Zumtobel Group Starts Lighting Partnership with FC Bayern München
The inside of the Allianz Arena in Munich will shine in an even more vibrant red in the future. Thanks to the comprehensive lighting expertise of the Zumtobel Group, the prestigious stadium of FC Bayern will receive a new modern lighting solution. Its completion is scheduled for 2019. Since the beginning of the new season 2018/19, the Zumtobel Group has also been the exclusive lighting partner of FC Bayern.
“We are proud to have the opportunity as the lighting partner of FC Bayern to present one of the world’s most modern stadiums in a new way with our lighting solutions in the inside and outside areas. Translating the specifications and ideas of the architect and the light designer into tangible products was a major challenge, which we were able to meet thanks to our expertise in stadium lighting and as a full-range supplier. We are pleased to see the Allianz Arena shine in a new light,” said Alfred Felder, CEO Zumtobel Group.
The implementation of the complete lighting solution for the Allianz Arena began at the start of the season 2018/19. With its all-in service, the Zumtobel Group provides one of the most comprehensive offerings in the entire lighting industry. The turnkey lighting solution for the stadium includes the entire project management and project execution, from recording the roof structure, production, delivery and installation to the commissioning of the systems.
During the first phase, the inner ring of the roof, with an impressive circumference of 370 meters and at an installation height of approximately 50 meters above the lawn, will be equipped seamlessly with coloured LED strips. In addition, the radially arranged joints in the roof area will be fitted with coloured LED lines. All LED strips can light up in the RGB colours and in white – if they shine in bright FC Bayern red, a visual fusion of the spectator stands and the roof area with its new lighting technology is created. The replacement of the lighting in the cascading stairways will follow in the next phase. The initial installation, which consists of lights with fluorescent lamps from the year 2005, will be replaced by a new lighting system with energy-efficient LED lights, Zumtobel SLOTLIGHT infinity IP54.
In the third construction phase, scheduled for 2020, the balloon lights on the esplanade in the outside area of the stadium will be replaced. The new, customised lighting solution is currently being developed in close cooperation with all project partners.
“We are delighted to have found a renowned lighting partner in the Zumtobel Group. The Zumtobel Group contributes its comprehensive expertise and decades of experience and, in addition to an outstanding lighting solution, provides us with the full service we are looking for,” said Managing Director Jürgen Muth, Allianz Arena München Stadion GmbH.
In the crater-like interior of the Allianz Arena, the new lighting concept of the Zumtobel Group unites harmonically with the design language of the building and accentuates its architecture with effective coloured lighting. The architectural masterpiece was designed by the renowned Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron.
“With around 3.5 million visitors per year, the Allianz Arena has been a football temple and a venue for events since its opening in 2005. The new extensive effect lighting brings an additional emotional component into play for the visitors,” said Andreas Jung, FC Bayern München Executive Board Member.
Streamteam Nordic and Broadcast Solutions open remote production hub for Finnish Ice Hockey
Finnish broadcast production company Streamteam Nordic has gone live with a new 4K/UHD remote production hub and virtual studio in Helsinki. The facility will handle all matches of the Finnish Ice Hockey League, which will be broadcasted by Finnish/Swedish telecom provider Telia via its IPTV service, set-top boxes and streaming platform, beginning with the 2018/2019 season.
The Finnish league plays more than 450 matches per season, with up to seven games simultaneously. Covering all matches simultaneously (in both HD and UHD) and adding studio production to the program required Streamteam Nordic to build a centralised production hub. The technical solution was designed and implemented by Broadcast Solutions, and it represents the largest broadcast investment in Finland in this millennium.
The new facility contains eight production rooms, an audio control room, five off-tube rooms and an MCR connected to seven remote sets. All venues are connected to the Helsinki hub via Telia´s DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) network. The virtual studio, which produces pre- and post-game live discussions, is linked to the hub by four dark fibre lines.
Streamteam’s production facility also includes a centralised video referee room with up to four video referees overseeing the matches in all venues. The overall system design takes a hybrid approach, leveraging IP-workflows for interconnecting the venues and hub, while production within the hub and the studio uses 3G baseband format. Transport between the hub and the venues is based on Nevion’s Virtuoso platform, with JPEG2000 over 10 Gbit fibre connections.
Currently, two of the seven matches are produced in UHD and five in HD. For the UHD matches, a large remote set is used with 14 Panasonic cameras. The HD matches are covered with a remote set consisting of 9 Panasonic cameras. Four cameras, also Panasonics, incl. two on telematics robotics are on location in the virtual studio. Within the hub, a Grass Valley Momentum production platform is partnered with seven Kahuna production switchers and a Sirius 850 video matrix (456x840). Supporting each camera signal’s replay and ingest, 13 Grass Valley LiveTouch servers provide 90 ingest and 16 replay channels. Grass Valley’s FileFlow and Momentum systems handle the file and metadata transfer between the LiveTouch servers and Telia´s OTT platform. Eight Lynx Technik software-based greenMachine titan video/audio processing units support 32 video channels, including frame synchronisation, embedding/de-embedding and up/down/cross-conversion.
Lawo’s VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) system is used for overall control of all video and audio signals for the router, vision mixer, multiviewers and tally, as well as the hub’s Studer and Soundcraft audio consoles and greenMachines. VSM’s ability to pre-configure and recall workflow setups for specific tasks and matches optimises the use of the physical resources within the hub.
A 42-fader Studer Vista V with a redundant Compact Infinity Core serves as the primary audio console in the main audio control providing 5.1-channel audio, while each of the production rooms is equipped with a Soundcraft Performer audio console.
Graphics are generated by using ChyronHego’s Prime graphic platform together with a Live Assist playout automation engine that also offers an intuitive user interface. ChyronHego’s Paint was selected as a sports production analysis and telestration tool.
Communication within the hub and to the venues relies on Riedel Artist 128 and 64 mainframes, using Riedel AES67 intercom panels within the hub. Sixty-four MADI channels provide tielines to the Studer Vista V system. The wireless connectivity in venues relies on Laon’s belt pack solution.
With the large number of dedicated control rooms and hockey matches to be covered, as well as the need to change setups between match days, flexibility in accessing all resources is the key. This is addressed through an IHSE Draco tera KVM matrix with 160 ports, which provides access to 45 workplaces and 55 servers and PCs.
In the virtual studio, Zero Density Virtual Reality software supplied the photorealistic virtual studio set, with a Telemetrics robotic and tracking system used to align video signals with graphics.
Broadcast Solutions also designed and implemented a centralised Video Assistant Referee Solution according to wishes of Finnish Ice Hockey Referees. The centralised VAR-system hosts four Video Assistant Referees (VARs), who can provide a second, decisive review of disputed or uncertain match situations. For this purpose, the league opted for Simplylive’s Ref&Box, with Broadcast Solutions providing seven Ref&Box 8 systems. Streamteam also uses two Simplylive ViBox Super Motion Servers and MMR-110 USB recorders for simultaneous recording to hard drives and ten USB drives.
Telia acquired the content rights for the next six years starting from the opening of the 2018/2019 season. With the new remote production hub, Streamteam Nordic commands of a state-of-the-art production facility unrivalled in Finland and there are plans to migrate all matches to 4K/UHD production within the contract period as well as enhance the production with other new technologies to serve Finnish ice hockey enthusiasts even more.
Juha Koskela, CEO, Streamteam Nordic Oy said: “With the new remote production facility, that uses the latest technology innovations and workflows, we will operate the most modern broadcast infrastructure in Finland. This will give us a boost to expand our business further in the country and also abroad. Remote production has already shown its benefit in terms of operability and flexibility. Broadcast Solutions was definitely the right choice for a partner in this demanding project both technically and time-wise – their outstanding expertise and hardworking team fulfilled our high expectations.”
Antti Laurila, Managing Director, Broadcast Solutions Finland Oy commented: “As a Finnish ice hockey fan, it was a rare and great opportunity to be involved with a project that brought a production of the Finnish national sport - ice hockey to a totally new level both technically and operationally. The successful implementation was a sum of great expertise and teamwork among all involved parties. It was a privilege for us to play a key role in this innovative sports production project.”
Broadcast Solutions and Streamteam Nordic will host an open house event in the facility on 7-8 November, accompanied by lectures on future technology trends, an exhibition area, and the opening of Broadcast Solutions Finland’s new office premises in the same building.
Daktronics Installs Nation’s Largest High School Video Display in Texas
McKinney ISD Stadium and Community Event Center has partnered with Daktronics, to manufacture and install the largest high school video display in the country. The north end zone video display measures 54 feet wide by 32 feet tall and features Daktronics patented 13HD pixel layout. For comparison, the display stands 7 feet taller than McKinney North High School and, if set on its side, is just 5 feet shy of McKinney's five-story hospitals.
Fans can view the end zone display as either one large image or divided into multiple zones to show any combination of live video, instant replays, game information and statistics, graphics and animations and sponsorship messages.
“While these systems can start as simple as a basic scoreboard or an entry-level video display with a camera, we are proud of the evolution of high schools like McKinney ISD, Katy ISD and Dallas ISD as they lead the market with our patented technology similar to professional venues like Houston Astros, FC Dallas, Pittsburgh Steelers and many more,” said Kyle Sydow, Daktronics High School, Parks & Recreation market manager.
Also a first for high schools, the seating fascia along each sideline and the south end zone showcases 482 feet of ribbon displays with a 15HD pixel layout. These displays bring supplemental game information and graphics to the main display. It also offers additional opportunities for sponsors to be highlighted throughout events.
Complementing the digital displays is a state-of-the-art audio system. McKinney chose the Daktronics Sportsound SS2000HD audio for its high-fidelity sound, reaching everyone in the stadium with consistent volume and clarity, in addition to its ease of operation. Fans experience a dynamic audiovisual experience with Daktronics Sportsound SS2000 HD audio system. This audio system integrates with the video and scoring to provide full-range sound reproduction while delivering clear and intelligible speech.
Daktronics Show Control System powers the displays. This industry-leading display control software provides a combination of simple operation, expandable production and proven experience. Additionally, world-class video processing, data integration and playback hardware all form a user-friendly production solution for all levels of play.
“In choosing Daktronics, McKinney ISD and schools throughout the country have the reassurance of a long-lasting display built with Daktronics smart sourcing strategies and rigorous reliability testing methods, ensuring an engaging audio-visual system for well into the future,” said Kyle.
https://www.daktronics.com/en-gb
Daktronics Brings Video Upgrade to Pine Bluff Convention Center
Daktronics of Brookings, South Dakota, has partnered with Pine Bluff Convention Center in Arkansas to design, assemble and install a new four-sided centre-hung video display system. The display will form the same square-shaped configuration replacing fixed-digit scoreboards with full video-capable displays this fall.
A recent press event was held to announce the project along with the return of the King Cotton Holiday Classic high school basketball tournament to be held at the venue. The tournament hasn’t been played for 17 years at this facility, but the upgrades being made to the Pine Bluff Convention Center have revitalized the venue, the surrounding area and, ultimately, the basketball tournament.
“The new video display system, along with the many other upgrades we’re making, positions our arena to draw in multiple sports and special events,” said Joseph McCorvey, executive director of Pine Bluff Convention Center. “Everyone is excited about the new video capabilities with a focus on providing a great overall visitor experience. We host several graduation ceremonies that will benefit from this technology, not to mention the many other events we host such as sports tournaments, trade shows and business expos.”
The new displays will each measure 6 feet high by 10 feet wide. All will feature 6-millimetre line spacing to bring crisp, clear imagery to every seat during every event held at the convention centre.
Each display is capable of variable content zoning allowing them to show one large image or to be divided into multiple zones to show any combination of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages.
“Working with the Pine Bluff Convention Center was exciting and, at the press event earlier this month, I saw firsthand what the King Cotton Tournament meant to the state of Arkansas and the Pine Bluff community,” said Connor Slepikas, Daktronics sales representative. “The new LED video displays will bring a whole new level of excitement to this historic tournament.”
Additionally, two more video displays will be installed inside the arena to bring a virtual scoreboard look to game day. Each display measures 6 feet high by 14 feet wide and features 10-millimetre line spacing.
Two courtside LED scorer’s tables were also installed as part of the project to allow for additional space to show statistics, animations and sponsorship messages. Each scorer’s table measures 2 feet high by 9 feet wide and features 10-millimetre line spacing.
Daktronics LED video and messaging display technology offers a long lifetime with consistent, industry-leading performance and low power consumption, providing value and excitement for years to come.
www.daktronics.com
Miami Dolphins Warm Up to Danley Adrenaline-Pumping Bass
Obvious Choice AV & Lighting of Hollywood, Florida has provided Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, with a Danley Sound Labs System.
The team warms up to high-volume hip-hop that plays from the stadium’s roof-mounted full-range sound system, but the throw all the way down to the field left the low-end lacking. Obvious Choice staff remedied the situation with a Danley Sound Labs BC412 subwoofer that they roll out into the corner of the field for warm-ups and roll back off at game time.
“Hip-hop needs some real low end and the team came to me to see if there was some way I could get more of that on the field for pre-game warm-ups,” explained Bryan Alers, Obvious Choice CEO. “Rather than mess around with some kind of plan that they would need to evaluate and approve, I just brought a Danley BC412 on the next game day and put it in the corner near where the Dolphins enter and exit the field. It really filled the entire half of the field the Dolphins use with the kind of bass they were hoping for and made the ‘approval’ a no-brainer. They just asked me to make that happen every time.”
Bryan brought a Danley BC412 and everyone agreed it was perfect. Danley has been building the BC412 for many years now, but its advantages are often overshadowed by the significantly beefier Danley BC415. Nevertheless, the BC412 is an eminently respectable subwoofer that comes in at a lower price point and lower weight than the BC415. As exemplified by its performance at Hard Rock Stadium, the Danley BC412 is still a jaw-dropper.
“Like I tell everyone,” Bryan stated, “Danley subwoofers are second to none. We’re able to get the Danley BC412 onto the field quickly and then back off again in just two or three minutes. Its integrated dolly system is great. No one on the Dolphins coaching staff can get over how much bass it puts out. At first, they stopped whatever they were doing, walked over to us, and asked if all the bass they were feeling was coming from that relatively small box. They were amazed to learn that it was, and they continue to be amazed. At every game, we get staff and players walking past the sub and then looking over at us – they shake their heads like, ‘I can’t believe it!’”