Recently, AVPA employees attended a training seminar conducted by Extron Electronics, one of the leading providers of professional AV integration products for commercial environments. The main focus of the seminar was to introduce professional AV programmers to the new configuration software that Extron is using to control their Pro Series line of processors and touchpads.
This new software, called Global ScripterTM, takes Extron products into a new era—from a more configuration-style of control to an actual true programming language, one that is based on the widely-used programming language Python, which has been in use since 1991.
Global Scripter, which Extron calls its “most powerful and versatile control system programming software,” will allow us to meet the increasing demands of today’s commercial AV customers by offering them more customization, more powerful solutions, as well as the ability to handle larger and more complex projects. It opens up many new opportunities that were not previously available to those utilizing Extron products, and we are excited to take advantage of them for the benefit of our commercial AV customers.
We have found that there is a trade-off when using Global Scripter, however. While customers gain greater customization and power, they lose some of their ability to support and tweak their own systems. Any changes that need to be made after the system is installed need to be made by programmers trained in the Global Scripter development environment. For those customers who normally outsource their AV programming and related support, this won’t be an issue, but for organizations who utilize internal AV programmers and self-support, this is definitely something to take into consideration.
As we continue to expand our AV programming capabilities, it is important that we keep up on the latest technology coming out of leading companies like Extron. Their products and software are uniquely suited for environments like corporate boardrooms, classrooms, conference rooms, hotels, and houses of worship, so strengthening our relationship with Extron gives us even more to offer these types of clients.
If you have a commercial AV project in need of programmers that are trained in the latest systems from leading companies like Extron, contact AVPA. We’d be happy to discuss your project with you to see how we can meet your specific requirements by designing a system that is unique to your user interface and control needs.
