Cinos install latest AV systems for Little Dot Studios

In Focus

Cinos puts Little Dot Studios in the
picture with sophisticated AV infrastructure.

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Introduction

Little Dot Studios is an award-winning digital content agency and media network, specialising in creating meaningful connections between premium content and digital audiences.

Born for the digital entertainment era and made up of over 300 digital experts across UK, US, Germany and Asia, Little Dot works with the world’s most recognised TV, sports and consumer brands, creating content for more than 500 YouTube channels globally. Little Dot Studios also runs its digital broadcast network of more than thirty channels across social platforms and OTT video on-demand services.

Over the last seven years the company has grown significantly and in 2020 Little Dot Studios decided to relocate its London office to a new premise – one that was fit for purpose and supported their growing and diverse teams.

It was decided that the office’s new home would be in the heart of London’s East End at The Truman Brewery. Spread across two floors, the 2,200 SQM space started out as a blank canvas and Little Dot Studios sought the expertise of Cinos to help bring it to life.

	From the very beginning the goal was to create a space that’s enjoyable to work in and inspires creativity.
	Greg Rochford IT Manager at Little Dot Studios

The Requirement

Little Dot Studios needed AV integration throughout the new office and their vision was to create a collaborative and scalable space. One that would grow with the business and offer more user-friendly AV technologies than their previous systems and set up.

At the heart of this project was a desire to enable employees to communicate clearly and effectively – amongst themselves but also with clients globally. Quality video conferencing, intuitive room booking and engaging displays were key parts of the new communication strategy. The new AV technologies also need to join the two floors together and provide a flexible and seamless experience for both desk and remote workers.

Spanning eight meeting rooms, the boardroom and the reception area, the solutions needed to be scalable and easy to operate even for the least technically savvy users.

Greg Rochford, IT Manager at Little Dot Studios, explains: “From the very beginning the goal was to create a space that’s enjoyable to work in and inspires creativity. So much of what we do focuses on visual elements and it was important that we have technologies that allow us to not only display our work but also enhance communication across the company.”

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The Solution

As a Google based business, Little Dot Studios felt limited by the amount of bespoke video conferencing hardware they could implement. After various meetings and discussions, we recommended Cisco Webex Room Kits – meeting room hardware that includes camera, codec, speakers, and microphones integrated in a single device.

This all-in-one system delivers a high-quality audio and video experience and was easily integrated with the 43″ and 55″ 4K Samsung displays, fitted throughout the boardroom and meeting rooms.

Additionally, Crestron Room Scheduling systems were installed for all meeting rooms and touch-sensitives screens were placed outside of each room, to allow users to easily see the bookings that have been made and find and book unoccupied rooms.

To bridge the gap between the Cisco-equipped meeting rooms and Little Dot’s existing G Suite platform, we installed a Pexip interoperability solution. This allows any third-party video conferencing devices and systems to natively join Meet calls, regardless of the vendor. The Pexip solution also seamlessly syncs with Little Dot’s Google Calendar, so employees can continue scheduling meetings in the way they are used to, the only difference now is that it’s easier for external users to join these calls.

As a way to communicate the latest company news and help showcase Little Dot’s work, an Appspace digital signage solution was installed. This easy-to-use system allows company administrators to manage and schedule content on the displays around the office. Each display can be assigned different content made up of images, videos, web pages and live stream videos. Perfect for joining the two floors of the office together and displaying welcome messages for guests arriving in the reception area.

During the installation and build process, we worked flexibly with the builders and contractors to meet deadlines and maintain quality. The design was tailored to the space and specifications of the project.

Greg explains: “Cinos created a bespoke and well thought out design, based on this I was able to take the schematics and hand them over to the contractors. Every detail had been taken care of, from selecting the right displays right down to the placement of plug sockets and Ethernet ports. This meant that when it came to the installation, there weren’t any issues or problems, everything that everybody needed was in place and it all happened in one fluid motion.”

In Focus – Little Dot Studios featured in Installation Magazine.

Credits:
Interior Design: Design With Narrative – designwithnarrative.com
Photographer: Chris Snook – chrissnookphotography.co.uk

The Benefits

Enhanced collaboration

– With the Pexip solution in place, Little Dot Studios are able to connect their G Suite solutions to the Microsoft Office estate of its parent company, All Three Media. The result enables cross-platform collaboration between the two companies without having to open any additional software.

“Cinos has given us a seamless video conferencing experience and this means we no longer have to plug in various cables and webcams for video meetings – everything just works. The Cisco software allows us to easily collaborate with other meetings rooms in the office, helping to join the two floors together and build a cohesive space”, said Greg.

Versatile boardroom

– Two 65″ 4K Samsung screens were added to the main boardroom providing a focal point for meetings, video conferences and presentations. To enable precise audio distribution, cornered audio speakers and Sennheiser ceiling mounted microphones were installed, alongside a Cisco Room Kit Plus with touch control panel. The addition of a Crestron HDMI Auto Switcher allows users to share content from multiple in-room sources for full AV control.

Reliable room booking

– Little Dot’s previous room booking system had a very low user adoption rate. Not only was it costly to maintain but it frequently needed updating.

Greg explains: “Although we had a lot of meetings the rooms were being underutilised. A big part of the problem was down to the fact that room availability wasn’t linked to our calendars, instead you’d need to walk over and check the iPad for that particular room.”

The new Crestron touch screen booking panels feature a green or red background LED illumination that is visible from a distance, showing whether a meeting room is free or occupied. Basic information is automatically displayed on the screen, including start and end times, the remaining duration of the meeting, and who has booked the room. The Crestron system automatically synchronises with Little Dot’s existing Google Calendar so that users can book rooms from their laptops and computers with no additional software to learn.

Sophisticated AV infrastructure

– With the new solutions in place, content and meeting management is simple for Little Dot Studios.

The Cisco Room Kits and Pexip integration ensure a seamless experience for room participants, helping to connect remote users. The large high-resolution displays and the Crestron booking panels enable a productive and engaging working environment that supports flexibility and can scale with the business.