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As lecture capture hardware, AREC Media Stations are essential for any university, college, or school that wishes to improve their students’ learning results, hybrid teaching, attract new students, and more. They are easy to add to existing and new AV setups alike and add a plethora of useful features. In this post, we will review some of the ways you could pair our devices with third-party solutions to achieve greater results in the education sector, using the LS-300 Media Station to make an example.
The LS-300 is a very versatile device and a solid pick for any educational institution — after all, it was primarily designed for such users. Thus, to export lecture recordings, users just need to plug their USB drive into the front USB port. This same port can be used for other devices too: computer mice and interactive screens to use the station’s GUI, wireless audio dongles to input audio, control keypads to send commands, UB-01 Recording Light accessory, and more. It is designed to be plug-and-play, to make it as simple as possible for teachers and lecturers.
In a typical lecture hall, there will be content coming from computers, including lecture slides and diagrams, various gadgets, interactive displays’ software, document cameras, regular ePTZ and PTZ cameras, and more. All of these devices can be connected through the HDMI and VGA ports of the Media Station. If there are many content sources, multiviewers from brands like Wyrestorm MX-0402-MST, CYP CDPS-U42HPIP, or Muxlab 500446 can be used to combine and select the ones needed for recording and streaming and to dynamically switch between them. For smaller rooms, it is often enough to just connect a computer with slides or a conferencing application like Teams and Zoom, and a document camera like WolfVision VZ-2.UHD, IPEVO VZ-R ULTRA or Epson DC-13 directly to the station, without any extra hardware.
The LS-300 can use both AREC and third-party network cameras as inputs. We recommend AREC CI-21H for smaller rooms and CI-22H for bigger rooms if no tracking is required. These cameras feature tally lights that are integrated with the LS-300 to light up when the station is recording. To track a teacher, we recommend either our IR tracking camera CI-T21H or its AI tracking analogue, RADA A-TC02 OnyxCam. To capture students in the classroom or lecture hall, you can use the wide-angle RADA PanoCam. This camera can be connected to the station twice, with one stream showing the wide-angle shot, and the other showing actively speaking students. Alternatively, a combination of our IR tracking cameras, a wireless handheld microphone, and an AM-360 can be used to enable student tracking with minimal effort. All cameras can be connected directly to the station to restrict access to them and ensure that the location’s network does not affect the station’s recording processes.
Projectors and displays of different sizes can be used to output video sources for the local and remote audiences. The LS-300’s HDMI and VGA outputs ensure wide compatibility and make it a great option to use with old and new hardware, allowing users to pick the right options for their budget. Connect VGA-equipped projectors like Optoma ZH507+ and BenQ EH620 to display computer content and slides, or use education-tailored interactive displays, like Promethean ActivPanel 10 and SMART Technologies MX Series V5.
The LS-300 supports a variety of audio inputs, including HDMI, USB, 3.5mm line and mic inputs, balanced audio input, and RTP/RTMP network sources. This makes it easy to connect both simple and advanced audio solutions, such as Allen & Heath Zedi 8, ClearOne Converge Pro 2, Dante AVIO adapters and Dante microphones for them, e.g. Sennheiser Teamconnect Ceiling 2 and so much more.
Lastly, personalise the controls for your users with a control system. Our devices support control over RS-232, TCP, and HTTP, and thus the vast majority of control brands and models can be used with our products, including Crestron MPC3-302-W, Extron MLC 62 RS D, AMX NX-1200, and others. Specifically for universities who need it simple, consider the DS-AC1 — AREC’s own control solution. This model is designed in such a way that it does not require programming skills, software, AV, or IT background. Moreover, it is integrated with AREC Media Stations, offering an Online Director-like interface for control and preview. The built-in virtual joystick lets the operator move PTZ cameras and toggle their presets, whereas easily manageable lists can display buttons for various room functions, like control of a projector, lights, recording, and streaming, and more.
And that is just one small example of the kinds of solutions that can be created for education with AREC. Contact us at www.a-dena.com to discuss your project and see how to add our products there for the best results!
