CONTROL SYSTEMS
Large organizations don't want to use all the handheld remote controls that come with various AV equipment. They have two options: a universal handheld remote OR a professional control system. In classroom environments, the remotes tend to disappear AND in enterprise environments, system management and reporting is required. This leaves educational and enterprise AV designers only one choice: a professional control system
There are many control system manfacturers for residential, commercial and educational AV systems. In education the top three players are AMX, Crestron and Extron. The decision is daunting. Each of these manufactures have literally thousands of products. In many cases, it is easier to research the local market to identify quality vendors in the area rather than evaluate control equipment and software. Visit several local institutions that have control systems and solicit feedback about the vendor installation quality, ease of use, support and overall end user satisfaction.
Complexity and cost vary greatly with the design. All three big vendors offer low, medium and high cost solutions.
BOTTOM LINE: the better a customer understands their AV requirements and is able to clearly communicate them in the tender (bid document), the better solution vendors will deliver. Satisfied customers ARE a good indication of future AV vendor performance.
Founded 1982, Richardson Texas headquarters, AMX is now part of the Harman Professional Division, 2020 revenue $8.8 billion, 30,000 employees
Founded 1968, Rockleigh New Jersey headquarters, 2020 revenue $2 billion, 5,000+ employees
Founded 1983, Anaheim California headquarters, revenue unknown privately held, 30+ offices around the globe
1) Don't be vague. Clearly specify all the required AV sources and AV destinations. Misunderstanding will require changes and variations that can add huge costs to
the project. Make detailed drawings as part of the tender if possible.
2) Don't use AV equipment that is ONLY infrared (IR) controlled. Require RS-232 or Ethernet control ports on equipment: these ports allow feedback into the control systems
increasing the usability, manageability and overall quality of the programming. Also, the glue-on IR emitter probes fall off either by the glue eventually giving up or users bumping the
thin wire on the emitter probe.
3) Don't use out of town vendors if possible. There will be enough troubles with a local vendor: avoid magnifying these troubles by selecting someone who is far away:
especially vendors in a different time zone. Out of town vendors with local offices are acceptable. Validate that they really have a local office and that the local staff have
programming skills and can make important decisions.
4) Insist that full Source Code programming will be delivered before final project payment. AV vendors have a long history of trapping customers by not turning over the
control system programming and then charging huge fees for changes, repairs and basic maintenance. You will likely use the same vendor anyway, but by having the source code, at least the
organization has an option to competitively bid future AV maintenance contracts.
5) Clearly define the control and management requirements. Expect the vendors to take shortcuts. Pin them down in the legal tender document to deliver
required basic and advanced control functions.
6) When choosing more expensive touch panel control systems, insist on meetings to layout the basic touch panel screens and discuss the scripted tasks required when pressing a
single button. Some lazy vendors will not discuss this with the customer and the touch panel ends up being a complex dump of every button on the hand held remote. "What's the matter? We
gave you all the functions on the equipment you specified."
7) Only display touch panel buttons from the handheld remote that are required for daily operation to get better end-user usability. For one-time advanced setup and maintenance the good old complicated handheld remote can always be pulled out of storage by a technologist. Laying out touch panel screens can be done using a review process that includes the winning vendor including final approval by the customer.