Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services

With a mandate to promote health and well-being, and to provide evidence based physical fitness training programs and physical fitness evaluations for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), CFMWS Human Performance Lab serves military members with programs, services and evaluations to ensure they are operationally fit for duty.

The facility delivers programs and services that improve individual and unit performance and operational readiness. By utilizing modern testing technology, CFMWS harnesses today’s advancements to provide immediate feedback by highly trained researchers and health and performance professionals. The Canadian Armed Forces are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land and air elements. They are proud to serve Canada by defending its values, interests and sovereignty at home and abroad.

“CFMWS Human Performance Lab and Fitness Recording Studio is a multi-use research and training facility combining scientific evaluations and athletic training equipment,” said Bob Guy, partner for Branch Audiovisual. “Branch Audiovisual was selected to provide a design-build solution. The client wanted an audio solution that enabled them to play music throughout the facility. Additionally, they wanted to incorporate a few displays around the facility. Originally, they had requested a display with an HDMI cable, but we recommended a modern approach that would provide them with increased flexibility in the future. We presented an AV-over-IP solution to provide any source, anywhere. The client liked the idea because of the level of flexibility it provided and the simplicity of the user interface.”

Branch Audiovisual deployed Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series to provide a future-proof, scalable and reliable solution suitable for the CFMWS Human Performance Lab. Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series is a cinema-quality, ultra-low latency encoder and decoder solution designed to bypass the constraints of traditional matrix distribution systems. The PacketAV Matrix Series can be deployed on any industry-standard IP network by harnessing the flexibility and scalability of converged IP networks.

“SF Marketing, the Canadian distributor for Visionary, introduced us to their PacketAV Matrix Series,” noted Guy. “Today’s supply chain disruptions led us to explore other platforms. We required an AV-over-IP solution that was reliable, scalable and available. Our technical team worked alongside our partners at SF Marketing to perform an overall evaluation of Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series. We were impressed with the platform; it performs flawlessly with other technologies, like QSC Q-SYS. Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series proved to be a great alternative to the product we were previously using. Most importantly, it was available for immediate integration for our clients.”

Guy added, “We appreciate Visionary’s approach to addressing today’s supply chain challenges, particularly with Dante. Visionary has provided ports to integrate Dante in the future, as needed, while continuing to deliver solutions, which enables us to complete projects on time and within budget.”

Each display is connected with a PacketAV Decoder. Branch Audiovisual integrated a multitude of PacketAV Wall Plates throughout the facility to provide the flexibility to connect audio, Bluetooth and video distribution. “Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series, as opposed to a traditional wall plate, provides the end user with another level of flexibility for their multi-use space,” explained Guy. “The end user can connect their laptop to any wall plates and easily send the content to a display of their choosing.”

Guy added, “From a performance perspective, we’re happy with Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series. The latency, or lack thereof, is fantastic. The product is rock solid. Compared to our experience with other technology, Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series works flawlessly with other technologies. The end-user loves the solution. They’re happy with the system’s reliability, flexibility, and user experience.”

Over the last two decades, Visionary has become a trusted and reliable professional AV brand. Today, Visionary’s products are recognized worldwide for providing outstanding performance and reliability at a cost-effective price. Although, a unique value-add for Visionary’s customers is their personalized customer service. Visionary’s in-house technical support department provides personalized support for a global customer base.

“In our initial evaluation, we determined that the network resources and the manpower requirements to set up Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series were simple and reliable,” said Guy. “We have multiple lines of communication for technical support and service, which are key. Quite honestly, the level of communication and hands-on support is something that you don’t receive with many other manufacturers. We are a design-build company and relationships matter. The service and support that Visionary provided us during our first installation has enabled us to become extremely proficient and successful. Visionary’s customer support has been monumental. It’s one of the reasons we continue to select Visionary for future installations.”

Guy added, “For us, it’s about performance and reliability. We want to provide our clients with solutions that give them the performance to take them into the future without compromising reliability. For that reason, Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series is a platform we will continue to utilize.”

Visionary’s 4K UHD over IP PacketAV Matrix Series encoders and decoders redefine traditional switch matrix systems to create a flexible, scalable, cinema-quality solution for IP networks. The PacketAV Matrix Series offers ultra-low latency with unlimited distribution capabilities. Utilizing existing network resources, the encoders and decoders can be rapidly deployed to enable cost-effective distribution of multi-channel Dante/AES67 audio and video over IP.