New studio technology - non-broadcast
Louisiana State University’s Football Operations Center moves to SDI
 Louisiana State University (LSU), in Baton Rouge, LA, takes its collegiate athletic program seriously. So seriously, in fact, that the school recently launched a 150,000sq-ft Football Operations Center to ensure its teams have everything they need to succeed. The $15 million, all-in-one facility includes offices, a locker room, an equipment room, an indoor football field for game preparation and an elaborate video operations center with an extensive technology package to drive training efforts to the highest possible level. A heavy investment in legacy component and composite gear prevented LSU from immediately reaching its goal of a total SDI infrastructure. Working with Technical Services Group (TSG), a full service electronic systems contractor, the university implemented a phased approach to take full advantage of its current equipment as it transitions to SDI. TSG designed and built the complete technology layer of the center based on the university’s objectives and expectations and provided project management services for the plant. Price point and flexibility played equal roles in equipment selection, particularly router choices. LSU went with a robust Network Electronics routing system to bridge the gap between component and composite gear and an SDI format. The university established a virtual SDI domain within the existing SDI and non-HD SDI infrastructure using the modular and compact routing system’s ability to transparently route component signals through transcoders and into the facility’s new VikinX VD3232S SDI router. The configuration allows for an easy migration to SDI and HD SDI as legacy gear is replaced and formats move forward. The university also took advantage of Network Electronics’ new CP-MDP router control panel, which provides a live video preview of both sources and destinations via a QVGA high-resolution color graphics display. The CP-MDP capabilities allowed operational setups to be programmed as opposed to mere source selections. The capability greatly enhances efficiency as well as streamlines workflow more than the traditional method of manually selecting multiple devices during a rigorous time-sensitive daily routine. Total migration to SDI will become a reality in phase two, slated to commence in another year. The extensive audio and video system, which touches every part of the building, will route HD-SDI signals to all displays within the facility via Network Electronics’ VD3232S. The 32x32 router will be expanded to 64x64 to meet the demands of the tasks that include support of the Exos Sports online storage system as it converts to SDI. The complex setup also includes extensive HD capabilities integrated into its AV presentation solutions, plasma and video displays and playback. |
