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Updated: Feb 12
Dear ADENA Partners, this month’s case study highlights the University of Latvia’s P. Stradiņš Medical College experience with AREC! The university captures, controls, records, and displays all medical simulations taking place in their medical school using our devices. Created by our partner Boon, AREC delivers easy-to-use yet functionally advanced lecture capture and control solution.
The University of Latvia (known as Latvijas Universitāte in Latvian) is a well-known institution in the country. It is simultaneously the third-oldest and one of the top three universities in Latvia, offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to over 14,000 students every year. The university is divided into 13 faculties, which are further divided into numerous departments, chambers, centres, and laboratories. Some of these faculties have been using AREC Media Stations for years to record and stream lectures, but, until recently, not the P. Stradiņš Medical College. Its medical simulation centre, in particular, did not have any AV systems in place.
To prepare for the new academic year and improve the student experience, the university decided to address this by equipping the medical college’s simulation centre with professional lecture capture systems and cameras. There were several technical requirements for the new equipment:
Capture three PTZ network cameras and a computer running medical software for the simulation doll.
Ability to display all video sources in a mixed video layout in the auditorium (room 304) and the three simulation rooms (301, 303, 305).
Provide two-way communication between all rooms.
Ensure minimal delay in audio and video transmission, as with defibrillators and other medical devices in the room, every moment counts, and instructions must be delivered instantly.
Provide a way to easily control the cameras’ PTZ movement, video source switching, audio control, and other media tasks.
Record every lecture and have an option to stream them to YouTube easily.
The university was analysing different systems available on the market until our partner Boon arranged a three-way video demonstration. During the call, we showcased how intuitive and capable AREC solutions are, delivering exactly what the customer asked for and more. The final design consisted of four key elements that we go through below.
The AREC LS-410, our 4-channel Media Station and the foundation of the proposed system, met most of the requirements on its own. It captured the computer, network cameras, and ClearOne audio system. The station combined these AV sources into layouts, and thanks to its 1 DP and 3 HDMI video outputs, simultaneously displayed them in every room. The station records these video sources together and separately, and streams the combined video to YouTube. The LS-410’s internal 2 TB drive ensures that the university can store months’ worth of lectures on the device itself, but it also can automatically back up videos to USB drives, FTP/SFTP servers, VCMS platforms, and Google Drive, making it very simple for the university to manage the recordings.
The station and cameras were controlled by the DS-AC1 Control Station, a device that combines the functions of video switchers, streamers, and control panels. Through the DS-AC1, a technician can operate each camera’s PTZ using an inbuilt digital joystick, preview and control the LS-410 through an integrated interface, monitor every camera on a local display, and control features of other devices, such as the ClearOne audio processor. The device’s control interface is output to a RADA Touch — our compact touch display, perfectly suited for monitoring and controlling operations.
The RADA A-TC04 NoirCam were chosen as cameras — 4K PTZ network cameras with 25x optical zoom and multiple output options. They deliver pristine images at the highest magnification, capturing every detail of an ongoing simulation. The cameras also feature AI auto-tracking which can be turned on to ensure that the operating student is always in the shot.
The University of Latvia has already started using the system and has praised it greatly for its convenience and simplicity of use. Is your university looking to create the perfect simulation centre solution? Contact us at www.a-dena.com, and we will be happy to demonstrate what AREC can do!
