Your browser is out-of-date!

Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now

×

Hudson Valley Community College Upgrades on Sierra Video Systems

Serving 12,000 students in upstate New York, Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) features a state-of-the-art technology facility called the Dr. Joseph J. Bulmer Telecommunications

Hudson Valley Community College Upgrades on Sierra Video Systems

Sep 6, 2006 12:49 PM

Serving 12,000 students in upstate New York, Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) features a state-of-the-art technology facility called the Dr. Joseph J. Bulmer Telecommunications and Computations Center. All of the college’s internal and external video and audio activities originate at the Center. The building is wired to accommodate numerous satellite and video signals.

HVCC recently upgraded its video routing system to accommodate higher bandwidths and more advanced sources. As a result, they chose Sierra Video Systems Yosemite series routers for their expandability. HVCC also used Sierra’s popular trade-up program. HVCC chose the Sierra Video Yosemite Matrix Routing Switcher as the mission critical hub of the Center’s technology. According to Bob Racette, coordinator of Instructional Technologies at HVCC, “Absolutely everything operates around this router, so it is imperative that it work and be reliable. We looked for a company that could provide both the reliability and the service necessary for such an extensive installation.”

HVCC’s Bulmer Telecommunications Center opened in 1995 with a Sierra Video 32×32 router. CommTech, a local professional electronics installer, worked with HVCC to plan and implement the installation. “We recommended HVCC use a Sierra Video Systems Router, because it could handle all of the source machines and it allowed room for expansion,” says Chuck Zariello, president, CommTech. “In addition, Sierra Video is the only company with a trade-up policy, and that gives customers peace of mind.”

Later, the center’s needs grew to require a 64×64 router, to which the college easily upgraded through Sierra Video. The most recent upgrade to the Yosemite series 128×128 configuration allows additional routing capability and connections throughout the technology center. “The Yosemite Routers gave us the confidence to continue expanding our facility, knowing that our investment would continue to be valuable,” Racette says.

Grass Valley, Calif.-based Sierra Video Systems’ Trade-Up program allows a credit for a customer’s entire system when it is traded in for a larger SVS routing switcher. Customers receive a trade-in allowance that is a percentage of the original price they paid for the system. The allowance depends on the system’s age and price, with newer systems qualifying for a higher allowance than older ones. The program is only valid for systems within the same format, such as analog for analog and digital for digital, and is available for up to seven years.

In addition to the 128×128 router, the HVCC system incorporates two other Sierra Video routers, all tied together to provide maximum versatility. A Yosemite series matrix router with a 96×96 configuration and a 2-channel audio router are used on a daily basis, for general college video and telecommunications needs. The primary link, the 128×128 router allows operation of the Center’s edit suites, DVD authoring suites and videoconferencing units from the central control site. In addition, the router supports TV production and TV and audio connections for the entire college and numerous campus based multimedia classrooms and presentation areas.

Government, corporate, and educational clients also use the facility, whose high-tech equipment enables telecommunications links to points throughout the nation and across the globe. Most recently, HVCC provided distance learning classes to medical educators in Poland and Ukraine via computer network paths—all channeled through the Sierra Video router. “We needed a routing system that is very flexible, and we found it with the Sierra product,” Racette says.

Featured Articles

Close