Philadelphia, PA – September 2024… The First Judicial District is the judicial body governing the county of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It consists of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County and the Philadelphia Municipal Court. To improve audio performance and video imagery throughout its various spaces, the court recently elected to modernize their audiovisual (AV) capabilities.
Houser Audio of Aston, PA, founded by audio engineer Andre Houser, was contracted to design and deploy the best possible microphone and AV infrastructure throughout the courthouse. After careful consideration, he and his team selected a variety of products from Alfatron Electronics of Raleigh, NC. This included 8- and 16-channel DSP (Digital Signal Processing) units, a signal distribution amplifier, 75- and 100-foot fiber optic HDMI cables, switcher and HDBaseT transmitter units, HDMI switcher / hub units, USB booster extension cables, and 4K HDMI cables.
Gianni Brown and Christopher Hechler are the two key technicians who were responsible for installing the Alfatron products throughout the First Judicial District facility. Brown was the primary technician for the courtrooms while Hechler was tasked with improving the functionality of the jury assembly rooms. The project commenced in April 2024 and was completed in May 2024.
According to Brown, the ALF-DSP88-U and ALF-DSP1616-U signal processors were used to balance and route the microphone and computer audio inputs appropriately throughout the various courtroom installations. These products performed exceptionally well, as Brown reports, “The ALF-DSP88-U and ALF-DSP1616-U signal processors both offer a great amount of flexibility in a compact package, with a plethora of I/O and GPIO ports. These units were easy to program, thanks to their intuitive control software.”
An Alfatron ALF-SUK4T Distribution Amplifier was used to facilitate the distribution of video signals to multiple television screens and projectors in the various assembly rooms. Here too, Brown was very impressed with the unit’s capability, “The ALF-SUK4T was an excellent choice for our use thanks to the compact size of the transmitter and receiver units. The transmitter was able to fit in a 1U rack shelf and the receivers were able to mount discreetly in the limited space behind the wall-mounted televisions. The SUK4T receiver was able to receive power from the transmitter unit—eliminating the need for a power adapter.”
Hechler had an equally positive experience using the Alfatron products, “We snaked a combination of ALF-8KHDFK-75Ft. and ALF-8KHDFK-100FT 8K HDMI Fiber Cables through conduit in the floor to get HDMI signal from the Prosecution & Defense tables to the equipment rack. The detachable heads that are used on these assemblies made the pulls quite easy. I was also quite impressed with the ALF-WP70S-UB 2×1 switcher and HDBaseT transmitter wall plate. These were placed in the wall in each assembly room to give the end user easy plug-in access to get their own video signal to the rack.”
The Houser Audio team also deployed an Alfatron WU4K-HUB to switch the video monitor input in the standard courtrooms between the two lawyers’ tables and the court staff’s computers. Brown reports that, “The WU4K-HUB paired with the matching table grommet accessory enables the parties’ lawyers to present exhibits from their laptops in a ‘plug and play’ fashion. When a user desires to show the output from their laptop, all they have to do is to press the ‘Show Me’ button. At the conclusion of their presentation, they simply press the ‘Blank output’ button.
The ALF-15M-U2.0 Booster Extension Cable and ALF-HDMI-35Ft 35-foot length 4K HDMI Cable were additional Alfatron products that brought a wealth of technical capability to The First Judicial District project. The ALF-15M-U2.0 cable was used to provide a stereo input for the courtroom staff to record proceedings while the ALF-HDMI-35Ft 35-foot length 4K HDMI cable was used to carry the video signal from the ALF-WU4K-HUB to the main display in the courtrooms.”
With many of today’s sophisticated AV installation projects, questions frequently arise, so capable and responsive support services are crucial. Here too, Alfatron received a glowing review. “I really love Alfatron’s support staff,” says Hechler. “They always got answers back to me within 24 hours and they went above and beyond to help us find the best solutions for this project.”
Reflecting on the now completed First Judicial District project, Houser Audio company President offered the following thoughts, “We are all very pleased with the way this project turned out. The Alfatron equipment is performing exactly as expected and service calls have been rare. The First Judicial District has a much more capable and versatile AV setup than they had previously, and the courthouse staffers were ecstatic when we showed them the final assembly rooms. I’m confident this setup will serve the court well for years to come.”
To learn more about Houser Audio, visit the company’s website at www.houseraudio.com.
About Alfatron Electronics
Alfatron Electronics is a manufacturer of innovative products specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the audio-visual market. The products have been developed by people who are driven by excellence and customer satisfaction. Our products are carefully designed to meet our clients’ requirements while providing intuitive operation and ease of installation. Through dedication and attention to detail, we have been able to achieve simplicity while still meeting top industry and consumer standards—making us a leading choice within many industries. To learn more about Alfatron Electronics, visit www.alfatronelectronics.com.
Photo caption: From left to right: Gianni Brown and Christopher Heckler
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