School Video conference Infrastructure

Description: The most crucial aspect of a school's CATV-CCTV system is the planning process for its infrastructure and the actual plan itself. Ideally, the planning should involve all school role groups, as well as district and state telecommunication specialists. The following three diagrams—Measuring, Backbone, and Complete Plan—are part of the CATV-CCTV plans for Kailua Intermediate School, designed by Harry Uchimura and approved by Ron Sodetani of the Network Support Services Branch (NSSB). Many schools have successfully installed their system backbone and can provide recommendations for contractors to assist with projects. Ernie Lum of Ernie's Cabling is recognized as a reliable licensed contractor offering fair prices, honesty, accessibility, and guarantees on his work. Cabling can be procured from Oceanic Cable, Hawaiian Tel/GTE, and Mauka Cabling Co. Most schools have reported satisfactory service from Oceanic Cable and Mauka Cable, while Hawaiian Tel/GTE has been noted as more challenging to work with. Costs vary based on project size; for instance, Kailua Intermediate School spent approximately $7,000 on cables and materials to install the TV backbone system for its campus, which includes about 97 TV connections. Harry Uchimura from NSSB will terminate the cable and connect the purchased materials from the cable drop from the street to the school's LAN, typically located in the library or media center. Schools may contract external vendors, such as Oceanic Cable, which will not be serviced by NSSB if issues arise with the installed system. Harry is also available for weekend contracts. Assuming the backbone is already established, a school with around 100 boxes to install and terminate, along with the installation of ordered materials, will require a crew of five from NSSB approximately three to five days to complete the job. Post-installation, very little maintenance is needed once the system has been installed, terminated, and tested. Ron Sodetani from NSSB recommends that schools allocate $600 per year for potential amplifier replacements. Telephone support is available from Ron Sodetani at NSSB, and Harry Uchimura can be reached early in the morning or after 3:00 PM. Oceanic Cable Co. also provides assistance for inquiries. School visitations can be arranged by contacting individual schools for scheduling. Some sites include Dole Intermediate, Miliani Mauka, Kihei, and Kalihi Kai Elementary Schools. Few resources are available in layperson's terms, but a cabling and wiring guide has been produced by Ron Sodetani from NSSB, along with some online resources. The following describes the equipment that can be utilized for setting up a classroom aimed at video production. This equipment will be outlined in terms of subsystems within an overall video production conferencing center in the classroom. The video camera serves as the foundation of video production. A single handheld camcorder mounted on a tripod is sufficient to initiate the construction of a video conferencing center within the classroom. The classroom video conferencing setup can include two or three cameras to provide various angles during production. The cameras must be connected to a video mixer using appropriate cables (RCA jacks or BNC connectors) from the camera video "out" to the mixer "in" ports, based on equipment specifications. A monitor is required to view the incoming signal from an external source, which could be cable TV or the broadcast from the school's CCTV system. Additionally, a monitor for each camera is needed, connected to the "out" ports of the video mixer. A third monitor is utilized to observe the outgoing signal of the program as it is produced. These monitors are connected using cables equipped with RCA jacks or BNC connectors on coaxial video patch cords. An audio system is also necessary.

The CATV-CCTV system's infrastructure planning is essential for effective implementation in educational institutions. The collaboration among various stakeholders, including school administrators, technical specialists, and contractors, ensures that the system meets the specific needs of the school environment. The diagrams mentioned—Measuring, Backbone, and Complete Plan—serve as visual aids to facilitate understanding of the system layout and its components.

In constructing the video conferencing center, the selection of cameras, mixers, and monitors is crucial. The choice of video mixers allows for seamless transitions between different camera feeds, enhancing the production quality. The integration of audio systems further enriches the output, ensuring that sound quality matches the visual content. Proper cabling and connections are vital for maintaining signal integrity and minimizing interference, which can detract from the overall production experience.

Training for staff and students on the operation of this equipment is essential to maximize its potential. Regular maintenance and periodic upgrades to the system can help sustain its performance and adaptability to evolving technology. Establishing a budget for ongoing support and equipment replacement, as suggested by Ron Sodetani, is a prudent strategy to ensure the longevity and reliability of the CATV-CCTV system in a school setting.The most important part of a school`s CATV-CCTV system, is the process of planning for its infrastructure and the actual plan itself. The schools planning ideally is best facilitated when it involves all the school`s role groups as well as the district and state telecommunication specialists.

The following three diagrams Measuring, Backbone, and C omplete Plan are part of the CATV-CCTV plans for Kailua Intermediate School that were designed by Harry Uchimura and approved by Ron Sodetani of Network Support Services Branch (NSSB). There are enough schools who have installed their system backbone that can give you recommendations for contractors to help you with your project.

Ernie Lum of Ernie`s Cabling is one of the best licensed contractors for a fair price, reliability, honesty, accessible, and guarantees his work. Cabling can be purchased from Oceanic Cable, Hawaiian Tel/GTE and Mauka Cabling Co. Most schools have had good service from Oceanic Cable and from Mauka Cable. Hawaiian Tel/GTE are challenging to work with. This varies with the size of your project. Kailua Intermediate School spent approximately $7, 000 for cables and the materials needed to install the TV backbone system for the entire campus which has about 97 TV connections.

Harry Uchimura from NSSB will terminate the cable and connect the purchased materials from the cable drop from the street to the school`s LAN, usually in the library or media center area. Schools may contract outside vendors such as Oceanic Cable which will not be serviced by NSSB if there are problems with the installed system.

Harry may be contracted on the weekends. Assuming that the backbone is already in place, a school that has approximately 100 boxes to install and terminate plus install the materials on the ordered list, a crew of five (5) from NSSB will take approximately three to five days to complete the job. Very little maintenance is required once the system is installed, terminated and tested. Ron Sodetani from NSSB recommended that schools reserve $600. 00 per year to be able to replace an amplifier should it need to be replaced. Support via the telephone is available from Ron Sodetani at NSSB. Harry Uchimura is available by phone very early in the morning and will return calls after 3:00pm. Oceanic Cable Co. will also answer questions. A visitation may be arranged by calling individual schools to schedule a visitation. Some sites are: Dole Intermediate, Miliani Mauka, Kihei, and Kalihi Kai Elementary Schools. Very few are avaiable in lay person`s print. A cabling and wiring guide has been produced by Ron Sodetani from NSSB and I found a couple hot spots on the web.

Following is a description of the equipment that can be used in setting up a classroom for the purpose of producing video beyond. This equipment will be described in terms of subsystems of an overall video production conferencing center within the classroom.

The video camera is the basis of video production. One hand held cam corder mounted on a tripod is sufficient to start the construction of a video conferencing center within the classroom. Your classroom video conferencing center can have two or three cameras to aid in providing various camera angles during production.

The cameras need to be connected to a video mixer using appropriate cables (RCA jacks or BNC connector) from the camera video "out" to the mixer "in" ports, depending on your equipment specifications. You will need to add a monitor to view the in-coming signal from the outside source. That could be cable TV or what is being broadcast over your schoolG•s CCTV system. Next you will need a monitor for each camera used connected to the G’outG ports of the video mixer. A third monitor is used to monitor the outgoing signal of the program as it is being produced. these monitors are connected using cables with RCA jacks or BNC connectors on Co-axial video patch cords.

An audio system is need