Conference Room A/V Build-Out

We recently moved to our new building at 1034 Wealthy. We took the opportunity to update the A/V equipment for our conference rooms. Previously, we largely relied on projectors for presentation capabilities, an external USB microphone/speaker for audio, built-in webcams on laptops for video, and a table where we staged everything. This worked, but it was certainly not ideal. With the new building, I had the opportunity to standardize a new conference room A/V build-out that would be better suited to our needs.

All of our new conference rooms now have a mobile TV stand which holds all of our A/V equipment. This includes a large flatscreen TV, dedicated webcam, dedicated microphone/speaker, and all necessary cables and connectors. Our new setup provides important capabilities required for many of our meetings, especially teleconferences: mobility, audio input, audio output, video input, and video output.

Capabilities

Mobility

I chose the Kanto Living MTM82PL mobile TV mount, which includes the mounting hardware for a flatscreen TV, a small shelf, and a shelf for a webcam above the TV. It is a sleek, yet sturdy platform which allows our A/V build-out to be mobile. While largely dedicated to conference rooms, it can also be moved out to other areas–such as our cafe–for events or meet-ups.

Video Output

The Samsung 65″ Class KU6300 6-Series 4K UHD TV was selected as our primary display. This provides a much better picture and much higher resolution than the old projectors we were using. It has a native resolution of 3840 x 2160, a 64.5″ screen (diagonal), and 3 HDMI ports. While not all of our devices can support that resolution at this point (for example, AppleTVs only support up to 1080p), it still seemed like a worthwhile investment to help future-proof the solution.

Video Input

I chose the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 for video capabilities. It supports 1080p video when used with Skype for Windows, and 720p video when used with most other clients. The primary benefit of this webcam is that it can be mounted above the TV on the mobile stand, providing a wide view of the entire room–rather than just the person directly in front of the built-in laptop webcam.

Audio Input/Output

We had previously made use of the Phoenix Audio Duet PCS as a conference room “telephone” for web meetings–it provides better audio capabilities for a group of people than a stand-alone laptop. We placed one of these in each of the conference rooms as part of the A/V build-out. It acts as the microphone and speaker, while using the Logitech webcam for video input and the Samsung TV for video output.

Helpers

Of course, I needed a few other items to tie all of these different capabilities together.

Cabling

I purchased 20 ft. Luxe Series High-Speed HDMI cables so people can connect directly to the Samsung TVs for presentations. This type of connection allows computers to utilize the full resolution of the new TVs.

Adapters

The Moshi Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter provides connectivity for those Atoms whose MacBooks do not natively support HDMI.

Presentation Helpers

I decided to purchase Apple TVs to allow for wireless presentation capabilities. With AirPlay, Macs (and other compatible devices) can transmit wirelessly to the TV–without the need for an HDMI cable. This is convenient for getting up and running quickly without any cable clutter, but it isn’t always appropriate (which is why a direct HDMI connection is available as well).

Cable Management

In addition to the standard cable ties and other cable management tricks, I’ve found that Cozy Industries, makers of the popular MagCozy, also makes a DisplayCozy. This helps keep the Moshi HDMI adapter with the HDMI cable.

Power Distribution

While the mobile TV cart provides a great deal of flexibility, the new building also has wide spaces between electrical outlets. To ensure that the A/V build-out would be usable in most spaces, I decided to add a surge protector with an extra-long cord. The Kensington Guardian 15′ works well for this.

Finished Product