BILLERICA, MASS.—U.S. Bank Arena, home to the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones, was built in 1975 had a major renovation in 1997, which included the installation of a Sony analog switcher with external DVE. A 2013 upgrade to HD production included new cameras and monitors; the new Granite was installed early last fall in time for the current hockey season.
The downtown arena seats about 17,000 spectators and hosts more than 100 events per year, including concerts, NBA preseason games, and 36 Cyclones home games. The in-house, three-camera video production is primarily used for hockey coverage, as well as some preseason basketball games and some comedy concerts. A four-screen, center-hung video board provides the most prominent view for fans during the game, but there are multiple small monitors throughout the concourse, suites, and on-site restaurant.
During each home hockey game, the director switches while a second operator coordinates graphics and roll-ins. The control room team also houses light and audio operators, plus one person coordinating game operations and promotions.
U.S. Bank Arena uses several of the Granite’s 12 SDI outputs during productions. One delivers a feed of the high center camera to the coach’s office, where it is recorded for review. Another feed is recorded to DVD for league officials and the visiting team. Plus, the live game production is provided to America ONE Sports, an online provider of live and on-demand sports. “
Most of the Granite’s built-in Fluent workflow tools have already been incorporated into productions. Plus, Fluent-View, the customizable multiview was used by directors to create different layouts for hockey, basketball, and concerts. The optional Fluent Rapid CG feeds score and game clock data directly from the Daktronics scoreboard into graphics produced with the integrated Harris Inscriber CG. Fluent Rapid CG also manages data from an XML feed, so lower-third graphics can include real-time player statistics.
Fluent Macros, Granite’s file-based macros system, is being used to create complex transitions and effects. Some transitions, for example, now feature the Cyclones logo, an effect that could not be produced using the previous equipment.
Broadcast Pix will have two raffles during the 2014 NAB Show (Booth SL6325), which runs April 7-10 in Las Vegas, Nev. Attendees will have the opportunity to win a new fX3D real-time 3D graphics software package on April 8 and a Flint integrated production switcher on April 9.
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