Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Audio Visual Upgrades topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Putnam County committee asks IT for quotes to improve meeting audio and accessibility after livestream audio failure
Summary
Committee members discussed audio and video limitations in meeting rooms and asked IT Director Thomas Lannon for quotes; Lannon cited a roughly $10,000 audio upgrade estimate and outlined options including lapel mics, omni mics, multi-view cameras and ceiling-mounted cameras that would require New York State permission in the Historic Courthouse.
On May 19 the Putnam County Physical Services Committee discussed possible upgrades to the audio-visual systems used for legislative meetings after noting problems with livestream audio.
Chairman Gouldman said the committee had received feedback about audio quality and that the livestream for a prior meeting had no audio but would be edited and re-posted. Director of IT/IS Thomas Lannon described two different systems (one for the Historic Courthouse, which is state-owned, and one for room #318 in the County Office Building) and said room #318's long, narrow configuration and ceiling speaker placement contribute to poor audio pickup. He said the microphones are locally controlled (on/off at the device) and that a remotely controlled microphone system would be costly.
Lannon outlined options: repositioning or angling ceiling speakers, replacing individual microphones with lapel microphones, using omni microphones that pick up room audio, or deploying automated pan-and-zoom systems such as the Owl. He warned that lapel microphones can create user errors when users believe they are muted but are not. Lannon said he obtained a quote of about $10,000 for audio improvements in room #318 and recommended starting with smaller improvements rather than a full system overhaul.
Legislators asked for quotes and for IT to present options that balance cost with accessibility for remote viewers. The committee pre-filed a motion to accept additional agenda items enabling this discussion and directed Director Lannon to return with formal quotes and recommendations.
