DiGiCo’s Quantum7 is the Audio Hub for the NBA’s Season Restart
Interrupted on 11 March by the COVID-19-induced sports shutdown, the NBA’s 2019-2020 playoff series was due to take place at the start in April. Instead, the NBA reformatted its season, with teams playing the remaining regular-season games, playoffs and final fixtures on three courts at the Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. Firehouse Productions supplied three Quantum7 desks and nine SD-Racks for the most unique sports schedule in history as the NBA compressed a normal eight-month season into a matter of months.
Each venue boasted two sound systems: one aimed at the court, and the other at the audience. The court system is designed to immerse the NBA players in crowd and live venue sounds to emulate their traditional experience. This system is mixed through a DiGiCo Quantum7 console in each of the WWoS’s three venues: the Arena, the main national-telecast court and site of Conference Finals and NBA Finals; the HP Field House court, used for the regular season to Second Round; and the Visa Athletic Center, used for games broadcast exclusively by regional sports networks.
“It’s a beast,” said Firehouse Productions Vice President Mark Dittmar, referring to the Quantum7, “and that’s an understatement.” The consoles—three DiGiCo SD7 desks each updated with new Quantum engines—are the hubs for all of the audio elements that are feeding these courts. Those elements include over 1,500 individual audio clips such as cheers, boos, and other reaction sounds. These are stored on media servers and collected from a variety of authentic sources, including originally produced content, foley, and content provided by the teams and the league. In addition, the Quantum7 creates a 5.1 version of the audience sounds that is sent to broadcast for on-air use.
Dittmar said the Quantum7 assigned to the Arena was the first to be programmed and became the template for the other two Quantum7 desks. “Once we got all of our basic relative levels set there, the only mixing that’s done is on the systems that the people controlling these crowd and other sound effects are using during the games,” he explains. “The DiGiCos then become these big, reliable routers that are used for the live sound for the entire season.”
The identical configuration of each console means that any of Firehouse Productions’ A1s can move between the venues and sit at a console where they know immediately where each I/O—and there are nearly 160 inputs in each venue feeding about 56 outputs—is assigned. “Every mixer will have the exact same experience,” he added. “And that’s a huge advantage that that keeps the sound very consistent from game to game.”
The Quantum7 consoles, and the three 32-bit I/O-equipped SD-Racks each of the three desks uses to manage that huge input array, feed L-Acoustics PA systems in each venue, whose sound is focused on the field of play. The Arena system comprises 60 L-Acoustics K2 loudspeakers configured as 10 hangs of six enclosures each, buttressed by a dozen L-Acoustics KS28 subs, with a slightly smaller PA deployed in the Visa and HP venues.
But the consoles are more than massive routers. Dittmar points out that the Quantum7 desks also provide monitor input to the mixers handling the crowd sounds and sound effects, and they additionally deliver a discrete 5.1-surround feed to the broadcast compound. “The Quantum7s reliably handle a huge workflow,” he said. And the consoles’ features are also making their presence felt, providing the slots for the Dante cards that are taking in the audio from those submixers, 10 channels each from three laptop sources per venue.
“No other console that I know of can handle that kind of huge input load,” said Mark. “It’s an awesome tool for the scope of this. These are extremely high channel counts feeding a unique PA system for a major-league sports event that’s never been done before. For its reliability under that kind of pressure, for its processing capability, and for its I/O capacity – that’s why DiGiCo’s Quantum7 was the only choice for this.”
Eaw Speaker System Upgrade Lights The Lamp At Montreal’s Centre Bell
Upgrading its PA system to provide a more unique and memorable experience for its fans and spectators, the Centre Bell, which is home to the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and hosts a range of live events, turned to EAW for the project. The Centre Bell is reconfigured, frequently, into one of six different seating formats — ranging from a 2,000-seat amphitheatre to a 21,000-seat full-capacity NHL arena. EAW was chosen by way of a competitive bidding process commissioned by Jesse Leveillé, A1 tech at the Centre Bell. The EAW system was able to meet the wide range of applications and audio challenges at the venue and includes Anna Loudspeakers and Otto Subwoofers from the ADAPTive line, along with MKD1096 Loudspeakers and UXA4410 Amplifiers. The EAW system, now fully implemented, provides the essential power and flexibility the venue needs as it is traditionally one of the busiest arenas in North America.
Jesse’s introduction to EAW’s new ADAPTive series was during a sold-out concert at the Centre Bell for Tom Petty’s 40th Anniversary tour in 2017. “EAW was brought in for the show and the legendary FOH Engineer Robert Scoville was mixing,” said Jesse. “Scoville is a master behind the console and what we were hearing was absolutely fantastic. The EAW kit was really impressive, especially in terms of its steering capabilities, sound quality and coverage. We knew it would be a great fit for us.”
Once the Jesse-led project committee, which included design and consulting firm Trizart Alliance, selected EAW, the system was procured through SFM in Canada, and the job of installing the system was given to expert integration company, Solotech. The project was broken into two phases so that the space could remain operational throughout the upgrade. The first phase involved the installation of 22 MKD1096’s to cover the upper bowl with four additional MKDs to cover the ice, along with seven UXA4410 Amplifiers. The second phase was centered around covering the rest of the bowl, which involved a total of 96 Anna Loudspeakers and 36 Otto Subwoofers.
Trizart Alliance, who continually maintains the ceiling grid, only had to reinforce the framing for the hoists to accommodate the weight of the Anna and Otto enclosures since they have all amplification and processing on-board. Jesse also found the size of the EAW system to be advantageous. “The EAW system had a small footprint, which in my case was paramount because the new system had to fit within the existing ceiling walking grid to avoid completely reengineering and redesigning it,” added Jesse. “The footprint of the EAW boxes were perfect for our space, as they delivered the coverage and clarity we were looking for. One of the things I really like is its remote-control directivity, as I can easily and digitally reconfigure the coverage for full or half bowl events.”
Another feature Jesse found extremely useful and an important factor in the selection is EAW’s self-healing and redundancy capabilities, as the project required redundancy in every component of the system. “I think this is one of the most undersold features of the Annas and Ottos,” said Jesse. “We ran some tests at the Centre Bell where we forced the kit to simulate a shutdown, so I knew how to react if it happened during an event. It worked so well; we couldn’t even tell which box was down. The fact that in the rare instance you have an issue in the middle of a show, you can hit a button and it is completely healed – that is amazing. This is critically important during hockey games, as I am typically the only audio engineer on-site. Also, the redundancy is great. I don’t know a lot of systems that have this level of redundancy.”
Anna is the newest addition to EAW’s flagship line of ADAPTive Systems, providing all of the benefits of Adaptive Performance in a high-output mid-sized enclosure. Each Anna module includes 8x 1-in exit / 35mm voice coil HF compression drivers loaded on a proprietary HF horn that expands to fill nearly the entire face of the enclosure. Otto is the world’s first ADAPTive subwoofer, utilizing two offset aperture-loaded woofers paired with independent on-board amplification, processing and networking. Otto perfectly balances low-frequency coverage with cancellation to suit the user’s requirements; omni, cardioid, hyper-cardioid or anywhere in between from just a single module.
EAW’s MKD1096 2-way full range loudspeaker series is engineered to deliver the high output, broadband pattern control and exceptional fidelity that is required for real-world applications from stadiums to intimate music clubs. Its UXA Series of Greybox-enabled amplifiers is the perfect match for any externally powered EAW loudspeaker. It incorporates high performance amplification, DSP (including Focusing and DynO) and Dante networking into a compact rackmount electronics package.
“The selection and installation of the new EAW adaptive PA system was an incredible team effort,” added Jesse. “Patrick Auger, VP of infrastructure and operations, and Daniel Trottier, EVP, are the ones who listened to us, and trusted the technology and the process. The new PA system sounds great. Given the current state of live events, it’s beneficial to us to have an adaptable system, as we can better control coverage based on having none or reduced audiences. Either way, the players are going to want a PA, as the music creates an ambiance, to amp them up during game play, and with our EAW system, we can do that too, and then grow from there.”
Studio Technologies Redefines Quality and Flexibility in New Announcer’s Consoles
Studio Technologies launches a new series of Announcer’s Consoles with Dante Audio-over-IP connectivity, superior audio quality, and a flexible set of features that supports a wide range of live commentary and related applications. The new line of Announcers Consoles includes three products – the Model 232, Model 234, and Model 236. All feature a “pro quality” microphone input circuit, Dante and analog output channels, plus two, four, or six talkback inputs and outputs. Each unit can be easily incorporated into a Dante- or AES67-based network and is compatible with the Dante Domain Manager (DDM) application.
“We designed these units such that they can be used as part of just about any on-air or live-event commentary application,” said Gordon Kapes, president of Studio Technologies. “In addition to their terrific sonic performance, we built-in an incredible number of options that let their performance be easily optimized. We’ve also included some unique, specialized features so they will work very well in REMI/At-home applications.”
The unit’s high-performance microphone preamplifier features selectable gain over a range of 20- to 65-dB with available P48 phantom power. For flexibility, an external source of audio, arriving by way of a Dante receiver (input) channel, can be used instead of the microphone input. This allows devices, such as wireless microphones, to be directly supported. A Dante transmitter (output) channel is provided as the main or “on-air” output. In addition, an analog microphone-level output is available to allow the unit to be integrated with analog inputs on audio consoles or remote I/O interfaces.
A stereo headphone output and associated rotary controls allows a user to create their own monitor mix. Each unit provides two Dante receiver (input) channels, typically used for their program or talent cue (IFB) input sources. In addition, each talkback channel has a Dante receiver (input) channel associated with it. This allows a Model 236 user to create an individual headphone mix from up eight audio inputs channels. In addition, a sidetone function provides the user with a microphone confidence signal.
Dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces provide support for redundant Dante operation. Power can be provided by Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) or an external source of 12 volts DC. The unit is housed in a compact, rugged enclosure and provides all the resources required by one announcer or commentator. Two spare connector locations are available on the back panel, allowing installer-implemented options to be created. By simply adding an XLR connector the unit’s remote-control inputs and low-voltage DC tally output can be utilized.
The Studio Technologies’ STcontroller software application is used to configure the capabilities of the Model 232, Model 234, and Model 236. Configuration choices can be viewed and changed in “real time,” as well being saved and recalled as desired. Essentially every feature can be optimized to meet the exact needs of an application. For example, each talkback function can be configured for the desired button action and overall operating characteristics. This makes it easy to integration a unit with matrix intercom systems ubiquitous to broadcast facilities.
A special feature allows a talent cue (IFB) audio channel to be created within the unit. This capability, for use by the associated announcer or commentator in a REMI or At-home environment, would typically be created at a central broadcast facility. The Announcer Console units will also integrate with a number of other products from Studio Technologies. Many unique functions can be created utilizing high-frequency tones that are well outside of the voice range. These “status” tones allow IFB, on-air tally, and intercom call signals to be sent and received.
“There are not many applications that these units can’t support,” commented Gordon. “We’ve broken through the concept of the simple ‘talkback box’ by combining high-end audio quality with an extensive set of easy-to-deploy resources. These units simply perform beyond anything we’ve done before – and in a way that should please both engineering managers and on-air talent.”
CP Communications and Mobile Viewpoint Bring Next-Gen IQ-Sports Producer Series to Market
CP Communications has announced the next generation of Mobile Viewpoint’s IQ-Sports Producer (IQ-SP) family of automated live sports production systems. Powered by AI and supporting a range of outdoor and indoor sports from football to hockey, the updated series brings several key technology enhancements and adds a new entry-level model – IQ-SP Lite – built for customers focused on single-sport productions with one output stream.
Designed to remove the need of an onsite camera crew, IQ-SP makes professional sports production affordable for minor leagues, training camps, universities – and now, with IQ-SP Lite – smaller colleges and high schools previously hindered by budget constraints. CP Communications is the exclusive North American distributor of Mobile Viewpoint solutions.
Mobile Viewpoint developed IQ-Sports Producer to easily capture, stream and re-publish sports events with ease, and also gives players and coaches an affordable solution for recording practices and create game footage. Mobile Viewpoint has strengthened the AI capabilities in the new generation of IQ-SP systems, which will prove especially invaluable as live sporting events gradually return during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Foremost amongst the new AI features is automated highlight creation. IQ-SP can automatically detect scoring plays, and create individual replay clips or post-game highlight packages for publishing to social media and other outlets with minimal manual intervention, saving producers significant turnaround time, effort, and staffing costs.
Mobile Viewpoint continues to innovate with the addition of new sports, including cycling and horse jumping, while supporting many traditional ball and puck sports. Mobile Viewpoint has also added a scheduler to LinkMatrix, its cloud-based management platform, that automates game scheduling in advance without an operator. IQ-SP can also now automatically monitor the onsite clock when games start and stop, and the scoreboard to provide an automated graphical overlay.
The IQ-SP Pro and IQ-SP Premium configurations also leverage Mobile Viewpoint’s innovative IQ-xCam 180-degree cameras to deliver superior quality for higher-end productions. Available with two or four 4K cameras in each housing, the recently released IQ-xCams capture panoramic images at a full 60 frames per second for demanding, broadcast-caliber requirements.
“IQ-SP seamlessly stitches together video from up to four 4K cameras to create the complete field of view required, which ensures that our customers can follow and capture live action of any sport with exceptional quality,” said Michel Bais. Managing Director at Mobile Viewpoint. “As well as AI following the action of the ball, sports producers have the option to seamlessly zoom into the play and maintain a very high quality of video definition, without even having to be on the field – a benefit both during and after the game.”
As well as the AI-powered, pan-and-scan main feed created by the virtual director functionality of the IQ-SP software, the Pro and Premium models support additional virtual streams that can be defined within the system to follow the action of choice. Users can drag and drop varied fields of view into the image, and add overlays including scoreboard content (clock and score), sideline and goal views, instant replay content, and automatic summaries and highlights. Operators can select and analyze other streams from the field of play during and after the event.
Other new upgrades include support for an additional microphone array to augment the cameras’ built-in microphones, enabling producers to complement their exceptional video coverage with higher-quality audio.
“IQ-Sports Producer fills an important need in the sports production world right now, particularly as community, high school and lower-level collegiate sports return to action,” said Kurt Heitmann, CEO, CP Communications. “Importantly, the expanded line makes it possible for users of any level to deliver professional-quality sports content back to a studio using a virtual production strategy with no on-location staff required. Mobile Viewpoint’s AI innovations make all three packages winning options for virtually any sports organization.”
Jenn Paonessa to Head Up ChyronHego's New Venues Solutions Division
ChyronHego today announced that Jennifer Paonessa has been promoted to the role of Director for the Company's new Venues Solutions division. Focusing on custom, workflow-driven graphics solutions, Venues Solutions delivers an end-to-end sports production ecosystem that combines traditional LED content control, advanced graphics creation, and enhanced virtual and data visuals to help users boost fan engagement, team branding, and sponsor ROI. The division will build on the success of ChyronHego's popular Click Effects PRIME graphics authoring solution, already deployed across hundreds of U.S. facilities, and leverage the latest versions of its PRIME Graphics Platform, Paint sports telestration, and Virtual Placement solution.
"Jenn has a great understanding of the sports and live events business, particularly on the venue side, and she's the perfect person to lead our new Venues Solutions division," said Ariel Garcia, CEO at ChyronHego. "Colleagues and customers appreciate her phenomenal energy and her tenacity in finding just the right solution — one that addresses the wants and needs of the production team, sponsors, and fans. She understands how content can drive emotional connection to a game or event, and she works hard to give customers the tools and features they need to generate content that resonates with their stakeholders."
Through its Venues Solutions division, ChyronHego offers solutions that accommodate each customer's unique workflow, with an understanding of how operators use graphics technology and how they can take existing content to a more advanced and innovative level. Whether new or integrated with a venue's existing ChyronHego technology, these solutions deliver state-of-the-art functionality with user-friendly interfaces.
Paonessa and her team focus not just on graphics tools, but also on how to support clients in using ChyronHego technology to its fullest so that they can achieve their maximum potential. With years of experience in delivering graphics solutions, responsiveness to new user requirements, and internal creative services, the Venues Solutions team is uniquely positioned to bring new opportunities to the ChyronHego portfolio.
"Graphics solutions such as our Click Effects PRIME, PRIME Graphics, and Virtual Placement bring users advanced capabilities that they can leverage to create sophisticated visuals, complex data-driven elements, interactive games, and unique sponsored inventory, making a positive impact for games and other live events at any level," said Paonessa. "I enjoy supporting the passionate production crews at these venues by providing customized solutions they can use to create compelling content, drive revenue, and keep their fans coming back each season."
Paonessa began her career in the LED and digital signage world, where she saw the technology evolve into the sophisticated systems that have become central to the fan experience in today's sports and entertainment venues. Through work in control rooms and production trucks, she gained experience with graphics on the broadcast side. More recently, while at Learfield IMG, she facilitated sponsorship deals in the collegiate sports arena and developed partnerships in the growing area of stats and data integration. Since joining ChyronHego in 2019, she has played a critical role in building the company's in-venue solutions business.
"As a global company, ChyronHego has an incredible team of intelligent, resourceful people of many different backgrounds, and it's a pleasure to work with these colleagues to bring our customers powerful tools for creative fan engagement," added Paonessa. "Through ongoing innovation, investment in customer relationships, development of strategic partnerships, and enhancements to existing products such as PRIME and Virtual Placement, we help our customers transform the fan experience, whether on TV or in person."
ChyronHego Releases PRIME Graphics 3.6
ChyronHego has introduced PRIME Graphics 3.6, the newest version of the company's acclaimed platform for real-time graphics authoring and playout. With this release, ChyronHego keeps its promise of "One platform, multiple use cases," extending PRIME Graphics to support augmented reality graphics in live studio environments and adding new productivity tools that simplify and accelerate design workflows.
"PRIME Graphics has evolved into a uniquely robust and powerful platform for graphics authoring and playout across a wide array of applications," said Olivier Cohen, senior vice president, marketing at ChyronHego. "Version 3.6 offers new features that give designers even greater agility and creative freedom in bringing dynamic graphics to air or to large-canvas video walls. The platform's support for augmented reality goes one step further, enabling placement of spectacular graphics within the studio space. Augmented reality is available in 4K and HDR to create stunning visuals."
From on-air graphics to sports enhancements and large-canvas video walls, PRIME Graphics is versatile enough to design simple lower thirds and over-the-shoulder graphics or more complex channel branding applications requiring live data feeds and master control solution integration. The platform is powerful enough to feed graphics and clips — in any resolution or format — to video walls, touchscreens, and integrated anchor desk displays.
PRIME Graphics users now can run an instance of LyricX on the PRIME platform, with both design and control of LyricX messages remaining within the familiar LyricX interface. The platform can simultaneously play out a single LyricX channel along with PRIME channels, or it can dedicate all channels to either PRIME or LyricX playout. With backwards compatibility for existing LyricX messages, LyricX Mode allows broadcasters to future-proof their production capabilities with minimal workflow impacts.
Now with best-of-breed camera-tracking data support, PRIME's familiar real-time graphics workflow extends to augmented reality graphics design and playout. Broadcasters working with PRIME 3.6 can entertain and inform viewers with immersive, data-driven 3D graphics for sports, entertainment, elections, and news studio productions in 4K or HDR. PRIME AR's powerful data binding to scene elements ensures that designers can easily create and visualize data as real-time events unfold. Fully integrated with CAMIO®, ChyronHego's MOS-driven, template-based graphic asset management solution, PRIME AR allows producers and journalists to browse, fulfill, and preview predefined templates for augmented reality graphics directly from the familiar newsroom system - just as they would for video walls, lower thirds, and more.
Designed to improve workflow efficiency, PRIME's Style Sheets functionality allows users to tag objects and then set up logic statements that trigger the application of a certain property value, such as color. Taking advantage of Style Sheets streamlines workflows by allowing designers to quickly change the look of some or all objects in a scene to match team colors, event-specific branding, and more. Accordingly, users can save hours of time while working with a smaller, more manageable, and more flexible graphics package.
PRIME Graphics 3.6 allows users to build if/then conditions as part of a Logic Effect that may be applied to any object in a scene. With the ability to reuse conditions and apply them to multiple objects in a scene, or even different scenes, users can quickly build smart, logic-based templates.
New easy-to-use visual guides for the spline editor in PRIME allow designers to adjust ease — the gradual rate at which animations start or stop — for complex 2D and 3D animations more quickly and with greater accuracy for even better-looking graphics.
"The LyricX-on-PRIME feature reflects our commitment to backward compatibility and to the large community of LyricX operators," added Cohen. "We're confident this feature will provide valuable flexibility for those customers making the shift from LyricX to PRIME."
Additionally, designers and operators can now learn and receive a free copy of PRIME by accessing ChyronHego Academy, an efficient and interactive learner journey for anyone interested in earning their certified PRIME "Black Belt" at no cost.
Clear-Com Issues Refresh Kits for Sanitisation of High-Touch Headsets
Clear-Com has developed comprehensive kits for the effective sanitisation of five of their most popular headset models, including CC-300, CC-400, CC-110, CC-220 and CC-26K. Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch equipment is imperative in reducing the risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. As more businesses begin to reopen and resume daily operations—broadcast facilities, houses of worship, theaters and many more—it is increasingly important to properly sanitize any frequently used equipment, including headsets.
The new kits for the refreshing and sanitisation of headsets are comprised of replacement ear pads, replacement pop filters (wind screen), sanitizing wipes, ear sock covers, and temple pads in a cloth headset kit bag. User replaceable items for each kit differ slightly based on the structure of the headset—single or dual ears—and the headset series.
Vice President of Product Management, Simon Browne, explained: “We try to consider the safety of our partners and end-users every step of the way. Although these are unprecedented circumstances, we need to do our part as much as possible to keep our products safe for use.”
To learn more about the available kits, please visit our Headsets & Accessories webpage, and scroll down to the “Consumables” section.
User replaceable items can also be purchased separately from the kits in the “Consumables” section.
ICC issues acceptance criteria for SPS Technology's plates for buildings
The International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) has published a new acceptance criteria for the evaluation of steel sandwich plates, such as SPS (Sandwich Plate System), a patented steel composite building solution provided by SPS Technology.
The ICC-ES Acceptance Criteria (AC444) was developed by the ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) technical team, which evaluates building products’ performance against the international family of codes, in particular the International Building Code. AC444 covers the use of steel sandwich plates in roofs, floors, and terraces. Testing of the SPS product against the criteria is currently underway.
Speaking on the publication of the AC444 acceptance criteria, David Glover, CEO, SPS Technology, said: “SPS Technology has a rich pedigree within the construction industry in the United States and internationally, servicing sectors including buildings, stadiums, arenas, and civil infrastructure, for twenty years.
“We’re proud to have built a robust reputation of trust and reliability across the construction industry. The publication of the acceptance criteria and, in time, ICC-ES evaluation report of SPS, will provide the construction industry with the security that SPS is compliant with the IBC.”
The International Code Council, provides a wide range of building safety solutions including product evaluation, accreditation, certification, codification, and training. It develops codes and standards used worldwide to construct safe, sustainable, affordable, and resilient structures.
SPS comprises two steel plates bonded by an elastomer core, and is the only structural building material available today which matches the performance of reinforced concrete. SPS plates have been used successfully in the built environment in roofs, floors, and terraces for more than a decade, spanning over 60 projects and totalling upwards of 120,000 m2.
Prior to its use in the built environment, SPS was originally developed for the maritime and offshore industries more than 20 years ago and has wide approvals from other leading classification societies including ABS, Lloyd’s Register, and DNV GL.
Today, SPS projects are designed using the Alternative materials, design and methods of construction and equipment provisions of IBC Section 104.11, which provides a performance-based approach. Full evaluation by ICC-ES to the requirements of AC444 will affirm SPS’ suitability as a core construction material, generating significant time and cost benefits compared with currently accepted materials such as reinforced concrete.
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway
The Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway finished its install of AEON LED Luminaires on the front stretch of the site. It is preparing to start on its 63rd season of asphalt racing and when the track opens this year, drivers and spectators will notice a difference. The speedway completed and installed 40 of the 520W AEON LED Luminaires across the front edge of the canopy covering the main grandstands.
https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/mondostadia12
Rapid Test Kit Will Take 10 Mins & Cost £15 to Get Fans From Across the UK Back into Sports Stadiums
Former England Rugby Captain and 2003 World Cup Winner Mike Tindall MBE has backed a new Covid-19 rapid test kit and secure digital health passport that will help get sports fans from across the UK back into stadiums following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent announcement to help the sports economy.
The Rapid test kit takes 1 minute to administer to a sports fan and gives test results within 10 minutes and a 98.7% accuracy testing for IgG, IgA, IgM. The test kit which comes with a GDPR compliant and secure digital health passport called VHealth Passport will be priced at £15 making it a ‘game changer’ for sports fans across the UK.
Tindall who is a Global Sporting Ambassador for British cyber technology company VST Enterprises demonstrated the new rapid testing kit on a visit to Manchester’s Premiership rugby club SALE SHARKS. Tindall was joined by Sale rugby pals Mark Cueto MBE and Tom Curry.
The three rugby players demonstrated the new rapid testing kit procedure and VHealth Passport as part of a pilot scheme called FANS ARE BACK which has been submitted by VST Enterprises to the Government including the Prime Minister, the Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston and the Department Of Media Culture & Sport (DCMS).
Tech entrepreneur Louis-James Davis is leading a consortium of British companies who joined their respective expertise to find a solution to get fans back into stadiums. His tech company VST Enterprises along with sports partners REDSTRIKE, public safety and event management partners HALO Solutions and occupational health care company Latus Health have put forward active pilot proposals to Government to get football, rugby union and rugby league fans back into sports stadiums across the UK in a safe and controlled manner.
Former Sports Minister Richard Caborn has widely supported the initiative and believes that a system of testing and health passports is the right way to get fans back spectating at British sporting events.
Commenting on the pilot scheme Mike said: “Getting fans back to watching live sport safely is the number one priority for clubs, teams and fans right now. Providing safe, accurate testing and ensuring that each person has a secure digital health passport to authenticate their test status result is vital to be able to do this. The fans are the lifeblood of any sport - without them it’s just not the same and so this is a great step forward. The test is simple, easy to use and the results are then uploaded to the app on your mobile phone which fans can present when asked and it will also remind you when your next test is due, hopefully enabling the long term safe return of fans.“
Former Sale Sharks and England player Mark Cueto MBE, who is now commercial director at Sale Sharks is fully supportive of the testing and VHealth Passport pilot and initiative: “Sale Sharks have always been an innovative club and we fully support the FANS ARE BACK™ test pilot that VST Enterprises are spearheading with the Government and various sports bodies. We have seen first hand as a club, how quick, safe and efficient these test pilots are to administer and get the results for fans within 10 minutes. This will be a crucially important part of getting our Sharks fans back into the ground to watch premiership rugby and more crucially that all Premiership Rugby clubs will be able to use these tests and technology. The use of cutting edge secure technology like the VHealth passport with our fans is also an important part of being an innovative and forward thinking rugby club.”
‘FANS ARE BACK’ pilot programs will cover football, rugby and snooker initially working with DCMS, Public Health England, SGSA (Sports Ground Safety Authority) and the various bodies including the Premier League, RFU, RFL and World Snooker. Upon its successful trials other pilot programs will then be rolled out across music concerts, theatre and other entertainment venues.
The pilot programmes will see a sample group of between 500-5000 home fans tested a day prior to a specially designated ‘friendly game’ using a Covid-19 rapid test kit. Each testing kit will also be provided with an ultra secure digital health passport to be used on the fan’s mobile phone called V-Health Passport. The ultra secure digital passport will authenticate and validate the fans Covid-19 status.
Sale Sharks and England Flanker Tom Curry also took part in the pilot scheme ahead of his training schedule, commenting on the pilot he said: “The fans at Sale Sharks are the reason we turn up to play and love the game of rugby, they are the lifeblood of the team and the sport. The FANS ARE BACK pilot scheme is a brilliant idea and really will make a huge difference to getting our fans back into the ground safely.”
The FANS ARE BACK pilot programmes will use the most advanced Covid-19 rapid testing kits which can be administered in 1 minute and produce test results in 10 minutes with 98.7% accuracy along with GDPR compliant digital health passports to authenticate and validate Covid-19 test results. Unlike contact tracing apps used by the Government, the V-Health Passport does not track or trace a persons live location or breach personal privacy protocols and ensures personal data is ultra secure to the fan using the most advanced security protocols and encryption.
The V-Health Passport is a unique cyber security technology app powered by the ultra secure VCode which works alongside a Covid-19 testing kit to provide an intelligent traffic light system on a smart phone to authenticate a persons test status of positive or negative. “Red” indicates a positive, “Green” indicates a negative test result and “Amber” indicates a countdown trigger date to the next test date required.
The FANS ARE BACK pilot programmes will be overseen by event safety team HALO Solutions Ltd who have unrivalled expertise in public safety and event management. The team have extensive experience managing and supporting events such as the Cricket World Cup 2019, Isle Of Wight Festivals, BBC Sports Personality Of The Year to British Athletics providing event safety and management.
Medical administration and testing will be carried out by Latus Health who have extensive experience in occupational health for corporates and Covid-19 testing with clients ranging from investment bank JP Morgan to Morrison’s supermarkets.
Former Sports Minister Richard Caborn believes that the FANS ARE BACK pilot programmes will positively assist the Governments plans and give confidence to the fans to allow stadiums safely to re open again in October.
“This is exactly what the Government need to be encouraging sports administrators to adopt for fans to be safe in coming back into the sports stadiums and major events. By running the FANS ARE BACK test pilot programme this will allow the football and rugby clubs to trial a program of rapid testing and using a V-Health Passport to confirm and authorise a persons Covid status. In my opinion it is a significant and positive way in ensuring that spectator sports can resume in the UK where we test test test and use a secure health passport that also protects peoples data and which validates that test result. That is the only way we can ensure that sports fans are safely entering a stadium as test negative.”
Caborn, who served as Minister Of Sport from 2001-2007, was one of the UK’s longest serving Sports Ministers and hugely respected for his contribution to UK sport. He was instrumental in securing the London 2012 Olympics and was also appointed by Gordon Brown as the Prime Minister’s Ambassador for England’s 2018 World Cup bid.
VSTE are also providing its VCode & VPlatform technology to work with the UNITED NATIONS as part of their SDG Collaboratory (Sustainable Development Goals) program - to provide a wide range of technology services to 9 Billion people by 2030.
https://vimeo.com/440099051
v-healthpassport.co.uk