Video and Audio Distribution At A Luxury Oceanside Residence
The Restaurant
Let It Fly, an upscale Sports Bar and Grill located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, emphasized the “Sports” in “Sports Bar” and requested live sports be visible at every angle. The restaurant space had two main seating areas with 200 seats, an outdoor patio with 100 seats, a bar, and a casino that needed AV solutions. With so much space and what would become over 80 displays, there was a need for a robust AV distribution system with secure management capabilities.
AV Design
Let It Fly tasked Dave Lawrence, L&S Video & Audio CEO, with finding a solution. L&S Video & Audio is a family-owned AV distributor and installer operating in Sioux Falls for over 20 years. Dave designed a solution to cover all seating angles with 81 TVs and 16 video sources and also had one side of the interior as one giant display. The length of the wall is 36 feet and 8 inches. A typical TV has a 16:9 aspect ratio, so the wall can comfortably fit four 110-inch displays.
A single 110-inch LCD or LED display sounds ideal, but presently they are costly and difficult to find. A projector can make a 110-inch display, but projectors aren’t very bright, and projector screens work best in dark environments not suitable for retail or restaurants. Alternatively, video walls are more affordable, and they allow both the size and the brightness of a regular TV. Video walls are multiple video displays tiled together into one more prominent display using a video wall processor. The cost of a 2x2 video wall, or four 55-inch TVs, plus a video wall processor is much cheaper and more versatile than a single 110-inch display.
They needed an audio and video system that could handle a lot of displays and video walls from one end of the restaurant to the other. Their plan would also need a control system to manage the different panels and audio routing. L&S Video & Audio had partnered with AVPro Edge on AV distribution projects before, and they were interested in AVPro Edge’s AV over IP solution for Let It Fly. After speaking with Loel Wheeler, Pro AV Business Development Manager, and John Tumbleson of Product Development and Engineering, he decided to use MXNet.
AV over IP Advantage
AVPro Edge’s MXNet is an audio-video data over internet network or AV over IP solution. MXNet has hardware components designed to coexist to create an ecosystem. The MXNet Ecosystem contains network switches, encoders, decoders, and a control box that can distribute video, audio, and control signals with unlimited sources and displays over a standard ethernet network. Using an AV over IP solution like MXNet allowed Dave to manage all of the displays securely, and he could save on installation costs by using the existing internet network.
With MXNet, the number one goal is easy deployment. All MXNet components come ready for audio-video signals out of the box. The last thing Dave needed to worry about was configuring a network switch to handle AV signals. The MXNet web interface, Mentor, gives integrators complete control to name endpoints, switch sources, analyze data rates, create video walls, and much more. Mentor comes built-in to each MXNet Ecosystem, giving integrators the upper hand to have a quick and successful installation.
Results
After the installation was complete, Dave said he was happy with how easy MXNet was to install and the overall results of the MXNet Ecosystem. He said John Tumbleson was always available during the installation to ensure the best results on all displays and video walls. Since then, he hasn’t needed John to repair or update any MXNet components at Let It Fly. The MXNet Ecosystem works well with the other equipment at the restaurant, namely, audio amplifiers and an audio controller. Dave said the installation went exceptionally well, and he would use MXNet again in other projects.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
