Buffalo Sabres’ Ice Projection Goes Above and Beyond

Westbury National wins the 2014 Integration Award in the large venue category for their work at the Buffalo Sabres’ First Niagara Center.

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Video projection is the star of the show.

3D projection mapping can be used to create optical illusions across the ice; to the fans’ eyes the rink appears to fall away, move around, rise up and settle back into place.

Images and video footage can show player highlights, newspaper headlines, famous goals … the possibilities are limitless.

Westbury employed four Christie Roadster HD20-J 3-chip DLP projectors for the system. The firm says it chose Christie because of the projectors’ high light output, extensive imagery and geometry manipulation capabilities, and reliability.

The Sabres’ system has an additional component, even newer to the game. Four 40-foot silk banners act as backdrops for the Christie Roadster HD18-Ks from all four corners of the rink. The corner banners deliver even more of a 3D feel as the video shows from all angles, not just below.

The greatest challenge, Westbury says, was working in an active venue. The First Niagara Canter is Buffalo’s largest indoor arena and stays busy hosting hockey and lacrosse games plus many music concerts.

“We couldn’t leave anything on the ice, because everything had to be ready to go for practice the next morning,” says Wallace. “Everything had to be built in a portable fashion so they could get it out of the way to make room, or take it down to increase the load capacity of the ceiling, because some of these large shows that come in take the entire load capacity that the arena can hold.”

Westbury pulled all-nighters, as engineers worked through the night and in the wee hours of the morning. And in the end, it paid off.

“[It’s] not just showing pictures,” says Wallace.

It is the ability to produce effects and footage that together are enough to bring fans to their feet, even to tears.

Click here to see the complete list of 2014 CI & TD Integration Awards winners.

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