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Duane Morris LLP is one of the top 100 law firms in the United States, with operations on both the East and West coasts. When planning for the relocation of their Philadelphia operations in 2004, the company had a specific requirement for their new offices: a flexible, versatile means of displaying images simultaneously for a variety of applications including videoconferencing and multimedia presentations. They wanted this multi-image capability to be at the heart of several A/V systems throughout the new facility. With the MGP 462 Dual Window Multi-Graphic Processor and other products, Extron would play a central role in helping Duane Morris engage A/V technology to their advantage.
The Need for Multiple Images and Robust A/V Signal Distribution
Duane Morris' plans for their new Philadelphia offices called for five separate A/V systems. These would be situated in a boardroom, a conference room, a dining area for large or company-wide events, and a multi-purpose room. The large multi-purpose room is divisible, with each room having its own A/V system.
Except for the conference room, Duane Morris wanted multi-image display capability everywhere to support various meetings and presentations that would benefit from viewing two images at the same time. All systems needed to include a robust A/V infrastructure for distributing high resolution computer-video and audio signals, with the performance and upgrade capacity to suit the needs of the company for at least the next five years.
Duane Morris called on Cenero, LLC, based in West Chester, PA, to provide A/V system design, installation, and support. In turn, Cenero specified a range of Extron equipment for the systems, including Extron MGP 462 Dual Window Multi-Graphic Processors and CrossPoint 300 128 HVA matrix switchers. Extron RGB 160xi computer-video interfaces were also selected to help maintain high quality computer-video signals from laptops and desktop PCs to the displays.
Equipment racks for the conference room, with the Extron MGP 462 dual window processor and CrossPoint 300 128 HVA matrix switcher
Extron MGP 462 To The Rescue
To satisfy the client's requirement for simultaneous dual image display, Cenero determined that the most effective, streamlined approach would be to show both images on a single screen, using a single projector. Therefore, 16:9 projectors and screens were specified, facilitating placement of two 4:3 images side-by-side. Because Duane Morris wanted to display computer-video as well as standard definition video, a video processor was needed that could accept these input sources and provide high quality multi-image output. Duane Morris had a basic requirement for the system: it must provide a bright, high resolution image on-screen.
MGP 462 Although the MGP 462 was capable of meeting the needs for Cenero and Duane Morris, it was not yet available at the time the systems were being designed. Therefore, a similar product from a different manufacturer was initially specified for the systems. However, once this other product was installed, the client lamented that picture quality was not up to their expectations. Cenero examined the performance of the product and came to a similar conclusion.
At the same time, Cenero had just learned about the new MGP 462 from Extron, and since they wanted to quickly address their client's concerns, they asked if they could try out the product. Extron responded by rushing MGP 462 units for installation at Duane Morris. After replacing the initial products with the MGP 462s, the end result was "night and day," according to Rob Gilfillan, president of Cenero. "With very little tweaking out of the box for the MGP 462s, we noticed an immediate, dramatic difference in what we saw on-screen," says Rich Rhindress, sales manager for Cenero. "These products virtually eliminated the complaints we were receiving from our client about image quality."
Engaging the MGP 462's User-Friendly Features
Martin Capone, project manager for the Duane Morris A/V installation, noted that the quick and easy set-up of the MGP 462s was attributed to the front panel controls, which are designed specifically to allow for local configuration and control, including setting the output to the native resolution of the projectors.
"There was very little fudging necessary to get the MGP 462 to produce a very good image," Capone remarked. "And we saw an immediate difference, a big difference in how the picture looked." Auto-Image™, a feature of the MGP 462 and several other Extron products, enhances ease of setup by automatically optimizing the image for each input signal.
The MGP 462 allows for fully customizable configurations of two-window displays which can then be saved for future recall. Cenero created several of these configurations for Duane Morris, quickly saved them to memory, and then programmed the control system to communicate with the MGP 462 to recall them. Thus, the user can simply call up a window configuration via the touch-panel interface.
One of the stored screen configurations was a full-screen display of a single source. Rhindress noted that for viewing a single source, the high quality video and RGB scaling of the MGP 462 made it ideal as the primary video processor for the projectors. The MGP 462 thus offered the system integration benefits of a scaler, accepting signals in virtually any signal format, scaling them to a desired common resolution, and outputting them on a single RGBHV cable to the display.
Duane Morris employs multi-image display for a variety of needs. For example, the MGP 462 offers them the flexibility to display the far end of a videoconference session as well as the concurrent multimedia slide show presentation. Another frequent application of this product is for law partners to view and edit important legal documents such as contracts. Using the side-by-side window display, a group of lawyers can collaborate on reviewing the current version of a document while making proposed edits at the same time.
Providing the A/V "Backbone"
Cenero relied on a number of Extron products for A/V signal distribution for all five of the systems throughout the Duane Morris offices. Extron CrossPoint 300 128 HVA and CrossPoint 300 124 HVA Wideband Matrix Switchers were installed to route computer-video from desktop PCs and laptops as well as video from DVD players, VCRs, cable TV set-top boxes, and videoconference systems. Depending on the configuration of each system, the matrix switchers output signals to a DVD recorder, the videoconference system, and the MGP 462. Audio signals are routed by the matrix switchers to the dedicated sound systems.
To help ensure optimal RGBHV signal quality in the signal path between the computer-video sources and the matrix switchers, Cenero specified several Extron RGB 160xi computer-video interfaces in rooms with conference tables. They are installed in custom metal boxes situated at the base of the tables and are used for connection of laptops and permanently installed desktop PCs. In the dining area and the multipurpose room, where table and seating configurations are not fixed, Extron Extender WM Line Drivers with Audio are installed in walls to provide localized computer-video and audio connections.
MGP 462
Confidence in the MGP 462
After realizing the improvement in performance and image quality of the MGP 462 at the Duane Morris facility, Cenero subsequently decided to go back to an existing installation at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, replacing their multi-window processor with the MGP 462. "We proactively replaced their unit, and they're just thrilled with the results and how much better the images look," says Rhindress. According to him, the MGP 462 is now Cenero's product "standard" for their future installations in facilities requiring multi-image applications.
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Did You Know? The Extron MGP 462 features Graphic Still Store, a powerful feature which captures the currently displayed output, and then stores the image in memory for use as a background. Additionally, BMP - bitmap graphics can be uploaded to the MGP 462 via the IP Link® Ethernet port and recalled as a background.
This background can benefit corporate law firms in providing a professional style or theme to presentations by displaying the company logo. The background can also be employed to provide supplemental information such as the details of a particular case.
Graphic Still Store also offers the capability to download stored images to a PC through IP Link. This feature can be particularly useful in documenting case studies and archiving important visual records such as evidence for future reference.
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Background image with two live video windows |
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