USC's cafeteria was designed to double as an athletic meeting and training facility. Click image to see larger version.

When you think of the University of Southern California -USC, you think of football. Sure the school has a great academic tradition too, but football and all those Rose Bowl victories and Heisman Trophy candidates stand out in your mind. Right?

Well, even USC didn't want USC to forget that either. Believe it or not, even the cafeteria has a TV - and not just one, but ten 35" monitors and two 100" projected images.

All that so students can watch TV while they eat?

Well, no. Actually as a fully integrated system integrated by California-based Intellisys Group's Mark Smith and Lee Haffely and Designed by Gary L. Williamson of Escudero-Fribourg Architects of Los Angeles. USC's Galen Hall is a 120-seat multi-purpose dining facility that was created as a place where coaches could hold mini-conferences with team members, exciting sports events could be aired live, specialized training could take place with players and they could even hold small pep rallies. In addition to being truly multipurpose, it's got a great feel, look and was designed so anyone sitting anywhere has a great seat.

System Bits Display Systems: Two Proxima ProAV 9310 LCD Projectors and 10 Sony 35" XBR monitors and Da-Lite rear screen systems Video and RGB Routing System: Extron Matrix, distribution amplifiers and wall plate interface Audio System: LightSpeed wireless microphones and receivers, RANE mixers, EQ, and Crossover Video System: Sony SLVR 1000 VHS decks and DSS receivers Control System: Panja (formerly AMX Corporation)

"This was a cool installation to be part of, ' remarked Smith an account executive with Intellisys' southern California office. "Not only did we feel like we were part of a great tradition of athletics, but we probably integrated the only multimedia cafeteria in higher-education history. This place is designed so that coaches, athletes and administrators are all capable of supporting a meeting visually with video archives, computers and live sporting events all controllable from a sophisticated, but easy to use AMX system. In addition, everyone truly has a great seat."

This was accomplished by using ten 35" Sony XBR monitors peppered around the room and two Proxima ProAV 9310 XGA resolution projectors projected above the serving area where the student-athletes wait in line to get their food. The projected images are displayed on two side-by-side 100" Da-Lite rear-screens that are trimmed out to look as though they are floating in the mural above the food-service area. This provided maximum contrast and light output in daylight as well as night. The mural, designed to reflect the USC-tradition of expectation of their athletes, includes representation of virtually every varsity sport and is surrounded with words like Faithful, skillful and scholarly.

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