Nureva HDL410 – Best Practice for Camera Integration
Direct Integration
Before installing a camera steering and switching solution to integrate with your Nureva audio solution, we recommend you refer to the below information and important links.
You can find comprehensive instructions on installing and configuring a Nureva / camera solution on the Nureva Support site.
This article gives guidance you may not find online, plus some Top Tips that we have picked up.
Understand the customer requirements
Nureva can support both camera steering (tracking/switching presets), and camera switching (changing to different cameras).
It is important to have a view of the customers room, and understand which areas of the room need to be covered by a camera. From this, you can determine the number of cameras required and the fields of view.
If you have any queries about this, please contact Ascentae for advice. We can even offer a full pre-installation consultancy service to help with this.
Understand the limitations of the technology – HDL300 / HDL310
When integrating with a HDL300 or HDL310, you have a single sound bar – and so only one point of reference. The information passed to the camera controller is based on the central point of the sound bar. This makes it an ideal solution for azimuth presets, with a single camera mounted in line with the centre of the sound bar.
Typically, up to 8 presets can be configured, each covering 22.5° of the room.
The same is true if you have the legacy Dual HDL300 system. The reference point for camera tracking will be the centre point of the primary sound bar (plugged into port 1 on the Connect Module). The 2nd sound bar is not used for camera tracking).
If using more than one camera, the best position for the cameras is either side of the sound bar, each covering half the room and using 4 presets.
Understand the limitations of the technology – HDL300 / HDL310
The HDL410 has 2 sound bars and when correctly positioned in the room, they can deliver accurate X,Y coordinate information to the camera controller. Depending on the sophistication of the camera controller, it can interpret those coordinates in different ways.
Select appropriate camera and steer to coordinate location
Select appropriate camera and steer using presets
Select appropriate camera and switch to pre-defined zone
Note: Not all camera controllers support all these modes. Refer the camera vendor documentation for details.
Camera zoning is covered in detail in a separate knowledge base article.
Choosing the correct camera
Nureva have created a suite of API calls which different camera providers have utilized to integrate with the Nureva devices. Currently these are Aver and Lumens, plus drivers and sound tracking modules by Crestron and Extron.
Typically, each camera vendor has created a software camera controller (in some instances it may be a hardware device). Nureva confirm compatibility with the camera controller. However, not all cameras from a specific vendor will be supported on the controller software. It is the responsibility of the integrator to confirm compatibility of cameras and camera control solution.
Make sure you check the focus length / zoom capabilities of the proposed camera. If you are installing in a large room, the camera should be able to zoom and focus clearly on the furthest participant.
Currently supported camera drivers are as follows
Note that camera switching is not supported by PTZApp 2 (single camera only)
Note that camera switching is not supported by CamConnect Lite (single camera only)
Cameras that support preset recall and have a Crestron module can support sound location data.
Cameras that support preset recall and have an Extron driver can support sound location data.
Positioning of the Nureva Sound Bars
For the HL300 / HDL310 remember that the camera reference point is the centre of the sound bar.
The ideal position for the sound bar is above the screen – allowing sufficient clearance for the audio to be reflected off the wall into the microphones.
It is important that there is no obstruction underneath the sound bar as this will degrade audio quality and cause inaccurate sound location data.
To ensure best audio performance, measure how far your screen sits from the wall, and mount the sound bar so the bottom is 1.5 x this distance.
E.g. if you screen sits 10cm proud of the wall, the bottom of the sound bar should be 15cm from the top of the screen.
Refer to the Microphone clearance requirements guide for more details
https://support.nureva.com/docs/installation-hdl300-microphone-clearance-requirements-and-recommendations-2
We recommend that cameras are mounted underneath the screen where possible, but if underneath HDL sound bar, allow at least 6” (15cm) clearance from the top of the camera to the bottom of the sound bar.
Available Resources
Supported camera solution - https://support.nureva.com/docs/supported-integrations-for-camera-switching-and-tracking-1
Aver Integration Instructions - https://support.nureva.com/docs/integrate-aver-cameras-with-camera-tracking
Lumens Integration Instructions - https://support.nureva.com/docs/how-to-integrate-with-lumens-ptz-cameras
Crestron Module Instructions - https://support.nureva.com/docs/use-crestron-sound-tracking-module
Extron Driver Instructions - https://support.nureva.com/docs/using-extron-sound-tracking-driver
Watch out for reflections
Cameras are dumb and can easily be confused by reflections in windows.
Be mindful of setting presets that can catch reflected images, or setting the camera to track in areas where windows will reflect if it’s dark outside.
Ideally, curtains or blinds will not only avoid this issue, but have the additional benefit of reducing echo and reverberation in the room and so improve performance of the HDL device.
If in doubt, Ask Ascentae
We are here to help. Please ask if you need any guidance, or would like to engage us to do a consultation on HDL and camera integration.