A 5-year project to upgrade classrooms in the Norwegian municipality of Bærum recently supported distance learning for students in 49 schools during the Covid 19 pandemic. Supported by a network of over 1,200 Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays and integrated iPads, teachers were able to deliver virtual lessons and share content and presentations while students submitted homework and connected with teachers via the tablets. Here’s how Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays Remote Learning works.

Background

Sony has been working with the municipality of Bærum since 2015 as part of an original initiative called Digital School Day, which aims to improve student learning and educational development to equip them digitally for the workplace. Over the last 5 years this has developed to support class upgrades in 49 schools, supporting up to 30 pupils per class.

Challenges

The municipality of Bærum wanted to introduce a new interactive program with educational content that reflected the modern way students consume information outside of school. To this end, the schools needed an automated solution that could standardize and enhance existing technology platforms across all classrooms. This required the integration of technology as part of the lecture and classroom environment, in addition to new teaching tools.

Where schools had previously relied on projectors and boards, there was an immediate need to find a modern and automated approach that was user friendly. The solution required at least 70-inch screens with matte surfaces and tablet compatibility, as well as automatic switching that would reduce startup time. Displays required for easy connection to PCs via HDMI or VGA cables and support various streaming solutions.

The Sony solution

Sony was able to offer the ideal solution for integrated classroom technology with its range of Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays. In partnership with Evercom AS, an initial installation of 717 screens was carried out in 49 schools across the municipality, which later grew to over 1,200 Professional Displays by 2020, providing at least one screen per classroom.

The slim and energy-efficient Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays came in both Full HD colour LED and 4K versions with over 400 nits, delivering bright, detailed images. Designed for easy installation with flexible mounting and versatile control options, all screens also support the visual requirements of any school. While the product’s automated and easy-to-connect solution significantly reduced start-up time, the simple setup also meant that Evercom AS could configure one display, upload the required setup solution to a USB stick, and copy and produce the same setup across all displays A cost-effective solution that saves time and resources.

Results to date

The installation of Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays has greatly assisted the region’s move into a digital future, enabling it to respond and adapt to Covid-19’s latest challenges in a timely manner. During the pandemic, each of the 49 schools was able to continue tutoring and studying remotely without interruption. Now that students are returning to school, teachers are using Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays with Airplay and Apple TV to allow students to share screens and presentations, while students can link their iPads to share homework and connect with the class.

From an everyday perspective, digital work in the classroom has encouraged a much more interactive and fun way of learning. Instead of being tied to desks, teachers can now walk around the classroom more often, interacting with students and enabling their learning with greater success. The new displays also offer more intense student engagement with four times the resolution of Full HD. So text, charts, diagrams and videos look clearer and crisper, while sharing content from students’ laptops and mobile devices is easy.

“Education is one of the key focus areas at Sony Professional. We are delighted to have been working with Bærum Kommune and Evercom since 2016 to provide a smarter and more seamless workflow for pupils and teachers. The collaboration has expanded from just a primary school to the entire municipality of Bærum. With the lowest failure rate of any display brand, Bærum Municipality and Evercom know they can trust Sony displays and avoid unnecessary disruption. ” Marius Karthum, Nordics Account Manager at Sony Professional Europe, commented.

The BRAVIA Professional Displays were installed to run online 17 to 18 hours a day. However, for the municipality of Bærum, the displays have been approved for 24-hour use.

Source: sony.com

The Logitech video conferencing system Rally Plus is an elegant conference system with automatic camera control and has already been installed several times in Germany as a fixed installation by AVMS Germany GmbH. We also offer the independent system for rentals. Why independent ? Whether it’s Skype, GoToMeeting, Zoom, etc…. every popular software plays with the Logitech Rally Plus. If you want to test first, you can also opt for our Try & Buy solution. So rent first and buy if you like.

Intelligent 4k Conference Camera

The camera of the Rally provides a resolution for brilliant pictures and excellent video recordings in a 90° field of view. The camera can also be motorized to pan 90° and tilt +50° / – 90°, allowing you to precisely align the camera at any time and the integrated autofocus keeps the image in focus.”
Thanks to the Rally camera’s 15x HD zoom, even the smallest details at the end of the room can be clearly seen and displayed. For example, use a flipchart at a meeting so that all participants can easily see your drawings or notes.

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External microphones with noise suppression

The Rally video conferencing system is equipped with a Rally microphone that picks up in a 4.5m radius. Integrated features such as acoustic echo cancellation, speech pause detection or noise reduction enhance every conference and transmit your spoken word in the best quality.

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Powerful Rally Speakers

The 76mm/3 inch speaker brings the necessary sound to your video conference. By mounting the speaker directly on the screen, the sound output is at the front of the room. This makes conferences always seem natural and more lifelike, as there is no sound output happening behind your back.

A suspension system from Logitech prevents all vibrations transmitted through walls and tables. This prevents shaking of the video display, even at high volumes and when zooming in.

Intelligent wiring

The Logitech Rally video conferencing system includes two hubs: a screen hub and a table hub. These two hubs keep the conference table tidy and the Rally components and meeting computer out of sight. The two hubs offer a variety of connectivity options and connect with a single CAT6 cable, allowing the meeting computer to be installed near the screen and not take up unnecessary space on the conference table. The tabletop hub is equipped with an HDMI port, eliminating the need for costly cable extensions and simplifying content sharing.

Scope of delivery for direct start

With the Rally included, you can start a videoconference right away because there is no need to purchase an additional cable. In addition to the 4k camera, a speaker and microphone are included, making video conferencing with up to 10 participants no problem. The desk & screen hub are also included. A remote control allows you to control the camera remotely with precision, answer calls, mute the microphones, or adjust the volume In addition to the user manual, there are a lot of cables included: USB Type-C to USB Type-C, USB Type-A to USB Type-A cable, two AC power cables, and two power adapters.

Compatibility and certification

The Rally allows plug & play USB connection, making your content even faster and easier to get to the presentation screen. Further, it is certified for several business applications like Skype for Business, Teams, Google Hangouts Meet. However, other programs that support USB cameras such as BlueJeans, BroadSoft, GoToMeeting and Vidyo can be used without any problems. In conclusion, it can be said that the Rally video conferencing system convinces primarily through its functionality. Every component was planned down to the smallest detail and implemented in a user-friendly way. RightSense technology takes many steps away from the user and makes the right settings automatically. Considering the price of the Rally, it is justified due to the technical data and functions of the camera.

Source: logitech.com