Cambridge Union Society – Case Study Broadcasting debate ... · Broadcasting debate in a...

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Cambridge Union Society – Case Study

Broadcasting debate in a converged world

In the past 20 years, technology has changed work and life environments at an unprecedented rate. The internet has changed how we interact and communicate with each other, both socially and professionally.

High-quality education and technology are very powerful tools that enable and support the learning process. Traditional bricks and mortar classrooms and open, empty school halls are being transformed into multimedia rich,

technologically advanced spaces where no stone has been untouched when developing, designing and kitting out schools, colleges and universities into fully-functioning world class centres of education.

This is another example of audio and visual working together – increasing engagement, facilitating collaboration, showcasing different learning styles and igniting excitement amongst students to therefore ultimately improve learning outcomes.

Today’s solutions allow for instant, high-quality communication and this case study addresses important requirements in any successful messaging conveyance – namely quality and accessibility. This case study demonstrates how the latest broadcasting technology and livestreaming can ensure messages are available, in high definition and crystal-clear audio, to a wider audience.

Stakeholder profilesCambridge Union SocietyThere are 22,000 students at Cambridge. The Cambridge Union is not to be confused with The Cambridge Student Union (CUSU), which is the official student union for students at the University of Cambridge. The Cambridge Union is a membership based debating society open to students from the University of Cambridge or Anglia Ruskin University, upon the payment of a membership fee. The Cambridge Union receives no formal funding from the University.

The exact origin of the Society remains steeped in legend, but as the story goes, the Union was founded in 1815 at the conclusion of a drunken brawl between several smaller college debating societies. The "union" of the three societies provided the basis for the name 'The Cambridge Union Society.'

With past high-profile speakers ranging, from Winston Churchill to Russell Brand, the Society is known for tackling a wide range of issues and debates.

Presentation MediaPresentation Media is a presentation solution provider based in Christchurch, Dorset, offering presentation and teaching solutions to Education, Government and Corporate sectors.

Trading since 2001, they have established a well respected service to schools and businesses throughout the UK.

Presentation Media can offer a complete solution from demonstrations, consultation on bespoke solutions, supply of equipment, through to final installation and commissioning, including training on the use of the equipment.

Presentation Media has been supplying and installing various projectors, speakers and lecterns at CUS for the past year.

Want to find out more? Call the Midwich sales team on 01379 649200 www.midwich.com









MidwichMidwich, an award winning trade-only distributor of cutting edge technology, employs over 450 staff serving customers in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. The Group is privately owned by its working directors, and with over 30 years of expertise The Midwich Group is renowned in the industry for its innovations and being first to take the latest technology trends to market. Uniquely offering resellers the complete solution comprising of world leading technologies and full project support. Midwich is dedicated to its resellers and vendors alike, with a strong focus on providing an excellent customer experience at every touch point.

The challengeWith a long history of topical debate, the CUS was keen to improve its broadcast ability and to bring quality video and audio to not only its students, but to audiences globally.

Oliver Mosely, Executive Officer at the CUS, explains: “We were using a system that provided poor quality video and audio that, at times, was lost. The CUS has been an advocate of free speech and debate for over 200 years and we needed a solution that allowed for quality recordings with the ability to convey the Union’s activity to a wide audience.”

He added: “Being a student society, we also wanted a solution that would be simple to understand and straightforward in its operation – both by operators of the recording equipment and the end users viewing content. We have a natural change of users of this technology so it was vital that it could be mastered in a relatively short period of time.”

The CUS solution needed to provide sound and vision to numerous endpoints, while also providing broadcast quality output across the internet

The solutionPresentation Media met with CUS in February 2014 to put a proposal together for live streaming/broadcasting to the web.

Presentation Media, along with specialists from Midwich, carried out various site surveys. Representatives from the CUS then visited Midwich offices in Berkshire to watch a demonstration of the LiveStream solution.

On seeing the equipment in action, and the final proposal for the solution, Presentation Media, working closely with Midwich, were awarded the contract in April 2014.

As well as vastly improved broadcast and audio solutions, video conferencing was included in the proposal. With a video conferencing solution, overseas CUS members could participate in the live debates, exclusively for union members only.

A complete solution was provided to house their existing audio microphones into a new double width lectern for the LiveStream and video conferencing system, with a touchscreen. High definition Panasonic cameras were used in the main Chamber with various controls to split the signal from the Chamber to five other rooms within the building.

Matthew Webster, Business Development Manager at Midwich, was involved with the project from the start. He said: “It was important with this project to support both Presentation Media and the CUS as the end user. Although in principle what the CUS were looking to achieve was straightforward on paper, there was a technically complex design that needed to be formulated, whilst still providing a system that was “simple to understand and straightforward in its operation” as required by the CUS. The technical design developed from site meetings at CUS and close collaboration with the different elements of the Midwich Group. On several occasions we sat around tables, discussed the plans, and made sure that the separate bits of technology (broadcast, livestreaming, video conferencing, traditional AV) would all work seamlessly together.”









Want to find out more? Call the Midwich sales team on 01379 649200 www.midwich.com

















The products chosen had to fulfil the client’s and end user’s requirements, meet the technical brief, whilst also being compatible with the budget. Members of the CUS visited the Midwich office, where a demonstration of the equipment in a live scenario was presented. Training sessions ran to ensure the maximum efficiency and return on investment for the CUS.

Matthew adds: “Ultimately, this is a great example of the Midwich Group’s ability to offer a true solution to its customers and their end users, both in terms of seamless integration of different sets of AV technology, but also in terms of the project process from site survey, design, project management, installation support and training.”

The Union now has a screen in all of its main overflow rooms (Library, Bar, Kennedy Room and Societies Room), as well as a few screens on stands which can roam around the building. The Livestream server, as well as pushing out the stream to the internet, also streams to these screens in overflow rooms, a fundamental selling point when attendances are high and space is at a premium.

Benefits The Cambridge Union Society can now broadcast full high definition coverage of its sessions and debates to several end points around the university, with the capability to expand this further if required.For the CUS, they could not be happier with the solution. Oliver Mosley, Executive Officer at the CUS, said: “We are delighted with the outcome and the service we received from Presentation Media and Midwich in making it all come together. Not only do we have a state-of-the-art broadcasting system, but we are future-proofed against further demands.”Along with the CUS Chamber, the Library is also set out to be used as an event space for smaller events, and has microphones for this purpose. A potential expansion project, on top of this upgrade, is installing a camera in the Library to integrate with the existing system to allow the CUS to stream and record events from that room as well as the Chamber.

Audio quality is now excellent. Strategically placed Sennheiser microphones ensure that dialogue is perfectly captured and heard – essential for a healthy debate. The Livestream solution enables this sound to be streamed anywhere, or recorded for later, with no loss of quality.The ability to archive content is an important benefit to the Union, allowing them to build a comprehensive library of all their debates – captured in full HD quality with professional audio to match. Available online, students and public are free to log in and watch a session they may have missed at the time or wish to see again.Members can now watch sessions from a choice of end points. With screens showing live debates, more students can watch, and listen to, debates in real time, without overcrowding the main Chamber.

Equipment supplied: Livestream HD1700Livestream Enterprise PlatformAvaya VC codec

Panasonic HE60 camerasPanasonic RP50 camera controllerBlackmagic and Aten HDMI to HDSDI converters

Terms & Conditions: E&OE. All transactions are in accordance with our full terms and conditions, a copy of which is available upon request. All trademarks are the property of their respective manufacturers. Your calls may be recorded for training or demonstration purposes. Copyright © Midwich Limited 2015. Midwich Limited, Vinces Road, Diss, Norfolk IP22 4YT. Job Number: LM6809-Q2-15

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