Crestron DigitalMedia™ Provides Digital Infrastructure in Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Classrooms

Rockleigh, NJ, December 22, 2011 – Training tomorrow's military leaders requires the best classroom technology available, with the flexibility to grow as technology evolves. Crestron and international AV integrator, General Projection Systems, Inc. are providing Maxwell Air Force Base, the United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), with AV control and high-definition video distribution technology that allows instructors to seamlessly conduct classroom lessons and training, using the latest HD sources. Part of the Air Force’s “Classrooms of the Future” initiative, Maxwell Air Force Base will deploy Crestron DigialMedia 8G+™ technology in up to 1,600 classrooms across ten schools within the affiliated base program over the next three years.

“Maxwell Air Force Base instructors are always looking for new ways to help students learn. They continuously re-evaluate what's out there and what their requirements are,” said Crestron Director of Federal Government Markets, Landon Lovett. “This is the first Air Force Base implementing the Classroom of the Future system, and DigitalMedia meets the demands of the project and provides the digital foundation necessary for next-generation high-definition classroom technology.”

“The Crestron DM solution allows the instructor to focus on teaching instead of on the technology in the classroom,” said General Projection Systems Vice President, Government Sector, Pete Holcomb. “With the Crestron solution, instructors don't have to worry about the technology. They can concentrate on the lesson plan and what to convey to their students.”

Located in Montgomery, Alabama, Maxwell Air Force Base will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, fully integrated with Crestron DigitalMedia™ infrastructure. DigitalMedia manages and distributes all analog and digital plus control all on a single platform, across one CAT5e wire. Air Force instructors will be able to display multiple sources in high-definition, including training videos on DVD and Blu-ray Disc®, streaming content and PowerPoint® slides simultaneously, on any display. Other technologies used in the Classrooms of the Future include Smart Boards and document cameras, giving instructors the ability to present different teaching techniques with the assistance of audio and video. A Crestron wireless touch screen gives instructors the freedom to walk around the classroom, interact with students and display the content at their pace without being tied to a podium or lectern.

According to a Maxwell AFB spokesman, “The classroom of the future gives the instructor the ability to present information in different ways. People learn differently and the technology in the classroom allows our instructors to tailor information presentation.”

Crestron and General Projection Systems are well versed in Federal Government and U.S. Military command, control and AV. They recently completed AV control installations at the United States Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), and are currently deploying Crestron integrated technology in the Maintenance Operations Center (MOC) at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Established as the digital standard, Crestron DigitalMedia delivers the only complete, engineered digital solution. While others are still trying to figure it all out for the first time, Crestron integrators have been installing DigitalMedia for satisfied clients for three years. The most demanding clients in the world, including thousands of the most prestigious Fortune 500 companies, universities, and military installations, trust and rely on Crestron DigitalMedia.