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NORTHFIELD METHODIST CHURCH GOES DIGITAL
In August 2012 Tom Crosswell of IntaMedia Turnkey Solution Providers received
a call from Northfield Methodist Church,
in Benoni. They were looking at replacing
their old projector and wanted Inta-Media
to provide a demonstration of a suitable
replacement. Tom Crosswell was happy
to oblige and arranged a demo unit from
NEC South Africa.
The church was suitably impressed with the PA500U. It was a vast improvement over what they
had in the building at the time. However, they also
wanted to add a second screen and projector. This
was when the conversation turned to an in-depth
discussion of analogue vs digital.
The discussion helped them reach the conclusion
that digital was the way to go. So Tom set out to
design a “future-proof” digital solution involving
Crestron Digital Media, NEC projectors and Kramer
Electronics.
Projects in houses of worship often fall prey to too
many “expert” opinions. Because of their financial
situations many churches often also feel that they
have to compromise on quality or sacrifice one
item for another. This in turn leads to equipment
being purchased from a viewpoint of getting away
with the cheapest product to fill an immediate
need. Getting the right solution for your venue
can become a “minefield” of choices with the right
answer hidden somewhere in it. No-one really
knows … yet everyone thinks his choice is the right
one!
Northfield Methodist has been in existence for 87
years and has a rich heritage. For Reverend Brian
Smith, it was of utmost importance to get a costeffective solution which would not need to be
redone or replaced for a good number of years,
and which would lend itself to easy expansion in
the future.
One of Inta-Media’s strengths is the fact that Tom
can utilize many years in the industry to come
up with an open-ended design which will save the
church finances and headaches in the future, hence
the term “future-proof”. This is a passion for Tom,
especially when it comes to churches. Tom has
vast experience in the field of audio, lighting, video
and IMAG, but also understands that none of the
good solutions comes “cheap”. In this industry, you
literally get what you pay for! This is the solution
Tom proposed:
The new Crestron DM system consisted of a MD6x4 switcher and two DM-RMC-100-C HDBaseT
receivers/controllers, one for each of the new
NEC PA-500U projectors that were installed. A
Crestron HD-EXT-2C HDMI Extender was installed
from the stage to the FOH position for use with
lapto ps and other devices from the stage. All DM
interconnections are done using Belden Cat-5 FTP
cable.
Other devices added to the system include a
Kramer SDI to HDMI scaler to bring their Sony
Video Camera into the system and a HDMI audio
de-embedder to provide the audio feed to the
house mixing console. The system runs flawlessly
at 1080P, except for the camera, which runs at
1080i and the DVD Player that operates at normal
PAL video resolution. Scaling is done using the
projector’s own built-in scalers.
List of equipment installed:
• 1 x Crestron DM-MD 6x4 Router
• 2 x Crestron DMC-RMC-100-C 8G+ Receiver/
Controller
• 1 x Crestron HD-EXT-2C HDMI Extender
• 1 x Kramer FC-331 HD-SDI to HDMI
Converter
• 1 x Kramer FC-46xl HDMI Audio DeEmbedder
• 2 x NEC NP-PA500U Projectors with NP-13ZL
Zoom Lenses
• 2 x Custom Fixed-frame 16:9 Projection
screens
“We found working with the Crestron product
an absolute pleasure,” said Tom “We had great
assistance from Crestron in South Africa in terms of
system design and product selection. The system
ran first time with no glitches, and with everything
synching up nicely.”
Inta-Media – Seeing, Hearing and Knowing the Difference
Inta-Media is a company geared to providing comprehensive turnkey solutions in the fields of Professional Audio, Sound Reinforcement, AV Presentation and Stage Lighting.
Tom Crosswell, the owner of the Modderfontein-based company, is partnered by Mariann Crosswell and between them have 45 years of experience in the Pro AV Industry. Tom
is the Solution Architect and Mariann is the Projects Manager: in other words he comes up with an idea and she makes it happen.
Tom’s philosophy is that everything starts with design responsibility. He implements best practices, draws on past
experience and partners with the best in the industry to stay abreast of latest developments.
He says “At Inta-Media we believe in providing system designs that provide both a cost-effective and quality solution
to the end user”.
Tom regards providing turnkey solutions as Inta-Media’s speciality and has done installations for Houses of
Worship, Corporate Entities, Broadcast Facilities, Theatres, Sports Stadiums, the Hospitality Industry and Educational
Institutions.
They also offer the following IMS related services: Infra-structure design on new building projects, system assessment,
upgrading existing systems, acoustic system performance modelling, strategic planning, on and off-site project
management, and end-user training.
Tom is a great believer in future-proofing: “This means providing my clients with a cost-effective system that will
endure for a long time, but is also upgradeable should the need arise”.
Inta-Media’s motto is “We go the extra mile … you see, hear and know the difference”.
For more info on Inta-Media and the installations they have done check out their website: www.intamedia.co.za
Mariann and Tom Crosswell
PROMAG
– third quarter 2013
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