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 hide the GUI on AREC stations?

Every AREC Media Station from versions 2.6 and newer comes with an inbuilt way to control it — the graphical user interface, shortened to GUI. We covered this interface in detail in the very first ADENA Hack, and mentioned additions to it in subsequent posts. GUI can be opened and closed easily by left-clicking anywhere away from it with a computer mouse or by touching on a USB-connected interactive display. You can also use the dedicated hide/show buttons in the corners of the GUI. Starting from firmware versions 2.11 and on stations with the MCU version 4.3 or 4.4, it is now also possible to completely disable the GUI until it is needed again. To do so, open the “Administrator” web page of your station, go to “Media I/O” -> “Display”. You will find two settings dedicated to this: “OSD Menu'' and “OSD Menu - Playback Video”. Toggling off “OSD Menu” will shut down the GUI until this option is toggled on. Toggling off only “OSD Menu - Playback Video” will keep the GUI, but remove the playback feature from it. If you want to keep the GUI available, but remove the ability for your operators to see previously recorded videos, make sure to toggle off this option.

As of May 2024, the option to completely disable the GUI is available on LS-2, LS-200, LS-300, LS-400, LS-410, LS-860 and KL-3T models, with plans to include it in LS-110 and LS-US2 in the coming months. Would you like to know more about this or other AREC Media Station features? Make sure to reach out to us at www.a-dena.com and we will be happy to arrange a call with you!

Case Study: Sharing history with AREC in Polish Museum

Dear ADENA Partners, this time we would like to highlight a case study from a museum in Poland. Thanks to the work of our partners Polixel and Kontel, the Museum of Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People’s Republic chose AREC LS-860 and products from Yamaha, Clearone, Extron, NEC, Sennheiser, and other brands to stream their events and exhibitions.

The former prison-turned museum holds a lot of history. Originally constructed as a correctional facility for criminals, it soon expanded to hold political prisoners. Many of the prisoners perished as the treatment standards fell through the early 20th century, and even more did during the brutal years of the Second World War and its aftermath. Thus, there is a lot of history to talk about and research in the grounds of this museum, and, as the museum representatives themselves acknowledge, a lot of information about the victims of this place is still missing and being uncovered. To better serve its educational role, the museum decided to invest into professional audio-visual equipment that would enable it to livestream excursions and other events, and thanks to our partners Polixel and Kontel, they chose AREC LS-860.

AREC LS-860 is a four-channel Media Station that can combine audio and video inputs from different sources, such as computers, cameras, and network streams, and unite them into preconfigured and user-defined layouts together with backgrounds and overlay images. This mixed video can then be recorded and streamed to different platforms via RTMP/RTMPS, such as YouTube, Facebook, and others. One of the features that makes AREC special is that each individual video source is also simultaneously recorded for post-editing purposes. LS-860 enhances this feature by allowing the user to associate a particular audio channel with a specific video channel while retaining the option to mix all audio channels with all video channels. In the museum, our Media Station is used with an Extron control system, which makes it possible to control all of the device’s necessary features and arrange them in custom orders. The loop-through output of the Media Station, typically used to display the computer source, is sent to a NEC projector, thereby sharing the content with the entire room. Finally, a Yamaha tabletop microphone system is used for seated speakers, supplemented by a combination of Clearone, Sennheiser and Extron systems for different room configurations.

With this advanced system, the museum is fully equipped to further the research into the prison’s history and educate the public. Do you know of similar institutions looking for advanced AV recording and streaming systems? Contact us at www.a-dena.com, and we will be happy to advise.

Text: Anastasia Yakimenko