University at Buffalo faces the challenge of hybrid training with Biamp

In the conference room of the School of Engineering of the University at Buffalo ceiling microphones have been installed Biamp Parlé and Tesira Server-IO systems.

the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the largest public school of engineering in the state of New York, caters to a broad community of international students. To be able to offer a hybrid class, allowing students to attend in person or online required updating the conference room with microphones in each seat so that online students could listen to questions and participate in conversations. A solution was sought that worked both with an automatic tracking system of several cameras and with the audiovisual control software of the university.

The integrator Audio Video Corp was responsible for the project and opted to use Biamp Parlé ceiling microphones, brand that distributes Avit Vision, and leverage its proprietary technology Beamtracking.

The Beamtracking technology of ceiling microphones was originally designed for conference rooms in order to identify and focus on who was speaking at all times., following their voices if they moved around the room. It was decided that there was no reason why this technology could not also be used to find and focus speakers in a room of over a hundred people..

Audio Video Corp installed Parlé ceiling microphones in the conference room, integrating them with a camera system in the room. Using microphone data, the control system automatically identifies who is speaking and switches from a wide-angle camera shot in the room to one focused on the speaker's area.

In addition, the availability and ease of installation of microphones Parlé with the Server-IO de Tesira allowed Audio Video Corp to finish the installation on schedule.

With Parlé microphones on the ceiling, that follow the voices, students can focus on learning and communication, instead of having to manipulate equipment to be muted or 'de-muted'. Thanks to the results obtained, the University at Buffalo wants to use the same system in all its classrooms.

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