Formed in 1945 as a Sub Branch for the Returned and Services League (RSL) of Australia — a support organization for men and women who have served or are serving in the country’s Defense Force — the Brighton Le Sands RSL Club in Sydney offers members a welcoming environment in which to dine, enjoy live entertainment, and meet up with friends. In 2017, the Club underwent a complete refurbishment, which included a technological makeover by specialist contracting company WED Group.

One of WED Group’s most technical installations to date, the Brighton Club was outfitted with Clipsal C-Bus lighting throughout. It’s new audio system consists of Crown amplifiers, JBL and Sonance ceiling speakers, and four Sennheiser wireless mics, while guests view content from five Foxtel HD set-top boxes on two Hitachi CWX8650 projectors — complete with Grandview motorized projector screens and lifts — and 40 Samsung 4K displays. Behind the scenes are two Biamp TesiraFORTÉ AVB AI digital audio signal processors (DSPs), ZeeVee and Resi-linx modulators, and HDBaseT matrix switching.

All this sophisticated AV equipment would be rendered useless, however, if the Club’s staff couldn’t operate it. So, ease of use was a primary concern for management, which wanted the audio, video, and lighting systems to essentially run themselves with minimal employee intervention. Furthermore, when staff members were required to interact with the systems, management wanted them to do so via intuitive, easy-to-understand touchscreen interfaces. To meet these requirements, WED Group turned to RTI.

“I know the club industry well and had complete confidence that RTI control solutions could handle this extensive project and deliver a better final product for our client,” said Matthew Joyce, WED Group services and integration manager. “The simplicity of RTI’s Integration Designer software allowed us to complete our programming work in-house instead of having to deal with a third-party programmer, which is much more efficient and enables quick response times in the event of an issue.”

WED Group built the Club’s control and automation system around RTI’s XP-8s control processor, in conjunction with four PCM-4 port control modules and eight ECB-5 IR emitter connecting blocks. The processor is controlling the Foxtel set-top-boxes, Samsung displays, and Hitachi projectors via IR. Two-way IP drivers provide seamless integration with the C-Bus lighting system, Biamp TesiraFORTÉ units, and the HDBaseT switcher. In addition, the built-in relay control capabilities were used to raise and lower the Grandview projector lifts.

The XP-8s processor’s astronomical clock was utilized to create time-based events, eliminating the need for any staff interaction. For example, every evening at 6 p.m. the lighting, audio, and video systems automatically adjust for a daily remembrance of the men and women who fought in World War I and II. Every morning, the Club’s audio system and displays automatically power on, the audio input is set to background music at a pre-determined volume level, and the Foxtel boxes change to their default channels.

Staff can use any of the four RTI KX10 10-inch in-wall touchpanels located throughout the Club to adjust lighting and volume levels, change audio inputs and television channels, control displays and projectors — even to combine the AV components in two rooms to work as one. The intuitive interfaces display icons that correspond with current audio and video sources, in addition to one-button shortcuts for events like raffles, bingo, and karaoke. Each shortcut button enables the wireless mics in the areas they are needed, and disables them in those they are not, while switching the appropriate displays to the correct inputs. In addition, a “shutdown button” turns off all of the Club’s displays, projectors, and audio and lighting systems with a single tap at the end of the night.

One of the KX10s also allows for customer use in the Club’s Function Room, where business meetings, weddings, and other events are held. Here, the touchpanel provides guests with control over a Hitachi projector, four displays, audio playback, and two HDMI wall plates for the connection of laptops. In addition, an RTI CX7 7-inch countertop touchpanel is located in the Club’s boardroom for control over its display, audio settings, and laptop connections during meetings.

“This was a very complex installation and RTI really tied all the elements together for the Club,” added Joyce. “Taking advantage of the XP-8s’ advanced functionality and the powerful Integration Designer programming software, we were able to deliver exactly what our client was looking for: high-end technology that practically runs itself and that anyone can use with little, if any, training. The manager and staff couldn’t be happier.”