City of Tallahassee
Project Overview
Modernizing Government AV Infrastructure at Scale
The City of Tallahassee undertook a comprehensive, large-scale audio-visual systems upgrade across multiple government buildings in the state capital. As a government entity serving both employees and the public, the City required a modernized AV infrastructure that could support productive internal meetings, robust remote work capabilities, and fully functional public-facing broadcast operations.
Crunchy Tech was engaged to design and build the complete AV solution, with particular focus on the Smith Williams Broadcast Center — a critical public-facing space used by governing bodies and community members alike. This space demanded an especially high standard of reliability, ease-of-use, and compliance with current safety and accessibility regulations, while being built to serve the City for years to come.
Project Challenges
Replacing Antiquated Systems Across a Complex Government Environment
The project presented a unique combination of technical, logistical, and regulatory challenges:
- Outdated distributed AV systems across multiple government buildings required complete replacement without disrupting daily government operations.
- The broadcast center served both government staff and the public, requiring compliance with current safety regulations and the flexibility to support a wide range of use cases simultaneously.
- The Cisco Codec Pro at the heart of the system carries a hardware limitation of only three HDMI outputs, yet the broadcast center required content distribution across six large-format displays — demanding a creative distribution solution.
- The system needed to support external broadcast teams who required the ability to integrate their own equipment into the space at any time, without compromising the primary installation.
- All systems needed to be intuitive enough for non-technical government staff to operate daily without dedicated AV support personnel on-site.
The breadth of the project — spanning multiple rooms, broadcast infrastructure, and public-facing spaces — required meticulous planning and seamless coordination across every phase of design and installation.
Understanding Client Needs
A Future-Ready Platform for Government Operations and Public Engagement
The City of Tallahassee had clear priorities: replace aging, unreliable equipment with a modern, easy-to-use system that would increase staff productivity and reduce friction in daily meeting workflows. Government employees needed to be able to plug in and present or conference without lengthy setup times or technical hurdles.
For the broadcast center specifically, the City needed a space that could serve multiple simultaneous functions: hosting public meetings, enabling remote participation via popular conferencing platforms, supporting live broadcast operations, and allowing external broadcast crews to integrate seamlessly. The system had to be flexible enough to adapt to each scenario while remaining simple to operate.
Crunchy Tech worked closely with city stakeholders to understand these requirements upfront, designing a system architecture that prioritized both technical capability and operational simplicity — ensuring that the investment would deliver lasting value and not become a maintenance burden.
Technical Solutions
Display, Audio, Conferencing, and Control Integration
To deliver a fully modernized, broadcast-capable government AV environment, Crunchy Tech integrated a multi-layered system combining enterprise video conferencing, large-format displays, professional audio, and centralized control built around best-in-class partner technology.
| System Category | Components | Role in Project |
| Video Conferencing Core | Cisco Codec Pro, Cisco Touch 10 GUI | Delivered seamless, unified conferencing experience for all user types |
| Display System | (6) 75" large-format monitors distributed throughout the space | Created 360-degree viewing for participants, remote attendees, and broadcast audiences |
| Camera & Extension | Cisco P60 camera, Vaddio OneLINK baluns | Enabled full-room coverage and remote viewing for broadcasts and virtual meetings |
| AV Distribution | Crestron Digital Media amplifiers, HDMI/VGA wall plates, USB wall plates | Overcame Codec Pro HDMI output limitations; allowed BYOD and laptop content ingestion |
| Audio System | Shure Micro Flex 12-channel wireless mic system with voice-lift, Crestron in-ceiling speakers (x8), Crestron multi-zone amplifier | Delivered clear speech reinforcement for in-room participants and remote attendees |
| Audio Routing & DSP | QSC Q-SYS Core 110f | Managed all audio routing across analog and Dante signal paths |
| Control Platform | Crestron 4-Series processor, Cisco Touch 10 interface | Unified all AV systems into a single, intuitive, staff-operable control interface |
| Broadcast Integration | External broadcast team input points integrated into system architecture | Enabled third-party broadcast teams to connect equipment at any time without disruption |
Each system was configured to operate as a single, unified platform. The Cisco Codec Pro served as the conferencing core, while Crestron digital media amplifiers solved the HDMI distribution challenge by extending content across all six monitors. The QSC Q-SYS Core 110f managed all audio routing — handling both analog and Dante signal paths to ensure crystal-clear audio for in-room attendees, remote participants, and broadcast audiences simultaneously. The Crestron 4-Series processor tied everything together, with the Cisco Touch 10 providing an intuitive, single-point interface for staff control.
Implementation Methodology
Coordinated Design-Build Execution
The installation was executed through Crunchy Tech’s integrated design-build methodology, which brings together AV engineers, system designers, network administrators, and installation teams from the earliest stages of a project. This collaborative approach ensures that all technical challenges — such as the Cisco Codec Pro’s HDMI output limitation — are identified and solved during the design phase rather than discovered during installation.
For the City of Tallahassee, this meant designing custom distribution pathways using Crestron digital media amplifiers before a single device was installed. Wall plate locations were strategically mapped to accommodate both standard laptop connectivity and the Cisco USB sync feature — enabling any conferencing platform to leverage in-room peripherals seamlessly.
Key Technology Partners
- Cisco: Codec Pro video conferencing system and P60 PTZ camera providing the conferencing and broadcast core of the installation, paired with the Touch 10 touchpanel interface.
- Crestron: Digital media distribution amplifiers, HDMI/VGA and USB wall plates, in-ceiling speakers, multi-zone amplifier, and 4-Series control processor delivering the distribution, control, and audio backbone.
- QSC: Q-SYS Core 110f DSP managing all audio routing across analog and Dante pathways for broadcast-quality audio performance.
- Shure: Micro Flex 12-channel wireless microphone system with voice-lift capability ensuring clear audio capture for board members, presenters, and remote participants.
- Vaddio: OneLINK HDBT baluns extending the Cisco camera signal to provide full-room coverage without signal degradation.
Results and Impact
A Fully Functional, Future-Ready Broadcast Center
The City of Tallahassee now operates a fully modernized broadcast center and upgraded meeting infrastructure that meets current safety standards and supports every use case the City requires. The Smith Williams Broadcast Center is capable of hosting public meetings, supporting hybrid government sessions, streaming live broadcasts, and accommodating external broadcast teams — all from a single, unified AV platform.
“This just made everything easy to use and reliable. Instead of spending all the extra time setting up for a meeting they can plug in and go.”
— City of Tallahassee Staff
Government staff reported a 40% increase in operational efficiency and ease-of-use compared to the previous system. The 20% reduction in meeting setup time has translated directly into more productive use of government working hours, reducing the administrative friction that previously accompanied every meeting or broadcast event.
The success of the broadcast center was one of multiple room upgrades completed for the City under this engagement, each delivering the same standard of reliability and ease-of-use that has come to define Crunchy Tech’s government AV installations.
Project Metrics
- 40% Increase in efficiency and ease-of-use
- 20% Reduction in time spent setting up for meetings
Finishing the Project On Time
Elevating Government Operations Through Thoughtful AV Design
The City of Tallahassee project demonstrates Crunchy Tech’s ability to deliver large-scale, government-grade AV solutions that balance technical complexity with genuine ease-of-use. By combining enterprise video conferencing, professional broadcast infrastructure, distributed audio, and centralized control into a unified platform, Crunchy Tech delivered a system the City can rely on for years to come.