Case Study: An AREC a Day Makes the Dentist Say Hooray!

Dear ADENA Partners, our case study this month comes from a respected dental practice in the UK, Lodge Dental. Delivered by system integrator Spartan Audio through our distributor, the CUK Group / Tukans, this project is a perfect example of how professional healthcare institutions can use AREC devices to create impressive presentations and recordings – without requiring any training.

Lodge Dental is a private dental practice located in the picturesque town of Abergavenny, Wales. This award-winning institution is known for providing the highest standard of care, thanks to its highly trained team. Due to its strong reputation, Lodge Dental has become a hub for sharing industry knowledge and showcasing new technologies in that part of the UK, regularly welcoming guest practitioners who perform demonstration surgeries and deliver guest lectures.

To make the training and guidance sessions held at the clinic more visually engaging and easier to manage, Lodge Dental began exploring professional AV solutions. The key requirement was simplicity – practitioners without a technical background needed to be able to present and record lectures effortlessly. At the same time, the solution had to deliver visually appealing results that would make presentations enjoyable to watch. From a hardware perspective, it also needed to support multiple HDMI inputs from across the building, including Mac and Windows laptops, Canon cameras, and surgical cameras. Spartan Audio, a leading system integrator in Wales, delivered just what the doctor ordered with a system based on AREC technology and a selection of other complementary brands.

LS-860(N) Media Station

The AREC LS-860 Media Stations fully met all of these requirements and became the foundation upon which the entire solution was built. These powerful devices offer four HDMI inputs, allowing a wide range of hardware to be connected with ease. The Media Stations handle several key tasks – firstly, they are used for source switching, enabling smooth transitions between various camera and laptop inputs. They also provide custom video layouts, combining video sources in split-screen, picture-in-picture, and other formats, while adding graphic effects and branding for a polished look. Presenters at Lodge Dental can easily choose which source  – or combination of sources – to display, thanks to the Media Station’s versatile outputs.

What’s more, the LS-860 enhances the visual flow with built-in production features, such as customisable fade-in and fade-out transitions. These not only contribute to a more professional presentation but also help mask camera movement. When sessions need to be recorded, the LS-860 handles that too – capturing both the mixed video output with custom graphics and layouts, as well as all individual video sources separately.

The stations at Lodge Dental were configured for easy control through multiple methods. One of the primary solutions is the Symetrix Prism, which provides access to key LS-860 functions as requested by the clinic, while also managing audio routing – including background music, the outdoor terrace speaker system, and wireless microphones. Additional control is available through the LS-860’s Online Director web interface, offering more options for graphical customisation and source previews. A mobile-friendly version of this interface is also available and requires no special software – users can access it directly through a standard web browser.

The video sources at Lodge Dental are connected to the LS-860 using Blustream’s HDBaseT products – specifically, HEX11WP-TX transmitters and HEX70CS-RX receivers. Multiple pairs of these devices are installed throughout the clinic to ensure near-zero latency in content transmission. The resulting video is displayed on Optoma 86” Interactive Flat Panels, with an additional monitor located in the surgery room. This setup allows dentists to monitor their work in real time while adjusting the cameras as needed.

Lodge Dental is very pleased with the implemented system and continues to use it regularly with great success. Is your clinic or hospital looking for a solution that makes training and capturing procedures easier than ever? Contact us at www.a-dena.com – we’ll be happy to discuss how we can help.

Special thanks to the Spartan Audio team for providing the materials!

• Dave Morgan | LinkedIn 

• Sean Hales | LinkedIn 

• Emma Kingman | LinkedIn

Case Study: Martinique is Unique — AREC and Bosch are Perfect Fit

Dear ADENA Partners, our case study this month comes from the sunny and exotic island of Martinique. With the support of our distributor Sidev and system integrator Caritel (a company of Infodom Group), the council of Ville du Gros-Morne has successfully added an AREC speaker tracking solution to their existing Bosch DCN-CCU2 conferencing system and other equipment. Read on to discover how the system works, the benefits it brings, and more in the full case study below.

Gros-Morne, located in the geographical heart of Martinique, is the second largest municipality on the island. It is also the least densely populated, with vast areas covered by expansive forests. As a primarily rural community, residents often need to travel considerable distances using various forms of transport, which limits their ability to participate actively in the political life of the municipality.

In an effort to improve this situation and keep the community better informed about its decisions, the municipal council decided to begin livestreaming its meetings. Officials turned to one of Martinique’s most reputable system integrators — our partner, Infodom — and tasked them with creating a solution that was both highly cost-effective and versatile. The system needed to offer speaker tracking, support multiple cameras, enable dynamic switching between them, and provide reliable recording and streaming functionality.

To ensure the solution met the client's budget requirements, elements of the existing conference system were retained—for example, the original Bosch DCN-CCU2 discussion system and its various types of microphones. This system, along with many others, is compatible with our speaker tracking station, the DS-4CU, which Infodom used to fulfil most of the project’s key requirements.

DS-4CU (VA1) Speaker Tracking Front

DS-4CU (VA1) Speaker Tracking Back

Our DS-4CU can process up to four video sources simultaneously—including computer content, camera video streams, and more—into custom video layouts. In addition, it supports overlay and background images, with storage for up to 254 files of each type, allowing every speaker to be displayed with their own nameplate. The DS-4CU combines these layouts and images into unique visual arrangements for each speaker. When a microphone is activated, the system automatically displays the corresponding layout and toggles user-configured PTZ presets on cameras to show the active speaker. This fully automated process ensures that councillors can remain focused on their discussions without any technical distractions. 

One of the DS-4CU’s video outputs was converted from HDMI to USB and used as a webcam input on a dedicated recording and streaming computer, which broadcasts the council meetings live on YouTube. You can see an example of such a stream here: Diffusion en direct de VILLE DU GROS-MORNE.

Thanks to the efforts of Infodom and Sidev, Gros-Morne municipality now benefits from a fully automated speaker tracking solution, making political life more transparent and accessible for its community. Does your council still not have speaker tracking? Contact us at www.a-dena.com and let's discuss how we can change this!

Case Study: AREC bridges tradition and technology in NCCU’s new calligraphy classroom

Dear ADENA Partners, our March case study comes from a prestigious Taiwanese university just a few metro stops away from us — National Chengchi University. This university enhanced calligraphy and traditional arts education with modern lecture capture and learning technologies, effectively using the AREC Media Capture System to improve the learning experience.

National Chengchi University (NCCU) is one of Taiwan’s oldest and most renowned universities. Originally founded in Nanjing in 1927 as a training institution for civil servants, it was later relocated to Taipei, becoming the first re-established national university in the country. Since then, NCCU has expanded its academic offerings to include programmes in mass media, diplomacy, linguistics, arts, humanities, and more. Due to its strong reputation and growing size, the university attracts thousands of students each year, with enrolment numbers continuing to rise.

However, NCCU’s excellence extends beyond that — it is also reflected in the design of its learning spaces.  A perfect example is the newly created Huimei Calligraphy and Arts Classroom. Inspired by the very subjects it teaches, the room features immersive décor that incorporates ink paintings and similar motifs. To complement this thoughtfully designed space, NCCU used the AREC Media Capture System, ensuring that students benefit not only from an inspiring environment but also from modern recording and streaming technology that enhances their learning experience.

LS-200 Media Station

At the core of the system is the AREC LS-200 Media Station. It is a recording and streaming lecture capture device that supports capture of up to two connected video sources allowing users to create professional-quality content at the press of a button. In the classroom, the station takes video from a third-party network camera and combines it with the view from a computer and a document camera. 

DS-AC1 Control Station

The system is managed by the DS-AC1 Control Station, which simplifies switching between sources. The solution makes it simple for the user to switch to a desired recording and streaming theme, change video sources on the go, choose what to display on projectors and displays in the room, and operate camera presets.

In the classroom, controls for the DS-AC1 are accessed via a smart podium that houses all the AV devices. A small interactive screen on the podium shows the station’s control panel, while another shows the mixed video output of the Media Station — what it is currently recording and streaming. Inside the podium there is also a MiPro audio mixer paired with a PA Tech amplifier. These devices serve as audio sources for the LS-200 and are used to transmit sound to the room speakers. Additionally, an IPEVO document camera is mounted on the podium, providing high-definition images of hieroglyphs and other work.

The created solution will definitely help the NCCU make traditional art more digitally accessible, shareable, and vibrant for its students. Need to create a modern classroom? Contact us at www.a-dena.com, and let’s discuss how you can achieve more with AREC in your design!