The recently opened The Sportsbook Bar & Grill in Highlands Ranch, CO, has a single defining goal: Make sure every customer enjoys excellent food, premium service, and the ability to watch any sporting event they desire. After experiencing difficulties and frustration with video systems in other restaurants and bars, the owners hired local tech experts Logic Integration to design and install one of Snap One's sophisticated Binary Media-over-IP video distribution systems (MoIP) that provides instant control of 40 TVs and a 24-foot-wide by 6.5-foot-tall 1.5mm pixel pitch Direct-View LED (DVLED) display.
The owners requested a system that was simple to operate, as they wanted any staff member to be able to immediately respond to customer requests without requiring an engineering degree, and without shuffling between dozens of remotes.
“Rather than having 40 remotes, staff at Sportsbook Highlands Ranch can now use in-store mobile devices to instantly change the channel on any TV, including the massive dvLED video wall,” said Travis Stefl, Logic Integration lead engineer. “It’s a virtually foolproof system that connects 25 rack-mounted video sources to 60 total video displays, with unlimited ability to broadcast one source to all TVs, or to show 25 different channels at once.”
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The star of the show is the huge dvLED video wall, which is mounted above a booth seating area and is visible from virtually any seat in the house. Logic Integration leveraged the MoIP solution to allow the video wall to be used as a single huge display or to be broken up using 10 available presets, such as a large middle video flanked by two 2x4 grids to present a total of 17 channels at once. They chose 1.5mm dvLED technology to ensure excellent picture quality for every customer, no matter their viewing distance.
Using the MoIP distribution system also helped keep the system within budget, since it relies on affordable Cat6 cables and requires minimal rack components. The video and control are routed through a control system that also handles audio distribution, with in-ceiling, pendant, and surface-mount speakers used to fit various available locations throughout the restaurant. The main audio source is a guest-operated TouchTunes jukebox, while staff can also broadcast TV audio to the separate inside and outside audio zones when a big game or event is on.
According to Stefl, systems of this size and value require protection and monitoring, which led Logic AV to integrate Wattbox power products that offer protection against unstable power and provide remote access to view equipment status. For the networking switches, a Pakedge MS-4424 was installed in the system.
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“Another key component of this system is the protection we integrated at the rack level,” Stefl added. “WattBox power conditioners with OvrC remote access provide assurance that all of the expensive audio and video gear always receives clean, consistent power, and that we are automatically alerted to any interruption with push notifications. The OvrC solution allows us to log in and view the real-time status of connected equipment, so we can remotely cycle the power on a unit to troubleshoot minor issues. We have a service contract with the restaurant, and the OvrC remote management helps us respond much faster, and at lower cost, than rolling a truck to the site.”
Following the golden rule that the best system is an easy-to-use system, the owners made sure that Logic AV uses exclusively commercial-grade displays, all from a single manufacturer. Prior experiences had taught them that a system using consumer TVs, especially a mix of different brands, can introduce major issues including color differences, short lifespans, and problems with interoperability and control system integration. While pricing is a little higher, the longer warranties on commercial displays provide long-term peace of mind and reduce daily headaches.
“Every part of this solution is designed to deliver an incredible sports bar experience while making staff’s jobs easier,” said Logic AV senior account manager Scott Collinsworth. “The atmosphere here is carefree and fun-loving, and the advanced technology solutions give staff all the tools they need to keep customers coming back week after week.”
