Rays Up—Tropicana Field Upgrades Control Room to Create Mega Multi-View Experience
Tropicana Field, the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays, went through a significant upgrade featuring over 4,800 square feet of LED displays from digiLED. Several of these screens are showcased in its Rays control room, where 1.3mm digiTHIN HD LED screens have been installed.
“When we began deliberating the choice of a screen manufacturer for our control room, we sought input from a diverse group of stakeholders, including members of the Rays family and professionals associated with other stadiums,” said Michael Weinman, director, Tampa Bay Rays. “A pivotal factor that influenced our decision was the exceptional support we received from digiLED. Their impressive product demonstration left a lasting impression, convincingly illustrating how their solutions could seamlessly integrate into our stadium. Ultimately, it was this demonstration that solidified our choice of digiLED for our control room.”
The integration of screens for the control room coincided with the deployment of other LED solutions provided by digiLED. This included the installation of three enormous 10mm VISION A LED screens, measuring 4,790 square feet, alongside three additional screens strategically positioned throughout the venue, combining VISION A, and 1.3mm digiTHIN HD displays.
“For the Rays control room, we opted for two ultra-slim digiTHIN screens, each configured with unique resolutions of 3456x1296 and 1152x648," explained Weinman. "This configuration allowed us to create a multi-view screen capable of displaying visuals from all our cameras, computers, various input and output source types, while also accommodating the display of a single larger image when needed. Given the limited space in the room, our operators must sit very close to the screen to monitor activities effectively. Therefore, low heat generation of the LED screens was another significant factor we considered when selecting an LED manufacturer.”
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By implementing digiLED solutions throughout the facility, from the stadium to the control room, precise content and color accuracy have significantly improved, enhancing the experience for both the technical team, as well as fans and advertisers.
“Even for our cameras, ensuring that we capture the right colors and align them with our truck feeds going to those screens is crucial,” Weinman emphasized. “Maintaining color consistency between our control room and the park, visible to our fans and corporate partners, is vital.”
With the project taking a year and a half to complete, the LED installation phase had a window of just three months, from January to March, last year. "We had to work with great efficiency to ensure the timings aligned. Additionally, we encountered a hurricane season that damaged our spring training facility, forcing us into an accelerated schedule to host games in our building sooner than was anticipated," recalled Weinman.
“It was quite an unusual route that we took because a lot of project management came from Mike himself, who worked very closely with us at digiLED and the integrator, Vū Technologies, to ensure deadlines were met," Joe Lapchick, director of business development at digiLED.
Consuming significantly less power than their LCD predecessors, the new digiTHIN HD LED screens operate quietly and efficiently. "Unlike our old screens, which were never fully powered off, we can now easily switch off the digiLED setup, which was another significant factor in choosing their products," Weinman noted.
With the digiTHIN HD control room screens in operation for just over a year, the team has enjoyed their ease of use and reliability, requiring minimal maintenance. "We haven't had to replace even a single module," Weinman said. "Most of the modules we take off are for demonstration purposes because people are so impressed by how easy it is to remove and replace them.”
Weinman further noted that the only concern they ever had is with their part-time crew members getting too close and trying to touch the screen. “But in terms of video processing, we don't even need to change inputs on our routing system. We can simply input it into the NovaStar product we use for video processing, drag it over, and set it on the screen. It's pretty cool," he adds.
In addition to NovaStar video processing, the team utilizes Ross Video systems for control.
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"Our control room screen is divided into six multi-view screens, which function as six 70-inch TV screens,” Weinman said. “The advantage of our setup is that if we lose a screen, unlike with the LCD monitors, we wouldn’t lose the entire multi-view. We’d only lose a small section, and we’d simply have to replace the module, and we'll be good to go. This has been a huge benefit for us. On the NovaStar side and in terms of video processing and control, we have a wide range of options for adjustments available to us.”
The improved workflow in the control room has also enhanced the overall fan experience. Weinman points out that fans have noticed the superior quality of the new VISION A screens compared to the old ones. Moreover, corporate partners appreciate the brightness and vibrancy of the visuals when displaying their sponsored messages and logos.
Collaborating with Lapchick and the rest of the digiLED team has been a fantastic experience, with digiLED proving to be an "amazing partner."
"When we embarked on this project at the Rays, we aimed to establish long-term partnerships, and digiLED's role in professional sports has been substantial. We believe we're helping them expand further in this field, and they, in turn, are assisting us in understanding and optimizing their product. Joe, Graham [Burgess, digiLED CEO], Sal [Sandoval, digiLED technical sales manager], and their entire team have been extremely accommodating. Whenever a challenge arises, they assist us in overcoming it." Weinman concluded.
