Houston, Texas
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is the public transportation agency responsible for providing bus, rail, paratransit, and regional transit services throughout the greater Houston area. It is a critical part of the region’s mobility and infrastructure network. The METRO Boardroom, located in the downtown Houston headquarters, is a high-profile meeting space used by city officials, judges, and the mayor.
Board meetings are conducted in person and broadcast live to the public. The space includes a large, curved dais for board members and staff, public seating, and a press section. Adjacent to the boardroom is a control room where METRO’s technical team manages meetings and operates the AV systems.
Boardroom AV System Upgrade for Live-Streamed Government Meetings
The complete refresh covers every major subsystem in the room, replacing the audio, video, control, and broadcast production infrastructure. The system meets the complex requirements of publicly broadcasting government meetings live, providing captioning solutions, and supporting flexible use of the large meeting space.
The 18 board seats use Televic multimedia stations, each combining a built-in speaker, microphone, and 10-inch touchscreen for viewing presentations and meeting agendas. The additional Televic wireless tabletop conference units provide flexibility for support staff and additional participants. The conference platform handles discussion control, audio routing, video routing, and nameplate management across the system.
The audio system was overhauled with ceiling speakers distributed throughout the boardroom and public seating areas. A new wireless microphone system supports handheld and lavalier configurations for board members, presenters, and public comment.
Live Production Video Switcher and Camera System for Public Broadcasting
Video production is centered on a NewTek TriCaster live production switcher with a dedicated control panel for video production, switching, and live streaming. Eight new BirdDog NDI PTZ cameras were distributed throughout the room. BirdDog encoders and decoders extend video sources and destinations across the network. A camera control system manages camera positioning and switching from the adjacent control room.
The video display system includes a projector for primary content presentation. The four new displays installed across the public seating area ensure clear sightlines from anywhere in the room. The closed captioning encoder meets compliance requirements for public broadcast, supported by broadcast-grade recording and playback infrastructure in the control room.
“Delivering live public meeting broadcasts, integrated captioning solutions, and adaptable technology throughout this large space required thoughtful coordination and innovation.”
— Ford AV Project Team
The system control infrastructure was rebuilt around new networked AV switching. The control room uses monitors, wall-mounted displays, and rack systems housing the broadcast and production equipment in the small support room directly behind the boardroom.
Commissioning, Training, and Long-Term Service Partnership
Final commissioning included system integration testing, programming refinement, and network verification across the audio infrastructure. It also included end-user training for the METRO technical team that operates the room day-to-day. The engineering team worked through final adjustments alongside METRO’s operators to confirm that camera control, video switching, conference microphone routing, and live streaming all performed as expected under real meeting conditions.
“Installation crews maintained great housekeeping throughout the install, leaving the space clean and organized every day. The engineering team successfully commissioned all systems, and end-users were extremely pleased with the upgrades.”
— Ford AV Project Team
- Enterprise Government AV Systems Integration – Ford AV delivers complex audiovisual systems integration for government agencies, transit authorities, and public-sector facilities. From boardroom AV upgrades to live broadcast infrastructure, our solutions are ready for high-profile environments.
- Proven Live-Streamed Meeting AV Expertise – Boardrooms, council chambers, and hearing rooms with live production switching, camera systems, and broadcast-grade captioning.
- Conference Microphone & Discussion Systems –Scalable conference microphone platforms, including dais-integrated multimedia stations, wireless tabletop units, and centralized discussion management.
- Long-Term AV Partnership and Preventative Maintenance – From initial design through multi-year service agreements, ongoing support keeps AV systems performing.
- Trusted by Government and Transit Agencies – Public-sector organizations trust Ford AV to deliver reliable, broadcast-ready audiovisual systems in government environments.
Ready to Upgrade Your Boardroom AV or Council Chamber AV System?
