AV systems need to last 5-7 years

Transitioning from

Analog to Digital Report • Held faculty focus groups to review baseline functional

requirements for a technology enhanced classroom

• Solicited feedback from various advisory groups on required functionality

• Goals: – Validate current functional sources in the baseline

University TECs

– Identify additional digital sources required to be added to classrooms to support this transition

– Validate DoIT direction of selecting 1280 x 800 resolution as the next step from XGA (1024 x 768)

Baseline Digital Classroom

Functional Model

Computer

Doc Cam

Aux RGB

Aux HDMI

Aux Comp. Video

AV System

Best Way

Best Way Audio

Best Way

RGB

HDMI

Video

1

2

3

4

5

Analog Audio

Projector

(1280 x 800)HDMI 1

Monitor

(1280 x 800)HDMI 2

Audio Sub-System

(Additional audio

elements above, where

audio follows video)

Aux 1/8" StereoA-1

Analog AudioAux RCA StereoA-2

Analog AudioLav MicA-3

Analog AudioHandheld MicA-4

Stereo ProgramAnalog Audio A-1

Mono SpeechAnalog Audio A-2

Mono ADAAnalog Audio A-3

VHS/DVD Combo

DisplayPort

BluRay Player

Architecture Options Report

• Limited to shipping technology in December

2009

• Evaluated 4 different solutions options:

– Crestron QuickMedia (existing George Mason

Design) & DigitalMedia for HDMI only

– Crestron DM-MD6X1 based system

– Crestron DM-MD8X8 based system

– Kramer Switcher with Extron Cat5 HDMI solution

Features Scorecard 1: QM + DM 2: DM-MD6X1 3: DM-MD8X8 4: Kramer/Extron

Allows Reuse of Existing AV equipment Yes No No No

Allows Reuse of Existing Instructor Furniture Yes Maybe No Maybe

HDMI Preview No Yes Yes No

Option to Add Installed Blu-ray Player No Yes Yes No

Expandable No Limited (Inputs

Only) Yes No

Conduit Requirements (Lectern to Projector)

(1 = Greatest, 4 = Least) 1 2 2 4

Availability of Total System Diagnostic Tools

(1 = Greatest, 4 = Least) 3 2 1 4

Estimated Baseline Systems Cost $17,000 $19,000 $22,000 $18,000

Option 3 Was Selected

Building Our First Digital Systems

• Developed prototype systems in a lab setting

– Added DVD/VHS to baseline design at the request

of IT Management

• 2 Days of onsite training for all classroom

support staff by Crestron

– Primary integrator was included in training

• 20 Digital classrooms installed

– 6 by Integrator, 14 by George Mason Staff

Lessons Learned • Staff training should be focused on supporting the

system more than on compressive knowledge of digital technology (how, not why)

• Management needed to do a better job to sell the need for digital to the line staff

• University staff often knows more about digital technology than integrators

• On a technical level, we should have focused more on EDID than HDCP

Building Our Own Support Tools

http://nextedutech.com/?p=112

University Classroom

Technology Standards

• First version published 6/2010

• Goals: – A common, consistent and pedagogically-sound learning

environment across all campuses for faculty, staff and students

– Adaptability of design to address specific instructional needs

– Consistent functionality and interfaces across all campuses and all classrooms

– Reliable systems with high up-time

– Easy management and support of systems and equipment

• http://doit.gmu.edu/staffSection.asp?page=ucts

George Mason Digital

Classroom Architecture

George Mason University Classroom Standards

DM-MD8X8

DM-Baseline

DM- Mac

DM-Speech

DM-Seminar DM-Dual

DM-Solo

DM-MD16X16

DM-VC

DM-TREC

Unique

DM-Collaborative

DM-MPS-300-C

DM-Baseline/Speech

DM-Seminar

DM-Dual

DM-VC

Digital Classrooms at

George Mason Today

210 classrooms supported by central IT:

– 87 Digital AV Systems

– 82 Analog AV Systems

– 41 Non-Technology Classrooms

Scheduled summer 2012 upgrades:

– 13 Analog to Digital Refreshes

– 3 New Digital Classrooms

George Mason

Classrooms

Digital

Analog

Non-Tech

Planning for the Future

• All-in-One Digital AV

Systems

• Interoperable Digital AV

Formats

• Wireless Digital Capable

Formats

Interoperable Digital AV Formats

• Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) – Connector agnostic technology which can connect mobile devices

(phones) to larger displays and provide HD video, audio and device charging over a single cable

– http://mhlconsortium.org/

• HDBaseT – Carries Video, Audio, Ethernet, PoE and control over category cable

– Based on Valens Semiconductor Technology; AMX, Altinex, Crestron, Extron, and Gefen are all alliance members

– http://hdbaset.org

• Audio Visual Bridging (AVB aka AVnu aka IEEE802.1BA) – IEEE standard for moving AV over packet switched networks

– http://www.avnu.org/

Wireless Digital Capable Formats

• WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) – Amimon’s hardware based solution in the 5GHz band, HDMI compatible

– http://www.whdi.org/

• WirelessHD – Wireless format in the 60GHz band, HDMI compatible

– http://www.wirelesshd.org/

• WiGig – Wireless format using the 2.4, 5 & 60 GHz bands, HDMI compatible

– http://wigig.org/

• WiDi – Intel’s WiFi based solution

– http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/intel-wireless-

display.html

• AirPlay – Apple’s WiFi based solution; requires an AppleTV for full AV support

– http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/airplay.html

Thank You!

• Matthew Silverman

– Project Manager, Learning Space Design

– George Mason University

– 703-993-3444

– msilverm@gmu.edu

– Blog: http://nextedutech.com

– Podcast: http://bit.ly/AVNationEdtech

Jeffrey Donahue Webinar Moderator

Binghamton University

Matthew Silverman Project Manager

Learning Space Design

George Mason University

Tim Schnabel Director of Education Programs

Extron Electronics

Jeffrey Donahue Webinar Moderator

Binghamton University

Matthew Silverman Manager

Learning Space Design

George Mason University

Come join us at the 2012 Conference

October 3 - 7

Tropicana Las Vegas

Hosted by University of Nevada Las Vegas

We hope that you enjoyed the webinar.

Please take a few minutes and let us know

how we did by taking the brief survey

below.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ClassroomDigitalConversion

Thank you!!

For more information about CCUMC,

visit our website:

www.ccumc.org