Case Study: Improving Meeting Quality with AREC and Shure Tracking Integration in Chile

Dear ADENA Partners, this time we have a corporate case study from Chile. Our partners Tecso and System Integrator Adaptor created a professional yet simple solution for a training room, combining AREC auto-tracking with Shure ceiling microphones. Find out how this solution works below.

CI-21H+MXA 710

CI-21H+MXA 920

DS-4CU+IPCP Pro 555

The training room has two distinct areas: one for the presenter and another for attendees, both covered by Shure MXA ceiling microphone systems. Training sessions are held in multiple rooms in other locations at the same time through video conferencing. Given the size and layout of the room, it is difficult to show every attendee and the presenter with a single camera. Therefore, the company decided to enhance the room with professional AV technology. Thanks to the efforts of our partners, the company settled on AREC DS-4CU Speaker Tracking Station and CI-21H PTZ cameras to automatically track and show active speakers.

DS-4CU Speaker Tracking

CI-21H PTZ Camera

The presenter’s area is covered by one CI-21H and MXA 710, whereas the other CI-21H and MXA 920 are covering the attendee area. Both cameras are connected to the DS-4CU, and they switch according to the active microphone lobe on Shure. If it is the presenter speaking, then the system displays only the CI-21H aimed at them. If someone from the audience starts talking, the system displays that audience member. The switching is fully automatic and swift, ensuring that the active speaker is always visible, and the users don’t need to press any buttons to make the system work. Thanks to the latest firmware update of the station, it is now possible to switch between two MXA systems, and a single DS-4CU can accommodate up to 4 MXA systems simultaneously (read more about it here). The DS-4CU’s video output is converted into USB and is sent into a Teams video conferencing app as a webcam for other meeting rooms to see.

The company is very satisfied with their new high-tech training room and is planning to set up this solution in more rooms in the future. Is your conferencing room lacking tracking for speakers? Let us know at www.a-dena.com, and we will find the right solution for you.

Text: Anastasia Yakimenko

ADENA Hack: How to track active speakers on Televic Confidea with AREC

AREC DS-4CU is a speaker tracking station that is integrated with different brands and models of microphone discussion systems. When used with a supported microphone system, DS-4CU is able to automatically switch everything about the produced image and cameras’ positions according to the active speaker. We keep expanding the list of supported systems, and one of the latest additions to our supported systems list is the Televic Confidea.

Connecting and configuring the Televic system is very simple. To begin with, make sure that your DS-4CU runs at least FW version 6.1.10.8. You can download the latest update from our website www.a-dena.com. After the station is updated, open the web interface of Televic Confidea and select “Technician”. Click on the settings button at the bottom-left corner and go to the “Camera protocol” tab. Enable it, then select “TLVCAM1” in the dropdown list next to the “Camera protocol”.

On the same page, select “TCP” next to the “Network protocol” and write “5003” without quotation marks in the field next to “Port”. Press “Apply” to save these settings. You can now go to the DS-4CU’s Administrator web page, log in, and click on “Speaker Tracking” -> “Control settings”. Select Televic Confidea in the list, enter the IP address of your device, press “Apply” and that’s it. You can now set up camera and video presets for every scenario. The only thing to keep in mind is that when setting up microphone IDs, “Group” must be set to “0” and microphone IDs should be written as 4 digits: e.g. 0001, 0002, 0003, and so on.

If you would like to know more about setting up DS-4CU, take a look at the ADENAcademy Level B Lesson 15. And if you would like to see a live demonstration of DS-4CU or any other AREC/RADA product, contact us at www.a-dena.com and we will be happy to arrange it for you.

Use multiple Shure MXA arrays simultaneously with the new DS-4CU update

Dear ADENA Partners, we have exciting news for you! With the new DS-4CU update 6.1.10.8 it is now possible to use up to 4 Shure MXA microphone arrays on the same DS-4CU station.

MXA microphone array series from Shure are known for their excellent audio and can be set up in numerous environments: schools, city halls, conference rooms, and more. Adding DS-4CU to your Shure setup will let you create unique tracking presets with up to 4 video sources, such as computers and network cameras, and automatically change your video image depending on the active speaker. You can output this video image into an AV system or videoconferencing hardware with a simple HDMI or VGA cable, through RTSP, or connect it to a computer with an accessory like RADA Bridge and use it as a webcam in any app.

Setting up DS-4CU is simple and doesn’t require complex programming - take a look at our ADENAcademy lesson dedicated to it to learn more about this product and its configuration.