Charles '52 and Helen Dolan
John Carroll University
Commencement Address 1996

John Carroll University

Synopsis
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The beautiful campus of John Carroll University is located in University Heights, Ohio . The Media Center staff had installed Synergy 1.3 in the mid 1990's to handle scheduling of media to the campus RF network. Realm Control Corp. was first contacted by JCU in January of 2005 regarding the need to upgrade their system.

Three Generations Removed

The upgrade represented some challenges since the software that was controlling the Head End Media Retrieval system was three generations removed from the current platform. Synergy 1.3 was succeeded by Synergy16, which was then succeeded by Synergy32. Then Synergy32 was succeeded by Phoenix32. It was the responsibility of Realm Control Corp. to replicate in Phoenix32 the database configuration that existed in Synergy 1.3, then to add new capabilities to the system. Specifically, the Media Center staff wished to add a Uniden satellite receiver, a Sony DVP-NC675B 5 disc DVD changer, and a Sony DVP-CX985V 400+1 disc DVD carrousel unit.

The Upgrade & Installation

The database was configured prior to the on-site installation assistance provided by Realm Control Corp. (then known as Xolutonz). Because of the need to control the multi-disc DVD players, Realm Control Corp. also added a new capability to the Phoenix32 Server software. A new "DVD Changer" format was added to support two DVD changer units. The upgrade was completed without any significant problems, except for some difficulties that were encountered when controlling the Uniden satellite receiver. On-site installation assistance was provided by Shane Burke.

Statistics & Topology

John Carroll University uses Phoenix to automate the control and broadcast of four VHS decks and two DVD changers to five campus RF channels. Phoenix is also used to distribute one local origination feed from an auditorium. The outputs of the sources feed an Autopatch router. The output of the Autopatch router feeds the modulators.

Conclusion

Realm Control Corp. would like to thank John Carroll University for choosing Phoenix as the replacement for their Synergy system. Special thanks go out to Lloyd Moreland, William B. Wilhelm, and Duane Dukes. The investment in Phoenix has built a foundation upon which the college Media Retrieval and Campus Automation needs can be served for years to come.