All in ONE...Is it a great idea?

At Lambda Audio Visual we always want to make sure we spec the right tool for the job. As AV integrators it’s our job to take multiple tools and combine them into one functional, practical system. We love it when we find one great product suited for a specific task. This time that product was the Maxhub IFP or Integrated Flat Panel. This is a unique piece of equipment that we installed in a workspace and will continue to become very popular option for many businesses and collaborative community spaces!

When NAMI or the National Association On Mental Illness was moving into their new space they reached out to us for technical recommendations. They had a double meeting room with collapsible divider in the middle. They wanted this space to be functional for just about every type of meeting. Nami’s needs were a Zoom room, Microsoft teams, a white board, PowerPoint presentations, music, the list goes on and on. 

NAMI, like many groups, is very good at what they do and with caring for their clientele but didn’t want to spend a lot of time or money managing a complicated AV setup. They wanted something easy to use and something that could easily serve their long list of needs for their meeting space. To accomplish this, we looked to a product called the IFP or Integrated Flat Panel. An IFP is much like a TV in looks but with a touch screen, camera, mics, speaker, computer all in one unit. The Maxhub IFP is what we chose for NAMI; specifically the Viewprov6 86” and 65” displays. These are 4k touch screen displays with a Windows 11 computer module, dual cameras, beam forming mics and loud speakers. They were a perfect fit for NAMI’s use case.

We installed a display on either side of the undivided room. Since one side had a slightly higher ceiling, we installed the 86” on that side with the idea being they could use the room in a combined setting oriented to the larger screen. With an integrated Windows 11 computer, almost any app can be installed for use in the space. Maxhub includes an integrated “Home” interface for easily navigating between different apps and functions. It has a multi-point white board interface that allows easy touchscreen drawing even with multiple people creating at the same time. A quick sharing interface to send meeting notes to anyone in the room with a QR code makes the presenters job easy. A built-in dual camera works with Zoom, Teams, or any other meeting app and shows a Picture-in-Picture wide view of the room with another camera that auto-cuts to closeups based on who is talking in the room. A beam forming mic system uses multiple microphones to “zoom” in on meeting participants and loudspeakers help everyone in the room to hear. The display even integrates wireless content sharing allowing anyone in the meeting to tap the sharing button on the display and be presented with a multitude of options for getting your content wirelessly to the display. These displays provide great customizability such as welcome screens and even power on/off scheduling. Truly a device to do it all!

With all this in one device you might ask, why have Lambda install it? The first reason: training. Spending time with the client to not only show them how the displays work but also to help configure every option of the display. We can also make recommendations based on what we know about the client and how to create the best workflows from using a device like this. The other reason is: even with all the built-in functionality we can’t leave well enough alone... we added some stuff to make it cover absolutely everything NAMI could want. On the large side of the room, we added a Salamander Designs EZ touch mount. This mount allows a user to walk up and move the display up or down up to 16” with one hand. This allows for full touch screen reachability for a small presentation or getting the display up high for showing to a larger audience. We also added a small Stewart Audio amplifier and some SoundTube ceiling speakers for the back half of the room when the two spaces are combined. This ensures clear audio all the way to the back of the room all the time.

All in all, we have a complete and usable space with options for whatever the organization throws at it. Complete flexibility with single point management allows high space usability and positive interactions for meeting participants. Maybe you have a meeting space that you want to make easy and interactive with an IFP? Let us know!

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