The 29-year-old Phoenix Suns Arena is in the middle of a two-phase $230 million modernization project, with technology improvements that allow the Suns to deliver a sophisticated guest experience. Among the first upgrades visitors encounter, the lobby area (called the Pavilion) has been outfitted with 7,000 square feet of LED displays.
Two custom curved LED displays welcome fans to the arena: one display measures 26 feet high by 202 feet long and the other 26 feet high by 113 feet long, which adds up to a combined 64.8 million pixels.
Video content is supplied to the LED walls in the lobby by two Christie Spyder X80 multi-windowing processors, one used as the primary processor, and the other as part of a backup system. Stranger Production, which specializes in sports and broadcasting video processing and automation, commissioned the Spyder X80 processors.
Stranger Production owner Eric Howell said, “The system is designed so that the Spyder X80 is the central processor of the pavilion LED displays. Video is fed from computers to the media processors, into the Spyder. The display is completely customizable, including advertising, video feeds, and pregame content, and different types of media and content can be layered using the Spyder.” Additionally, content can be synchronized on the displays throughout the arena.
The system is using 12 of the 16 outputs available on the Spyder X80 and all 20 inputs. Howell explained, “We’re using a lot of pixels—64.8 million pixels are managed by the Spyder—and there’s still room for one more display.”
“We have a history in commissioning Christie Spyder for large-scale sports and arena installations,” added Howell. “For me, it comes down to Spyder’s sheer horsepower, with its 24 inputs and 16 4K outputs. And with the Spyder, we are able to get multiple technologies converted to the same display type.”
“We’re thrilled that the Phoenix Suns have selected a Christie Spyder X80 to manage content for its lobby display,” said Christie sales engineering supervisor Joel Turensky. “The Spyder X80 features 80-megapixel processing power, with 4K support on every channel. The Spyder X80 enables the creation of spectacular experiences, and the Phoenix Suns Arena is no exception.”
“Christie Spyder is the processor you want to use when it matters,” said Howell.
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