Using This Draper Screen IS Brain Surgery

IT WAS JUST another day at the office for Joe de Sola, and what seemed like a typical request from a customer.

“The customer wanted a uniform and detailed image with exact color representation,” according to de Sola, the Regional Vice President of Summit Integration Systems in Addison, Texas, “and they wanted it at a reasonable price.”

So far, so good. But it quickly became apparent that when this customer said “detailed image” and “exact color representation,” they weren’t kidding. The customer was the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

“This room allows our doctors to see imaging in High Definition—1920 x 1280—allowing them to see patient films such as CT scans, MRIs, and angios, not only together, but in a super clear and large format,” according to Scott Clamp, the IT Manager for the Department of Neurological Surgery. “They can talk with other institutions, other doctors from all over the world using the HD cameras to allow a large group to really express their concerns whatever the situation. We can use this room for any emergency situation [somewhere else] and have everything we need.”

Because of the critical nature of the viewing, Clamp says a flat panel was not going to do the job.

“Our screen is 12 feet across,” he points out, adding that the Draper screen is paired with a 7,000-lumen Epson projector. “A comparable flat panel would have to be at least 144” across and until the flat panel guys figure out how to provide great color and fabulous resolution like our Epson projector, we will be using the projector/screen combination.”

“We backed into the screen surface after determining brightness would not be a problem with the projector,” de Sola says. “The Draper screen surface with a 1.0 gain was perfect for the desired wide angle viewing and uniform image.”

That choice turns out to be just what the doctor ordered.

“The Draper screen is perfect for our neurosurgeons to view brain and spine imaging,” Clamp says. “There are no ghosted images, no bright spots, and no distortion. I can’t recommend a better screen for looking at mission-critical medical images.”

The room, however, is also used for other, less critical purposes, such as general meetings, special guest presentations, and multi-disciplinary conferences, so there is also a need to get the screen out of the way when it isn’t being used. The solution provided by de Sola: Draper’s Ultimate Access ceiling-recessed projection screen.

“The Ultimate Access/Series V provided a tab-tensioned option at a reasonable price,” he says, adding that “it works out great because it has an independently-motorized ceiling closure that opens up into the case, and isn’t hanging down. Then, when they are done with it, they just retract the screen into the recessed case and the opening in the ceiling is completely closed.”

The Draper screen was just part of a technological overhaul to create such an essential meeting room.

“We use a Crestron matrix switcher, a BiAmp amplifier, some Contemporary Research tuners (for cable tv), Revo mics for audio conferencing, Polycom 8000 HD videoconferencing, a Boechler unit for live annotation, and Clickshare units for a truly collaborative room,” Clamp says. “Everything is controlled by Crestron programming and touch panel interfaces. An ELO screen works with the Boechler presentation box for elegant and intuitive annotation. We also are using an nCast video recording unit.”

With all of this high-tech equipment, and high level information being viewed, it was imperative that the projection also perform at a high level. And it does.

“This Draper screen was specifically designed to do exactly what we want to accomplish,” Clamp agrees, “ which is to view the most critical brain and spine images without compromise for the most discerning neurosurgeons in the country.”

Not so typical after all. Not just another day at the office.