Mount Wachusett Community College enhances teaching with Sony projectors and BRAVIA displays
Massachusetts college underlines its commitment to cutting-edge classroom technology with bright, reliable Sony display solutions.
- College needed display solution to enhance quality of student learning
- Required projectors with high image quality, easy integration and dependable operation
- VPL-PHZ60 3LCD laser projectors
- 55” and 65” BRAVIA 4K professional displays
- Reliable projectors offer quick set-up and require minimal maintenance
- High colour accuracy matches teaching staff’s laptops
The Sony projectors did not disappoint us. We just hung them on the ceiling, plugged them in, changed the settings and we were in business.
Arthur Collins, Director of Media Services
Mount Wachusett Community College
A commitment to innovative classroom solutions
Founded in 1963 and located in Gardner, Massachusetts, Mount Wachusett Community College is a cost-effective higher education institute offering students a diverse range of more than 70 degree and certificate programmes. With a number of courses at the college dedicated to technology, it’s not surprising that ‘The Mount’ is invested in cutting-edge classroom solutions that prioritise image quality and support effective communication.
Arthur Collins, director of Media Services and chief engineer of the college’s Media Arts and Technology (MRT) programme, is an AVIXA-certified AV professional who also works in the broadcast industry. He has been with The Mount for 30 years, where he has helped shape the college’s adoption of technological innovations to support teaching. Collins has been instrumental in specifying, selecting and installing dozens of Sony display devices on the school’s Leominster and Gardner campuses. Models include the VPL-PHZ60 3LCD laser projector, as well as BRAVIA 4K professional displays. The equipment was supplied by New England-based CCS Presentation Systems.
Bright images, accurate colours
Collins sought tools for the college that would provide enhanced learning experiences for students through bright, engaging visuals with accurate colours. “The first projector the college installed was a Sony” he explained. “We selected Sony’s projectors once again because they’re offered at an appropriate price point – and at 6,000 lumens they’re right in the sweet spot. And while brightness is important, ultimately, when teaching staff are looking at images, colour is a big deal to them. They notice when the reds don’t quite look the same on their laptop. I like Sony’s projectors because their colour rendition is spot on.”
Another factor for Collins in selecting Sony laser projectors is their reliability and the peace of mind they offer. “We can’t let the technology get in the way of the classroom, meaning it just needs to work and be easy to use and comfortable from a faculty standpoint – and these projectors are. When they turn on the projector, they have the confidence that the system will work.”
Seamless connectivity and easy setup
As an Extron programmer, Collins also favors the projectors’ support of Extron and sets up an HDBaseT compatible Extron Scaler that’s connected to the projectors. “With this setup, we get video control and everything works quite well” he notes. “It also offers a cost savings since we don’t need an HDBaseT receiver. We just go right into the projector.”
Collins also likes the projectors ease of installation and use. “As we were rebuilding our Leominster campus, we were under pressure to meet a deadline and the Sony projectors did not disappoint us. We just hung them on the ceiling, plugged them in, changed the settings and we were in business. Similarly, it’s a very simple projector in that you just hit the button and it works. In ten seconds, they’ve quietly fired up and are ready to go.”
Several of the projectors’ innovative features are also appreciated by Collins, including its automated filter cleaning capability. “The Sony projectors are virtually maintenance-free” he explains. “We haven’t changed the filters, and they have a reversing mechanism that blows air backward to move the dust and filter it out.”
BRAVIA informs in communal spaces
It’s not just the image quality and ease of use of Sony’s projectors that The Mount depends on. The college is also using Sony’s BRAVIA 55-inch and 65-inch professional displays which are used for digital signage in collaborative and communal spaces. “The Pro BRAVIA displays are priced correctly, with a helpful commercial warranty” observes Collins. “They look good and they’re reliable. They are easy to use – we just take our player, plug it in and let that go. The screen bezel is nice and we haven’t had a failure, yet.”
As a result of Mount Wachusett Community College’s experience with Sony display technologies, Collins once again chose the manufacturer as he recently built out the school’s projection in larger spaces, installing a high-brightness 13,000 lumen model.
