Established in 1816, the University of Warsaw is the the largest university in Poland with over 50,000 students, 21 faculties and a total of 126 buildings across the city. The University is also recognised as the most prestigious in Poland and is internationally ranked as one of the best Higher Education institutions in Europe.
Located in the most famous street of Warsaw and surrounded by palaces from the 18th Century, the main campus consists of two spaces (Golden Hall and the Senate Hall) where the most important celebrations and events of the University take place. With a diverse events schedule that covers conferences, meetings, university readings and the annual meetings of the University Senate, a decision was reached to upgrade the AV solution within the Senate Hall, with the University opting for the superior performance and reliability of Shure’s Microflex Complete Wireless (MXCW) system.
With the increasing number of devices communicating in the 2.4 GHz band causing constant problems for the AV team at the university, and an old AV system unable to cope with the daily requirements and growing RF environment density across campus, a system was required that would offer solid transmission. And, with an ever-changing room layout,a completely wireless system was needed to help with the task of seamless room turnaround.
Various AV systems were tested and trialed within the Senate Hall, with transmitter build, transmission reliability and inferior plastic microphone sockets scrutinised for the probability of accidental or unwanted disconnection of microphones during use, leading to unnecessary nervousness and stress among participants – issues the university’s AV department were keen to avoid.
Eventually the university decided to opt for Shure’s MXCW solution, with 30 MXCW640 units chosen to facilitate communication during the various events and conferences taking place within the Senate Hall. Theimplementation of the system was tasked to Polish distributor Polosound and AV integrator VC Systems.
Each MXCW640 desktop is equipped with a securely fastened microphone and illuminated LED ring indicating its status, along with a set of physical buttons that allow easy reporting. Each unit also has a speaker, headphone output and touch screen where the participants can view the guest list, vote, track voting results and send text messages between units. There is also an NFC ID card slot onboard each desktop, which allows the delegate to easily log on to the unit, confirm their presence and recall individual settings related to the appearance, screen layout or individual functions.
The transmission between desktops and the central unit is encrypted using the AES-128 key, ensuring the privacy of the meeting and preventing eavesdropping on the conference. A special transport case has also been prepared upon the request of the university to store and transport the units without disconnecting the gooseneck microphones, making the process of packing and unpacking easier and less time consuming.
“The whole system is very easy to use and offers trouble-free, stable work,” said Andrzej Szeliga, the head of the audiovisual techniques department.
With the implementation of MXCW, the Senate Hall now has a conference system that works flawlessly thanks to its dual band (2.4Ghz and 5 Ghz) operation, offering stable, reliable transmission with the benefits of a completely wireless system – helping to preserve the 18th century Baroque architecture of the building.
