Gefen Receives Pro AV Spotlight/Judges Award and Rental & Staging Awards at InfoComm

	Stony Brook University Reality Deck

Digital connectivity solutions provider Gefen took home two awards at this month's InfoComm show in Orlando, Florida. A world-class installation called Reality Deck at Stony Brook University was awarded by the judges in the Pro AV Spotlight Awards recognizing excellence in installations in commercial environments. This installation used 432 Gefen Fiber Optic Extenders for DisplayPort. The second award was for the Gefen 32x32 Modular Matrix, which took home the Rental & Staging Award for best video signal processing product.

"We couldn't be happier to receive these two awards at this year's InfoComm," said Hagai Gefen, president, Gefen. "In the case of Stony Brook University, we were thrilled that this unique and innovative installation was recognized for its use of first-of-its-kind immersive technology that is fundamentally shifting the way we can install and interact with digital signage in a learning institution. Our first-to-market strategy paid off as we were the only ones with suitable, long distance extenders for DisplayPort."

Members of the Stony Brook University (SBU) computer science department designed a surround installation of more than 400 high definition LCD displays along four walls so the user, standing in the room, would have a realistic view of large-scale, scientific, computerized data. In developing the immersive visualization display, the team had to combine a number of custom, state-of-the-art systems. A main challenge was supporting the sheer number of pixels (1.5 billion) that needed to be generated and transmitted to the individual displays in a reliable and cost-effective way. The designers opted for a high density, 18-node GPU cluster with each node driving up to 24 displays at 2560x1440 resolution each. The cluster is also located in a separate, adjacent machine room and required video to be transmitted over cables up to 100' in length. The Reality Deck team selected an assortment of Gefen DisplayPort Extreme Fiber Optic extenders in 75' and 100' distances. Today, Reality Deck offers the most original visualization platform for large-scale scientific data and for research into novel user interaction methods.

Winner of the Rental & Staging Award, Gefen's 32x32 Modular Matrix can support a mix of DVI, DisplayPort and HDBaseT input boards in groups of eight inputs per module. Up to 32 inputs can be routed to any 32 outputs using DVI, HDBaseT or fiber optic outputs. The modular frame allows for a unique customization of output boards in groups of eight. The 8x DVI boards output directly to eight local displays. The 8x ELR boards extend eight outputs up to 330' (100m) using one CAT-5 cable per display. Individual receivers use Gefen's Power Over Line technology to eliminate the need for a power supply at the receiving side. The 8x 1FO boards extend eight outputs up to 1,000' (300m) using one fiber optic cable per display for long distances.

"Users can tailor their modular matrix frame by combining different input and output boards depending on the distance that the displays need to be local or extended," explained Gefen. "If you need 16 displays to be installed 330' from the matrix frame, and another 16 displays to be installed 1,000' away, you can install one 32x32 Modular Matrix frame and then customize your outputs using two 8x FOs and two 8x ELRs based on HDBaseT to meet the requirements of the system."