SamanthaD

We normally have more than 1 feed on each display. Central content goes everywhere and is updated daily by our Marketing and Comms team. Local content is controlled by a few local users who can upload their own content as and when they want to. All we do is manage the hardware!

I would recommend you duplicate the monitor and the projector together, so the monitor becomes a confidence monitor rather than a separate display. Then it's a simple hardware distribution amp (ie splitter) from a single output on your dock, so that config etc becomes a non-issue. If teachers want a second display they have one on their laptop!

You need an AV switcher. (something like an Extron IN1604 (ebay link) would work well). This then means you can have everything connected all the time (just leave a flylead for laptops) and if you can push the budget for a RS232 control panel (Extron MLC 104 for example - here's one on eBay!), everything can be locked away just leaving a keyboard, mouse and screen for the local PC, the control panel to turn the system on/off, choose the required input and change the volume and a flylead to connect the laptop to when in use. This is what we do in all of our teaching spaces and it works a treat. (If you have a control panel it can usually also power the projector etc on, and stops remotes going missing, settings being changed and batteries being stolen!)

Sorry I'm late to the party, been off for a while. Samsung displays do have an On/Off timer, those displays apparently have a hotel mode so I guess they might have? It's hidden under the Home menu though, rather than the Settings menu. (We use Samsung displays exclusively for our digital signage for exactly this functionality). Just remember to set the DST option up in the Time settings!

We use OneLAN for our digital signage, expensive but quite powerful in that we have it set up so that users are allocated to a group in AD, the OneLAN CMS then uses LDAP to match user to a media folder so they can manage their own content. For the cafe, we also have timed playlists so a breakfast, lunch and afternoon menu can be uploaded, with separate content folders for each. However, ask yourself how useful it will be. The staff wanted the screens behind the servery, meaning a) the text would have to be huge to be readable and b) it was likely to be obscured by staff. So I suggested mounting it in front of the servery, getting it closer and so customers can make their choice before they reached the counter - this is what we did. Now the cafe have decided "it doesnt work with our customer journey" and now only use it for advertising their events and showing where to order or collect food and drink. Kind of pointless!

Unfortunately - this will be the case for most of their lives. Trying to get away from your dead name is near impossible. Even on here!

If it's been accepted for use then I'd suggest the school purchases one for them to use . That way the keyboard's memory etc can be monitored, it's controlled and the student gets the experience they need to take the exam without stress.

On the flip side we use micro form factors behind our screens, more because of the relationship we have with Dell it makes sense for us. However the issues are the same - wireless mouse and keyboard receiver issues (fixed the same say!) and WiFi is always a drag (we tend to use wired if at all possible). One bonus is we can power the PC independently so it gets its updates overnight, same as any machine on our network, and connecting the screen to the PC USB means it acts as a hub, so any front ports can be used by the user for file access etc. We always use secure mounting brackets with the power and data installed behind the screen, and the PC is on a slide out tray within the backet for maintenance if needed (https://www.top-tec.co.uk/product-category/screen-brackets-and-monitor-mounts/screen-brackets/jupiter-shuttle/) makes for a nice, clean install.

You could include a custom field - our staff system calls it "Gender Identity Status". It asks if your gender matches the one originally assigned to you, or not. (There's a "Prefer not to say" option too). All sorts of GDPR issues with that though, as inclusion on a mailing list could identify a student as being trans and "out" them.

Dynamite Dan on my old Amstrad CPC464 (with green screen monitor, none of this fancy colour stuff!) Though I seem to remember the back of the user manual had a BASIC program in there for Poker? Happy to be corrected on that, I was 6 at the time!

First - test! Nothing worse than something preventable going wrong on the day. During your test - ensure your lighting states are the same as they will be on the event to check your cameras can cope / auto focus if the lighting is reduced (closed curtains for projection, stage lighting etc) And check to see if they want 2 way comms with your remote locations - adds a whole extra layer of pain....

And if using Dante be aware that you do lose functionality as it's an audio only protocol, most notably head amp control. Some manufacturers such as Yamaha add HA control into the Dante protocol for their own products, but if you're using pure Dante across manufacturers be aware (we have this issue with using BSS BIB's on a Soundweb system being controlled by a SI Expression desk. All we have is trim control on the mics with a 3db step. Pretty useless)

Dante cards can be £1k each as well, then you need the network infrastructure to support it. Agree it can be really cool but adds a HUGE layer of complexity.

Sorry - I'd suggest you definitely don't do this. You're putting that over people's heads and if it fails you're the one who has to explain to a parent (and probably a judge) why you chose to bodge a solution that hasn't been load tested by a professional company rather than pay a little bit of money to get the right product. (Especially when something gets thrown at the projector and the metal plate breaks?) It's not your money. Buy the right thing. /EndRant

First question is - analogue or digital? Is the desk going to be used by competent engineers who can be trained and understand signal flow or by novices that need a simple system? I would say nowadays digital is the way to go. Even if it is more complicated initially the ease of being able to set a default show up, save it and back it up to USB means when someone calls you to say "it's not working" getting it back to a useable, known datum is really easy (just load default show and away you go again). Likewise if you have repeated events that require a slightly different setup you just save that show under a different name, then load as needed (our Great Hall has a default show for standard lectures and a graduation show file when the lectern is put away and the graduation mics come out. Takes less than a minute to set the desk up.) Brand wise there's been some good recommendations - though I've fell out of love with Soundcraft as I've been waiting for over 2 years for a SI Impact desk that now I'm being told they can't get hold of. The Yamaha TF range looks very basic with all the controls hidden inside menus. The A&H Qu range is ok but you mention the groups feeding front and rear, unless you're doing sudo-surround mixing I'd probably just put these onto 2 separate matrix mixes which some lower end digital desks can't do (you could use post fade auxes to the same effect, but it's not quite as clean when it comes to stereo panning etc). For the money the Behringer X32 really isn't that bad. Once you've got your head around the digital way of working it's surprisingly analogue in feel with all the encoders and visual feedback, and most users should be able to pick it up fairly quickly. If you've got money and want better audio quality then the Midas M32 is essentially the same desk, just with better preamps and some would say a better build quality over the X32, but it runs on the same software so still quite easy to use.

Our purchasing system requires a product type code when you place your order. All AV items come to my team for technical approval before it goes any further on the authorisation route, so we can bat off the crazy requests easily (we're using Agresso to raise all our PO's etc). Doesn't stop people buying things on credit cards though.

Any reason you're choosing headmics over lapels? Getting the mic closer to the mouth is always a good thing, but headmics are a lot more hassle to fit correctly and obviously pick up more germs. Our lecture theatres use Sennheiser G3/G4 with ME2 lapel mics, as long as their worn correctly (ie not by their belly button) they pick up well and provide the small uplift in volume we need. By using BA2015 batteries with the L2015 charger they're always ready to go, and gives somewhere for them to live when not in use. I'd definitely recommend a secondhand G3 set over a new Gear4Music set any day.

What budget are you working to? What's your existing setup like? With things like headset mics and/or flown mics the key to a good sound is speaker placement so you can get enough gain before feedback to make them worthwhile. A few well placed overhead and shotgun mics and correctly placed speakers will give a much better experience than 20 radio mics ever will. Also consider storage and cabling. Flight cases and XLR looms seem expensive at the time of purchase, but the security it gives during storage and simplicity of setup a loom offers is well worth it!

That's why your screen size needs to be dictated by the distance to the furthest viewer. Go look at the AVIXA DISCAS calculator to calculate your screen sizes (24pt @ 1080p = Element height of 3% for ease of maths, use the minimum image height column). Scratches, contrast, brightness etc all mean nothing if the students can't read what's on the display because it's too small! As for us - generally speaking interactive screens are used as primary displays is spaces up to 30 capacity (65", 75" or 86" as appropriate). The toughened glass on them has proven to be quite robust will little to no glare issues. If we have multiple screens around a room we go non-interactive, normally these are smaller than 65" as it's 1 per 6 student table (more like a 43"). For larger spaces we use projection, again the DISCAS calculator dictates this for projector screen size. No-one has ever complained to us of not being able to see, so I guess the system works ok!

We've used the older model of these to great effect - https://www.epson.co.uk/en_GB/products/projectors/installation/eb-l630u/p/31706 - I'd suggest if you're not looking at WUXGA and laser as a minimum for halls then you're not thinking long term investment. One of the first installs I did here was an Epson EB-L1300U, fitted it almost 6 years ago and it hasn't needed any maintenance at all. Take that into account when you're thinking about lamps, your time to replace the lamp, erect scaffolding, store scaffolding etc.

If additional cabling isn't an option how about Powerline adapters?

In my old secondary school we used to use PRM Green - now part of https://www.restore.co.uk/Technology At the Uni we're using https://blackmoreuk.com/about/ - probably not free (I don't organise it, just use the service!) but the level of data destruction our industry partners require is pretty high, so the cost is justified.

Haha! We still have 3 as part of our loan service - with the remote controls!

https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/ Search for alarm. Lots of un-ignorable alarms! I had a quick look at the licenses for them and I think you should be ok, but well worth reading and deciding for yourself.

What's the channel range your mics are set to? Might be that you're inadvertently using Channel 69 - which was sold off a while ago I think for 4G use? https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/84470/cellular_frequency_chart_jan_2016.pdf If you have a lot of people on the Telefonica (O2) network, that would explain it?