Higher Education Solutions

Synergy Broadcast Systems has served the Community College and university markets for almost 20 years.  Initial solutions included Cable Broadcasting and Video On Demand to the classroom.  Today we also provide solutions for:

• Station Automation and Playback to Broadcast cable access channels via your local cable system or “in-house” closed circuit channels.
• Video On Demand to classrooms and desktops.
• Digital Signage or School Information Channels combine both graphics and video to provide information such as class schedules, weekly menus, meeting and special activity information as well emergency announcements for delays, closings and similar information.
• VideoCourier manages the delivery and distribution of educational video content from a Central Media Center to remote campuses using your Wide Area Network.
• Convert and stream live cable TV signals to projectors and computers instead of TV’s.

Station Automation and Playback
We provide station automation to Education Access customers across the United States.  Customers like Maricopa Scottsdale Community College and Arizona Western College in Arizona, Bowie State Univeristy and Salisbury State College in Salisbury, MD who compete for viewers along with all other cable channels and networks by providing programming to address both education and information for their student population.  Our Station Automation systems include simple solutions with digital servers for a single channel up to multi-channel and hybrid solutions that include tape, DVD, MPEG2 and streaming media in a multi-channel station with web simulcasting and video on-demand.

Video On Demand
Synergy Broadcast pioneered the use of Video On Demand in the classroom in the early 1990’s with our TiltRac Videotape Robots.  Today our digital video on demand solutions provide a browser based interface that takes the viewer through the search and order-entry process to select and play a video either directly to their television set in a closed circuit environment, or we can stream it to their desktop or projector.

At Bowling Green State University we provide video on demand and viewer scheduled programming to classrooms on two campuses.  Faculty order programming via their computer or a Set Top Box interface.

Digital Signage
Digital Signage solves three problems:

Problem #1: How to get information throughout the campus with everyone spread out?  Solution: Locate video displays in strategic areas within the various buildings and throughout the campus including athletic venues and administrative offices.  These displays are connected by the network and display messages, class schedules, activity schedules and importantly…emergency information.  Our web update software allows multiple access so updates can be delegated to individual departments and administrative staff to update their own information.  Controls are available to preview items before they are published if needed.

Problem #2:  How do we provide information to our viewers that watch the cable channels?  Solution:  Use BugCrawler or Informa.  BugCrawler displays station id’s, logo’s, TV ratings and delivers crawls and scrolls over regularly scheduled programs.  Informa does the same thing but also provides full page graphic capability.  These features are perfect for updating schedules, announcing closings or delays, weather emergency, Homeland Security updates and many other types of information.

Problem #3:  We have a school channel but don’t have any video programming to put on it.  Solution:  Use Informa or FireBird to create a 24/7 Information Channel.  Make all of your announcements and updates part of the channel.  As time goes on the system can be upgraded to provide full station operability.

VideoCourier
In today’s connected education environment school’s have access to larger bandwidth than ever before.  With this in mind, Synergy Broadcast Systems developed VideoCourier to enable colleges to better manage and distribute video content to multiple campuses.  VideoCourier provides a central media center that includes the most common types of educational media (videotape, streaming content and MPEG2 digital content).  All titles are in a searchable database so users can search and request the program be streamed live or downloaded to a remote media center at their campus.  The downloads take place at night when bandwidth is readily available and the files are automatically transferred to each requesting media center.  The user can access the file for playback over their closed-circuit television system or have it streamed to a desktop or projector for classroom viewing.  This system saves money in additional copies of programs, utilizes dormant bandwidth and saves resources.

Cable TV Conversion
Video Projectors are the lastest thing in classroom display devices.  Connect one to a PC or Mac and Professors have a much better teaching tool than a standard overhead projector or TV.  The problem is, they don’t have a tuner so you can’t watch cable TV for news or special interest shows.  Synergy Broadcast has solved that problem with two options that can be employed to simplify and control the cable television in the classroom.

In addition to the above features Synergy Broadcast also provides support after the sale via our toll free 800 number so your operators can call with questions, get assistance with trouble shooting, ask training questions.  Contact us at 800-601-6991 to find out how Synergy Broadcast Systems can build a solution for your facility.