It’s right there in the names of the school, team and stadium. Arizona State University Sun Devil Stadium, an outdoor football venue in the hot Tempe sun, needs outdoor video displays that can handle solar glare.[related]
Enter SunBriteTV.
The stadium, which is currently undergoing a $250-million renovation (at least, according to reports), is scheduled to be completed before the 2019 season, and a new video display system is a prominent part of the project, according to a SunBriteTV press release.
Ben Davis, senior sales engineer along with Larry Budd, sr. project manager at Sound Image for the video system upgrade and installation, say many the Arizona State University stadium has unique video requirements.
“With ASU, we are a systems integrator and installer, but we also do all their game-day video production,” says Davis. “We have a lot of things happening simultaneously. We need reliable, stable systems, and the SunBriteTV units have been worry free.”
Ongoing Video Project at Sun Devil Stadium
Each stage of the project is basically moving clockwise around the stadium, according to SunBriteTV’s press release. The team started on the south end, and took two years to do the west side, and the north side was completed last year, and are now working doing the east side of the stadium.
Arizona State University Sun Devil Stadium has 213 SunBriteTV units, a mix of 55-, 46-, 42-, and 43-inch televisions, including high-brightness SunBriteTV Marquee Series and Pro Series displays.
Currently, Sun Devil Stadium has 213 SunBriteTV units, a mix of 55-, 46-, 42-, and 43-inch televisions, including high-brightness SunBriteTV Marquee Series and Pro Series displays.
The units are used for live game viewing, video ad space, menu boards, and digital signage behind concession areas.
The display were chosen for their image quality, brightness, and ability to perform under high outdoor temperatures.
“We have a set of 16, 55-inch, high-brightness Marquee Series displays on our sun deck beer garden, which is outdoors, behind the main video board, so there is no direct view to the game field,” says Davis.
“We put these in to overcome bright daylight issues, but what’s nice is with the unit’s automatic brightness feature, the displays dim themselves down at night, so they don’t blind people with how powerful of a TV they are.”
Davis added that SunBriteTV displays are in the exterior areas of all VIP suites and in the Coach’s Terrace — all areas that are completely exposed to the elements. SunBriteTV displays were also selected for installations inside the student athletic facility, which is a three-story building dedicated to football.
Eight 55-inch displays have been installed around the plunge pool, which is a 56-degree pool where athletes can cool themselves off after a long practice or between games. The plunge pool area is cold and damp, and the displays — four along each side of the pool — need to be able to withstand the environment.
Beating the Sun at Arizona State University
Of all the applications, the primary concern for the Sun Devil video project is the harsh Arizona heat. In early season games this year, outdoor temperatures routinely hit 115 to 118 degrees. The televisions on the sundeck specifically, are the most vulnerable because they are hit with direct sunlight all day long.
The primary concern for the Sun Devil video project is the harsh Arizona heat. In early season games this year, outdoor temperatures routinely hit 115 to 118 degrees.
“Even with the extreme heat, we have not seen any LED panel failures,” says Davis.
“Most televisions wouldn’t be able to withstand those temperatures. Obviously, the SunBriteTV units are definitely working and cooling off properly.”
Currently, each display has a separate, weatherized, box that houses a Cisco Stadium Vision video player and HDMI control down to the TV. Davis is particularly impressed with the available air-cooled, cable-management space on the back of the SunBriteTV Marquee displays.
Davis and his team realized the air-cooled space, which also features low-voltage power outputs, will be a perfect spot to house the new, smaller version of the output player in future installations.
“We’ll continue to install SunBriteTV in future phases. We’re planning for another 50 units on the opposite side of the stadium now,” said Davis. “We installed the first set of SunBriteTV displays about four years ago, and they’re all performing very well — we’re looking forward to the next shipment of displays.”
