Tag: security

Technomad Schedulon Feeds Audio to Cowboys Stadium Perimeter

Schedulon delivers event information to fans as they enter the stadium based on user-defined, automatic playout schedules

BOSTON, September 7, 2011 – The game of football is all about timing. From running a slant pattern on offense, breaking up the pass on defense, or booting the extra point through the uprights, precise execution is essential to success.

The Schedulon informs fans of event details as they enter the stadium

The Technomad Schedulon audio playback and recording system is all about precision, giving facility operators, PA engineers and other users the freedom of scheduling automatic playback of audio files down to the second, while maintaining a high level of manual control. The Schedulon is also a reliable message repeater, playing back audio messages on a schedule created by the operator.

The Dallas Cowboys, with one of the more storied histories in the National Football League, opened its approximately 80,000-seat stadium (expandable to 100,000 seats) in 2009. The stadium has since hosted major events including Super Bowl XLV in February and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. The facility operations staff uses the Schedulon to welcome home-fans and visitors to the stadium.

The Schedulon connects to the perimeter loudspeaker system outside the stadium, providing information and directions for Cowboys games and other live events. With ten entrances to the stadium, the Schedulon plays out event details as fans enter the Pro Shop entrance at the northwest gate, and Club and Suite guests at the northwest, southwest and other entrances. The Schedulon also welcomes and informs reserved ticket holders at six other entry points. Operators can schedule audio events for automatic playback at specific times on specific days to coincide with games and events.

Technomad recently began shipping Schedulon v3.0, delivering down-to-the-second scheduling and a 200-percent increase in data transfer speeds to vastly improve file upload times. An updated, more intuitive user interface enhances schedule building and creation as well as remote content management. New user-protection and operator-access features provide multiple password levels for administrators and general system operators.

The Schedulon includes an internal power backup option that provides up to 20 minutes of battery-powered operation. The battery keeps scheduled playback events on target for approximately 75 minutes. The Schedulon immediately ‘wakes up’ at the current time to resume playback of all scheduled content after battery power expires and the unit is restarted.

The Schedulon functions as the audio source for a single PA system (in the same way a CD player or iPod can), or to feed audio to large scale paging/background music systems. Scheduling can be as straightforward or complex as desired, down to the exact time of day. All recording, uploading and scheduling tasks can be achieved without the need for a computer or web browser to minimize the risk of crashes and viruses.

Photos credited to Ralph Cole Photography/Courtesy DCFC.

Technomad Introduces Schedulon Playback and Recording System for Commercial Security Applications

Military technology adapted for commercial markets ideal for message repeating in airport and transportation centers

 

Technomad Associates, LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, introduces the Schedulon™, a new automatic mp3 player and recording system designed for integration into commercial security systems for airports and transportation centers of any size.Unique to the commercial market for its flexible scheduling and recording features, the Schedulon is a sibling of Technomad’s popular SuperConductor™ player/recorder used in military and homeland security applications.

 

 

The Schedulon is ideal for commercial security applications in airports and other transportation centers, for manual or scheduled playback of critical or non-critical messages and audio files

 

The Schedulon provides instant playback of up to 99 knob-assigned, user-loaded audio files from a front-panel screen, and allows automatic playback on a user-defined schedule based on an internal clock or synchronized network time server.Operators can interrupt automatic messages and play a knob-assigned siren or emergency announcement from an internal sound library in critical situations.The Schedulon is a reliable, standalone system with few moving parts and Flash RAM storage, and no computer is required for automatic playback.A hardware-based embedded system, the Schedulon does not use Windows or Linux “under the hood” and is therefore not susceptible to typical PC security risks.

 

The Schedulon can function as the audio source for a single PA system (in the same way a CD player or iPod can), or it can be used to feed audio to large scale paging / BGM systems in airports or transportation centers.The unit can integrate with a single set of loudspeakers for indoor/outdoor playback of voice, sound effects and background music to a concentrated area, including a specific airport terminal or underground train or subway tunnel; or within a networked PA system to cover entire airports or ground transportation centers.

Scheduling can be as straightforward or complex as desired, down to the exact time of day.Airports and transportation centers can connect the Schedulon to existing facility paging systems to broadcast automatic announcements.Operators can also use the Schedulon to record new announcements for instant or future playback via the user-defined schedule.All recording and uploading tasks can also be achieved without the need for a computer or web browser to minimize the risk of crashes and viruses.

 

“The Schedulon gives operators the freedom to flexibly schedule and record sounds that match the environs of the venue or installation site,” said Rodger von Kries, vice president of Technomad.“For commercial security, the Schedulon can interface with audio distribution equipment to trigger alarms and pre-recorded emergency messages over PA loudspeakers, serving as a powerful message repeater and campus-wide alert system.Although manual operation is a benefit for instant playback of audio, the scheduling feature ensures that operators are not tied down to monitoring the playback operation.”

 

The Schedulon offers a feature set that makes life easy for the operator.The Local Configuration Mode feature set provides front-panel access to all functions, as well as password protection and management of audio files without the assistance of a computer.Or, an easy-to-use web interface allows rapid configuration of Schedulon functions via any standard browser.

 

Remote control capabilities allow operation of the system from a distance via CGI command, and the Lockout feature ensures that only scheduled or remotely-triggered files can be played when the unit is unsupervised.Users can upload sounds and modify the schedule remotely via web browser as well, greatly simplifying maintenance.

 

The Schedulon is ideal for critical applications — because audio is generated locally by the unit (not streamed over a network), network interruptions will not stop critical sound playback, and network bandwidth is not consumed by streaming audio.Permitted staff can remotely or locally interrupt scheduled playback to play important messages or sound effects as needed.The unit’s internal clock keeps scheduled audio on track even when network time servers aren’t available.

 

The Schedulon can be purchased separately or as part of a Technomad Turnkey PA system, a full range of complete, pre-integrated, fixed or mobile audio solutions featuring Technomad weatherproof loudspeakers, cables, mounting brackets, a dynamic microphone with cable, and a 6RU rack enclosure featuring a two-channel amplifier and a six-channel mixer.Additional rack space allows for inclusion of the Schedulon and other equipment such as power conditioners and limiter/compressors.