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Clients Win with Visual Data Audio Upgrade by Advanced Systems Group

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Clients Win with Visual Data Audio Upgrade by Advanced Systems Group

When the award-winning post services company, Visual Data, decided to upgrade two of its audio suites, it turned to its long-time partner, Advanced Systems Group (ASG), for guidance. While Visual Data and ASG have collaborated considerably on video-focused projects in the past, this would mark the first audio-only design by ASG for the company. Visual Data wanted to add Dolby Atmos capability to one of their primary mixing suites and refresh a busy 5.1 Foley studio and its control room.

Leading the project for the ASG audio team was Tom Menrath, Audio Team Leader and Key Accounts Manager alongside Collyer Spreen, Audio Sales Engineer, and Paul Oakley, Senior Design and Field Broadcast Engineer. “Visual Data is one of the top postproduction services companies,” said Menrath. “They’re specialists in services that are behind-the-scenes but extremely important like language dubbing, subtitling, closed captions, quality assurance, distribution, and more. We were thrilled to work with them on this audio upgrade.”

“From a knowledge perspective, they know what they’re talking about. I was confident they’d provide the solutions and post-integration support we needed as we ventured into this new technology.”

Ken Spickler
Vice President, Global Engineering
Visual Data

With locations in Burbank, London and Bangalore, India, Visual Data is a global provider of award-winning digital media supply chain services to the entertainment industry. It began as a small editing facility in 1995 and has grown into a leading global provider of quality-driven content management, distribution, localization and media services that enable customers to deliver premium content in any format for any screen or platform, anywhere in the world.

Visual Data moved to its current Burbank location 11 years ago. “Our rooms were functioning very well and provided what we needed at the time, but they limited our ability to grow,” explained Ken Spickler, Vice President, Global Engineering, Visual Data. “We needed to adapt and increase our capabilities in line with what’s needed today, including Dolby Atmos. Since we perform a large amount of QC (quality control) and mastering, we also needed the ability to monitor 12 channels of audio.”

Systems were upgraded to the most recent Pro Tools versions with new Mac Pro computers, along with new Avid S4 control surfaces and interfaces, Genelec monitors, and Argosy desks. 

Dolby Atmos and Foley Studio Reboot

“With more content using immersive audio and Dolby Atmos technology in particular, they were looking for that 12-channel audio capability in one of their main mix rooms,” explained Menrath. “Much of the content they work on for their high-profile clients is now in Atmos. They have to be able to hear what the original version sounds like that so they can transfer the audio into other formats and languages while making sure they’re monitoring everything accurately.”

After a careful assessment of the Foley studio and the mix room, the ASG team’s first determination was to add 24-fader Avid S4 control surfaces in both rooms, which necessitated the new workstations, speakers, and furniture. These replaced the outdated C|24 consoles and previous-generation JBL monitoring.

For the main mix room, an Argosy desk, Avid S4/24 control surface, Avid MTRX Studio interface and new computer. Mac Pros with Avid Pro Tools were customized and built specifically for Visual Data. The computers and interfaces reside in the control room one flight below the main mix room and are connected to the upstairs studio’s Genelec 8341 based 7.1.4 monitor system.

The updated Foley room got a new Argosy desk as well, but with a slightly different configuration to accommodate that studio’s workflow and equipment, an Avid S4/24 control surface with a Genelec 8330-based 5.1 speaker system plus microphone preamps and processing for Foley recording.

Genelec monitors with GLM tuning software were added to both rooms. Using Genelec’s GLMv4 software, ASG was able to calibrate the Mix and Foley suites without bringing in any outside support. This was important since time was of the essence. Each of the rooms were worked on separately based on the availability of the rooms. 

Downtime can be very costly for a busy post production facility. “We got a big project from one of the studios coming in around the time we were talking about upgrading the rooms with ASG,” reported Spickler. “There wasn’t much turnaround time from when the client got us the material, so taking down the room for a week would have been too disruptive. We had to be ready to work on the project whenever it came in. The ASG team was very accommodating about that and didn’t expect us to do this all at once – one room right after the other.”

The main mix room was the first project for ASG, and the Foley studio was done a few months later. 

“Both these rooms were extremely busy,” said Tom Menrath.  “So we carefully planned the timing of when we’d go in and teardown, removing the old equipment, upgrading it, and wiring everything to the control room downstairs. We worked very closely with the IT department at Visual Data. We went through the network system and switches, so we had to work closely with the IT staff to make sure we could connect the new system quickly and efficiently. Then we got the engineers up to speed on the new system. We made our deadlines on both rooms, tuned the rooms, and they were online in just a few days.”

ASG has worked with Visual Data on their SAN and NAS storage, including upgrades, for close to a decade. ASG Regional Sales Manager Kymberly Cannon brought in the ASG Audio team after learning from Ken Spickler that they were looking to update two of the facility’s audio rooms. “I was immediately comfortable with Tom, Collyer and Paul,” said Spickler. “From a knowledge perspective, they know what they’re talking about. I was confident they’d provide the solutions and post-integration support we needed as we ventured into this new technology.”

According to Spickler, the ASG audio team has stepped in to ensure the rooms function smoothly. “In that first couple weeks after we got the rooms up and running, our operators were finding their feet with the new technology. They told me that the ASG folks were extremely responsive to any questions they had. I received a lot of comments from them saying how great it was working with such a responsive group and with such a powerful audio setup.”

Visual Data works with some of the largest studios, streaming platforms, and companies in the world.

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Advanced Systems Group Transforms the Iconic Miami Beach Bandshell into an Immersive Experience for The Rhythm Foundation

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Advanced Systems Group Transforms the Iconic Miami Beach Bandshell into an Immersive Experience for The Rhythm Foundation

During a George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic concert in his hometown of Miami Beach, Advanced Systems Group (ASG) Director of Strategic Accounts Namdev Lisman, re-connected with an old friend at the Miami Beach Bandshell – Rene Pereda. Pereda is head of strategic partnerships for the Rhythm Foundation, which manages The Bandshell. In between sets, Pereda mentioned the Foundation was awarded a grant to update the venue’s video and immersive technology capabilities. Shortly after that conversation, Lisman was introduced to Rhythm Foundation Director James Quinlan and met with Quinlan and Pereda that week to discuss the project.

The Rhythm Foundation, well known for introducing both emerging and established world music acts, began its transformational journey when it received management of the bandshell in 2015. In 2021 when John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded the Rhythm Foundation a 1.5 million grant the vision was clear: to elevate the Miami Beach Bandshell from just a premier music venue to a world class, technologically advanced, immersive space catering to diverse events.

Transformation of the Miami Beach Bandshell, a national historic open-air amphitheater in the heart of North Beach, began with the completion of the solar-powered architectural canopy in 2020. The architectural canopy, which has been a unique feature of the bandshell, will be transformed into a dynamic digital canvas by Miami’s best visual artists with the new Panasonic projectors.

After a very competitive bid, ASG was selected to guide the Rhythm Foundation through its video upgrade and determine the best technologies to implement within the bandshell. 

ASG oversees the entire video infrastructure build-out and creating a multi-purpose, multi-digital experience at The Bandshell. One of the first tasks for ASG was adding software that enables the Rhythm Foundation production crew to project 3D video mapping onto the underside of the canopy and throughout the facility. “The mapping is perfect,” reports Lisman. “It transforms the entire place into a canvas. With Rhythm Foundation’s new initiative, Bandshell Laboratories, they will forge collaborations with talented visual artists and musicians who will create truly unique experiences here.

“We can not only do this, but we can also really make this place look phenomenal.”

Rhythm Foundation Director James Quinlan, after the first demonstration of the new projection mapping software during the Aqua Garden Flow performance in late May.

“We’ve increased their production capacity so that seeing a live concert becomes more of an experiential event,” Lisman continues. “With their previous projection system, they couldn’t do the proper blending of the video. The experience was much more limited. Now, visitors are immersed in visuals as well as music.”

Previously when promoters booked the venue, they had to hire their own production company and bring in any gear required. Now, they have pristine projection mapping and upgraded video capacity that can be offered as a service, which expands the foundation’s offering.

The Rhythm Foundation recently launched Bandshell Studios, the audio-visual production arm of the iconic venue. Bandshell Studios produces high-quality media that captures the essence of live performance in the space. The new project aims to give the world a fresh look at Miami’s unique cultural scene and share the same sense of discovery they feel meeting the amazing artists who grace the Bandshell stage.

While ASG was hired initially for all video production aspects of the upgrade, they’ve also moved the network infrastructure to an all-IP network and are redesigning security and surveillance systems at The Bandshell. “This is a big lift for the Rhythm Foundation,” says Lisman. “We’re redesigning all of their network infrastructure to take them from a dedicated SDI environment to an all-IP network that enables them to be really flexible in terms of production.” 

Namdev Lisman
Director of Strategic Accounts
Advanced Systems Group

When the entire upgrade is complete, The Bandshell will be not only an unparalleled, experiential A/V venue but also a destination concert hall. After the first demonstration of the new projection mapping software during the Aqua Garden Flow performance in late May, Rhythm Foundation Director James Quinlan said, “We can not only do this, but we can also really make this place look phenomenal.”

The work continues through November when the full, multi-dimensional visual experience will be revealed during the foundation’s annual gala event. 

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ASG Leads Audio Refresh at Renowned Bay Area Jazz Club Yoshi’s

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ASG Leads Audio Refresh at Renowned Bay Area Jazz Club Yoshi's

Collaboration with Waveworks, Meyer Sound and Predictive Audio Design Tools Contribute to Timely Upgrade

EMERYVILLE, CALIF., December 28, 2022 – Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a solutions provider for media creatives and content owners, completed a refresh of the 25-year-old sound system at the renowned Yoshi’s jazz club in Oakland, CA in record time, hastened by close collaborations with Bay Area firms and predictive audio design tools. 

The previous Meyer Sound system had served Yoshi’s well for 25 years, but typical signs of aging combined with a demand for punchier low frequency content made it time for an upgrade. “The old system held up remarkably well,” said Marcel Quiroz, Yoshi’s production manager. “But a few things were starting to go out, and over the years there had been changes in the loudspeaker processing, with various things thrown in randomly. My biggest struggle was with the low-end, where R&B acts would push the subs so hard that by the end we would sometimes get a rattle out of the boxes.” 

Photos by Steve Jennings

ASG Audio Team and Key Account Manager Tom Menrath took the lead for ASG, with design services specialist Joe Mistretta on board for Meyer Sound. Mistretta pointed to Meyer’s MAPP 3D program – a design tool that delivers predictions of sound energy distribution in a three-dimensional sound field – as a critical element in the Yoshi’s audio renovation. “Yoshi’s is an asymmetrical, pie-shaped room,” said Mistretta. “The acoustics are quite good, but the coverage is tricky. MAPP 3D really showed us how to improve uniformity, both up close and in the back corners.”

Menrath confirmed the importance of the sound design software: “Using the design tools and replacing the kludge of old processing with Galaxy units, made a huge difference. It also helped to bring the new system online quickly, which was a crucial consideration.”  Working with trusted install partner Brad Katz of the Oakland-based Waveworks was another big asset in speeding the turnaround time on Yoshi’s audio reno.

Photos by Steve Jennings

“Down time is expensive for Yoshi’s as it costs not only the performance venue but the foundational restaurant business,” said Menrath, “so it was vital to get the new system up and running as fast as possible. Working with Brad at Waveworks, we were able to get the old system out, the new one installed, tuned and back in action within nine days.”

As a passionate music fan, Menrath found this project particularly rewarding: “We do a lot of major projects with Meyer Sound, but Yoshi’s has been particularly satisfying. This new system with the most advanced loudspeaker technologies is a stunning upgrade, and the artists who perform at Yoshi’s certainly deserve nothing but the best the industry can offer.”

Among the first to hear the new system were two of Yoshi’s founders and owners, namesake Yoshie Akiba and Kaz Kazamura.  “When I turned it on, it literally brought tears to their eyes,” recalled Quiroz.  “They had never heard this room sound so good.”

Photos by Steve Jennings

It’s a sentiment echoed by Yoshi’s discriminating visitors, said Quiroz: “Every artist that has come in here has been blown away. Haley Reinhart’s engineer told me it was the best house system he’d ever heard, and the engineer for Dave Weckl said that hands down we now have the best-sounding room in the Bay Area. After his set, Freddy Jackson came up, gave me a hug, and said, ‘Thank you!’”

The new Yoshi’s Meyer Sound system comprises two UPQ-D1 wide coverage and two UPQ-D2 narrow coverage full-size loudspeakers for the mains, supplemented by three ULTRA-X20 compact wide coverage loudspeakers for downfill and seven UP-4slim ultra-compact installation loudspeakers for front fill. Ample power for contemporary R&B acts is now available through four 900-LFC low frequency control elements, mounted in pairs on the walls.  A GALAXY 816 network platform provides system drive and optimization, while artist foldback has been upgraded with addition of 10MJF-208 and two MJF-210 stage monitors.

For a more in-depth peek inside Yoshi’s redesign, please check out this feature story in Front of House magazine. 

Photos by Steve Jennings

About ASG:

Advanced Systems Group, LLC enables creativity through better technology for media creatives and content owners. From acquisition to post-production to delivery, whether on premises or in cloud, ASG’s goal is to ensure customer success through tailored solutions that create optimal workflows. One of the largest Systems Integrators in North America, ASG provides engineering services, physical and cloud integration, training, and support. ASG’s Virtual Production Control Room allows clients to operate their live event control room in the cloud. ASG’s Managed Services delivers customized staffing solutions for all phases of media production, including creative and engineering. Based in Northern California since 1997, ASG also has teams in Los Angeles, the New York Tri-State Area, the Southeastern US, and the Rocky Mountain Region to provide nationwide services. Find your solution at www.asgllc.com.

ASG Collaborates with Del Norte Unified School District in Creation of LAN for Live Streaming from Remote Location

ASG Collaborates with Del Norte Unified School District in Creation of LAN for Live Streaming from Remote Location

NDI Protocol Provides Range, Durability and Uncompressed Video Quality for Successful Implementation in Groundbreaking Project

EMERYVILLE, CALIF., February 22, 2022 – Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a solutions provider for media creatives and content owners, today announced its collaboration with California’s Del Norte Unified School District (DNUSD) in the implementation of a remotely controlled, local area network that streams sports, academic events and other activities. Fourteen BirdDog PTZ NDI cameras are spread throughout the rural district’s campuses, with staff directing the streaming output from one central operations center. Broadfield Distributing served as official distributor of the BirdDog cameras.

Like a lot of innovation over the past year and a half, the initial driver was COVID restrictions. “We’re a small, rural community with a huge, diehard community of superfans and a lot of senior citizens who’ve lived here their entire lives and follow the school events,” explained Michael Hawkins, Director of Communications, DNUSD. “We’d been thinking of creating a live streaming system like this for a long time. Last summer, the State of California limited the number of guests who could attend graduation ceremonies and large events. The graduation date became our deadline to get this done. Not seeing your grandchild graduate, participate in a school concert, or watch your graduating high school senior play in a final game was a huge blow to the quality of life for our community members. We wanted to get this set up for everyone in time for graduation and beyond.” 

Camera installation at Del Norte High School.

The cameras were selected based on BirdDog cameras’ fully featured NDI capabilities, which utilize high definition, uncompressed video quality, compatible with any broadcasting software that integrates with NDI. Using the NDI specification, users can work on any network and in the cloud with the highest quality video at the lowest latency.  BirdDog not only sells indoor cameras, but also offers external PTZ cameras, which the school district requires. The company’s A200 and A300 cameras are weatherproof, with IP67-rated enclosure and ideal for deploying with a single CAT cable for video, audio, camera control and Power over Ethernet. The P200 and other models are perfectly designed for in-classroom usage. 

The DNUSD IT department installed the first three BirdDog cameras at the Del Norte High football field just in time for graduation last June – one camera in the announcer’s booth and two high atop light poles to provide consistent coverage of events that take place there. All of the district’s middle school ceremonies and its high school graduation were held there. 

“This is a fantastic showcase of the power of NDI and BirdDog PTZ cameras,” said Eamon Drew, Co-Founder & CMO of BirdDog. “We’re humbled that our gear played a part in enabling these important human connections through the pandemic.”

The system installed was also used to live stream the 2021-22 football season. The district received such positive responses from the live stream offering, they installed BirdDog PTZ cameras at five additional locations for other indoor and outdoor sports. 

Being a small rural community, the Del Norte Unified School District has one functioning auditorium in all of Del Norte County – at Crescent Elk Middle School. The middle school is located two miles away from Del Norte High and the district’s live-streaming headquarters. The district’s IT department installed three cameras at the Crescent Elk auditorium to livestream performing arts events. The events are now streamed remotely from district headquarters. 

To leverage the power of NDI and live-streaming even further, DNUSD utilize the tool Restream to duplicate its livestream simultaneously across multiple platforms, including Youtube, Facebook, the school district website, and other services.

In 2018 DNUSD underwent an extensive, four-million-dollar upgrade to its network infrastructure, so capacity was never a concern. Range, durability and video quality were foremost in the minds of Hawkin’s team. “NDI was the initial draw to the BirdDog cameras because we’re very rural,” said Ryan Bahten, Director of Information Network Services, DNUSD. “We have 4,500 students in the largest geographic school district in the state. In terms of durability, there are no other PTZ camera built as solid as these. With all the wind and rain we get in the Pacific Northwest, that was important to us. And the video quality is full NDI, which is unlike most PTZ models. We have the network to handle it, so we want to make our coverage as good as possible.” 

Dan Gustafson, Network Systems Analyst, DNUSD, explains further: “We dial in from a central location, which is our everyday office, and we can access cameras from a high school auditorium, basketball court, football field or soccer field – which are scattered across a large campus. We can take the feeds instantaneously with almost no set up and get a very high-quality live stream sent to our families. As a small district, we don’t have the staff to cover multiple different teams at all of their locations, so this was necessary to make this work.”

Hawkins went on to add, “Currently, we have three cameras in the Crescent Elk Middle School Auditorium. At Del Norte High School, there are multiple indoor cameras installed for basketball, volleyball, and wrestling. For our outdoor sports at Del Norte High, we have cameras at our soccer, baseball, softball, and football fields. We are currently in the process of installing cameras at our outdoor tennis courts and near our track fields. After we finish these installations, we plan on building out streaming capacity at all of our middle schools across the county to begin offering live-streaming to our community and career technical education to students interested in broadcasting and live-streaming.”

“This is the first school we’re aware of doing long-distance streaming from a centralized location over NDI like this,” said Dave Van Hoy, President, Advanced Systems Group. “It shows the true power and flexibility possible with NDI. We’re excited to contribute to a project as innovative as what the communications team at Del Norte Unified School District accomplished. I expect their pioneering work will become more commonplace as others discover the potential of NDI.”

ASG Key Account Manager John Shike consulted on DNUSD’s camera selection, the NDI infrastructure, technical issues encountered during installation, and even tracking down parts. “John really stepped up to the plate,” said Hawkins. “He dedicated all his time to making sure we had everything we needed. He was the bridge between us and any problems we faced along the way. The entire company was just a great resource from consultation, to distribution, and just being good people. They were of huge value to us in every way.” 

About ASG:

Advanced Systems Group, LLC enables creativity through better technology for media creatives and content owners. From acquisition to post-production to delivery, whether on premises or in cloud, ASG’s goal is to ensure customer success through tailored solutions that create optimal workflows. One of the largest Systems Integrators in North America, ASG provides engineering services, physical and cloud integration, training, and support. ASG’s Virtual Production Control Room allows clients to operate their live event control room in the cloud. ASG’s Managed Services delivers customized staffing solutions for all phases of media production, including creative and engineering. Based in Northern California since 1997, ASG has teams in Los Angeles, the New York Tri-State Area, and the Rocky Mountain Region to provide nationwide services. Find your solution at www.asgllc.com.

New Dante Audio Networking Solution from ASG Allows San Francisco Conservatory of Music to Perform Together Despite Social Distancing

New Dante Audio Networking Solution from ASG Allows San Francisco Conservatory of Music to Perform Together Despite Social Distancing

EMERYVILLE, CALIF., JAN. 26, 2021 – Due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, students at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) have been unable to gather together in groups to perform. However, a new Dante audio networking solution from Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading media technology and engineering firm, is helping teachers and students collaborate in real time across almost 30 practice and ensemble rooms at the San Francisco-based campus. 

According to Jason O’Connell, SFCM director of recording services, string performers were allowed to attend classes in school in person by wearing masks and observing social distancing. However, there were very strict restrictions for singers, as well as brass and woodwind players, who were not allowed to perform in the same room together. 

While the school was able to have lessons via videoconferencing and even cell phones, latency issues made it impossible to perform together – and sound quality, particularly with vocals, was problematic. SFCM needed a solution that would allow groups of singers and musicians to work together while spread across the building in separate rooms. 

In July, ASG arranged for a test using Focusrite RedNet X2P audio interfaces, which include microphone inputs for the vocalist or musician. The compact units connect through SFCM’s existing Ethernet, and use Dante audio networking to send and receive real-time, high-quality audio. 

Sources are fed to a Yamaha mixer in the concert hall (where the strings players are located), and the audio mix is fed back to the performers. Each performer can adjust their headphones to raise or lower the volume of their own performance as well as that of the entire ensemble. The system also supports personal or group communication with the instructor.

O’Connell said it only took a few minutes to confirm the system would be effective for the school. By August, SFCM had 25 RedNet X2P units across the facility in classrooms, offices, practice rooms, and studio spaces.

“This was a problem we needed to solve immediately that we never faced before, and we got a lot of support from ASG,” said Kelley Coyne, assistant director of recording services. “It was really great to see the faculty members actually hear their students sing for the first time in months.”

With the Dante-based system, there is less than 10ms of delay. “We have not received a single complaint about latency,” O’Connell reported, “and our faculty and students are extremely sensitive to timing.”

While SFCM still cannot host an audience, it has been able to produce concerts using the ASG solution and stream the performances to the school’s YouTube and Vimeo channels. O’Connell also said ASG is helping with AV integration at the Bowes Center, SFCM’s new 12-story building that will more than double the size of the school’s facilities once completed. “ASG has been great,” he added. “They’re super responsive and quick to help you with ideas.”

About ASG:
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in the New York Metro Area, Los Angeles, and the Rocky Mountain Region, Advanced Systems Group LLC has provided engineering, systems, integration, support, and training to the multimedia creative and corporate video markets for more than 20 years. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of the largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems in North America. Highly focused on customer success, the ASG team has installed and supported more than 500 storage networks, along with production and post-production systems. As part of its complete solution approach, ASG also offers a range of managed services, providing expert staffing for media production and event management. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

Electronic Arts Calls On ASG for New eSports Broadcast Studio

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Electronic Arts Calls On ASG for New eSports Broadcast Studio

EMERYVILLE, CALIF., Mar. 27, 2019 – Advanced Systems Group (ASG) was integral in the creation of Electronic Arts’ recently-opened EA Broadcast Studio in Redwood City, CA. Previously, EA relied on third-party venues to host their esports operation, but the new state-of-the-art in-house production studio was built in just three months and was ready for their recent Madden NFL 19 Challenge in mid March.

Per an article in SVG News, ASG was brought into the project to assist EA in the creation of two main studios as well as a 1080p broadcast-control room, AR seamless green screen, and post production facilities. The entire facility was completed in just three months; construction began on Dec. 10 and the facility went live on March 10.

The studio deploys five Ikegami HDK-99 broadcast cameras with Fujinon lenses. Photo courtesy of Sports Video Group.

Joseph Lynch, head of broadcast, EA Sports says, “We were able to get this done on a really short timeline, which is a testament to how passionate our crews, contractors, production-management team, vendors, and integrator are. We worked with ASG because we knew they were a smaller sort of boutique shop and we really liked that personal relationship. We knew that we had somebody that we could grow and build a relationship with over time. They worked hard to deliver in a short time and put together a beautiful facility.”

Inside the new EA Broadcast Center, which launched during the Madden NFL 19 Challenge earlier this month. Photo courtesy of Sports Video Group.

Read the entire article here.

ASG Secures San Leandro Unified School District with Extensive IP-Based CCTV System

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ASG Secures San Leandro Unified School District with Extensive IP-Based CCTV System

EMERYVILLE, CALIF., April 23, 2019 – San Leandro Unified School District in San Leandro, Calif., is protecting more than 9,000 students with a new IP-based CCTV system designed and installed by Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading media technology and engineering firm. The system provides video support for the 13 schools in the district, as well as offices, a community center, and other district facilities.

The district was having issues with its previous camera system, which was a mishmash of analog and digital technologies that “just wasn’t working well,” according to Manuel Ruiz, CTO at SLUSD. Funded by a bond that generated monies for safety and technology, the $1.5 million system is being used regularly by administrators, who received training through ASG.

Rabinder Mangewala, senior director at SLUSD, said the new CCTV system can capture student disciplinary issues on video, so administrators do not have to spend as much time investigating what happened. “Because the system is so good, investigation time is greatly reduced,” he explained. “It can make a huge difference in investigations.”

School safety was the top priority, of course, but SLUSD had a number of requirements for its new CCTV system, including cameras with long lifespans and a non-proprietary, “virtual friendly” infrastructure that would work with the district’s existing virtual environment. Plus, neither the cameras nor the software could require annual licensing, as the district wanted to avoid ongoing costs to the general fund. “ASG understood that and obviously came up with a great solution for us,” said Ruiz.

Planning for the project began in October 2017, but new camera deployment did not begin until May 2018. Now, there are more than 750 new Sony CCTV cameras across the district, including a variety of 1080p indoor models and 4K outdoor models. ASG partnered with Walker Telecomm in Wheatland, Calif., for camera installation, while the district hired a security consultant to collaborate during the design process.

Mangewala and Ruiz praised ASG’s hands-on approach to the project, which included walking each site to help identify camera counts and optimal installation locations. “A public school district is often short of resources,” Ruiz added. “We don’t have extra personnel to manage these types of projects. Being able to find a vendor to provide us with that type of resource was incredibly helpful. Not only did ASG do that, but support was extremely personalized.”

Cameras are positioned to monitor hallways, building entrances, and exterior spaces, not classrooms. Mangewala said the cameras deliver exceptional coverage.

Bandwidth is not an issue, as SLUSD built out its network several years ago to support a massive expansion of services. In fact, its extensive array of CCTV cameras has its own VLAN, with video traffic separated from other traffic on the network. ASG selected an OnSSI open architecture IP video camera platform, which allows SLUSD to create firewalls to restrict access to CCTV cameras and footage.

“San Leandro was faced with replacing an inefficient CCTV system that had been expanded over the years with an assortment of analog and digital components. The best course of action was to start over – but the new system had to conform to a number of unique requirements,” said Dave Van Hoy, president of ASG. “Our solution provided a reliable and secure bridge between video technology and IP, and it’s delivering excellent results for school administrators.”

“Our new CCTV system is another example of our commitment to student safety at San Leandro,” said Dr. Michael McLaughlin, district superintendent. “Today, technology is a foundational component of any security plan. ASG and our other partners have made it much easier for our administrators to help maintain a safe environment at our schools.”

About ASG:
Based in Northern California with offices in the New York Metro Area, Los Angeles, Pacific Northwest, Houston, and the Rocky Mountain Region, Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., has provided engineering, systems, integration, support, and training to the multimedia creative and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of the largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems on the West Coast. Highly focused on customer success, the ASG team has installed and supported more than 500 storage networks, along with production and post-production systems. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

ASG Installation for Community Center Includes Flexible Presentation Solutions

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ASG Installation for Community Center Includes Flexible Presentation Solutions

EMERYVILLE, CALIF., Jan. 30, 2019 – When the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto, Calif., built a two-story learning center to accommodate up to four events at once, they turned to Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading media technology and engineering firm, to install a flexible AV system to support it.

The cornerstone of the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life, the Oshman Family JCC has nine buildings and hosts a variety of cultural programs, shows, and lectures. Its new learning center, which opened in October, can accommodate 160 people on the first floor and 70 people on the second floor. Each floor can also be divided in half by a moveable air wall, so the building can be separated into four separate areas.

Each of the four interactive presentation areas includes an Optoma ZU510T-W laser phosphor projector, Kramer KT-107S touch panel, and Yamaha surface-mount and ceiling speakers. The rooms also use HRT’s Huddle Hub One wireless presentation system, which provides unique wireless screen sharing options for presenters and audience members. The center’s audio system is built around the Yamaha MRX7-D DSP processor with an EXi8 analog input expansion unit and XMV4140-D Dante digital audio network input, while the video system works through a Kramer VS1616D matrix switcher and controller.

All four areas are well isolated, so there is no bleeding of sound between them when the air walls are in place. Jodie Capriotti, sales account manager for ASG, said the new construction made installation relatively easy, but the building’s hard floors and large glass doors and windows were reflective surfaces that posed an audio challenge during the design process. “The modular, expandable, and easy-to-install Yamaha CIS system was ideal for this application,” she added.

Oshman Family JCC classroom

“It’s a wonderful space with incredibly good sounding rooms,” said Giulio Fregni, Oshman Family JCC technical manager of event services. “They are the best rooms in terms of sound on campus. By having in-ceiling and on-wall speakers as well as a subwoofer, you don’t get the feeling of a ‘telephone conversation’ you get with limited speakers. You have a much richer sound, with full highs and lows.”

While each area has several speakers and supports multiple microphones, the Yamaha MRX7-D offers feedback suppression that does not distort the sound. “It’s really amazing,” Fregni said. “It kills the feedback immediately. I’m very, very happy with it.”

Equipment rack at Oshman Family JCC 

The learning center was built overlooking to a new sports field, which was equipped with distribution boxes so audio from the center can be sent to the field and vice versa. Sensors on the first floor prevent the projector screens from lowering if the bi-folding doors facing the field are open. Additional sensors on both floors detect whether the partition is open or closed, so the AV system knows to combine video and audio signals for one room or two.

“ASG helped me in finding a neat and functional solution,” Fregni added. “Kramer put me in touch with ASG, and I’m so glad they did. ASG was very flexible and helped me throughout the process.”

About ASG:
Based in Northern California with offices in the New York Metro Area, Los Angeles, Pacific Northwest, Houston, and the Rocky Mountain Region, Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., has provided engineering, systems, integration, support, and training to the multimedia creative and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of the largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems in North America. Highly focused on customer success, the ASG team has installed and supported more than 500 storage networks, along with production and post-production systems. As part of its complete solution approach, ASG also offers a range of managed services, providing expert staffing for media production and IT services on a temporary or ongoing basis. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.

NetApp Overhauls AV Ecosystem Across Headquarters With ASG

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NetApp Overhauls AV Ecosystem Across Headquarters With ASG

$14 Million Project Includes Data Visionary Center with Iconic 360-Degree Cylindrical Video Display

EMERYVILLE, CALIF., Sept. 18, 2018 – When NetApp, one of the world’s leading companies for data management and enterprise storage solutions, agreed to sell several of its buildings and reduce the size of its Sunnyvale, Calif., headquarters, it invested $14 million to upgrade the entire AV/media ecosystem across the campus. Advanced Systems Group (ASG), a leading media technology integration, engineering, and managed services firm, was named the single-source provider for the multi-year project, and updated all conference rooms, training rooms, and video production facilities, as well as the security operations center and executive briefing center.

“We had to rebuild and consolidate all the active media and live event spaces into a smaller footprint,” explained Mike Tyler, NetApp senior manager. “Any one of these projects would have been a significant build. We essentially built seven different projects simultaneously and fully integrated them into one campus-wide ecosystem. ASG’s input was invaluable because of the experience they brought to the project.”

To better gauge expectations for the project, the entire construction project team – including Tyler, ASG, designers, and architects – conducted interviews with NetApp executives. “They all wanted something that was cutting edge,” Tyler recalled, “and would change the perception of NetApp to that of a technologically relevant company prepared to do business in the 21st century.”

Data Visionary Center
The executive briefing center, now renamed the Data Visionary Center, became the primary focus of the entire project. The centerpiece of the DVC is its Cloud Theater, which resembles the cross section of a large video teepee and is built of 18 slightly overlapping, horizontally curved individual trapezoidal panels, each 12 feet tall and six feet wide and positioned to create a cylindrical, 360-degree display. Half-panels are positioned over the two doors that provide entry to the interior theater, which features 240-degree panoramic presentations produced with an immersive dual-projector system from The Elumenati and 5.1 surround speaker system from Meyer Sound.

“People step through the doorway and freeze in their tracks – staring at this display,” Tyler said. “It’s really iconic. Our chief marketing officer asked for something bold, something that could be seen from the parking lot, and that’s exactly what we provided.”

The Cloud Theater is the centerpiece of NetApp’s Data Visionary Center and part of 
a $14 million AV/media ecosystem upgrade across its campus in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Advanced Systems Group was the single-source provider for the multi-year project.  

Other features of the DVC include a Planar Mosaic video wall, built with 32 individual panels set at varying depths, and an interactive Flip-Disc, dot matrix digital art wall by Breakfast, LLC, which uses a hidden camera to produce a high-contrast image of people walking past the display through a multitude of individual metal black-and-white pixels.

Inside the DVC, ASG also built five conference rooms with Planar touchscreens, which feature Bluescape collaborative virtual workspace software, as well as non-touch displays in four of the rooms for videoconferencing and desktop sharing. “Our executives felt that we needed to change the way we presented information to our customers,” Tyler said. “We had to get away from the traditional ‘death by PowerPoint.’ It’s the fundamental reason why, partnering with our clients on the DVC team, we chose Bluescape.”

In addition to the five conference rooms, NetApp’s DVC also includes an open, more relaxed collaborative space called the Mini Theater. The main AV feature of the space is a large Planar Clarity Matrix G3 interactive LCD video wall that utilizes twelve 55-inch LCDs. The touch-driven video wall also features the Bluescape collaborative virtual workspace software.

A Crestron touch panel in each room allows intuitive control of lighting, shades, and AV equipment, while a Crestron panel outside each room displays daily schedules and meeting agendas. While available resources differ between various rooms throughout the campus, the Crestron touch panel interface consistently presents each room’s options for ease of use. The outside panels are managed through BriefingSource, a cloud-based event management and scheduling resource.

Advanced Systems Group updated five conference rooms in NetApp’s Data Visionary
Center.

Control Rooms and Connectivity
NetApp has five control rooms across its campus, and four of them were updated by ASG with identical equipment. The fifth control room, which supports the gymnasium space that seats 1,200 people and is used for quarterly company-wide meetings, will be updated later this year with the same components. “NetApp is very, very big on video communications,” Tyler explained. “It’s really about the efficiency of the space and enabling the staff to easily move between control rooms throughout the day without having to relearn each room.”

All the control rooms had to be able to share AV resources between them, since NetApp often hosts very large events that utilize multiple event spaces. Fiber optic lines tie the four buildings together, and Tyler’s team created a separate virtual LAN and DANTE audio network throughout the campus for AV use. As a result, Tyler said it was critical to connect all the control rooms.

For NetApp, the keys to connectivity are two NVision 248×248 routing switchers. Housed in different buildings, the routers receive signals from cameras in any event space and time all sources to one master clock, so any source can be used in any control room for any project. Because all video and audio sources throughout the campus are connected through the routers, ASG developed customized programming that enables the AV team to control specific areas of the routers through Crestron interface panels installed in each room.

Tyler praised ASG’s inside sales team, which helped the project engineers remain flexible throughout the process. “We were updating our designs as new technology became available,” Tyler said. “ASG’s continual research throughout the course of the project allowed them to save us money and keep up with advances in technology.”

About ASG:
Based in Northern California with offices in the New York Metro Area, Los Angeles, Pacific Northwest, Houston, and the Rocky Mountain Region, Advanced Systems Group LLC of Emeryville, Calif., has provided engineering, systems, integration, support, and training to the multimedia creative and corporate video markets since 1997. With unmatched experience in high-speed shared storage, media asset management, archiving, editing, color and VFX systems, ASG has become one of the largest installers of post-production and shared storage systems in North America. Highly focused on customer success, the ASG team has installed and supported more than 500 storage networks, along with production and post-production systems. As part of its complete solution approach, ASG also offers a range of managed services, providing expert staffing for media production and IT services on a temporary or ongoing basis. For more information, visit www.asgllc.com or call 510-654-8300.