Bittree Patchbay Systems Enable Dazzling New Centre-Hung Video Scoreboard At STAPLES Centre

Bittree, a provider of professional audio and video patching components, has announced that its patchbay systems were chosen to enable operation of the new, state-of-the-art Panasonic video scoreboard installed at STAPLES Centre in Los Angeles.
John DeLaTorre, Broadcast Services Manager for STAPLES Centre, said: "In addition to pro basketball and hockey, we stage a wide variety of events at the arena every month - and with live production, downtime is one thing we can't afford. That's why high-quality patching equipment is so critical to our operation. The Bittree patchbays give us the performance and flexibility we need to reconfigure video and audio rapidly for different types of events, and also to build workarounds quickly in the event of an equipment failure during production."
STAPLES Centre's new Panasonic LIVE 4HD is the first centre-hung scoreboard to be installed in a professional sports arena and is thought to be the first in the NBA and NHL to feature four LED screens located underneath the board with a view exclusive to patrons sitting in the first 15 rows of the arena. Distinctive Video Engineering of Pasadena, California, provided design, integration and installation of the control room, upgrading it to HD-SDI for the multimillion dollar project.
The installation includes Bittree high-bandwidth, Mini-WECO video patchbays configured for full normal HD-SDI, as well as Bittree's Bantam programmable audio patchbays, which enable point-by-point modifications. Audio cables are terminated using three-pin Bittree E3 connectors. Single-point video patchbays are also available to provide a test output that enables engineers to isolate and correct a malfunction quickly. The Bittree patchbays manage hundreds of feeds for the main display, which includes four HD screens, four corner boards, and the LED screens located underneath the configuration for the front-seat spectators, as well as numerous other displays located throughout the arena.
Dwight Crumb, Owner and Systems Engineer for Distinctive Video Engineering, said: "STAPLES Centre is a longtime and satisfied user of Bittree patchbays, so there was never a question of which patching vendor to choose for the new video board installation. Television is a very dynamic medium and production systems need to be able to grow and expand. That kind of flexibility is just what Bittree provides in its state-of-the-art patchbay technology."
(KMcA)