Anthony James Partners (AJP) has partnered with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers on a custom-designed a SMPTE 2110 broadcast production facility as part of a major revitalization project for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Home to the both the Cavaliers and the AHL Cleveland Monsters, the arena welcomes close to two million guests to 200-plus events each year, including concerts and family shows. AJP enhanced the legacy 3G 1080i system that had been in place for nearly a decade with 1080P HDR resolution.
The technology upgrade project also included a complete refurbishment of the facility's broadcast cabling, including the removal and replacement of cables to JBT locations to transition to a fiber-based infrastructure while maintaining a Triax backbone for legacy production trucks.
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"The Cleveland Cavaliers have been such a great team to work with and we appreciate their dedication to giving their fans the best possible experience," said Michael Martin, AJP VP of technology and broadcast specialist. "This achievement reflects the hard work, collaboration, and dedication of the entire team. With the state-of-the-art facility now operational, staff can anticipate enhanced efficiency, streamlined operations, and a significant boost in production capabilities. It's an exciting time. This new setup will drive innovation and creativity in their future projects."
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The two newly designed 1080P HDR video control rooms are strategically positioned on the arena’s main level, adjacent to the Cavaliers' locker room. Key features include:
- Ross Video Acuity 4ME production switcher.
- Evertz Dreamcatcher replay system (48x10).
- Ross Video XPression graphics engine.
- Evertz IP Core and terminal equipment.
- Riedel IP-based intercom with the Bolero Wireless System, enhancing facility-wide communication.
- Telestream Live Capture for long-duration recordings, along with the Prism System for quality control monitoring.
- Evertz Studer audio consoles.
For camera setup, the control room is equipped with an extensive array of 19 cameras to enhance game coverage:
- 4 Sony 3500 Cameras (2 High Frame Rate)
- 2 Sony 3500 Handheld Cameras
- 2 Sony 3500 Wireless Cameras (using Wave Central antennas for full arena coverage)
- 4 Sony 3500 Robotic Cameras with Telemetric Control System
- 6 Telemetric Robotic Cameras
- 1 Marshall POV Camera
Among these, four robotic cameras are mounted in the center-hung videoboard, with three additional robotic cameras positioned on the suite level for reverse-angle shots. Extra cameras are deployed for pre/postgame interviews and beauty shots.
Awarded control room integrators for the project were Alpha Video and Unity Systems Integration. Broadcast Cabling was awarded to CV Lloyd Audiovisual/Einheit Electric Construction.
