Calvary Baptist School has approximately 225 students spread across seven buildings, some of which mix elementary, junior high and/or high school classrooms. The school was seeking an audio and notification system capable of distributing scheduled events, including bells and announcements, to seven distinct zones. The zones are segregated by grade levels instead of buildings, which required an intelligent system that could clearly recognize the specified PA points within each zone.
After evaluating several hard-wired systems, the campus selected an IP-based system based on the BellCommander audio scheduling system from AcroVista Software. Events are entered into the system and automatically distributed to seven zones on schedule, where Barix Exstreamer 100 IP devices receive and decode the signals for playback over the PA system.
"We quickly realized that since our campus was so spread out that it was easier to design and install a system we could set up over TCP/IP," said Jerry Boyd, IT Manager and a classroom instructor at Calvary Baptist School and Church. "The timing was good as we had just built an infrastructure for our computer networks and could use the backbone of our existing Cat 5/Cat 6 network. The Barix and BellCommander system was something we could easily afford. We saved a minimum of $11,000 compared to the least expensive hard-wired system, and the audio quality from Barix is great."
Boyd is looking forward to finalizing the Annuncicom 1000 installation, which he expects to go live over the summer. The device will interoperate with the current system, distributing background music to PA points in public areas including the cafeteria and on the boardwalks that connect the various school buildings. The church will also take advantage of the Annuncicom 1000 to stream background music to outdoor zones where church members gather for luncheons, barbeques and special events.
(Jim Evans)
