NYC Contractor to install distributed TV system in a school?

[Keith Herron]

A school in NYC where I sometimes consult just asked me for some help. The principal would like to install about 16 TVs (2 on each floor, 2 in the caf, 2 in the lobby, etc.) that he can send "programming" to from a central control station (ie. his office). All TVs should play the same thing. He said it would be a mix of video loops ("Look at what the step team is doing!"), and text - a la Powerpoint slides.

This is definitely NOT my wheelhouse. Does anyone know who in the NYC area does this kind of thing? He has a $50-60K budget ("Maybe more.").

Thanks for any help.

 

[macsound]

If they truly will be all the same programming, it could be as simple as a single computer running powerpoint.
If you wanted it to be a complex conglomerated video screen, Screenly OSE is a free digital screen system that would have 1 output and be split to feed all the TVs the same content, just like the powerpoint solution. Install instructions for a raspberry pi.

If there was the desire to make each screen independent, Screenly has a paid version and there's many other harware based solution like Yodeck. You buy their device, put it on the internet, and configure from a website. All of these are subscription based.

Assuming the school will use these for entire school announcements, I'd recomend the single source solution, then in the future if they wanted to show live video or anything like that, there's no complicated middle software/hardware barrier, just direct wiring from a single source. I'd also recommend you install a sound bar at each TV. I assume they won't have audio from day 1, but one day there's going to be a video they want to play with sound and TV speakers are trash at home, much less in a noisy high school.

For distribution, NDI makes the most sense. It's encoded video over ethernet. If they have a robust existing gigabit network, I'd use that. If it isn't robust, run your own network cable. The nice part about NDI is its just packets on a standard network. No point to point issues and uses regular network equipment. For this distribution you'd get one NDI Encoder box to put with the computer that's displaying the powerpoint, and one NDI Decoder behind each TV.

 

[Keith Herron]

Thank you so much for the advice. I'm doubtful this school has anything more than low speed WiFi - if that - and probably no one to do a "roll-your-own" solution. I'm hoping someone knows of a contractor who does this sort of thing on a regular basis.
dkh

 

[ChrisB_SanDiego]

Personally I'd keep to a hardwire approach. With a budget like that, it shouldn't be any issue to run a local video distribution system (similar to if you were your own cable provider).

multiple signals to a distro, than 1 coax cable to each TV.
https://www.provideoinstruments.com/HD-RF-Modulators_c_26.html

Any pro A/V company that install Crestron can do this fairly simple. If I were you, I'd start with Crestrons dealer seach and then look for reviews. https://www.crestron.com/How-To-Buy/find-a-dealer-or-partner/Find-a-Service-Provider
I'm not saying you need a Crestron system, but anyone who is an authorized service provider for Crestron should be able to get you a solution that works for you, no problem.

We use AMT Systems for AV installation https://amtsystemsinc.com/services. I'm in California, so I can't recommend anyone specific to Ney York.

 

[MNicolai]

Most of the school districts in my area use something like Samsung's MagicInfo platform built into a lot of their commercial signage displays. All you need at each TV is a data and power drop, and the digital signage functions are all remotely controlled, as well as the ability to schedule TV's to turn on for morning announcements, off after-hours, etc. They'll have their TV production class run announcements by piping the green screen studio camera feed into an AJA HELO encoder and spitting it into the MagicInfo system with an H.264 stream over their campus network -- then at 830 every morning the displays automatically turn on and select the H.264 stream.

Not sure how much trouble the back-end is to set up -- these school districts I'm working with are using it for dozens of campuses and have a certain number of licenses they can use -- may or may not be worth implementing for only 16 displays, but a Samsung rep could tell you more. There are also other networked digital signage players you can velcro to the backs of TV's that will give you signage and TV on/off capability. You really don't want to destroy the displays in the first year because they're left on 24/7 -- or conversely, that they never get used because someone gets tired of having to walk around every day to turn them on and off. If an outboard digital signage player is the route you want to go, I would look toward something like Spinetix -- though there are many options out there.

 

[MNicolai]

Any pro A/V company that install Crestron can do this fairly simple. If I were you, I'd start with Crestrons dealer seach and then look for reviews. https://www.crestron.com/How-To-Buy/find-a-dealer-or-partner/Find-a-Service-Provider
I'm not saying you need a Crestron system, but anyone who is an authorized service provider for Crestron should be able to get you a solution that works for you, no problem.

Not a great path forward. Some AV integrators have experience with digital signage players, but most who work on the Crestron level do not have a clue about economical solutions for campus-wide distribution at a school. This is something that they tend to actively avoid. I would also highly discourage Crestron in this particular circumstance. You don't really want to send video out to every display. You want a networked digital signage player at every TV -- and with some commercial signage TV's, this feature is actually built-into the display natively. Scales much better, costs less, and you don't have to leave a dedicated computer running 24/7 just to stream video onto the system.

@Keith Herron, most of the people in CB will look at this like a problem they are trying to solve for a theater. That is not the kind of solution you want here. You want commercial signage playback with integrated on/off/input/volume control of TV's -- not simply the ability to stream video across the campus.

 

[avkid]

We work in NYC schools all the time.
Reid Sound

 

[StradivariusBone]

I'd throw a +1 toward the HD-RF modulator route. Chances are there is a coax network already in place. Also, any modern TV will come with a tuner that can decode the RF as opposed to the network solution where you need a decoder box at every display. I picked up one of the Thor branded ones to do our backstage internal CCTV network and it works great. You could just plug a laptop into the HDMI input to start with and if they wanted to expand to do live broadcast, it's a simple matter to purchase a camera or switcher or what have you for future expansion.