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Setup for Events

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Kevin Thull edited this page Oct 30, 2018 · 2 revisions

Each kit is made up of a personal video recorder (PVR), an audio recorder (Zoom) and the cables/dongles needed to connect to each other, the projector, power, and the laptop.

Generally allow 15 minutes per room for setup, plus a cushion for things like unlocking rooms, setting up podiums or head tables, getting power to the podium, waking projectors, figuring out the projector controls, etc. If possible, set up the day before the event, otherwise give yourself extra time for setup.

Also worth noting are events that start with a keynote. This generally means only one room to set up first, and then extra time to set up the additional rooms.

Each Kit Contains

  • PVR
  • PVR USB power cable with 5V 1A USB power supply
  • Voice recorder
  • Voice recorder mini-USB to USB cable with 5V 1A USB power supply
  • Audio cable
  • HDMI cable (laptop to PVR)
  • Mini display port to HDMI dongle (laptop to PVR)
  • HDMI to VGA dongle (PVR to projector)
  • Zip ties (if needed to secure dongle to projector cable)
  • 8gb USB drive (PVR)
  • 16gb flash drive (voice recorder)

Alternate Cables/Dongles

  • USB-c to HDMI cable
  • Mini display port to HDMI cable
  • Full display port to HDMI cable
  • VGA to HDMI dongle

Additional needed for setup

  • Gaffers tape
  • Power strip located near the setup
  • Printed copy of in-room recording instructions (link here)
  • Add name/phone number of AV contact at bottom of instructions

Setup

Each room/venue/projector setup is unique, but your goal is to put the PVR and Zoom within reach of the presenter, the projector cable, and power. You need at least three open power slots: two for the kit and one for the laptop (possibly more depending on the orientation/spacing of the plugs). Additionally, you will want to be able to see the horizontal LED light bar of the PVR from the room doorway to ease monitoring throughout the event. Avoid placement near powered in-room microphones, as they can interfere with the audio recording.

First loosely position the components and be sure the cables will reach comfortably. Then start taping things down and connecting cables, avoid the potential of cables going over PVR as they can accidentally mute the audio.

  • Insert an SD card into the Zoom and tape the unit down
  • Insert a USB drive into the PVR and tape the unit down
  • Connect the Zoom (line out) to the PVR audio port (tape down cable, if needed)
  • Connect the PVR to the projector (HDMI out)
  • VGA projector: use the HDMI to VGA dongle; if unable to screw the dongle to the projector VGA cable, use the zip ties and/or gaffers tape
  • HDMI projector: plug in directly and store the HDMI to VGA dongle and zip ties
  • Connect the PVR to the test laptop (tape down cable near PVR, if needed)
  • Plug HDMI cable into PVR (HDMI in) and lead the laptop end to where the presenter laptop will go. Connect the HDMI to mini display port dongle, so presenters will have it, if needed
  • Connect the Zoom to power and turn it on
  • Mini USB cable + 5V USB plug
  • Connect the PVR to power (it will power on automatically)
  • PVR USB power cable + 5V USB plug (black USB plug only; red is not used)
  • Verify the laptop is projecting on screen
  • Wait a minute or two for potential flicker
  • Tape instructions to the podium/table near (but out of the way of) where the presenter laptop will go
  • Add contact and phone number at bottom of sheet
  • Disconnect the test laptop
  • Start the Zoom audio recording and enable the Hold function by sliding the power switch up (to prevent accidental stopping of the audio backup)

Throughout the Event

  • Wake podiums after lunch or long breaks
  • Swap media at lunch and end of day
  • Check each presenter is connected and knows about record button
  • Check that each presenter is actually recording once sessions start
  • Periodically verify that Zoom is still recording
  • Verify that dB gain, lock, and mute on the PVR panel are not lit

Managing Media

  • Write room numbers on insert in each media pouch
  • Be careful not to get distracted when swapping old and new media
  • On your computer, create file folders for each room
  • Zoom audio files will be located inside STEREO / FOLDER01
  • The files will have generic names, so it is helpful to add the day of the week (plus am / pm for longer events) to the file name before copying
  • After copying files from removable media, move them into the “copied” folder
  • Check video recordings for reasonably good start/stop, clean audio
  • For multi-day events, delete copied files from removable media at end of day

End of Day (for multi-day event)

  • Swap media
  • Power off equipment
  • PVR does not have a power switch, so just unplug it

Start of Day (for multi-day event)

  • Wake projectors
  • Power up equipment
  • Turn on the Zoom and start audio recording
  • Plug in the PVR

End of Event

  • Collect and copy final media, taking care not to mix with already copied media
  • Recoil cable bundles and repack shipping case
  • Return case via FedEx (seal with zip ties just before handing to FedEx agent)

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