Recommended Setup for Public Meeting Room and A/V + PC

Hi all,

 

Please excuse any duplication - I'm posting this to several
lists.

 

We are working with our architects on a new branch library.
The branch
will include a public meeting room where we hope to put in a
ceiling
mounted projector. Ideally, people could bring in their own
laptop and
interact with the projector, do presentations, etc. Our
architect asked
us how we wanted this wired, did we want to have a laptop
basically
bolted down to the podium and require presenters to use a
USB drive to
bring up their materials (their recommendation - said most
libraries did
it this way). That sounds insane to me - I would expect
people to bring
their own laptops and assume the projector would be
configured to easily
work with any PC. Am I asking for something that's not
possible? Can any
of you share how your meeting room is set up for multimedia
with a
mounted projector (we don't want to deal with portable) and
how it's set
to work with various devices (PC, VCR, etc.)? I have no
background in
A/V, but because I deal with the ILS and the PCs, it is
assumed I will
figure this out.  

 

Note - the library will be wired for wireless Internet
access.

 

Regards,

 

 

Alison Pruntel 
Electronic Resources Librarian 
Fauquier County Public Library 
11 Winchester Street 
Warrenton, VA 20186 
540-349-2770 (voice) 
540-349-3278 (fax) 
http://library.fauq
uiercounty.gov 
http://fcpleresou
rces.blogspot.com/ 

 

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 We allow people to bring in their own laptops and we also
have loaners
they can check out and use in the meeting rooms with the
projectors. Our
projectors are hard wired. Users have to physically connect
their PC to
a cable that is connected to the projector. We also provide
for
connection of vcrs, DVD players, and TVs to the projectors.
You are
limited in the length of the PC video cable to something
like 50 feet
(might be 100 feet). So that may be an issue depending on
your room. No
special software or configuration of the projector is
required. Just the
cable and a video out port on the laptop. Some conference
rooms I've
used have the ports built into floors, walls, podiums, or
projector
stands. The port is wired back to the projector and you use
a short
cable to connect the laptop to the port. Total video cable
length is
still limited to the 50 or 100 feet unless you use some type
of
amplifier. Long video connector cables are available online
from many
sources.

If you plan your projectors to be used with DVD players and
the like you
will need to provide appropriate connections for the video
and audio
outputs of those devices as well.

There are wireless ways of connecting also. We haven't used
them but we
looked at them some time ago. The cheaper systems might work
ok for a
basic PowerPoint presentation but they couldn't carry the
bandwidth for
moving video with audio which we needed.  The wireless
systems we
thought would work were out of our price range.

We have found that general contractors, architects, and
electricians
were not very knowledgeable of presentation systems. We
found a number
of local companies in the phone book which set up
presentation systems
for schools, churches, and the like and consulted one of
them.  One in
your area might be able to provide some advice on how to
best support
your particular space. 

 

Phillip B. Whitford
Associate Director for Support Services
Braswell Memorial Library
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my
organization. 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org] On Behalf Of
Pruntel,Alison
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 9:23 AM
To: web4libwebjunction.org
Subject: [Web4lib] Recommended Setup for Public Meeting Room
and A/V +
PC

Hi all,

 

Please excuse any duplication - I'm posting this to several
lists.

 

We are working with our architects on a new branch library.
The branch
will include a public meeting room where we hope to put in a
ceiling
mounted projector. Ideally, people could bring in their own
laptop and
interact with the projector, do presentations, etc. Our
architect asked
us how we wanted this wired, did we want to have a laptop
basically
bolted down to the podium and require presenters to use a
USB drive to
bring up their materials (their recommendation - said most
libraries did
it this way). That sounds insane to me - I would expect
people to bring
their own laptops and assume the projector would be
configured to easily
work with any PC. Am I asking for something that's not
possible? Can any
of you share how your meeting room is set up for multimedia
with a
mounted projector (we don't want to deal with portable) and
how it's set
to work with various devices (PC, VCR, etc.)? I have no
background in
A/V, but because I deal with the ILS and the PCs, it is
assumed I will
figure this out.  

 

Note - the library will be wired for wireless Internet
access.

 

Regards,

 

 

Alison Pruntel
Electronic Resources Librarian
Fauquier County Public Library
11 Winchester Street
Warrenton, VA 20186
540-349-2770 (voice)
540-349-3278 (fax)
http://library.fauq
uiercounty.gov
http://fcpleresou
rces.blogspot.com/ 

 

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bjunction.org/web4lib/



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We basically have two different system setups, one for a
lecture hall and one 
for a meeting room.  Although our group studies also have
projectors 
connected to a local PC not allowing for other connections.

The lecture hall scenario sounds more like what you are
looking for as a 
solution.  We have a rack that houses an amplifier and
wireless mike 
receivers for the sound system.  Also in the rack is a VCR
and DVD player.  
The podium, basically a double door cabinet with a counter
top, has a 
dedicated PC and monitor.  On top of the podium built into
the counter top is 
the controller that allows one to select the input device
(PC, DVD, VCR, or 
user's laptop) for the projector which defaults to the PC in
the cabinet.  
Also built in the top  of the counter is the VGA connector
for a laptop, 
ethernet and power outlets.  One of the buttons on the
controller can turn on 
the projector and drop the screen.  

The meeting room, in a cabinet in the back corner of the
room, has a PC, Sound 
system, wireless mike receivers, and a DVD player.  The PC
is equipped with a 
wireless mouse and keyboard.  The wireless mouse is a 3d
mouse meaning that 
you don't have to use it on a surface of any kind, hold the
button and move 
the mouse like you might a laser pointer.  There is a long
cable to allow 
laptops to connect but this does not include sound, usually
if needed we just 
plug bigger PC speakers into the laptop.

Also we purchased a Plextor PX-PA15AW Wireless Projector
Adapter but found 
that it will not work in our building because of conflicts
in our campus 
wiresless system.  I have been told that it has drivers for
Windows, Mac, and 
Linux that would have to be installed on the PC that uses
this.

I forget the name of our installer but will try to get that
for you.

Thomas




On Wednesday 09 April 2008 09:22, Pruntel,Alison wrote:
> Hi all,
>
>
>
> Please excuse any duplication - I'm posting this to
several lists.
>
>
>
> We are working with our architects on a new branch
library. The branch
> will include a public meeting room where we hope to put
in a ceiling
> mounted projector. Ideally, people could bring in their
own laptop and
> interact with the projector, do presentations, etc. Our
architect asked
> us how we wanted this wired, did we want to have a
laptop basically
> bolted down to the podium and require presenters to use
a USB drive to
> bring up their materials (their recommendation - said
most libraries did
> it this way). That sounds insane to me - I would expect
people to bring
> their own laptops and assume the projector would be
configured to easily
> work with any PC. Am I asking for something that's not
possible? Can any
> of you share how your meeting room is set up for
multimedia with a
> mounted projector (we don't want to deal with portable)
and how it's set
> to work with various devices (PC, VCR, etc.)? I have no
background in
> A/V, but because I deal with the ILS and the PCs, it is
assumed I will
> figure this out.  
>
>
>
> Note - the library will be wired for wireless Internet
access.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
>
>
> Alison Pruntel
> Electronic Resources Librarian
> Fauquier County Public Library
> 11 Winchester Street
> Warrenton, VA 20186
> 540-349-2770 (voice)
> 540-349-3278 (fax)
> http://library.fauq
uiercounty.gov
> http://fcpleresou
rces.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Web4lib mailing list
> Web4libwebjunction.org
> http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

-- 
============================================================
========
Thomas McMillan Grant Bennett		Appalachian State University
Operations & Systems Analyst		P O Box 32026
University Library			Boone, North Carolina 28608
(828) 262 6587

"... using OpenOffice.org, and save them back to disk
automatically,
in MS Word format.  They surf the Web, check e-mail, do
instant 
messsaging, view YouTube videos, visit their Facebook pages,
learn 
touch-typing skills and lots more.  Our public library has
been 
offering these Linux public stations for the past three
years."
 - Phil Shapiro Linux Journal January 2008

Library Systems Help Desk: https://www.li
brary.appstate.edu/help/
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