Black Box Supplies a Complete Control Room Solution for a Weather Monitoring Organization

Challenge

A weather monitoring organization needed to move a Black Box Radian video wall solution, ControlBridge room control system and touchscreens, as well as operator workstations in its old control room into a control room in a brand new facility. To make the move successfully, the company required a complete solution that included new network and AV cabling, connectors, and patch panels. The organization also wanted to upgrade its Radian video wall system so it could extend content to video walls in the control room, conference room, and administrative area in the new building. In addition, the company also required a KVM matrix switch to give operators access to remote PCs.

The organization contacted Black Box for help with the move because we have a 10-year relationship with them and have set up control room solutions for them in the past. They also reached out because they are pleased with their current Radian video wall solution and wanted to continue using the same platform to manage AV content. The company awarded Black Box a contract to provide a control room solution with AV and network cabling, connectors, patch panels, a KVM matrix switch, and an upgraded video wall that could meet the company’s rigid standards. We were also tasked with setting up the Radian video wall solution as well as the ControlBridge system and touchscreens in the new facility.

Solution

Black Box supplied high-speed copper network cable, connectors, and patch panels so the customer could build a network infrastructure in the control room that could support their operations. We also provided the organization with a 4 x 16 CX Series KVM Matrix Switch that enables remote PC access.

Additionally, Black Box upgraded the organization’s Radian video wall system with an expansion chassis so it could stream content to video walls all around the new building. Then we set up the ControlBridge system and touchscreens to ensure they worked flawlessly with the upgraded Radian solution and the rest of the control room technology. We also configured the entire video wall system for the customer and tested it to ensure it was operational. To connect the video wall system, Black Box provided the customer with our high-performance Active Optical Cables (AOCs) that can extend UHD 4K 60 (4:4:4) HDMI 2.0 signals hundreds of meters with full signal integrity. These cables also make direct connections between AV sources and displays, ensuring no signal errors or connectivity issues.

Results

After installation and setup, the organization has an updated control room and upgraded video wall system that improve weather monitoring and streamline overall operations. The copper cabling provides the always-on network connectivity that operators need to get their jobs done effectively. It also offers the high-performance bandwidth needed to support every operator in the control room. The CS Series KVM Matrix Switch enables operators to access critical remote PCs from the comfort of their workstations, which enhances workflows.

The Radian expansion chassis Black Box installed enables the video wall system to extend content to video walls in the control room, conference room, and administrative area with no issue. The 9 x 9 video wall in the control room allows operators to monitor the weather, conduct meetings, watch live TV weather forecasts, and view critical information. The video wall in the administrative area is an eye-catching display that provides visitors with useful information. The conference room video wall enables meeting attendees to view presentations and other information from anywhere they are sitting. The Active Optical Cables that directly connect the entire video wall system ensure each screen is always on and always displaying the correct content. And with the configured ControlBridge system, operators can easily manage video wall content from touchscreens.