Seminar Room & Lecture Theatre Audio Visual Equipment Instructions Version: 3.3 (July 2015)
Contents System Overview... 3 Usage Basics... 4 2 Powering on the System... 4 Powering off the System... 4 Main AMX control panel screen... 6 Projection Screen Controls... 8 Using the PC for a Presentation... 9 PowerPoint... 10 Playing Videos... 10 USB Pen drives... 10 Blanking the Screen... 10 Freeze Picture (only available in Faraday main lecture theatres)... 10 Logging Out... 10 Using a Laptop for a Presentation... 11 PowerPoint Presentations page formats... 12 Using the DVD player to play DVD's and Audio CD's... 13 Using the Visualiser/Document Camera... 14 Using the Auxiliary DVI Laptop connection... 16 Mac Book Mini Display Port... 17 Using the Auxiliary Video sockets... 18 Using Dual Screen or PiP functionality... 19 Source Combinations... 19 Mega Lecture Theatre Controls... 21 Controlling the lights/blinds (if fitted)... 21 Mega Lecture Theatre Dual Screen... 22 Using Microphones and the Induction Loop... 23 Using the SMART Podium... 24 SMART Screen calibration... 25 Floating Tools toolbar... 25 Saving your SMART Podium Mark-Ups... 27 Definitions... 28 A-Z Index... 31
List of Figures... 32 List of Tables... 32 System Overview It is the aim of the university to upgrade all centrally timetabled campus spaces to a standard AV across campus. This ensures the same level of equipment and usability in the following room types across campus. Meeting Rooms Display screen, laptop VGA connection plus audio connection, induction loop, AMX button control panel Seminar Rooms Display screen or projector for larger rooms, TeamMate lectern desk, PC, SMART Podium Interactive Display Panel, Connections for laptop video and audio, DVD player, Induction loop, AMX button panel control Lecture Theatres 16:9 format (widescreen) projection with picture in picture capability, TeamMate lectern desk 2 x connection for laptop video and audio, PC, SMART Podium Interactive Display Panel, DVD player, Visualiser, Handheld Microphone (some areas), Tie-Clip Microphone, desk mounted Gooseneck microphone (some areas), Induction Loop, AMX touch panel control Mega Lecture Theatres These will include all the equipment from a standard Lecture Theatre plus Dual Projectors (in some areas), Additional AV connections, and extra Voice reenforcement where necessary 3
All teaching spaces equipped with touch screens have a common user interface in all rooms across campus, making work easier and more accessible. Displayed at the top of the control panel is a volume control button, Help button and Home page link. Usage Basics Powering on the System If the AMX control panel is blank touch the screen to wake the system up. The system may display a screen showing which room it is in. Press the touch panel again to begin. When the touch panel displays the home page, choose an input to start the screens (It may take a few moments for the system to be usable) This will power on all necessary components of the system - projectors, speakers, microphones and lower the projection screen (if required). Figure 1. System powering up Powering off the System To turn off the system, press the Power button at the top right of the screen and confirm shut down by selecting Yes from the screen displayed. The system will stay on once powered up and will only enter power saving mode after 2 hours of inactivity starting at 4pm. The Reset to Default button allows you to take the system back to a known state, undoing any previous actions by previous users. The volume is unmuted and set to a low level, the screen is unblanked and lowered, the source is set to PC presentation and any Picture in Picture settings are removed. 4
Figure 2.System powering down 5
Main AMX control panel screen Home Screen Access Picture in Picture or dual screen controls Volume Mute (turns red when muted Volume Controls Shutdown Help Volume level Choose presentation source 6 Move projection screen
Figure 3. AMX Touch Control Panel Home Screen 5 Source Selection controls 7
Once the system has started up you will see the screen above which allows you to choose which source to present from. Each source is covered in detail here. If you need help using the AMX control panel press the "Help Button" "?" which details who to contact. Also available is the Reset to Default button which performs the same function as the reset button on the Power Off screen. The main screen controls the overall volume level, the longer the red bar the higher the volume is for all presentation sources and allows users to mute sound. If the volume mute button is red then it is currently muted. Figure 4. Volume Controls There is also a Shutdown button which will power down the whole system, you will be prompted to confirm the shutdown as the system takes several minutes to complete the shutdown procedure before it can be restarted. Return to the Home page screen at anytime from anywhere in the system by pressing the button at the top of the control panel. The top bar is available on all menus allowing full access to the volume controls. The bar also enables 'Picture in Picture' mode whilst presenting, allowing quick switching between multiple sources without having to revert back to the Home Screen. Projection Screen Controls On the Home screen is a button labelled "Screen Controls" which allows the user to set the position of the Projection screen. Press the Screen Controls button to show options for moving the screen up, down or stopping the screen. Figure 5. Projection screen controls 8
Using the PC for a Presentation The PC should already be powered on and at the log in screen. If this is not the case then press the black power button on the front of the blue panel of the PC. PC power button Figure 6. PC Power Button location Whilst the PC is capable of playing some DVDs, this should be done with the DVD player as this ensures compatibility with many different disk types. Once PC Presentation is chosen the AMX control panel will display the following screen. Figure 7. PC Presentation Screen Log in with your Lancaster username and password (You will not be interrupted by the Message of the Day). 9
PowerPoint Open your presentation from your H: drive or USB Memory stick and click the Slideshow button to start the presentation. NOTE: PowerPoint presentations that were created on a 4:3 format screen (square) should maintain their appearance even if the projection system is a 16:9 (letterbox) format. If the screen format is stretching or squashing your image then use the Aspect 4:3 and Aspect 16:9 buttons to change the shape of the screen. Playing Videos YouTube: YouTube videos linked to in PowerPoint will open up a Web browser and play. It is also possible to play videos embedded in PowerPoint. VLC: The VLC Media player is provided on the PC to play video or audio files you may have saved, this removes the need for vendor specific programmes such as Windows Media Player or Apple QuickTime. IPTV: You will be able to play free view and selected satellite and foreign language TV using the University's IPTV pages at http://iptv.lancs.ac.uk Choose the channel you wish to view and VLC Player will load and begin live playback. This is currently a trial service. USB Pen drives There are USB sockets on the side of the AMX control panel and on the side of the display screen. Which can be used for items such as USB pointers. Most areas are equipped with at least 3 USB sockets. If you require more the ISS Service Desk can provide advice on the purchase of a small USB hub. Blanking the Screen If at any time you need to blank the projection screens to hide the content press the "Blank Screen" button which is available on all source screens. Press the button again to unblank the screen. Freeze Picture (only available in Faraday main lecture theatres) Press the 'Freeze Picture' button to pause what is projected no matter what the PC may be displaying. Logging Out Please remember to log out of the PC when you have finished so the next person can use the system. 10
Using a Laptop for a Presentation To connect a laptop you need to use the VGA cable and if you want audio from your laptop then you need to connect the 3.5mm audio lead from your laptop headphone socket to the socket below the VGA cable on the desk. A VGA cable, 3.5mm cable and network cable are provided in all Teaching Spaces, if they are missing please contact the ISS Service Desk on 10987. VGA Laptop Connection VGA Lead 3.5mm audio lead Figure 8. Laptop connections Press the Laptop presentation button on the AMX control panel and the following screen will be displayed. Figure 9. Laptop Presentation screen 11
At this point, it may be necessary to enable dual screen display. This can usually be achieved with a keyboard shortcut, some common ones are: Panasonic / NEC HP / Sharp / Toshiba IBM / Sony Dell / Epson Fujitsu Apple Fn + F3 Fn + F5 Fn + F7 Fn + F8 Fn + F10 F7 Table 1. Keyboard shortcuts to enable dual screen The screen format and resolution should display correctly in 16:9 format. Use the Aspect format buttons to alter the screen shape. If you want to blank the screen to hide the content from the audience then press the "Blank Screen" button, press it again to unblank the screen. PowerPoint Presentations page formats All projectors display content in 16:9 format. However your computer screen is most likely to be a 4:3 format, and this can cause an issue when showing your PowerPoint presentations in the teaching spaces. To avoid problems with images been stretched to fit the 16:9 projectors perform the following steps: Open PowerPoint Click the Design Tab Click the Page Setup button The drop down box labelled "Slides sized for:" should match the format of the screen you created them on Figure 10. PowerPoint Presentation format 12
Using the DVD player to play DVD's and Audio CD's Press DVD source button on the AMX control panel to display the DVD and the following screen will be displayed. Figure 11. DVD player controls The DVD player is located under the desk and should be switched on, if not the power button is on the left hand side of the player, Press the eject button on the DVD player itself and insert your disk. The DVD players are also multi region so will play DVD's from anywhere outside Europe. They will also play audio and MP3 CDs. If you have problems playing any disk based content then please contact the ISS Service Desk. Use the controls on the AMX control panel to move through the DVD menus and to control playback of the video. Use the on screen controls to start, stop, pause, fast forward and rewind audio CD's played in the DVD player. There is also a button to show the DVD subtitles (if present on the DVD) at any point during playback without having to go into the DVD menus. 13
Using the Visualiser/Document Camera The visualiser has replaced Overhead Projectors and allowing the viewing of 3D objects, showing of acetates and annotated paper notes. To use the Visualiser, press the Visualiser Presentation button on the AMX control panel main screen and the control screen will appear. This facilitates zooming in and out of the image or show different angles by rotating the object you are projecting. Make sure the Visualiser itself is turned on by checking the power button is in the On position. Use the Tele button to zoom into the object and the Wide button to zoom out from the object. The camera may need refocusing if the zoom is altered. Press Auto Focus and the camera will choose the best focus or use the Focus Near and Far buttons to set it yourself. The Visualiser may have has two lights, one above the object and one below the object. Use the related buttons on the AMX control panel to light the object from above or below as required to enhance the image projected. Use the Blank Screen button to hide the view of the Visualiser whilst altering or changing the object. Similarly, use the Freeze Picture button to pause the projected image whilst altering or changing the object (only available in Faraday main lecture theatres). Better results may be obtained from the visualiser if the only light source directly on the object is coming from the visualiser therefore it may help to dim the lights at the front of the room, or draw any blinds to eliminate direct sunlight. NOTE: The biology lecture theatre features a state of the art visualiser which offers exceptional image quality and many advanced features. For more information contact the ISS Service Desk. 14
Access Picture in Picture or dual screen controls Volume Mute (turns red when muted Volume Controls Home Screen Shutdown Zoom Into/Out of Object Manually focus in camera Auto focus camera Switch visualiser lights on/off Figure 12. Visualiser control screen Manually focus out camera 13 15
Using the Auxiliary DVI Laptop connection In most areas, a DVI socket is provided for those laptops which do not have a VGA connection, such as Mac Books. Use the DVI connection to present from your laptop instead of the computer provided. Laptop 2 DVI connection DVI Cable 3.5mm Audio Cable Figure 13. Auxiliary laptop connections The necessary cables are not provided in the room but ISS may be able to supply the required connectors if a request is made in advance. Some teaching spaces may have a second VGA connection instead of a DVI connection. Press the Auxiliary DVI Laptop Presentation button to display your laptop. You may also need to use a keyboard shortcut to switch the laptop to multiple display mode. Some common keyboard shortcuts are: Panasonic / NEC HP / Sharp / Toshiba IBM / Sony Dell / Epson Fujitsu Apple Fn + F3 Fn + F5 Fn + F7 Fn + F8 Fn + F10 F7 Table 2. Keyboard shortcuts to enable dual screen 16
The screen format and resolution should display correctly in 16:9 on the projectors. If you want to blank the screen to hide the content from the audience then press the "Blank Screen" button. Press it again to unblank the screen. Mac Book Mini Display Port Some Mac Books have a "Mini Display Port" rather than a DVI or VGA port. Figure 14. Mac Book Mini Display Port A Mac Book can be connected to either of the Auxiliary Laptop connections using either a Mini Display to VGA adapter, or a Mini Display to DVI adapter. (The necessary cables are not provided in the room but ISS may be able to supply the required connectors if a request is made in advance). Mini Display to VGA adapter Mini Display to DVI adapter Figure 15. Apple display adapters Plug the adapter into the relevant cable connecting to the desk. and set the Mac Book output to multiple displays, usually be pressing the F7 function key. 17
Using the Auxiliary Video sockets The Auxiliary video sockets are provided to enable users to connect other audio and video devices using standard RCA cables (yellow for video and red and white or black for audio). Aux Video Input RCA Audio lead Video and ipod to Aux Video Audio RCA lead connectors Figure 16. Selection of auxiliary cables Some Auxiliary equipment that could be used is: ipods, VHS players, digital voice recorders and video cameras The necessary cables are not provided in the room but ISS may be able to supply the required connectors if a request is made in advance. Once the device is connected press the Auxiliary Video button on the AMX control panel to switch to the connected device. For example, and shown above is a cable to connect an ipod to the presentation system. Simply connect the cables by matching the colours and the ipod will be able to present the video and audio. 18
Using Dual Screen or PiP functionality PiP stands for Picture in Picture and it allows two input modes to be displayed side by side on the same screen. NOTE: Not all combinations are possible, depending on the room you are in. On a dual screen system all combinations should be possible. Source Combinations On single projection systems only the DVD source and the Auxiliary Video source maybe Picture in Pictured. Either of these two sources can be combined with any of the following sources: PC Laptop Visualiser DVI Laptop To alter the way the sources are displayed select the desired layout from Side by Side Full Screen Side by Side Normal Swap PIP (to reverse how the sources are laid out). To switch back to a full screen view of your source, but stay on the PiP screen press the PIP Off button and this will replace the dual sources with the single source selected. Temporarily hide the whole screen by pressing the Blank Screen button or return to the standard source selection screen by pressing the 'For Single Mode' button on the top of the AMX control panel. Press the Picture In Picture button to change whether the two sources are displayed side by side (Picture and Picture) or whether the second source is displayed inside the main source (Picture in Picture) 19
20 18 Turn PiP On or Off Switch the position of main and secondary sources Set sources to equal sizes PaP or PiP Set sources to equal sizes and stretch to full screen Choose second picture source Figure 17. Dual Screen or PiP functions screen
Mega Lecture Theatre Controls Mega Lecture Theatres such as the Faraday complex have extra features on the Home screen of the AMX panel. Controlling the lights/blinds (if fitted) The 'Mega Lecture Theatre' teaching spaces also have lighting controls included on the AMX control panel which allows the lights at the front, middle and rear of the room to be dimmed or brightened. Included on the Home screen of the AMX control panel is a Light Bulb icon Press the Bulb button which displays the lighting controls Prefix 1 = Full lights Prefix 2 = Dimmed lighting Lights Off = Turns all lights off Spots on = Lights directed at the front desk Spots off = Lights directed at the front desk Figure 18. Lighting presets NOTE: Certain teaching spaces have control for window blinds on the AMX control panel. 21
Mega Lecture Theatre Dual Screen As the 'Mega Lecture Theatres' have dual projectors there are more options for Picture in Picture over the standard lecture theatres. Users are able to have any combination of sources showing, one on each projector or both projectors showing the same source. However only audio from the left hand side source will be available. Figure 19. Dual Projection controls 22
Using Microphones and the Induction Loop Some larger teaching spaces are fitted with added audio re-enforcement to ensure the whole lecture theatre receives the same level of audio from either a speaker or from the equipment. In smaller teaching spaces there is no added audio re-enforcement. But in all rooms there is a hearing loop and this is linked into the microphones. ISS recommend you use the wireless microphone if you walk around whilst talking. NOTE: In a small number of rooms an infra red loop system is provided as the building infrastructure will not support a fixed loop. In these cases the user will need to wear a loop around their neck to receive the loop signals. The Wireless Mic is a lapel type so it is best fitted to a tie or shirt/jacket lapel. Avoid placing the microphone to close to the throat as this will result in voice distortion. The overall audio level is controlled from the main screen on the AMX control panel. Fitted on to the front desk in larger lecture theatres is a Gooseneck microphone which is linked into the hearing loop and any voice re-enforcement installed in the room. A handheld microphone is also available for use with multiple presenters or audience questions. If additional microphones are required then please contact the ISS Service Desk. Wireless Mic Gooseneck Mic Handheld Mic Figure 20. Microphones 23
Using the SMART Podium All of the upgraded teaching spaces have SMART Podium touch screen displays installed on the front desk. As well as acting as the screen for the presentation PC, the SMART Podium screen is also an Interactive touch screen display. This allows users to Control the PC using the Pen on the screen rather than the mouse, To make annotations on the screen which will display on the projectors Create free hand drawings to emphasise points similar to using a whiteboard Save any on screen mark ups for future distribution. Use the buttons on the side of the SMART Podium Screen to change the colour of the pen used to annotate or draw with, or choose the eraser option to remove any mark ups you choose. The pen for the SMART Podium is located in a clip on top of the screen. The pen can be used to control the PC instead of the mouse. The screen has several buttons, the buttons below the screen are: Erases Digital Ink Launches Screen Capture Starts onscreen keyboard Pointer tool Select Digital Ink colours Figure 21. SMART Podium buttons Launches Notebook software Makes next pen contact a right-click
If you want to start Mark ups on the screen press one of the coloured pen buttons on the top of the screen and edit as desired. The "eraser" button erases unwanted changes. Use the digital ink tools to highlight sections of the screen, and to draw arrows and other shapes. To return to mouse mode press the 'Arrow Pointer' button. SMART Screen calibration If the SMART screen pen is not responding accurately to your actions then it may need to be recalibrated. This can be done by running the SMART Screen orientation programme in the SMART software. Press the SMART Board icon in the windows notification area Press Orient from the menu that pops up Press the centre of each target in the order indicated on the screen Once all targets have been pressed the orientation procedure is finished, and actions with the pen will now be actually represented on screen. Floating Tools toolbar The Floating Tools toolbar located on the left hand side of the side allows selection of the different mark-up tools with either the mouse or pen. Not all features can be shown on the Floating Tools toolbar. Click the Settings button on the toolbar to show all the available features. Click and drag the feature you want to use onto the toolbar from the Window to make it available. The 'Set next click as a right click' allows you to access right click menus using the pen and not reverting to the mouse. Some options on the Floating Tools toolbar have further options to choose from such as different shapes for the Shape Tool, or different tip sizes for the digital ink tools. To access the further options click the relevant tool and they will appear in a pop out toolbar. Previously saved screen mark-ups can be accessed by clicking the 'Start Notebook Software' button should further annotation be necessary. The on screen keyboard allows text entry directly by tapping the key on the screen with the pen. 25
Pointer tool Drawing tool Highlighter Eraser Arrow tool Shape tool If the Floating Tools toolbar is not showing click the double arrow button on the left side of the screen to reveal it. If the Floating Tools toolbar is obscuring an object on screen, click the double arrow to hide the toolbar. Show on screen keyboard Set next pen contact as right click Start Notebook software Settings 26 Figure 22. SMART Podium mark-up tools
Saving your SMART Podium Mark-Ups Whilst in 'Mark-up' mode the floating toolbar named 'Aware Tools' (shown below) appears in the top right of the screen by default. Figure 23. SMART Podium Aware Tools toolbar The Camera button on the Aware Tools toolbar will capture a picture of the whole screen and display it in the Notebook software which allows you to save the file to your H drive so you can keep the mark ups you have done to distribute to students later if required. When a screen shot is taken the Notebook software will start up automatically. If you are using the mark up tools in Microsoft Office Word then you can convert the mark up to either a graphic object or as text which is then editable in Microsoft Office Word like normal text. Press the button to convert the mark up to an object to insert into Microsoft Office. Word. Or press the to convert the mark up to text into Microsoft Office Word. When converting to text, the software users Optical Character Recognition to convert your writing to text. There is a limit to how accurate this conversion is so some post-editing may be necessary. 27
Definitions 4:3 The display ratio of standard televisions and computer displays 16:9 The display ratio of widescreen televisions and computer displays AMX Hardware and Software solutions to interact with audio and visual equipment Codec A device or program which encodes and/or decodes a stream of digital data DVD Digital Versatile Disc. The most common standard definition video format DVI Digital Visual Interface. A video interface standard to provide very high visual quality to computer displays and projectors H323 A set of protocols used in Video Conferencing HDMI High Definition Multimedia Interface, is an audio/video interface for transmitting digital data in High Definition Induction Loop Equipment which produces an audio frequency in an area for a hearing aid to receive Interactive Display Term used to describe a computer display which is controlled using a stylus or finger on the screen itself E.G. the SMART Podium 28
IPTV Internet Protocol Television. Digital Television signals which are delivered using the Internet over a computer network rather than a traditional radio frequency received by an aerial JANET The computer network dedicated to UK education and research organisations JVCS JANET Video Conferencing Service Letterboxing The black bands at the top and bottom of the screen seen when a 16:9 image is displayed on a 4:3 screen Mini Display port A display port connection introduced by Apple capable of connecting to a variety of displays either VGA, DVI or HDMI via a suitable adapter Optical Character Recognition - OCR The computer reads hand written symbols and converts them into editable text PaP Picture and Picture, a way of displaying two sources on one video source. With PaP the two sources are of equal size and positioned next to each other horizontally Pillar Boxing The black bands on the side of the screen seen when a 4:3 image is displayed on a 16:9 screen PiP Picture in Picture, a way of displaying two images on one video source. With PiP one source is displayed in a small window in one corner of the main image Program Sound The audio level coming from the chosen source on the AMX panel E.G. PC or DVD Player 29
RCA connector Radio Corporation of America connector. A commonly used connector to carry audio and video signals USB Universal Serial Bus. Common computer interface to allow communication between devices and the host computer VGA Video Graphics Array. A video connection interface common to the majority of PC's Video Conferencing A system to allow two or more locations to interact via Video and Audio typically using an IP connection VLC Media Player An open source free software media player created by the VideoLAN project. Supports many file types without additional codec's needed, as well as supporting various streaming protocols. 30
A-Z Index 16:9 format, 3, 10 4:3 format, 10 acetates, 12 AMX control panel, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 19, 21 Auxiliary DVI, 14 Auxiliary Video, 16 Dual Screen, 17 DVD, 11 DVD player, 3, 7, 11 DVI socket, 14 Floating Tools toolbar, 23 Freeze Picture, 8, 12 Gooseneck microphone, 21 Help Button, 6 Home page, 6 Induction Loop, 3 ipods, 16 IPTV, 8, 26 Laptop, 9 lights, 19 Log Out, 8 Mac Books, 14, 15 Mega Lecture Theatre, 19, 20 Mega Lecture Theatres, 3 Mini Display Port, 15 MP3 CDs, 11 multi region, 11 page formats, 10 PiP, 17, 20 Powering off, 4 Powering on, 4 PowerPoint, 8 Projection Screen Controls, 6 RCA cables, 16 SMART Podium, 3, 22, 24, 25 Source Combinations, 17 TeamMate, 3 USB Pen drives, 8 VGA, 3, 9, 14, 15, 27, 28 VHS players, 16 Visualiser/Document Camera, 12 VLC, 8, 28 YouTube, 8 31
List of Figures Figure 1. System powering up... 4 Figure 2.System powering down... 5 Figure 3. AMX Touch Control Panel Home Screen... 7 Figure 4. Volume Controls... 8 Figure 5. Projection screen controls... 8 Figure 6. PC Power Button location... 9 Figure 7. PC Presentation Screen... 9 Figure 8. Laptop connections... 11 Figure 9. Laptop Presentation screen... 11 Figure 10. PowerPoint Presentation format... 12 Figure 11. DVD player controls... 13 Figure 12. Visualiser control screen... 15 Figure 13. Auxiliary laptop connections... 16 Figure 14. Mac Book Mini Display Port... 17 Figure 15. Apple display adapters... 17 Figure 16. Selection of auxiliary cables... 18 Figure 17. Dual Screen or PiP functions screen... 20 Figure 18. Lighting presets... 21 Figure 19. Dual Projection controls... 22 Figure 20. Microphones... 23 Figure 21. SMART Podium buttons... 24 Figure 22. SMART Podium mark-up tools... 26 Figure 23. SMART Podium Aware Tools toolbar... 27 List of Tables Table 1. Keyboard shortcuts to enable dual screen... 12 Table 2. Keyboard shortcuts to enable dual screen... 16 32
Produced by Information Systems Services Revision 3.3 10/07/2015 www.lancs.ac.uk/iss 33
Information System Services (ISS), Lancaster University