The University of Alabama has expanded its Bryant-Denny Stadium, one of the nation's largest on-campus stadiums, and installed a new HD video production control room for game day entertainment within Bryant-Denny and its indoor stadium, Coleman Coliseum.
The HD upgrade included three new Hitachi SK-HD1000 HDTV cameras with Fujinon HD lenses. The studio/field camera system is composed of Hitachi's CU-HD1000 camera control unit, RU-3400 remote control panel and a custom fiber-optic cable network.
With mostly students operating the cameras, ease of use was a critical factor in deciding to go with the Hitachi cameras. The Hitachi SK-HD1000 has a simple, intuitive interface that makes it easy to use.
Additionally, remote setup on the SK-HD1000 cameras enables video engineers to adjust the cameras remotely from the control room, including controlling neutral density, color correction filters and white balance. The camera operators can then concentrate solely on operating the cameras and getting the best shots.
The SK-HD1000 camera is a 2/3in, 1080i/720p switchable HD camera that the university is using in the 1080i format. Besides covering the game action, the three cameras are also used for remote production of three post-game shows seen on local television.
The new HD control room in the Coleman Coliseum is equipped with a Ross Vision 3 multiformat production switcher, Pixel Power for live HD graphics, Grass Valley Dyno for HD replays and a Yamaha digital mixer for audio. Daktronics HD displays are also deployed, including four in the football stadium and one system in the Coleman Coliseum.
