AV Case Study: Mt View Hotel
Mt View Hotel provides some of the best televised sport viewing in the country thanks to a Binary network distribution system and Control4 automation and control.
12 May 2025
Mt View Hotel in Richmond never had a choice – it was always destined to be a sports pub. You can almost see the centre square of the MCG from the rooftop bar. Assistant Venue Manager, Timothy Park, sets the scene prior to a footy match:
“When one of the big teams is playing at the MCG we can be booked out for dinner weeks in advance. From 5pm the place is packed. I’ll have 12-plus front of house staff rostered on; the bar will be four or five deep and it’s absolute mayhem for a couple of hours.”
More than a meeting spot pre and post game, Mt View Hotel has been a favourite watering hole for fans watching televised live action sport. In fact, if you couldn’t give a toss about sport, there’s really nowhere to hide. Except for the rooftop bar. Like many pubs maximising the value of their rooftop real estate, Mt View Hotel has kept it a sports-free oasis (except one TV temporarily installed during cricket season… with the sound down) and put the emphasis on cocktails and the views.
But really… televised sport is the main play.
KEEP IT CLEAN
That may be the introduction to the story but the real story starts when the owners of Mt View Hotel purchased the laundrette next door. This was prior to covid and then… covid, and then… nothing. The world of hospitality stopped, as did any thoughts of redeveloping the new site.
When the post-covid gears began to turn once more, interior architects, Blackmilk, worked with the builders to not only turn the laundrette space into a new zone for the Mt View Hotel but to completely renovate the entire ground floor.
Part of the renovation was a technical one.
GROWING PAINS
Mt View Hotel had a familiar issue experienced by any venue that has organically added Foxtel boxes and displays to cater for a more discerning and varied sports loving crowd.
The TVs themselves look up to date. They may even be commercial displays capable of withstanding 24/7 operation and the off schooner of beer thrown at it. But still, effectively, it’s not so different to your TV at home – you need a dedicated remote control to turn it off/on and change sources.
Add another 10 of those TVs and configuring things becomes quite the ordeal – determining what content gets displayed on which TV and how to ensure the audio/commentary matches the content of the TV in that particular zone.
Imagine… if you will… one button that resets all the TVs. Mt View Hotel did and it hasn’t looked back.
MULTI-DISPLAY MANAGER
The lynchpin for video routing is ADI | Snap One’s Binary Multi-Display Manager, running in tandem with the Binary MoIP (Media over IP) platform and Control4 automation. This crucial piece of kit allows the venue to easily route any source to any display — or to any combination of displays — without the complexity traditionally associated with matrix switchers or heavy-duty AV distribution.
Josh Dalton is a director of Dalton Electrical, which took care of the AV installation and integration. He explains: “The Multi-Display Manager simplifies what can otherwise be a really cumbersome task. Instead of having to manually patch video sources to specific TVs or deal with switchers in the rack room, Tim and his team simply drag-and-drop sources to screens via the Control4 interface. It’s visual, intuitive, and massively reduces training time for new staff.”
When it came to selecting displays, Mt View Hotel kept things consistent. The Samsung commercial panels — predominantly the QMR Series — were chosen for their reliability, slim bezels, 24/7 operation rating, and anti-glare feature, which is critical in a bright, busy pub environment. Ceiling and wall mounts are a mix of Strong’s professional mounting solutions, allowing flexible angling and servicing when required.
CONTROL4 AUTOMATION
If the Binary Multi-Display Manager is doing the heavy lifting, then it’s the Control4 automation that’s pulling all the strings. With Control4 Core 5 hardware providing the grunt and Dalton Electrical’s programming chops providing the expertise, it enables the entire system — video, audio, music playlists — to be managed through an intuitive iPad interface.
Josh describes it as ‘hospitality-friendly’: “We’ve built the system so that anyone who can operate a smartphone can run Mt View’s AV. They can group zones, switch audio sources, pick TV channels, adjust volumes — all with a couple of taps.”
The Control4 interface also provides automation around daily operations. Scheduled events like ‘Pub Open’ and ‘Pub Close’ automate a stack of tasks that would otherwise fall to staff — powering displays on and off, setting the default channel lineup, adjusting audio volumes for morning versus evening trade, and switching music inputs as required.
Integration with Sonos provides additional flexibility for background music throughout the non-sporting zones, ensuring the venue can quickly shift gears from live sport to ambient tunes depending on the occasion.
NETWORK BACKBONE
None of this would be possible without a robust network backbone. Araknis Networks hardware underpins the entire operation, with a mix of Araknis 210 Series and 310 Series managed network switches, paired with enterprise-grade wireless access points to ensure seamless tablet control across all floors of the venue.
Josh notes: “A reliable network is absolutely non-negotiable when you’re pushing video, audio and control signals around a venue like this. We designed the network with plenty of headroom so it can scale if Mt View decides to add more displays or services down the track.”
OVRC: SEE TO IT
Supportability was baked in from the outset. Every network device is monitored via OVRC, ADI | Snap One’s remote management platform. If a decoder locks up, or a switch port misbehaves, the Dalton Electrical team can diagnose and fix problems, without rolling a truck.
Tim recalls one such incident: “It was Grand Final morning – one TV wasn’t playing ball. Josh logged in remotely, gave me a call back within five minutes, and we were sorted. Without that, it would’ve been a disaster.”
AUDIO FOLLOWING VIDEO
On the audio side, Mt View’s setup underwent a similarly dramatic transformation. Out went the tangle of legacy amplifiers and spaghetti-cable patching; in came a fully zoned, networked audio system.
The four ageing analogue amplifiers – described fondly by Tim as “gear my grandad would have used” – drove four zones across the multi-level pub. Sticky notes were used to remind staff which amp corresponded to which area. Matching TV channels with the correct audio zone required manual modulation through a clunky channel box – a far cry from seamless user experience.
“It was exhausting,” Tim admits. “Just getting the pub ready for footy would take nearly an hour.”
Episode Hybrid network amps and Episode 100V line loudspeakers provide the new audio infrastructure. Josh Dalton: “It’s all part of the Control4 ecosystem, so we can control volume, EQ, bass levels – all digitally. For example, upstairs on the rooftop, we need to limit bass or volume during certain hours, and we can automate all of that through programming.”
FUTURE PROOFING
The renovation has not only transformed day-to-day operations for the Mt View Hotel but has also laid the groundwork for future upgrades. The Binary MoIP (Media over IP) platform is inherently modular, meaning additional sources, displays, or zones can be added with minimal disruption.
Josh concludes: “The owners were smart. They didn’t just solve today’s problems — they invested in a backbone that can adapt and grow as the pub evolves. That’s a big deal in a venue where live sport is king and customer expectations keep getting higher.”
FINAL SIREN
In a city obsessed with sport, Mt View Hotel has enhanced its reputation as a premier sporting venue. But behind the scenes, it’s a story of intelligent integration, smart investment, and a clear vision for operational simplicity. It’s proof that the right technology — deployed thoughtfully — doesn’t just make things better for punters; it transforms how a venue runs at its core.
ADI | Snap One (Control4, Binary, Episode, Araknis Networks, OvrC, Strong, Thor): (03) 8795 1700 or www.snapone.com
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