Client Success Story: The Town of Dumfries, Virginia

Like most towns, Dumfries, VA, holds regularly scheduled meetings for their city council and mayor. The council, made up of eight or nine men and women, discusses and votes on local issues and legislation, as well as holds public hearings for residents to discuss important town issues. The town’s offices and Council meeting spaces were outdated and in need of updated technology to help meet the needs of this growing and busy northern Virginia town. The town changed facilities to a new building across the street, and asked Audio-Video Group to help update their new digs.

We started by introducing Dumfries to the Brähler OS (Operating System) as a starting point to help with their meeting style and conferencing needs. This sophisticated OS is optimized for meetings, and includes individual application components and delegate applications that help meetings run more efficiently. Each component of Dumfries’ new system runs with this OS, so they have control over microphones, in-room displays, voting, timing, camera control, and much more!

One of the features of the operating system that will be used most by the city council is the microphone integration. We installed Brähler microphone and conference servers and individual CMIC delegate microphones, which incorporate impressive conferencing features into Dumfries’ system. The microphones’ ‘request to speak’ feature allows the council and audience members to let everyone know that they would like to speak and keeps meetings orderly and on agenda. AVG installed a large 80” Sharp commercial monitor that connects to the Brähler OS and, through the software, tracks who is speaking and who is in line to speak next. Each CMIC delegate microphone also includes voting capabilities, allowing council members to vote with a simple touch of the button where results are immediately tallied and displayed on the large screen.

AVG also installed three PTZ Optics HD Robotic Cameras throughout the room to accommodate live streaming and recording sessions. Through the power of the Brähler OS, each camera ties into the microphone system and automatically moves to focus on the person who is speaking when their microphone is recognized. Camera shots switch back and forth between the Dias where the council members sit, as well as the citizens’ podium so that nothing is missed. And because the cameras work automatically, they require minimal operation and will ensure that each speech is recorded. We also updated the lighting above the Dias to help make the videos look better.

Using Leightronix’s UltraNEXUS-HD Series equipment, we installed a master control unit for the room that allows the council to record and stream their sessions. Leightronix specifically gives them the opportunity to essentially create a pre-programed TV channel that is dedicated to their content. Since the town has two local TV channels, they needed 24-hour content with the ability to replay council meetings. The UltraNEXUS-HD servers handle the video messaging needs without external hardware, and the content can easily be updated and changed as needed to meet the needs of the town and their two dedicated cable TV stations.

Overall, this intricate project has brought so much more flexibility to Dumfries, as well as some much-needed upgrades. Their meetings are more efficient and can be broadcast on their own TV station to be more available for residents. The equipment that we used in this room has the ability to be scaled or changed for other industries, so give us a call and let’s talk about your meeting space needs!

Equipment List:

  • Brähler Conferencing System
    • Brähler OS Operating Software
    • Brähler Digimic Microphones and Server
    • Camera Control
    • Voting System
  • (3) PTZ Optics HD Robotic Cameras
  • Black Magic Design ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K Switcher
  • Black Magic Design 12 x 12 SDI Video Router & Converters
  • Black Magic Design Pro Recorder for web Streaming
  • Apple Mac Mini
  • Extron Control System
  • Extron IN Switcher/Scaler
  • Extron TLP 10” Touch Panel
  • Shure Wireless Microphones
  • Qomo Interactive Touch Panels for Microphone Control
  • Sharp Commercial monitors
  • Cameo Lighting Fresnel Fixtures
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