Basic data

The court room of Chelyabinsk Regional Court was not equipped with any audio/video system.

Tasks

Development of hardware and software system providing video conferencing and automatic recording of court sessions. Selection of equipment optimal for the task. Special software development. Equipment delivery, mounting and setting at the construction site.

Hardship

Video conferencing and automatic documenting sys-tem for court rooms should be of high reliability and consistent operation, since even the slightest technical problem during court session is not acceptable.

Project description

In order to accomplish the assigned task, a system was developed on the basis of Palantir controller and Kramer Electronics switching equipment.

The installed equipment system consists of 3 subsystems: video system, audio system, and video conferencing system. It performs the following technical tasks:

• Connection of document camera, video tape recorder, presentation computer
• Real time registering of all video and audio signals
• Video signal transmission to court room plasma panels as well as judge's, operator's and court prisoner's monitors
• Audio signal transmission in the court room and court prisoner's ward
• Access to conference via protected Internet channel from any part of the world

Video system was built on the basis of Kramer VS-4x4YC S-Video/composite video/stereo audio matrix switcher and Kramer VP-724DS sealer, which ensures receiving of signals from different sources and their transmission to displaying system that includes plasma panels and monitors. Selection of signal source displayed on monitors and plasma panels is performed via operator's computer.

Kramer sealer ensures simultaneous signal output from 2 sources. Different video displaying devices can be connected to the system. This allowed arranging a separate hall for mass media representatives and students who could watch the session without interfering.

All audio and video materials are delivered to a quad splitter and from it to the video tape recorder for automatic court session documenting. Obtained material can be used for conflict resolution and training law students. During system operation it was noticed that such a court session documenting method positively influenced the public's behavior.

Audio subsystem was realized on the basis of Biamp Audia platform.

Several microphones were installed in the room, but only one can be active at any moment. Microphone can be activated by pressing the button on the microphone stand. Also, the judge has the opportunity to activate or deactivate any microphone, which enables him/her to control presiding over a court. At microphone activation rotating cameras, installed in the room, automatically focus on the speaker. The operator has the opportunity to correct cam¬era position manually.

A video tape recorder and document camera are connected to the system for presenting different types of materials. Besides, there is an opportunity to display digital materials via the operator's computer. This makes it possible to introduce the submitted documents to all court sitters in real time.

In addition, the system was equipped with video conferencing system. This solved the problem of court prisoners' presence at the court session. Instead of performing expensive transporting of convicts to the courtroom and back, a special room is equipped inside the detention facility building, in which a video monitor with sound equipment, stationary video camera and microphone are installed. Due to this, the convict is present at the court session without leaving the deten-tion facility. Besides, this system makes it possible to involve in court sessions witnesses, experts and lawyers from all over the world by connecting to video conferencing system via Internet.

Twist

A special encryption mechanism was used in the sys-tem to provide confidentiality and integrity of information transmitted via Internet

Future trends

This solution is complete and meets all Customer's requirements.

The comments about this project of our Company's expert

Andrey Maruhin

"The most important attribute of a democratic state is an efficient court system, which is not able to function nowadays with the same technical support as decades ago -antediluvian typewriters and stenographers. Modern multimedia system, which is of high reliability due to Kramer equipment use, will make it possible to simplify and thus to fasten court procedures"