Rogers Sportsnet Turns to Orad TD Control
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
Rogers Sportsnet, exclusive national Canadian broadcaster of the National Hockey League, is using Orad TD Control, Jersey City, New Jersey, to manage studio content distribution for its new state-of-the-art ‘Hockey Central Studio’.
The groundbreaking build-out features a myriad of content display surfaces including an LED floor that shows game videos and graphics, and a main stage with a massive 3.3m x 11.6m ultra high-resolution monitor. The installation also includes an interactive Puck Wall. The futuristic design features 30 puck-sized slots, one for each NHL team. When a team’s puck is placed in the slot, it triggers that team’s statistics on a large touchscreen monitor. Orad’s TD Control simplifies the distribution of content to these and the studio’s other non-standard display surfaces by reducing the amount of resources required to facilitate the complex graphics and content workflows into one easy-to-use solution.
Orad Professional Services worked with Canadian systems integrator Applied Electronics, Mississauga, Ontario, to implement the project based on the cutting-edge studio designs done by Jack Morton PDG, New York, giving Rogers Sportsnet new and visually interesting ways to broadcast the game on its highly popular show, ‘Sportsnet Hockey Night in Canada’.
“The team at Orad brings a wealth of knowledge and innovative insight in making our designs and the screens we incorporate in them come to life,” says Andre Durette, senior vice-president, senior design director, Jack Morton PDG. “This is so key as we push the boundaries in sports and news broadcasts, especially so with what we have done here with Rogers’ new hockey set.”
The solution features Orad’s HDVG4 high-performance render engine, providing video wall processing, real-time 3D graphics, multiple video server channels and still store, all in one box. Orad’s live production automation software TD Control integrates the system into an easy-to-operate solution. TD Control allows Rogers to realize real-time 3D animations and graphics with live data integration while greatly simplifying the pre-production, operational and hardware requirements for the studio’s many video walls and interactive spaces.
Applied Electronics managed the entire studio equipment installation, including Orad TD Control.
“The joint Applied Electronics-Orad team was driven to make television history,” says Peter Gillespie, manager of the broadcast systems group at Applied Electronics. “A cutting-edge installation of this magnitude was so successful because everyone was completely vested in producing the best images possible. Working with Orad to optimize the workflow was a seamless process. TD Control truly benefits Rogers in terms of workflow, convenience and image quality.”
“The level of innovation in this studio and the storytelling options enabled by the technology are truly unprecedented,” says Brian Kelly, general manager, North America, Orad.
Follow DailyDOOH