AV/IT Footprint & Equipment

Familiarity with equipment and accessories is essential to maintain an efficient workforce and keeping systems online 24/7 with the more similar equipment replicated throughout the vessel it keeps the spares down to a minimum and the crew

get used to certain parts and how they tick.

"From the design to the installation it can take up to 3 years and beyond from when the system is designed to be implemented and enjoyed. I personally think that the client and the integrator need to sit down and have a sensible conversation about this."

AV Footprint

When planning for a new AV system, it is always a good idea to create a core footprint to replicate throughout the AV zones. If each local AV zone is copied, pasted and tweaked (to suit that particular area), this will create a regular pattern of equipment in all local AV zones. This will bring clarity to the installation team, and it will lead to an accelerated learning curve of the AV system for the ETO/Engineer. Spare equipment is kept to a minimum, and each spare can fit in multiple places. The yacht becomes uni-formed throughout where all of the same brands and equipment reappear; this brings unity and also provides a sense of familiar territory throughout the ship. That’s what we want to achieve with our designs for our yacht crew and owners.

AV/IT Equipment

When the equipment is bound and determines at the design stages then this is good for the integrators team. This allows them to keep on track with the project and stick to the original plan. The integrator needs to know the equipment they selected will operate in the way they had intended. Even in 2019, you can still get it wrong by assuming that the equipment will integrate into your AV system. From the design to the installation it can take up to 3 years and beyond from when the system is designed to be implemented and enjoyed. I personally think that the client and the integrator need to sit down and have a sensible conversation about this. For example, you could set aside an amount for TV/ iPads and forever changing equipment, leaving that money set aside until you actually want to install the equipment. If it comes down to the integrator wanting to factory test the equipment first before it leaves the workshop, why not purchase one TV at the latest spec which is the same as or newer than the original TV in the plan then you can factory test it on all systems. When it's time to hang the TV on the wall then you should go for the latest model of the initially specified TV. Technology moves on so fast, and we want to be current and not behind from when the owner gets to use his AV system for the first time. I have witnessed two refits simultaneously; both were on entirely different pages. One yacht was installing Crestron MC3 processors, and the other ship had them already for five years previously and was removing them for the new CP3 models. These are the types of issues we see on a regular basis but one we aim to avoid.