Video wall installation at GMU: making a big impact in the classroom

Universities use audiovisual technology for a variety of important reasons, as it plays a crucial role in enhancing the teaching, learning, and administrative aspects of higher education. For a recent project in the Katherine G. Johnson classroom at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, it was determined that an expansive video wall would serve an important and interactive purpose for students, faculty and visitors alike. Trinity Dynamics was selected for the job and was brought in to design, engineer and install the video walls as part of a broader audiovisual upgrade. 

“This classroom technology refresh project was essential in enhancing the learning environment for our students in the primary academic building on our Science and Technology campus,” says Crystal Clemons, Director, Classroom and Lab Technologies at George Mason University. “With the new high-quality cameras, ultra-high-definition video wall, and advanced audio system, the space now better supports innovative teaching methods resulting in more engaging and effective instruction. Trinity Dynamics led the design and installation, completing the project ahead of schedule and under budget. We are thrilled with their work and proud to have them contribute to a more dynamic learning experience for Mason students.”

“This is another great example of ‘bigger is better,'” says Barry Sawayer, CEO of Trinity Dynamics. “George Mason University is capturing the ‘WOW’ factor in higher education.” A premier enterprise-level audiovisual system provider that specializes in projects for higher education, Trinity Dynamics brings software design expertise, hardware engineering, and professional services to enhance the audiovisual and communication performance within educational settings — from classrooms to labs, administrative offices, teaching hospitals, community spaces and more.

For this specific project at GMU, there was a need for a large video wall to truly bring the A/V experience to life. The goal was to use the video wall as an interactive tool designed to enrich the learning process and allow for efficient collaboration through video conferencing, webinars, and virtual meeting platforms to enable remote learning and research partnerships. 

“Our team has deep experience working on projects for colleges and universities,” says Luis Rodriguez, Trinity Dynamics’ senior audiovisual engineer, CTS, ECP. “We know that educational settings have specific needs when it comes to A/V — and we also know that they want an A.V design that is innovative and dynamic so that the students are learning from the latest technologies. So, for this project, we made sure to deliver.”

The result? An incredible Planar high-resolution LED video wall that takes higher learning to a whole new level. 

Trinity Dynamics provided and installed a Planar TVF 1.8 12 x 6 3840 x 1080 resolution, 23.8 foot x 6.7 foot, 296.8 diagonal LED video wall that includes a Planar Wall Director VC4-L. Due to the scope of the project and the size of the wall, the team at Trinity Dynamics assisted Planar Professional Installers with the installation. Trinity Dynamics handled all the cable infrastructure and final configuration. 

“Our sales and installation teams worked together to deliver the system on time,” says Luis. “Of course, the video wall is the main attraction of the room and that was a really neat part of this project.” 

The key features of the Planar wall is the clear resolution on such a large screen and how impressive the images are when displayed – it really encompasses the room. Plus, the surround sound makes the overall experience even more immersive. 

Planar is a leader for LED video wall solutions with thousands of marquee installations around the world. The company delivers high performance, commercial grade, direct view LED displays with pixel pitches from 0.6mm to 20mm for everything from the highest-resolution MicroLED video walls for cinema and on-camera applications, to video boards at the biggest sports venues and touch-based displays for collaborative spaces — and is a brand that Trinity Dynamics turns to for use in many projects. 

One of the keys to this project was having it planned out, down to the smallest detail, before the project installation even started. 

The Trinity Dynamics team had the A/V racks transported to their Louisville shop in order to mock up the racks and program the control processors with code designed by the company engineers specifically for this project. It was a step of the project that took time but allowed for troubleshooting and new ideas that resulted in a seamless installation at GMU. 

 

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Crestron DMPS3 presentation system

Trinity Dynamics provided and installed a Crestron 3-Series 4K DigitalMedia Presentation System (DMPS3) 350 that serves as the overall presentation control and signal routing solution. The system integrates the control system, matrix switcher, video scaler, streaming decoder, mic mixer, audio DSP, amplifier, and DigitalMedia distribution center all into a single three-space rack mount package. According to Crestron, this solution affords substantial signal routing flexibility and high-performance signal processing without the need for separate components and the built-in AV Framework™ enables simplified configuration and control without programming. 

The Trinity team knew the Crestron DMPS3 was the ideal solution for the GMU Project because the DMPS3 is an all-in-one solution that provided all the functionality required to meet the needs of the end user. 

 

Crown amplifier

Trinity Dynamics provided and installed a Crown 2-channel Analog Power Amplifier, which provides an impressive 600 watts over 70 volts. 

“We chose the Crown amplifier for this project because they are versatile, compact and highly energy-efficient. We know that Crown’s products are designed, engineered and manufactured to the industry’s highest quality standards, and provide system integrators like us with the advanced features and flexibility required for a variety of installed sound applications.”

 

JBL speakers

Trinity Dynamics provided and installed JBL speakers and a subwoofer for this project, including:

JBL 6.5″ Wide-Coverage Ceiling Loudspeaker that provides premium performance in background, foreground music sound systems. The Control 26C is perfectly suited for a wide variety of applications and feature high power handling, wide frequency response and low distortion make the Control 26C ideal for sound systems requiring a higher fidelity sound from ceiling loudspeakers. The premium performance capability ensures excellent sound character, providing pleasant, enveloping sound throughout the listening area. 

Two JBL 12″ Surface-Mount Loudspeakers that deliver full, rich sound and deep bass extension, a high SPL output, and wide, consistent coverage for retail stores, restaurants, health clubs, theme parks, educational facilities or any application demanding top-quality sound reinforcement. The Control Contractor 20 line balances superior fidelity with versatility, ease-of-installation and contemporary style: Models feature weather-resistant transducers and enclosures.

JBL 18” Subwoofer is the brand’s most powerful studio subwoofer with very high continuous output and extreme low frequency response.