A/V (Audio-Visual) In The Malone Seminar & Conference Rooms

The various seminar conference rooms in Malone Hall are shared by CS and HEMI and have a variety of A/V capabilities including projectors and video screens.

Please note that CS IT Support is not involved with Malone Hall A/V Support, other than providing this documentation page.

Video Conferencing Rooms

Some of the rooms in Malone Hall (MH 107, MH 137, and MH 328) are video conferencing rooms that include Polycom video cameras and utilize Polycom Video Conferencing capabilities. Those same rooms also allow the use of Adobe Connect, and unofficially, Skype.

Video Conferencing Room PCs

Besides the Polycom cameras and related hardware (used for Polycom Videoconferencing), each video conferencing room also includes a Windows-based PC. This PC allows the use of Adobe Connect and SKYPE, as the PC is also tied into the Polycom cameras and hardware.

These PCs are physically located within the A/V cabinets and may not be directly visible. You access these PCs by choosing Cabinet PC from the room's Creston touch panel video controls. There is a wireless keyboard on top of the A/V cabinets in each Video Conferencing room. You log into these Video Conferencing room PCs using your JHED ID.

In the video conferencing rooms, there are binders with contact info (use & troubleshooting), and you might find some helpful docs in several of the other A/V seminar rooms as well.

A/V Hardware and General Use Support

Most of the A/V hardware in the seminar and conferencing rooms (and even in most offices with wall-mounted video monitors) in Malone Hall is supported by KIT-CATS (Krieger Information Technology - Classroom Audiovisual Technology Support).

Polycom Video Conferencing hardware is supported by VNOC (JHU's Video Network Operations Center).

See below for details, including contact info for Kit-cats and VNOC.

It is highly recommended that you plan out your A/V needs before using the Seminar/Conference rooms. Check out what equipment is available in the rooms, and make sure you know how to use that equipment.

Questions about any of these services should be directed to Kit-cats, VNOC, or the Adobe Connect group. Contact info for each can be found elsewhere in this document or by clicking the links in the table below.

Who To Call For What A/V Issue?

If your issue is with...	Contact...
Projector/Monitor trouble, Wall Plates, or Connections	KIT-CATS
Questions about using projector/monitor(s) or other A/V hardware	KIT-CATS
Crestron (touch panel) problems	KIT-CATS
Polycom Hardware	VNOC
To Schedule a Polycom Video Conference	VNOC
Polycom Video Conference issues	VNOC
For Certification of Polycom Video Site	VNOC
For Adobe Connect questions/issues	Adobe Connect Group
Skype	Available on the each Video Conference Room's computer, but not officially supported.
Video Conference Room PCs	KIT-CATS

Support for The A/V Equipment - KIT-CATS

Primary support for A/V Equipment in the Malone Hall conference/seminar rooms (and offices) is handled by JHU's A/V service known as KIT-CATS.

KIT-KATS (Krieger Information Technology - Classroom Audiovisual Technology Support)

http://web1.johnshopkins.edu/classrooms/avservices/

kitcats@jhu.edu

410-516-6699

Kit-cats can provide you setup and troubleshooting support for all except for Polycom Video Conferencing which is supported by VNOC and with the meeting setup for Adobe Connect, which is handled by the Adobe Connect group.)

NOTE: If you call Kit-cats and are told by them that they do not support Malone Hall, that is incorrect. They do. If you have issues getting someone from Kit-cats to come out, please contact one of the two people listed below:

Erin Maher-Moran at x64733 emaher2@jhu.edu (Multimedia Services Manager - KITCATS)

or

Mike Vanschoorisse x60490 mikev@jhu.edu (IT Manager)

Polycom Video Conferencing In a Malone Hall Seminar Room - VNOC

Video conferencing in the Malone seminar rooms can be accomplished with Polycom-based video conferencing. There is Polycom-related hardware available for use in the following rooms:

MH 107

MH 137

MH 328

Support for the Polycom Video Conferencing Service

If you have any issues or questions or problems with the Polycom video conferencing service, please contact:

JHU's Video Network Operations Center (VNOC)

• Availability: M-F, 8:30-5:00 pm
• Phone: 667-208-6100
• Email: VTC@jhu.edu

Scheduling A Polycom Video Conference For Malone Hall

Scheduling of a multi-user Polycom video conference is coordinated by JHU's Video Network Operations Center (VNOC).

When Do You Need To Schedule A Polycom Video Conference For Malone Hall?

Scheduling a conference is required when you want more than two participants in the conference (i.e., multi-user.)

If it's only a point-to-point call (one video system connecting to another video system), you do not need to schedule a conference. However, if you want more than two endpoints to connect to a conference, the conference needs to be on "the bridge" maintained by JHU's Video Network Operations Center (VNOC), and therefore, requires scheduling.

How To Schedule A Polycom Video Conference In Malone Hall

(First, you'll need to schedule to use the actual Seminar/Conference Room containing the Polycom equipment. Please contact Debbie in MH 160 for more info on scheduling the use of a room.)

To schedule a video conference, please read and follow the instructions provided in this Scheduling a Malone Hall Video Conference document. This information can also be found at: http://www.it.johnshopkins.edu/services/collaboration_tools/video/conferencingprocedures.html

Testing a Polycom Unit with a "Test Room"

Visit Testing the Polycom System for info on a "test room" to connect to with the Polycom.

Adobe Connect Video Conferencing In A Malone Hall Seminar Room - JHU Adobe Connect Support

Another way to accomplish Video Conferencing in the Malone seminar rooms is with Adobe Connect-based video conferencing. For support, contact JHU's Adobe Connect group at connectsupport@jhu.edu first. If you're having hardware issues with the equipment, you'll want to contact Kit-Cats.

For Adobe Connect info and meeting setup within JHU, please go to: http://connect.johnshopkins.edu

Adobe Connect is not an application on the PC. It's something you connect to on the web via a web browser on the PCs in the video conferencing rooms.

The Polycom-related camera and audio hardware located in the following rooms are also configured to be used with Adobe Connect:

MH 107

MH 137

MH 328

You might not see the PC (as it resides in the cabinet), but you should find the keyboard/trackpad on the cabinet or a table in each of these rooms.

Log into the PC using your JHED ID. Don't forget to log out afterwards.

SKYPE Video Conferencing In A Malone Hall Seminar Room - UNSUPPORTED

Video conferencing in the Malone seminar rooms can also be accomplished with SKYPE-based video conferencing. However, JHU does not offer support for Skype.

Skype resides on a dedicated Windows 7-based PC in each video conferencing room, but is a use-at-your-own-risk application.

The Polycom-related camera and audio hardware located in the following video conferencing rooms are configured to be used with SKYPE:

MH 107

MH 137

MH 328

You might not see the PC (as it resides in the cabinet), but you should find the keyboard/trackpad on the cabinet or a table in each of these rooms.

Log into the PC using your JHED ID. Don't forget to log out afterwards.

Here are some Skype tips we've gathered over time...

How To Display a SKYPE Session On The Video Displays

• From the Crestron panel in the room, choose Cabinet PC.
• You should see the PC's Welcome login window appear. (If the system is already logged in from prior use, please log out of it before you continue.)
• Log into Windows using your JHED ID and JHED password.
• Once logged in, launch SKYPE.
• Log into Skype with your own Skype credentials, not your JHED credentials.

At this point, you can make/receive your SKYPE-based video conference call.

Remember to log out of SKYPE and your Windows session before leaving the room.

Adding Slides to your SKYPE Conference Call

If you have Power Point slides to present within your conference call, you must transfer them to the PC via USB thumb drive (PC is in the cabinet) or some online method.

Once the file is on the PC...

• Start SKYPE
• Bring up your Power Point document.
• Near the bottom of your SKYPE video window, you should see a large + (plus) sign enclosed in a circle.
• Click the Plus sign. A menu will appear.
• Click Share screens... A "share screen" window appears.

(By default, SKYPE will share the screen/desktop. But, the “Share your screen” pull-down menu also includes an option of just sharing a window. For most purposes, sharing the screen should be fine. )

• From the "Share screens" window, click Start, and your screen’s display (and, whatever is on it, Power Point, etc.) should appear in SKYPE at both your display and the remote user’s display.

NOTES:

• You should see your own video window in the corner of the display.

• You should also see the option to "Stop sharing" in your inset video window.

• Remember, Skype is not officially supported at JHU. It's installed on the system for your convenience.