Atlona broadly applied in education

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"Education is always evolving, especially at the Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam. Understandably so, given the rapid developments within the creative industry. Innovative technologies follow each other up in quick tempo. The GLR pays constant attention to new developments  in the business world. Graduates are therefore able to compete at a European level in Media, Design, and the Creative Industry. The MET department (Media, Entertainment and Technology) is constantly working on new developments and researching innovative solutions. They try  to stay five years ahead of the current market, to ensure graduates immediate employability. Five years ago, the focus was on AV control systems." tells Jeroen. The search for a suitable AV control system was a difficult one. "A number of big names in the market were unable to provide the required flexibility. Demo requests, for example, were never complimentary and solutions were 'Windows based'. Not exactly ideal in an environment where Apple equipment is used. In addition, the AV-over-IP systems offered, were not intuitive. And that just so happened to be one of the most important requirements, because the more unaware we are of a system, the more user-friendly it is. A difficult challenge of course. Being unaware of a system, is in fact a sign that everything works and is automated. Appearance and operationality must be smooth. This proved to be quite the challenge.” says Jeroen.

During the ISE in 2019, Jeroen came across Atlona's stand. Soon Jeroen came to realise that Atlona and the GLR were speaking the same language. Through System Integrator D&MS and Intronics, the collaboration begun. AV-over-IP solutions from Altona offer several advantages over other brands. For example, Atlona's AV over IP OmniStream offers the performance and reliability of traditional AV distribution while adding unlimited scalability and cost efficiency. This is thanks to its integration into data networks. "It's tremendously affordable: if you want to expand the system, the cost doesn't add up quickly. The Atlona Velocity system is intuitive and easy to explain to a 16-year-old student. Atlona allows 3rd parties into the systems, so the adoption rate is high. They are also quick to develop. And that is not all! I saw many possibilities in the Atlona product range. The Omega series consists of switches, extenders and video processing solutions with features and technologies designed specifically for today's meeting and conference rooms. Not to mention Atlona Velocity, an innovative IP-based AV Control platform. The Velocity platform allows AV systems to be configured and customized in minutes without the need for complex programming skills. In addition, the touch-screen functions as a booking system for meeting rooms.  With the right connection it is even possible to turn the lights in the room on and off and set them to the desired position, and we can darken the windows”, explains Jeroen.

The Esports Space is the newest state-of-the-art facility of the Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam. At esports events, many media disciplines come together: organising an esports event, creating visuals for a live stream, building a stage including a shoutcaster booth, providing the live stream, directing, reporting on the matches, etc. Several Atlona solutions have been applied in the Esports Space. With the help of the intuitive touch-screen control panel, the Esports Space can change from an esports event to, for example, a teaching environment in the blink of an eye. To further develop the media disciplines, a facility for the new eXperience Integration (XI) specialisation was recently built alongside the Esports Space.  Four technologies are central to the XI specialisation: control systems, audio, video, and lighting technology. The XI classroom contains four simulation rooms aimed at four sectors in which new technologies are also used a great deal to create an experience: corporate (companies), retail (shops), residential (luxury homes) and hospitality (leisure sector). In concrete terms, we translated this into the reconstruction of a meeting room, a shop, a home cinema, and a hotel lobby. In these four settings, the previously mentioned technologies are explicitly present. There are also four table groups in the classroom, each table accommodating eight students. Each table group focuses on one of the four technologies which the students can experiment with.

A nice addition is that the students must programme the demo rooms themselves. All demo rooms are equipped with Atlona solutions. Atlona Velocity gateways and touch-screen control panels were chosen for meeting room availability information. Thanks to the integration with popular calendar applications, schedules are displayed on control panels at the entrance to the meeting room.
The control panels feature colour-coded interfaces and LED frames to indicate whether a meeting room is available. This allows users to check for the meeting room availability of an entire corridor in just one glance. Users can make ad hoc bookings directly from the control panel. In the retail demo area, customers are attracted with eye-catching digital messages in the shop, prompting them to make purchases. Matrix switches from Atlona ensure that any source can be sent to any display and distribution amplifiers ensure that a single source is sent to multiple displays. All channels can be selected and sent using an intuitive touch-screen control panel.
"Students are enthusiastic about Atlona. At the Atlona Academy they can follow several technical training courses free of charge to broaden their knowledge and stay up to date. They also learn how to apply Atlona products and solutions in practice and how to combine them with other brands. They also give feedback directly to Atlona. This completes the circle: not only the MET department but also our students work and develop together with Atlona.” concludes Jeroen.

The GLR educates students for professions at the cutting edge of creativity and technology and is THE professional institute in the Netherlands when it comes to innovative education (vmbo and mbo) in the field of media, entertainment, and technology. The GLR works on education of a high level, challenging programmes, the right mix of theory and practice, programmes that are well-suited to professional practice and further education, and excellent supervision.

Atlona specialises in AV distribution and management solutions for various markets. Since 2003, Atlona has offered innovative products for AV signal connection, distribution, and management. Using simplified AV technology, they help people to collaborate better and share information more easily.

For more than 25 years, D&MS as System Integrator has been striving for maximum results: future-proof installations you can build on. D&MS designs, realises, and optimises future-proof broadcasting and IT solutions for broadcasters, educational institutions, corporations, and governments.

Our Audio/Video team is focuses on the professional audio/video and command and control (KVM) market. Through years of experience in the professional AV and KVM world, Intronics thinks in solutions, not in products. We know the market, give independent advice, deliver different AV solutions. These solutions are tested in our own fully equipped AV test lab.

The AV Lab is used for pre- and after-sales support such as:

• Testing of products
• Building Proof of Concept
• Research & Development
• Beta testing of your solution
• Developing central knowledge