Admit One Home Systems is a premier designer and installer of home automation, security, theater, and audio solutions based out of Edina, MN, serving the greater Twin Cities area. This award-winning company provides dedicated home automation technology, in-home theater systems and security technology, as well as whole-house audio and video solutions. Andy Hepola, Lead Technician at Admit One Home Systems, worked with our own Jared Kantack on this unique job resulting in a happy customer and a very unique use of AVPro Edge’s revolutionary products.
Are you ready for some football?
Admit One Home Systems was approached by a client requesting the ultimate viewing experience on game day. He wanted to be able to show multiple games at the same time and control the audio to appease friends and family following different teams. The client didn’t want multiple competing TV’s on the walls of his basement, he preferred one central point of interest. With that information, Andy knew he was going to have to think outside of the box to accomplish this goal.
The nature of NFL or College football is that multiple games are played at the same time. Fans want the option to watch multiple games at the same time as well as change the audio to whatever game they want in a moment’s notice. Things can happen in a split second in football, so Andy knew that switching from one source to the next needed to happen instantaneously for his client. These features needed to be implemented alongside an easy to use control system for the setup.
Once he had a solid understanding of what the client was looking for, Andy was able to boil it down to the core needs for the installation.
install must haves
First and foremost a beautiful, clean installation hidden from any guests
• One large display that could show multiple games at the same time
• An easy to use control system that anyone could use without training
• A switch to change multiple source inputs, for watching multiple games at the same time
• Audio separation from the video
• Instant switching from one source to the next
• No compression. Andy wanted to be able to present a picture that was crystal clear
Given the specific needs for this project, Andy kept an open mind when looking for solutions– including those available from Crestron and Savant. There were a few different products that could be used to reach the end goal, but they were not ideal for this situation and carried a hefty price tag.
While working on this design, Andy received an email from AVPro Edge promoting the Video Flux Matrix MultiViewer, a product able to handle 4K quad-view as well as custom layouts with up to 4 sources on the screen simultaneously. The first thought that came to Andy’s mind was that this product was likely the same price or more expensive than the solutions he had already looked at. There was only one way to find out if this was the answer he was looking for, so Andy picked up the phone and was connected with AVPro Edge’s Jared Kantack, a lead sales engineer. He was pleasantly surprised that Video Flux Multi-Viewer was priced substantially less than the other products he was considering. Jared listened while Andy told him about the install, and together, they came up with all of the components he would need to create the client’s vision. Jared, a lifelong Minnesota Vikings football fan, was ecstatic to help a fellow Vikings fan (or so he thought) create the ultimate football viewing room. The AVPro Edge products used in this installation would include:
• AC-MXMV122-UHD: 12 Input x 2 output Matrix MultiViewer
• AC-EX70-UHD: 70 Meter HDMI Extenders via HDBaseT
• AC-MX88-AUHD-GEN2: 18Gbps 4K60 (4:4:4) 8x8 Matrix Switch.
Andy rounded out the install with a 4K projector, a 120” projector screen, and an audio receiver. He used RTI to layout the entire control system, creating one that was easy to use with the ability to control each piece of the installation. With this system, the client would have no problem adding to or changing any of the sources.
Andy is a true professional, visible by his meticulous work. For this installation, the AUHD 8x8 matrix (which was placed in a rack far away from the football room) has an input for each source which allows the video signals to be distributed throughout the entire house. Four of the outputs from the 8x8 Matrix were plugged into the Video Flux’s inputs, which was also installed in the rack. The two outputs on the Video Flux were then distributed to the football room. Andy used AVPro Edge’s best-selling 70 meter extenders to carry the signal from the rack to the projector. Because the 70 meter extenders are so slim, Andy was able to hide the Rx (receiver) end directly behind the display, resulting in a clean install with no visible wires. Next, Andy set up an iPad for control by downloading the RTI app and configuring the system. After the installation was complete, the client was able to host his first football party and impressed everyone with the set up!
During the set-up Andy had some general questions about the Video Flux including the custom multi-view layouts, how the 4K quad-view worked, what the input switching was like once a custom layout was configured. To get the answer to these questions, he called the AVPro Edge tech support line. Working directly with Matt Murray, Chief Technology Officer for AVPro Edge, he was able to learn learn all the features of the Video Flux. After the discussion, Andy was able to provide an even more robust set-up for his client.
This installation was a success and it exceeded every expectation that the client dreamed of. He is now able to have four football games on his screen at one time and can switch between different layouts. He is able to have the main game take up most of the screen while the three other games are at the bottom or to the side of the screen. The Video Flux has seamless switching, with the press of a button all four games can be equal sizes in quad-view. With no visible hardware or wires, the crisp, clean screen looks like its being controlled by magic. The simple On Controls control system on the iPad is the perfect cherry on top of a flawless system. Not to mention – it’s a lot harder to lose than a small remote control! The only problem with the entire job was that when our Sales Engineer Jared saw the photos of the final installation, he realized the client was a bigger Dallas Cowboys fan than the Vikings!
Whatever team you root for on Sunday afternoons there’s no denying that watching ANY games in this football room would be a blast!
