Carolina Panthers - Winner of new studio technology non-broadcast
Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM
Submitted by
Ross Video
Runner-up: Newseum
Submitted by: Front Porch Digital
The Carolina Panthers' goal was to rebuild the control room with new equipment to make it HD-compliant before the fall football season. The biggest challenge was to select the right technology to meet future equipment needs by the new football season. Everything had to be seamless, from audio to video, interfacing the equipment and the construction of the control room. It was a large undertaking, especially making the transition to computer-based technology. A new experience in the design was the increased awareness regarding how to process all signals. Special acoustical considerations included raising the solid floor to install cabling underneath. A simple change that has made a big impact on the Carolina Panthers' live game productions has been the Riedel intercom system. The increased communication added to an improved overall production environment. Ross Video's Vision production switcher is complex yet simplifies productions. Vision is modular, so it's easy to switch things out. The Panthers found that Ross is a people-oriented company that puts a lot of thought into the design of its products, and it has great understanding of the live sports production industry.
The key to improving workflow was increasing the efficiency of the space. The ergonomics posed a challenge, as a typical game day requires 16 people to be in the control room. The ability to control everything remotely was important, as all the servers and equipment were moved into their own separate climate-controlled engineering room. Every detail was taken care of to ensure that the design was customized for all production needs, and to ensure increased communication and flexibility. Creating a separate climate-controlled engineering room drastically changed and improved workflow. The control room also has better communication with the team's Avid edit suites. The entire rebuild has given the Carolina Panthers the framework to move toward HD sports production. The plan is to produce in HD for the 2009 football season.
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