Telecommunications Equipment
TeleLearning Classroom
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's (UNCG) TeleLearning classroom has seating for 41 participants. Sound-activated microphones are located throughout the seating area. Participants view incoming video on 61-inch DLP projection television screens. Four remote controlled CCD cameras provide broadcast quality coverage of the classroom. A graphics camera mounted overhead provides a view of the instructor's desktop for graphics and visual demonstrations. The instructor's podium is motorized, allowing the instructor to sit at a desk level or stand at a podium level. Other equipment features include:
- Grass Valley 110 video switcher
- three remote-controlled Hitachi HC-C10A 3 CCD color cameras
- one Sony BRC 300, 3 CCD ceiling mounted camera
- Telemetrics Camera Control Systems
- two JVC 61-inch color projection televisions
- Dukane 8805 LCD video projector
- Hedco HD 16x16 video and audio routing system
- Shure AMS 4000 and 8000 microphone mixers
- Shure AMS 22 and AMS 24 voice activated microphones
- Sennheiser wireless microphone
- Tascam M-1508 audio mixing console
- Telex FMR-200 wireless microphone for the instructor
- Communications Specialties "Scan-Do Pro" VGA and Macintosh video scan converter with genlock to broadcast computer video signals
- high-speed access to campus LAN and Internet
- high-quality JBL audio speakers
- Coherent Voicecrafter 3000 echo canceller
- JK Audio innkeeper1rx digital hybrid telephone coupler
- Cisco 7940 IP phone
- VHS, SVHS, DVD, and mini-DV video recording and playback
- digital DPS 235 time base corrector
- Chyron Codi Character Generator for text and graphics
- assisted listening service available, using PhonicEar FM transmitter and receivers
Teleconference Room
The Teleconference room provides seating for five participants, with viewing capability for an additional three people. In addition to network connections, the room can also serve as an overflow area for the TeleLearning classroom. The Teleconference room features:
- six Hitachi KP-D51 CCD cameras for individual participants
- remote-controlled CCD camera for wide shot of participants
- ceiling-mounted Hitachi HV-C10A 3 CCD camera for graphics and visual demonstrations
- high-quality JBL audio speakers
- Shure AMS 22 voice-activated microphones
- Sennheiser wireless microphone
- Telex wireless microphone
- three Phillips 31-inch color monitors for incoming and outgoing video
- access to campus LAN and Internet
- VHS and SVHS video recording and playback
- assisted listening service available, using PhonicEar FM transmitter and receivers.
The Network Connection
This equipment listed above, enables UNCG to produce broadcast-quality full-motion video and high-quality audio for use on the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), as well as Satellite Uplink capabilities with Microspace Communications in Raleigh. The analog video and audio from our facility is converted into digital form for transmission to other sites. From February 1995 to December 1999, UNCG utilized the North Carolina Information Highway to deliver its audio and video to the NCREN. Beginning in January 2000, UNCG and several other UNC campuses converted to a system that allowed direct access to the parent network, NCREN. This system utilizes the Litton Network Access Systems' (LNAS)CAMVision-2 codes. The LNAS CAMVision-2 video codec provides low latency, broadcast-quality video over IP/Ethernet networks and can support both NTSC or PAL video at a full frame rate (30FPS). The units use MPEG-2 video compression to help conserve bandwidth by compressing video up to a ratio of 100 to 1, yielding CBR (constant bit rate) encoding speeds from 1.5 to 15.8 Mbps. (Uncompressed video produces roughly 198,450,000 bits of information every second.)
In February 2006, UNCG began using a Sony PCS G50 video communications system for video connections via H.323 (H.263/4CIF and H.264), at speeds of up to 4 Mpbs. The Sony unit is often used in conjunction with NCREN's Codian 4220 multi-point control unit, which has up to 40 video ports. UNCG also uses a Polycom VS 4000 videoconference system for point to point, or multi-point videoconferences. This system provides multipoint functionality and features integrated video, voice, data, and Web capabilities.