- The Decision Theater at Arizona State University – Tempe is a learning and decision environment like no other. The world-class facility provides a unique venue for policy makers and the community to participate in immersive, collaborative decision making – to visualize the future through alternative, interactive scenarios and to address challenging problems in a unique visualization environment.
I'm more than pleased with the control systems installed in our facility. Without a doubt AMX has met, if not exceeded, my expectations.
- Using a 260-degree rear projection screen and seven projectors that can display panoramic computer graphics or 3D screen video content, The Decision Theater creates a truly immersive experience for its guests, which often include federal, state and local government, research organizations and developers.
- The facility has been used to study how viruses propagate through geographic areas, to identify ways to improve federal disaster response, and to discuss how to prepare for future population growth – none of which would be possible without a highly-sophisticated control system that enables The Decision Theater staff to quickly and easily operate a variety of technologies and disparate systems simultaneously. "Whether we're showing computer-generated 3D graphics or a simple PowerPoint presentation, we simply wouldn't be able to operate the theater's sophisticated audio and video equipment without a very high-end control system," said Rick Shangraw, executive director of The Decision Theater.
The Glue That Binds
- Shangraw and his staff worked closely with AMX dealer Technology Providers Inc. (TPI) of Chandler, Ariz. to integrate and design a user-friendly touch panel interface. As David Barazoto, vice president of sales, TPI, explained, "We took a very complicated component system and broke it down into a very simple, straightforward graphical user interface (GUI). Just about everything controlled by the AMX system can be found using no more than three buttons on the touch panel – so the user doesn't have to dig through menus or pop up pages, which saves time and also prevents frustration.
- "Behind the scenes, the presentations we produce in the theater are carefully choreographed, much like a Broadway production. My staff must coordinate input from a number of different devices in order to facilitate a very complex demonstration, and it's essential that they be able to work back and forth very quickly between different input and output sources. The AMX system enables them to do this."
- The AMX system in The Decision Theater consists of a dedicated NetLinx® NI-3000 Integrated Controller and a TPI/4 Touch Panel Interface. The system controls nearly all of the technology used in the theater – from projectors and audio/video sources and switchers to lighting and temperature control. "The Decision Theater is comprised of a very complex hardware and software puzzle, and the AMX control system is the glue that pulls all of the pieces together," said Shangraw.
Here, There and Everywhere
- For university staff and guests of The Decision Theater, the facility also includes an executive conference room and a divisible meeting room, which can be easily separated into two private spaces. A second AMX NetLinx NI-3000 Integrated Controller controls the videoconferencing equipment, projectors, motorized screens and shades, plasma displays and lighting in all three rooms. An 8.4 inch Modero ViewPoint Touch Panel is also installed in each room for maximum mobility and convenience.
- The divisible meeting room includes a sensor that tells the AMX system whether or not the room is divided. When it is, the control system separates the audio and video equipment, displays and lighting, providing independent control of both spaces via the Modero Touch Panel in each room. When the space is used as one large meeting room, the AMX NetLinx Controller provides full equipment control via either touch panel.
- In addition to controlling the meeting rooms, the second NI-3000 also distributes video to the seven Plasma displays installed in the lobby of the facility.
In It for the Long Haul
- "The AMX systems in our facility are incredibly easy to use and have been extremely reliable. I've also been impressed by how flexible the AMX technology is. We've been able to make changes to the hardware and software controlled by the system fairly easily, which is critical for us to do as new and improved technologies come onto the market," said Shangraw. "I'm more than pleased with the control systems installed in our facility. Without a doubt AMX has met, if not exceeded, my expectations."
