American Dream, a three-million-square-foot retail and entertainment complex, utilized SDVoE technology along with NETGEAR and SNA Displays products to create an immersive entertainment experience.
Nestled outside of New York City, the complex features an array of attractions, including the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, Big Snow American Dream ski slopes, and the DreamWorks Water Park.
Addressing the Challenges
Designed and constructed to be a destination mall, American Dream aspired to take entertainment, dining, and retail to a new level, built on a foundation of interactive and immersive audio and video.
“The video display on the grand staircase had to look fantastic. It’s a ‘wow’ factor for the complex,” says Pierre Sicard, SDVoE Alliance member development representative.
Inside the American Dream. Image courtesy of SDVoE
“The challenge was taking the video signal and transporting it throughout the complex while preserving the image quality. Transporting video is simple nowadays but preserving the quality of the image can be quite challenging. Oftentimes, it means sacrificing something in a video display, which typically means compressing the video to deliver it more efficiently, but at the expense of below average image quality,” added Sicard.
Another concern was the latency in video distribution. According to Sicard, there are many variants in AV-over-IP technology, but they often suffer from latency concerns. For example, if a live event is being displayed, choppy images are unacceptable. The quality must be pristine, which requires an extremely low-latency video solution.
Installing the SDVoE Technology
SDVoE technology, as implemented through the NETGEAR, Aurora Multimedia and SNA Display products, allowed for full high-quality 4K60P and 4:4:4 video with near-zero latency across all displays throughout the facility — from impressive LED walls to hundreds of digital signage kiosks — to create an immersive entertainment experience.
The high bandwidth offered by SDVoE technology was integral in supporting over 600 endpoints, and therefore was a key component in providing a seamless solution.
“SDVoE’s technology eliminates the need for compromise. It allows the transport of high-quality images anywhere within a complex or facility with virtually zero latency, and not a lot of technologies can effectively and successfully do that,” continued Sicard.
The company added that NETGEAR and Aurora Multimedia powered 40,000 square feet of display technology.
According to SDVoE, SNA Displays also supplied all LED displays, including the Grand Staircase, which is 12 feet tall and 107 feet long (approximately the size of two and a half highway billboards) and a traffic-facing exterior corner-wrap display measuring 24 feet high by 165 feet long.
Read: SDVoE Alliance Releases First 8K AV-over-IP Solution
NETGEAR’s M4500 Series was selected to facilitate and power the connectivity between Aurora Multimedia endpoints and the video displays.
Per John Henkel, professional AV product marketing manager at NETGEAR, the M4500 Series enables instant multicast functionality for AV-over-IP technology.
Redefining the immersive experience at American Dream. Image courtesy of SDVoE
“NETGEAR is the backbone for connectivity at American Dream,” noted Henkel. “Featuring high-capacity for AV-over-IP, the M4500 Series supports up to 640 SDVoE endpoints. It creates a cost-effective solution for 100 gigabit aggregation and 10 gigabit access layers, an integral technology component throughout the complex.”
Sicard also highlighted, “NETGEAR has a long-standing, reliable history in the professional AV market. Its technology has always been cutting-edge and innovative, but it provides a unique value-add because of its investment in pro AV and supporting these installations. NETGEAR emphasizes customer and technical support, which is integral in any project, but certainly in a project of this size.”
Role of Aurora Multimedia
Aurora Multimedia played a critical role in transporting video throughout the complex. Aurora Multimedia’s IPX-TC3-PRO, a 4K2K transceiver with zero compression and latency, was essential to the installation,
“Aurora’s IPX-TC3-PRO is a key solution for the American Dream project,” said Paul Harris, CEO at Aurora Multimedia. “It allows 4K60 4:4:4 content to be distributed throughout the entire complex to the kiosks and LED walls. It even handles the USB and 1G Ethernet over the same fiber cable to each location making the IPX Series the ultimate AV IP product on the market today.”
