Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series Facilitates Seamless Configuration at the National Communication Center for Science and Technology

EZPro International leverages Visionary’s Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) to rapidly deploy the PacketAV Matrix Series across 660,000-square-foot facility

National Communication Center for Science and Technology exterior

The National Communication Center for Science and Technology (NCCST) promotes the communication and transformation of scientific and technological achievements. By engaging in academic exchanges and international cooperation to promote latest findings at home and abroad, the NCCST drives economic and social development. The center, which opened in June 2023, aims to provide a national-level portal to China’s advancements and innovations by establishing itself as a national public service platform for science and culture.

Located in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, the NCCST spans over 660,000 square feet and is situated next to the China Science and Technology Museum. The center features four exhibitions that showcase the history of China’s scientific and technological advancements, the development of ecological civilization, a collection of themed postal stamps issued since the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the significant contributions of individuals toward boosting innovation.

EZPro International, a distributor of world-leading professional audio, video, lighting, conference and control system brands in China, Hong Kong and Macau, supported the design and integration of audiovisual technology at the NCCST. With offices in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian and Shenyang, EZPro International provides a sales and technical service network to China.

“We coordinated with the systems integrator, which we have worked with many times, to complete the audiovisual integration at the National Communication Center for Science and Technology,” said Kane Zhang, CTS-D, CCNA, ENS, senior vice president and chief technology officer for EZPro International. “Our ongoing relationship with the systems integrator created a smooth and seamless integration. The design included audio and video distribution across all video displays, including a large video wall, throughout the facility.”

Zhang added, “We integrated Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series to ensure seamless connectivity with 24-Port Managed Switches from NETGEAR. NETGEAR’s switches automatically recognize the PacketAV Matrix Series devices as soon as they are connected, simplifying the configuration process and offering a plug-and-play experience. The system, which included 63 PacketAV Encoders and Decoders, provided video distribution across all fixed displays and a few mobile audiovisual systems designed to be relocated for presentations in meeting areas and public gathering spaces.”

NETGEAR’s professional AV-enabled switches include a custom profile with Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series, which leverages Visionary’s unique ability to VLAN tag network traffic within the PacketAV endpoints. This feature further enhances network traffic management and segmentation, improving efficiency and reducing congestion in network infrastructures. With this integration, Visionary’s VLAN tagging can be leveraged directly from NETGEAR’s managed switches, creating a more efficient network setup and maintenance process. As a result, EZPro International gained unparalleled reliability and performance, reduced installation times and a consistent user experience across all devices.

“The PacketAV Matrix Series supports Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP), which allows the devices to directly connect and share device information with other discoverable devices, such as NETGEAR’s switches,” explained Zhang. “This particular feature was very important for the network infrastructure at NCCST. It reduced installation time and eliminated unnecessary costs for our customers.”

Zhang added, “Additionally, the PacketAV Matrix Series enables rapid mass configuration. We can quickly discover the parameters of each device and export the information to a CSV format file, which allows us to efficiently configure and edit each PacketAV Encoder and Decoder in the entire audiovisual system. Once we upload the CSV file, we can configure all of the devices on the entire network within minutes. Utilizing existing network resources, the encoders and decoders can rapidly be deployed.”

The final result is a system that is flexible and seamless, one that performs flawlessly. The NCCST’s audiovisual system enables a simplified, stable user experience that empowers academic exchanges and international cooperation to promote the latest scientific and technological advancements.

The 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 supports USB 2.0 over IP and can be deployed on any industry-standard IP network by harnessing the flexibility and scalability of converged IP networks. Utilizing existing network resources, the encoders and decoders can be rapidly deployed, enabling cost-effective distribution of multi-channel Dante/AES67 audio and video over IP.