ADENA Hack: How to bundle AREC Media Stations with third-party products for conference rooms?

In our previous post, we looked at several ideas of how you could bundle AREC products to achieve the best results. But what about products from other manufacturers? Let’s focus on that this time, using LS-410 in a conference room as an example from our side.

The LS-410 is the perfect example to describe these ideas thanks to its many interfaces. Starting from the front panel, there are 2 USB ports that can be used for all kinds of devices. For instance, to export your videos or record directly on a flash drive, plug it into either of these ports. To easily control key features of the Media Station, you can connect a USB numeric keypad that is supplied with the station, or use any other keypad. Connect a computer mouse with USB, or an interactive display with a USB and HDMI from the back panel to use the station’s GUI. You could also use these ports to connect a camera or a microphone to capture audio and video.

Every standard conferencing AV hardware can be connected to the LS-410. For example, you could start by adding a hardware videoconferencing processor, like a Yealink MCore Pro Mini-PC, Poly G7500, or Avaya C190. This will let you record and stream conferences on the Media Station, mix them with other sources, and display them through any of the station’s outputs. 

And what better to mix these conferences with than a wireless content-sharing system, like Barco Clickshare or Mersive Solstice, letting every attendee beam their work without worrying about cabling? The station’s loop-through output will make sure that this content is visible to all, and you can output it in the highest quality on a big display, like the Clevertouch Impact Max 2. 

Add the remaining video sources by USB or network - LS-410 can work with 4 video sources simultaneously, allowing you to add multiple PTZ and ePTZ cameras from AREC or other manufacturers to capture every meeting participant.

The station’s support for Dante Audio makes it simple to connect professional audio inputs like Shure MXA920, while an array of balanced and unbalanced line/mic inputs ensures easy setup with analog microphones, like RADA Duo.

Finish the solution by personalising it for the user - add a controller, such as Q-Sys Core 510i, and show commands for all devices on its compact screen accessory, TSC-101-G3.

And that is just one of the many ways you can deploy LS-410 in conference rooms. You could also use the station as a webcam for any conference system through NDI|HX, HDMI-to-USB converters such as our RADA Bridge, or through the same and other videoconferencing hardware from brands like Yealink, Poly, and Avaya.

The Media Stations improve conferencing results greatly through their ease of use. You can add video sources, arrange them into premade or custom layouts, and combine these layouts with your graphics: corporate logos, backgrounds, images, links, QR codes, and so on. All of that works plug-and-play style and does not rely on any particular conferencing platform.

There is a lot more you can combine with AREC stations and numerous other applications where they shine. Stay tuned for the next ADENA Hack to read about bundle ideas for the education sector, and contact us at www.a-dena.com to find out more about our solutions!

ADENA Hack: How to bundle AREC Media Stations for more effective installations?

Our core products — Media Stations — are standalone, all-in-one AV production systems with a wide range of applications across various industries. However, they shine even brighter when combined with other elements of the AREC ecosystem. In this post, we’ll explore some of the effective ways to bundle them for enhanced performance and features.

AREC CI-21H and CI-22H cameras naturally complement any Media Station thanks to their built-in tally lights that are integrated with AREC Media Stations. When recording is in progress, the lights on the connected cameras automatically turn on, providing a clear visual cue. This is especially valuable in installations where it is important to inform the audience of an ongoing recording.

AREC DS-AC1 control stations are also a great pairing for any Media Station for several reasons. These versatile devices can output and switch video sources on Media Stations, stream individual video sources, and send RS-232/TCP commands. Additionally, the DS-AC1 features a dedicated interface for Media Stations, similar to the Online Director, offering an intuitive and comprehensive monitoring and control environment.

The AREC DS-4CU and DS-9CU speaker tracking stations, supporting 4 and 9 channels respectively, enhance any setup with advanced capabilities — without the need for programming. Their primary function is to control cameras and automatically display active speakers using integrated discussion systems. When paired with Media Stations, the DS-4CU and DS-9CU can manage video recording and streaming through theme switching — a unique integration between our products. Additionally, they can function as video mixers for Media Stations, combining multiple inputs, such as cameras, document cameras, and computers, and delivering them through multiple outputs.

The DS-9CU excels in this role, as it can simultaneously manage up to nine video sources connected via HDMI, USB, or network inputs, while outputting video in 4K. Up to four of its sources can be in 4K quality, making it the perfect companion for the LS-410, our 4K Media Station. With the DS-9CU, the LS-410 can record up to five 4K video sources simultaneously in ultra HD while also benefitting from additional local and network output options.

There are many more combinations you can make with AREC. Contact us at www.a-dena.com and let's discuss ways to make your installations special with our products!

ADENA Hack: How to use chroma key with AREC Media Stations?

Chroma key is a technique that allows users to remove certain colours from the video in order to replace them with anything else. While the chroma key is not a built-in feature of AREC stations, it is very simple to add this effect through third-party software and hardware. In this guide, we will describe how you can do this via one of the most common and free broadcasting applications, OBS.

To begin, open OBS and create a new scene by pressing ‘+’ at the bottom-left of the app under ‘Scenes’, or use the one that was created by default. Next, add your video source to this scene by right-clicking in the field under ‘Sources’ or pressing a ‘+’ there. Add a ‘Video Capture Device’ if you are using a USB camera, NDI, or another virtual driver camera. If you are using a network camera, then choose ‘Media Source’ and make sure to tick off ‘Local File’. This will allow you to type in the protocol and address of your source.

Once the source is added, right-click on it and select ‘Filters’. Under ‘Effect Filters’, choose ‘Chroma Key’. Customise its name or simply press ‘OK’. Doing that will open chroma key settings with preview. It may be that the default settings of OBS will immediately produce the right results for you and make all backgrounds black. However, if that’s not the case, use the dropdown menu to select which colour to remove and adjust accordingly using sliders like ‘Similarity’ and others in the same settings menu.

Once you are satisfied with the chroma key appearance, close this menu to apply changes. You can now resize and reposition your video source by dragging its corners and add other elements that you wish to see instead of the black background. For instance, you can add presentation slides, your organisation’s colours and backgrounds, view of a conference room, or any other image, video or file. Simply right-click under ‘Sources’ or press the ‘+’ button to add the element you need, and then reorder the camera source you customised before to be on top of the list. To give an example, in the following image we added computer slides via ‘Window Capture’, and put a USB camera on top of them:

You can now send the final result into your AREC Media Station. Connect the computer running OBS into the station and make sure that it is selected as a video source there by going to the ‘Administrator’ web page -> ‘Media I/O’ -> ‘Video inputs’. In the OBS, right-click on the ‘Scene’ you were setting up, click ‘Full Screen Projector’ and select ‘CBOX’ from the list. This will make that OBS scene display in full screen on your Media Station. Choose a layout with your computer source and you are good to go!

If you would like to know more about how to effectively combine features of other third-party hardware and software with AREC, let us know by contacting us at www.a-dena.com and stay tuned for more useful tips and tricks in our future posts!