Seeing the impressive new products at InfoComm each year, one can’t help but wonder what it would be like to implement them in the real world, transforming spaces into monuments of technological greatness. For the third year, we at SCN present a sample of installations in which these dreams came to fruition. As in years prior, we asked top manufacturers to share some of the most innovative uses of their products from the past year, and cataloged them here for you.
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles, CA
Since its opening, the 2,265-seat Walt Disney Concert Hall has won acclaim as one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world. Home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the hall needed sound reinforcement that treated sound with the same respect that the designers engineered into the performance space. Management decided to install a Meyer Sound Leopard compact loudspeaker system that delivers high clarity with ultra-low distortion for the performance space. The new Meyer Sound configuration includes twin arrays of 14 Leopard with three 900-LFC low-frequency control elements each, aimed for optimum reach throughout the hall. A Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system handles system drive and alignment.
City Hall
Dallas, TX
The City of Dallas uses Sony BRC-series robotic full HD PTZ cameras as a way for the public to view meetings and sessions, as an internal communications tool for the 13,000 city employees and as a way to give news media content to improve their coverage of City Hall. Dallas’ Public Information Office, working with AV equipment and systems integrator Digital Resources, Inc, equipped City Hall with a network of 22 BRC-H700 and 26 BRC-H900 cameras installed in 11 meeting rooms and public spaces plus the building’s rooftop. Now they are able to capture upwards of 56 meetings monthly.
American Airlines Arena
Miami, FL
When The Heat Group—the parent company of both American Airlines Arena and the NBA’s Miami Heat, who call the arena home—wanted to bring their fan experience outside to their soon-to-be-opened Xfinity East Plaza, they turned to NanoLumens to create a visual environment using six of its NanoLumens Outdoor Gallery Series solutions. In doing so, a once under-utilized outdoor area was transformed into a revenue-generating epicenter of entertainment for the Heat Group. Displayed on the NanoLumens solutions, the Heat Group can show guests both what is going on inside the arena with live action and instant replay, in addition to revenue-generating sponsor advertisements.
Marriott Hotels
Various Locations
Marriott Hotels turned to long-time technology partner LG Electronics to provide innovative display solutions to bring to life the vision for future Marriott hotel properties. LG technologies, including visually stunning digital signage displays, transformed outdated gyms into modern workout centers that excite and engage today’s fitness-oriented travelers. Paired with Fitness on Demand’s massive catalog of virtual fitness classes, the LG displays were daisy-chained together to create a fully immersive workout experience. Guests are able to enjoy an interactive, high-energy workout, whether in a group setting or during a “solo” fitness session.
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona, FL
As part of a $400 million redevelopment project referred to as “Daytona Rising,” Peerless-AV was selected as the official outdoor display provider for Daytona International Speedway. Through the project, Peerless-AV provided more than 800 outdoor displays that were installed throughout the speedway, including in the concessions, stadium concourses, garage/pit areas, and bathrooms. The displays offer weather resistance, a sleek design, optical bonding for viewability, clarity, brightness, and versatility. The maintenance-free displays allow fans to never miss a moment of the action, wherever they are in the stadium.
Arena Zabrze
Silesia, Poland
Arena Zabrze is a modern football stadium complex in the region of Silesia, southern Poland. The new sound system provides audio for public address and entertainment with integrated voice alarm and covers the spectator stands, playing field, and the interior of the stadium’s infrastructure. Audio source selection and control are provided from both the commentary and fire officer’s locations. Sixty-four Community R2-52Z and four R2-474Z loudspeakers provide the SPL, high intelligibility, and even coverage required in all areas.
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami, FL
An extensive Electro-Voice installation is delivering concert-quality sound to fans at the recently completed Hard Rock Stadium, the new home of the Miami Dolphins. This latest major stadium installation demonstrates the scope of the EV portfolio and the scale of the system solutions it can provide. The main system includes 186 XLCi127DVX line array cabinets, 56 EVF-1122S front-loaded speakers, 24 EVH-1152D long-throw, horn-loaded speakers (six in each corner), and 48 custom-designed dual 18-inch subwoofers. The main arrays are integrated into custom-engineered frames designed to withstand extreme storm and wind conditions. Additionally, the concourses and public areas throughout the facility feature more than 1,100 ZX1i and EVID surface-mount and ceiling speakers.
Invenergy
Chicago, IL
Christie worked with AVI-SPL to enhance Invenergy’s control center with 10 Christie FHD552-X HD 55-inch flat panels and five Christie Phoenix systems. The first control room was located in Lombard, a suburb of Chicago, but with the rapid growth of the company, the executive team made the decision to move the control room to the head office in Chicago. Along with the move to Chicago came the decision to replace the existing outdated video wall with a new system. Invenergy selected 10 Christie FHD552-X HD 55-inch flat panels, in a five-by-two configuration, and five Christie Phoenix systems to power the wall.
Rocket Launch Services Cooperative
Various Locations, United States
This year, more than 50 of the Contemporary Research QMOD-SDI 2 HDTV Modulator-IPTV encoders were a part of an installation for a rocket launch services cooperative. The group, which wished to remain unnamed, is using the dual channel RF modulator/ IPTV encoder to monitor and capture high definition video from more than 70 HD-SDI cameras around various launch sites across the U.S. to aid meteorologists, engineers, government officials, and students to gain more knowledge about space.
Mentor Graphics
Novi, MI
Mentor Graphics, a provider electronic hardware/software design solutions with 80 sites worldwide, utilizes collaborative workspaces as a key to fostering innovation. Mentor’s Michigan office now features the FSR HuddleVU Dugout collaboration system. Bringing technology and a physical workspace together gives employees everything they need: AC power and device charging, AV connectivity and control, and a SMART Kapp whiteboard for in-room and remote collaboration. The Dugout’s seating easily accommodates eight to 12 employees with plenty of writing space, as well. “Supporting employees through technology is important to Mentor Graphics. The Dugout is the right solution for us,” said James Lake, facilities global AV solutions manager.
T-Mobile Arena
Las Vegas, NV
The new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, owned by AEG and MGM Resorts International, is a $375 million multipurpose entertainment venue that will host the NHL’s Las Vegas hockey team starting in 2017, as well as concerts, boxing, mixed martial arts, award shows, and other major events. With a total facility covering approximately 16 acres, the 650,000-square-foot arena is set to host 150 events annually with a maximum seating capacity of 20,000. To provide the arena with the best possible sound reinforcement coverage and intelligibility, engineers deployed a Harman Professional Solutions system centered on a very large, six-cluster JBL VTX line array and subwoofer system, powered by Crown VRack amplification.
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
Pittsburgh, PA
The historic Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO) a resident company at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts since 1988, recently upgraded its wireless microphone systems with 36 channels of Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid Wireless Technology, comprised of six Venue2 receivers and 36 SSM super slight micro belt-pack transmitters, in time for the season program that included Chicago, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, and South Pacific. “We needed a system which was nimble and could cover us for some time as the frequency spectrum settles down and we all figure out where we are going to be, and Lectrosonics fit the bill for us,” said Christopher M. Evans, Pittsburgh CLO’s sound designer/engineer.
JCB Uptime Centre
Rocester, United Kingdom
Digital Projection’s HIGHlite Laser projectors have been selected by Antycip Simulation to be fitted at the heart of JCB’s new Uptime Centre. Situated at JCB’s world headquarters in Rocester, U.K., this mission-critical control center runs 12 hours a day collecting live data worldwide from any JCB machine fitted with a LiveLink telematics device. Specifically designed for this application, the Uptime Centre constantly receives a live flow of data including machine status, service times, and downtimes. This allows operators to instantly assess a situation before deciding to send an engineer out if the issue can’t be fixed remotely.
Hammond Communications
Lexington, KY
Hammond Communications Group carries out live, multi-camera productions of varying scopes, specifically press conferences for sporting events. When the NCAA wanted to start webcasting all of its March Madness 2016 tournament press conferences to its predominantly internet-based audience, Hammond needed to incorporate streaming functionality across eight fly-pack units that travel all over the country. “Looking for streaming hardware solutions, we found the Matrox Monarch HD. There was nothing else that offered the same features in such a small package,” said Lee Clements, video engineer at Hammond Communications. “The Matrox Monarch HD is a reliable solution for streaming and recording. It gives Hammond the edge in bringing our broadcast-level productions to an increasingly online viewership.”
Mario’s Restaurant
Delta, British Columbia, Canada
In a 2015 dining trends survey by Zagat, the number-two complaint by patrons, after service issues, is excessive ambient noise. With new restaurants experiencing a 60-90 percent failure rate within the first year, ensuring this issue is nonexistent is not just prudent practice but clearly essential. Design trends have evolved toward very open spaces (high ceilings) with hard surfaces (wood, metal, stone, tile, glass), which are very reflective of sound. This was the case for Mario’s Restaurant in Delta, BC, where Primacoustic installed 324 square feet of Paintables acoustic panels, painted to match and disappear with pleasant acoustics.
The National Judicial College
Reno, NV
Founded in 1963, The National Judicial College (NJC) is one of the nation’s leading providers of judicial education. The NJC’s 50 year-old tradition culminated in the opening of its 90,000-square-foot facility that houses five state-of-the-art classrooms, a 150-seat auditorium, multimedia room, and an updated model courtroom. The school’s AV system, built around Kramer products, improves communication throughout the facility. Highlights include a VS-162V 16x16 composite video matrix switcher and a VS-3232DN modular multi-format digital matrix switcher for signal management in the model courtroom. Each attorney table has a SID-X1 multi-format video-over-twisted-pair transmitter and step-in module that allows the input of up to four sources.
World Wrestling Entertainment
Various Locations
Serving 180 countries in 25 languages, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) creates and delivers original content 52 weeks per year—including more than 350 live events within the U.S. and overseas—and the production team for those events is using Pliant Technologies Tempest 900 Wireless System for crew communications. WorldStage, a national AV and event staging company, provided the WWE with the Tempest900 system and helps support the organization with all of its RF needs. Using Tempest900 as part of its overall RF solution, the WWE is able to free up frequencies it can then use for other wireless needs for the shows.
BrandStar
Pompano Beach, FL
BrandStar is a branded entertainment company that produces programs for Lifetime, Fox Business, and the History Channel. ZeeVee’s video distribution solutions were selected for its office remodel. The video distribution solution for this corporate environment embraced both the HDbridge products and the IP-based ZyPer products, providing a blended environment for many uses. On the IP network, applications include video distribution over fiber to digital signage devices, executive 4K conference room displays, PC desktops, Barco 4K projectors, and a Planar mosaic. On the coax network, input from the cable network, digital signage, and live studio feeds can be distributed to 50 HD TVs throughout the facility, including two video walls.
