School chooses high-brightness projection for Gym Hall

Colaiste Clavin is a Post Primary school located in Longwood, County Meath in Ireland, under the patronage of the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board.

The school’s P.E. (physical education) hall is an integral part of the school and is used for a wide range of activities from basketball games and P.E. classes to assemblies and other school gatherings. With no permanent display solution in place, the school were seeking to integrate an AV solution that could be used to deliver presentations, videos, and other content to an audience of hundreds of students, staff and parents as needed.

The school had trialled numerous temporary display solutions but wanted something that could withstand the ambient light filling the gym while remaining protected from basketballs and other sports. They then reached out to Toomey AV, a Dublin-based, family-run business specialising in AV solutions for education and other sectors across Ireland, with whom they’d had a strong relationship thanks to previous experience.

Toomey had recently received a product demonstration from leading projector manufacturer Epson during a dealer roadshow it was conducting, and Epson was front of mind for Toomey in terms of high-brightness projection and education projection. Toomey in turn arranged a product demo with the school’s principal Margaret Deegan, who was leading the decision from the school, showing her several AV options from different projector and flat panel brands. This included the Epson EB-L1755U and EB-L1505UH, which are 15,000 and 12,000-lumen projectors from Epson’s 3LCD laser projector portfolio.

In the end, the school decided Epson was the best solution and on 14th April 2022, Toomey installed an EB-L1755U with an ELPLU03S standard throw lens, which they installed 14 feet above the ground in a protective cage. Toomey also installed a 4m-wide electric screen and a four-way 4k switcher to provide multiple inputs at ground level, while the solution was integrated into the school’s existing audio system.  

Ivan Smyth, Managing Director at Toomey Audio Visual, commented: “We always offer customers the extent of our portfolio, but Epson is strong in schools, and we have a history in relying on their product quality so we knew early on that Epson would be a frontrunner in this decision. As well as fixed installations in classrooms, we’re also using Epson projectors as part of our own rental fleet for events and conferences, so we’re very familiar with the quality Epson projectors deliver in this space.”

Margaret Deegan, Principal at Colaiste Clavin, said: “The AV solution from Toomey has been outstanding, and has made a huge impact on the activities we are able to carry out in the P.E. Hall. The brightness of the projector has overcome all concerns we had about using projection in bright spaces and together with the electric screen means that the hall can be maximised as a venue for every school activity, without compromising it as the excellent sports facility it is. Toomy gave the faculty a comprehensive demonstration of the new solution and walked us through how to connect different devices to it. We are delighted with the outcome for showcasing the work of the school with the entire school community.”