Red Sox, Cowboys, Heat Reload Digital Signage Software

ANC Sports VisionSOFT 6.7 delivers 64-bit operating system, more capabilities to inform and entertain.

Fans of America’s Team who head to the most expensive sports stadium in the country this fall will see every TD, tackle and interception even more clearly when they watch it on the historic video board at the center of Cowboys Stadium, thanks to ANC Sports, the brains behind the VisionSOFT software package.

After rolling out the world’s first 64-bit operating system at Boston’s Fenway Park this summer, ANC is installing the software at Cowboys Stadium for the 2011 season. The Miami Heat will be the first NBA team to deploy it, although the league could lose much or all of its season to a labor dispute between players and owners.

“We’re always going to be doing research and development,” says Mark Stross, chief technology officer at ANC Sports. “These owners are always going to want to ‘niche out’ their competitors.”

VisionSOFT operates an array of Diamond Vision displays at the venue, including the longest LED fascia system in a North American sports facility. VisionSOFT operates over 4,000 linear feet of Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision LEDerAd ribbon boards (the longest in North American sports) and four 32-by-6-foot Diamond Vision vomitorium video screens. It allows a single operator to deploy it at up to a dozen scoreboards at once, says Stross, but the company has been looking for ways to enhance the offering.

The 64-bit system greatly increases overall usability and reliability by enabling VisionSOFT to interact closely with the latest Microsoft technologies, allowing for 32 GB of memory per thread per video board, creating real-time speed throughout all of the venue’s displays. Large high-definition files, high-quality graphics and unlimited statistical displays will not scuttle things such as game, play or shot clocks. Before this release, systems allowed for only 2 GB of memory, Stross says. What it means, in essence, is that you won’t miss a detail, and that’s music to sports’ fans ears.

More In Store, Even For Non-Sports Fans

The stronger engine will create the opportunity to integrate more technologies while featuring more bandwidth to control the excessive amount of content being featured during live events.

“Usually, when you get a larger video board, you have to compromise on the features you offer these teams, but that’s not the case anymore,” Stross says. “We were pushing the limits of all of our software with the Cowboys and that was pretty scary for us. That’s when we decided to revolutionize how we do business.”

VisionSOFT 6.7 allows the operator to see a preview of what will be displayed before posting it for fans, a step Stross calls “revolutionary.” Version 7, which Stross says is being created as a new paradigm, will be similar to an iPhone operating system, a step he believes will “redefine the user experience with apps.”

ANC is also exploring a foray into the hardware market in an effort to make the software scalable to clients whose needs aren’t quite as large as those at professional sports arenas.

“It’s getting more complicated to run games,” Stross says. “Our job is to make it super simple. We adapt based on what our clients demand. It’s about having fun and creating those experiences for fans.”