2 Systems for Managing Your Campus AV

Looking for the all-in-one solution for your campus AV needs? You are in luck! There are two big players in the networked AV space that can make campus AV support a breeze. Extron’s Global Viewer, and Crestron’s Fusion Room View are both great solutions for this. So lets take a deeper look into the details to see which one is better fit for you.

Before we get too far into the differences, lets talk about how they are the same. Generally the costs of the two systems are about the same. You get no advantage price hunting on these pieces of software. Additionally, they both do pretty much the same thing technically, with a few exceptions. The distinction really is in the details and workflows. If you are seriously thinking about one of these programs, talking to AVG about your needs would be a good step so you don’t miss a critical distinction and you are stuck with a suboptimal solution.

First lets look at Extron Global Viewer. This software puts all your devices on the network and allows you to track use, condition, supplies, and do remote support from one centralized location. This is about as close as you’ll get to the AV team’s dream of having the system work with you, rather than against you.  Some bonuses are that you can use your existing hardware, and you can expand the system as needed. The virtual help desk is a real gem, allowing your users to contact you remotely for support and not have to travel to each location for help. This also comes in handy when monitoring the consumables on devices, and the system can email you when items reach end of life, or have problems, so you can proactively be on top of your AV issues, and not wait until that high pressure meeting to find out the projector is broken.

Crestron’s Fusion does all the same things as listed above, with a few non-AV additions. Crestron can expand into lighting and HVAC controls, to give you a total room control system.  It also allows to you to do room scheduling, and a few other items beyond AV. It’s something to consider when it comes to the big picture, but for AV only, they are equal matches.

In closing, either solution will work well for you, but finding the right fit takes more time and diving into your needs, equipment and growth plans. AVG can help with that, and if you’d like a demo of either software, feel free to give us a call at 301.668.4448 or contact us on our website, www.audiovideogroup.com for more information.