The Atlanta Hawks/Philips Arena Ross Video Vision Installation
ATLANTA—Philips Arena, in downtown Atlanta, is home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and is considered one of the most state-of-the-art multipurpose sports and entertainment complexes in the world.
The arena also hosts concerts, collegiate sports and corporate events, and welcomes some 1.6 million guests to more than 160 events annually. To ensure the best all-around guest experience— and to keep attracting the crowds—we recently decided to overhaul our video production facility with the purchase of a Ross Video 3 M/E Vision switcher to manage the scoreboard and deliver visually engaging HD content to display systems throughout the building.
Our technical infrastructure dates back to 1999 when the facility opened and was constructed with a mix of digital and analog components. Since that time we’ve upgraded our production capabilities by adding such items as new video displays, editing systems and other control room components. Our most recent effort was aimed at updating the facility’s core video production components.
POWERFUL YET USER-FRIENDLY
Our production switcher was getting tired and we opted to replace it with Ross’s Video Vision multidefinition switcher, basing our decision not only on the fact that it’s powerful, but also easy to use. The Video Vision switcher was the right choice as it’s delivered the intuitive operation and flexibility we needed to make sure the audience experience is the very best it can be, whether people are here for a game, a concert or some other large-scale event.
The Ross Vision switcher seamlessly integrated with our existing operations, enabling us to deliver live content to all of our concourse monitors and the main big screen in the center of the arena. We also use the Vision to provide customizable content and multiformat program feeds to our new 100-foot wide, 12-foot high LED end-zone display boards.
One in-game feature we’ve put the new switcher to use with is our ever-popular “Hot Seat.” This is where a chosen fan—in the so-called “Hot Seat”—can win a prize if the Hawks hit a three-point shot in a given two-minute span.
We continue to show game action on the main center screen while isolating a camera on the “Hot Seat” fan. We use the Vision switcher to key graphics over the fan shot, put it in an M/E bus and use it to feed the isolated end-zone boards. The crowd really loves the fact that they can continue to follow game action while watching the “Hot Seat” fan’s reaction.
NO EXTRA INTERFACES NEEDED
Ross Video’s Vision switcher offers a lot more features and capability that we had before, allowing us to do things that were very difficult or impossible with our old switcher. The new unit provides us with more power than we could have imagined and yet is amazingly operator-friendly. Additionally, the Vision is compatible with our existing SD products without any add-ons or additional training, which is important as we continue to make our transition to full HD operation.
David Schindler is vice president of production and creative operations for the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena. He may be contacted atdavid.schindler@hawks.com.
For additional information, contact Ross Video at 613-652-4886 or visitwww.rossvideo.com.
