New Technology in Lecture Halls
New Classroom Technology, Rooms 100, 105, 110
During the summer of 2007 we were fortunate to be able to incorporate new audio and visual support technology into the renovations to the three main lecture halls. Like the other A/V rooms (107,111,115,145) these new systems can be controlled easily with a touch screen interface, this time built into the podiums in each lecture hall. Media Services would be more than happy to give hands-on orientations to the new features in these rooms, contact us at media@law.berkeley.edu.
Features
Projection - Connections for laptops are available on or next to podiums. Also available are DVD playback and VHS playback. Multiple source projection - In room 105 you can assign different sources to each screen, in rooms 100/110 you can split the widescreen in half and assign different sources to each side. For example, you can have slides from a laptop on one side, and the document camera showing hand-written notes on the other. Rooms 100 & 110 also have options for PIP (picture-in-picture) display. These options can be accessed using the touchscreen, by touching the 'PIP' tab. Contact Media Services staff for assistance with these features. Integrated audio reinforcement - Podium microphones are always on. They can me muted using the touch screen if desired. A wireless lapel mic and a wireless handheld mic are available for each room as well, ask Media Services staff for assistance.Document cameras - For projecting paper notes and/or transparencies. Contact Media Services staff for assistance and training.
Auto-tracking video cameras - Each of these rooms is equipped with a camera at the back of the room which is programmed to track and follow a moving person at the front of the room. These cameras will only be used if you have requested a video recording or are making a DVD (see options below). The tracking is set to work best in situations involving one lecturer who remains generally in the stage area, close to the whiteboards, between the doors. The tracking feature is not optimal with multiple speakers on stage simultaneously, or with speakers leaving the front of the room. For multiple speakers, contact Media Services staff ahead of time and we can set the camera to a still shot that will include everyone.
Self-serve DVD recording - Simply place a blank DVD in the recorder, initiate the recording on the touch screen, and the unit will record video from the auto-tracking camera. Press the stop/finalize buttons when you are done, and after 5-10 minutes of processing the DVD will be ready. Contact Media Services staff if you are interested in using this feature and we can help get you started.
Additional video options- All three rooms send the camera feed and the program feed (whatever is being projected) to a control room where they can be captured for on-demand or live streaming to an internet audience. We can also send live video from these rooms to any other classroom in the building for projection in attendance spillover situations.