Leading provider of advanced integrated theatre and medical training facilities in Europe, Jones AV has announced technology that is designed to ‘turbocharge the environmental sustainability of integrated operating rooms’.
As part of the development of the Integrated Operating Theatre of Things (IToT), Jones AV sought to overcome audio limitations in Operating Room AV set-ups, as well as introduce smart power management, reduce the number of devices via a fully digital signal chain, and scale down travel with full remote control aiming to meet Net Zero 2045 targets within the UK National Health Service.
The company installed the first ITOT system at the Cambridge Surgical Training Centre in 2023, after 18 months of intensive R&D including the use of a demonstration operating theatre. Producing consistent and good-quality audio in training environments, without the requirement for personal microphones was a key objective, allowing better legibility for lectures and recordings of teaching materials.
‘We continually struggled with audio routing limitations as part of Video-over-IP systems, as they do not allow for true matrix routing when multiple participants or platforms are involved,’ says Jones AV MD, Ingo Aicher. ‘We were specifically looking for a future-proof audio solution that would give all the advantages of digital with the added bonus on POE for delivering audio, power and control data via a single wire.’
Collaborating with RH Consulting for the systems design and Audiologic and Sennheiser for equipment supply and advice, and under the guidance of Audiologic Business Manager Jess Raraty and Sennheiser, a system incorporating a Q-Sys Core Nano AV&C processor, Sennheiser Team Connect Ceiling Mic II, Genelec 4420AWM Smart IP speakers and Audinate ADP USB AU and Dante Bluetooth module was put together for the Demo Theatre.
‘We received support with all things technical, opening up lines to manufacturers technicians and support teams,’ Aicher says. ‘Jess made sure we received the development kit quickly to start programming and get to grips with the Q-Sys and Genelec equipment. Audiologic worked with Sennheiser to get us the Speechline equipment for an extended period to set up a test environment in the office so we could test and simulate the whole set-up.’
The resulting trials yielded positive results, demonstrating no interference, advanced audio routing, and successful remote access to administer and control all devices in the signal chain. The system was then deployed at the Cambridge Surgical Training Centre, where it received praise for its ease-of-use and audiovisual performance.
‘The quality, the audio options, the microphone administration, configuration and the full end-to-end management options were truly mind blowing,’ Aicher reports. ‘We had simply awesome results, which we couldn’t wait to get this fully integrated into a multiroom system.’
Jones AV’s transition to digital audio not only enhances the audio experience but also contributes to significant energy savings. Failsafe operation is essential in the environment, and the electrical supply has to conform to medical regulations. By implementing smart power management solutions they aim to reduce electricity costs and lower CO2 emissions.
‘Training for the system was slick, clear and within hours we were able to easily operate the system and in literally minutes had everything up and running to beam demos for our courses around our centre,’ says Donna Langley, Surgical Centre Technical Manager at Cambridge Surgical Training Centre. ‘Ongoing support is quick and simple.’
Aicher expressed satisfaction with the transition to digital audio, emphasising the system’s improved audio quality, ease of installation, and remote control capabilities, concluding: ‘This step to Dante and fully digital audio has allowed us to reduce components in the signal chain, keep things interference free and improve the audio experience all round. From ease-of-install to the capabilities and the sound quality and usability for the client to the detail of remote audio control options, it has been a major success.’
With the system now in the UK and Norway, the company has received around 60 further orders with operations to be deployed over the next 18 months.
More: www.audiologic.uk
