Nottingham College: E-Sports Suite

AV INSTALLED

ViewSonic interactive display

ViewSonic gaming monitors

Neomounts motorised mount

TOP-TEC desks & lectern

Extron control

AVer PTZ

Biamp speakers

​​​​​​​Nottingham College audio visual case study​​​​​​​

Nottingham College’s E-sports Suite is a cutting-edge facility located within the City Hub campus, a modern educational centre in Nottingham city centre. Originally opened in January 2021, the six-storey hub is designed to support a range of vocational learning programs and state-of-the-art resources.

Renowned for their innovative, future-ready approach to further education, Nottingham College is a forward-thinking destination for students carving out their education and development post-16 and beyond, whether they choose further vocational study, A-Levels or an apprenticeship. This is reflected in the breadth of courses on offer at the college, and the technology surrounding the learning environments. There is no better example of this than their new state-of-the-art E-sports Suite, which took shape during Summer 2024 after many months of planning.

Nottingham College E-Sports suite​​​​​​​

Recognising the transformative impact of E-sports, Nottingham College planned a new facility to redefine traditional learning environments and equip students with practical skills needed for careers in gaming, game development, and digital media. This initiative reflects the college’s commitment to innovation in education and its goal to create spaces that inspire and engage modern learners.

"At Nottingham College, our mission is to unlock potential through learning, and our vision is to be recognised as an outstanding provider of education and skills training. The esports suite exemplifies our dedication to integrating innovative tools and methods into our educational framework."

Yasir Rafi | Head of IT Services, Nottingham College

To do

Building on the designs put in place by the College’s IT team, headed up by Senior IT Leader Yasir Rafi, to transform the space, GVAV were brought into the project to supply and install AV systems for the suite.

Central to the room’s circa £140,000 setup is a 98” interactive ViewSonic display, chosen for its functionality and user experience. Mounted on a motorised Neomounts floor stand for accessibility, the display’s large screen and 4K capability ensure crystal-clear visuals, facilitating high engagement for groups spread out across the large room.

For teaching staff, features like the Ultra Fine Touch technology provide a smooth, pen-on-paper writing experience, while the integrated myViewBoard software enables whiteboarding, annotation and wireless content sharing, making this a versatile tool for interactive and collaborative teaching. USB-C connectivity further simplifies use, allowing instant plug-and-play functionality.

The suite features TOP-TEC Warrior E-sports Cluster desks, tailored to meet the demands of competitive gaming. The ergonomic desk design allows PCs to be stowed away underneath, leaving a clear workspace for students with USB connectivity and 3-pin power integrated into the worktop. The furniture in the room has been designed with the functionality and aesthetic in mind for a high-spec E-sports facility, with atmospheric LED lights built into the desks.

GVAV provided ViewSonic VX2428 gaming monitors for the suite, chosen for their ultra-fast 0.5ms response time and 165Hz refresh rate. These specifications deliver fluid, lag-free visuals essential for competitive gaming and immersive gameplay. By providing these high-performance displays, the college ensures students have a professional-grade experience that meets the demands of the modern E-sports industry.

E-sports AV setup​​​​​​​

An Extron touch panel has been mounted onto the room’s custom branded TOP-TEC Ruby lectern, allowing simple and familiar access to the room’s peripheral devices. Alongside an HDMI/USB-C input plate, teaching staff can pull content from a range of sources onto the teaching display or control the room’s audio. A Sennheiser gooseneck microphone is provided on the lectern as well as a wireless lapel mic option, allowing teaching staff to still be heard when using the display or walking around the room.

An Extron DTP3 T 203 EU/MK switcher and DTP3 transmitter work together to sending 4K60 content to a DTP3 R 201 receiver. The processed video signal is received by the ViewSonic display to support transmission effortlessly and without loss of quality.

At the centre of the room’s audio setup is an Extron DMP64 Plus digital matrix processor handling audio routing and processing for connected devices. Extron amplifiers have been installed to drive the room’s speakers, including Extron SM26 with 6.3” subwoofer as well as flat field speakers, providing clean, even sound distribution throughout the space for in-person teaching or captured recordings.

For session recording, an AVer PTZ camera with dynamic framing captures sessions for remote participants and playback, while the room’s Extron components ensures the audio and video feeds are coordinated effectively.

To do

The AV setup in the new suite has been designed to complement the innovation being driven by the College and is befitting of the boundary-pushing nature of the E-sports course. With a joint-focus on functionality and style, the E-sports Suite is fully equipped to host events and engaging learning sessions, further adding to the College’s portfolio of forward-thinking innovative teaching spaces.

By providing professional-grade equipment for immersive learning and skills development, supplemented by a comprehensive AV system, the college is reinforcing its place nationally as a leader in Further Education by consistently pushing and exceeding its own ambitious standards.

“

“​​​​​​​GVAV played a pivotal role in delivering this state-of-the-art esports facility. Their dedication and attention to detail were evident throughout the project. The innovative design team at GVAV consistently went above and beyond in the delivery, integration, and after-care of the facility.

The college management views the esports suite as a strategic investment in the future of education. Recognising the growing importance of the esports industry, we are committed to providing our students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in this dynamic field. The collaboration with GVAV has been instrumental in achieving this goal, and we are proud to offer our students a cutting-edge learning environment that prepares them for the future of esports.”

Yasir Rafi

Head of IT Services, Nottingham College

NEWS

VIEW ALL