Live From US Open 2022: USTA Offers Seamless In-Venue Experience Across Sprawling Campus
Live From US Open 2022: USTA Offers Seamless In-Venue Experience Across Sprawling Campus: During the US Open, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center’s lights are brighter than those on Broadway. The United States Tennis Association is in charge of creating an exciting in-venue experience for fans attending the two-week spectacle in Flushing, NY, with the help of cutting-edge technology and important sponsors.
Nicole Munroe, director, of pro tennis marketing and content, USTA, says, “We’ve been trying to push [the edge] as far as we can.” “We aim to produce material that improves our supporters’ experience both in the stadium and at home,” the company has said.
Understanding the Technology: LED Screens Across a Large Campus
Located in the heart of the vibrant Queens neighborhood of New York City is the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, a sprawling complex that spans 46.5 acres of prime real estate.
There are several different courts on the grounds, including the larger Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, as well as the smaller Grandstand and solo courts for men’s, women’s, and doubles play. There are food kiosks, fan activities, and other attractions for spectators to stop at while they mill about outside these venues.
It’s important to note that the main venues all have their own LED screens. There are two large videoboards at Louis Armstrong that show content to the crowd.
All four quadrants of Arthur Ashe Stadium include video boards. The USTA has placed smaller displays perpendicular to the net to display important timing information, including as the serve clock and medi timeouts, for players and spectators closer to the action on the court. Two LED videoboards are available in the Grandstand.
Several fascia boards in Louis Armstrong and Arthur Ashe can be found in both arenas, and these can be used for sponsor messages or to introduce the players and show spectacular views of New York City.
Two of Arthur Ashe’s fascia displays, located at either end of the court, are devoted to closed captioning, while the two larger screens, one behind each player, control the creative aspects being played.
The systems run on a Ross Ultrix 6464 router with a quad link to 12G GearBoxing and are powered by an eight dual-channel Ross XPression Tessera SE, two XPression Tessera Master Systems, and 14 million pixels. Each of the bases in Louis Armstrong has a fascia display that looks like this.
There are two main hard cameras and wireless RF cameras covering the three main stadiums from a video perspective: Louis Armstrong, Arthur Ashe, and Grandstand. ESPN’s international feed is also incorporated into the video board’s programming.
Video projections at several locations outside the venues keep spectators abreast of the day’s outcomes. There will be an LED board in the South Plaza, a ribbon board in the shape of an octagon above the gift store located between the statues of Louis Armstrong and Arthur Ashe, and screens between the food court and the building designated for the tournament’s title sponsor, Cadillac.
Viewing the Tech from Within: Innovative Technology Exhibits and the Van Wagner Plan in Action
Every day, in Queens, the LED displays amaze onlookers, but if anything goes wrong, the staff at Creative Technology is there to fix it. When problems arise with the videoboards or fascia displays, the major provider sends staff to the venue to fix the screens immediately.
The Louis Armstrong Stadium control room is three years old and is staffed by the Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment (VWSE) crew.
It is equipped with a Ross Carbonite Black switcher for Louis Armstrong, a Ross Carbonite Plus switcher for Grandstand, a 12-channel EVS replay server, an RTS intercom for internal communications, and a 180×216 Miranda NVision router. Working closely with Munroe and under the direction of VWSE Director, Technical Operations Nate McCoart, the team implements material for the major videoboards and visuals for the fascia displays.
Following a precise scheduling process, the fascias made their debut in 2019. According to Munroe, “we limited our animations to when we were off the air during our first year. To ensure that nothing was being accidentally shown during the break, we instituted a 15-second buffer on both ends of the program.
After years of development and testing, the production team will use the boards to satisfy sponsorship requirements during the event. She continues, “During changeovers, we are meeting all of our contractual duties with partner signs. Besides advertising the US Open, we also promote the US Tennis Association.
For Serena’s Possible Final Game, the Videoboard Content Pays Homage to Her Role as “Queen of Queens”
If this is Serena Williams’ last time performing on New York’s biggest stage, she’s leaving quite a legacy: the 23-time Grand Slam champion stunned No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit in the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 8. The US Tennis Association and ESPN collaborated to release two specials during Williams’ first two matches to recognize her accomplishments and the extent to which she has dominated the US Open. Less than three weeks before to the beginning of the competition, preparations began for the two spots.
For Munroe, “all hands were on deck” after her Vogue story came out, and the team had to find out how to deal with the situation. Boomshot Productions is a company I collaborate with; they wrote a script that was spot-on for the feel we were going for in two of our pieces.
Serena Williams’s entry onto the court was prefaced by the first segment, which aired just before she took the court. This documentary, hosted by Queen Latifah and titled “The Queen of Queens,” honors Williams for her six US Open titles and the impact she has had on the event.
Editor Mark Grassia, Assistant Editor Kemp Taylor, Sound Designer Rick Van Benschoten, and Color Refinery Senior Colorist Rob Bessette worked on the project under the direction of Creative Directors Brendan Gillen and Thomas LaGrega and Executive Producer Kim Daniels from Boomshot Productions.
The second segment is a tribute to Serena and her contributions to tennis, and it airs after each of her matches. The video, titled “Dear Serena,” is narrated by Oprah Winfrey and incorporates highlights from Williams’s 1999 US Open victory.
It was a joint effort by USTA, VSWE, and ESPN to have this on display and televised. The videos were produced with the assistance of ESPN’s mobile unit and were sent in four channels of split-track audio (two in stereo for the broadcast, and the other two for narration and in-venue music).
According to Munroe, “We occasionally struggle with the audio in our venues,” so “we wanted to debug [our audio] in advance to make it a wonderful experience for the fans and Serena.” Both pieces of content were sent to ESPN, and our on-site audio producer nailed the sound. In my opinion, the music played a secondary role because we prioritized the screenplay.
In addition, as the Open unfolds, Boomshot Productions will add new highlights and moments to the US Open brand manifesto, the sizzle reel that airs at the start of each session and transitions into an overall overview near the tournament’s conclusion.
Updated Visuals: Comprehensive Graphics Suite Features Live Stats, Scoring
A new graphics package has been implemented, further enhancing the already eye-popping replays and coverage. The video boards and fascia displays, most prominently broadcast on the ESPN global feed, have been updated and, as always, feature real-time data and scoring courtesy of SMT. A fan’s knowledge of the latest statistics and odds is crucial in a sport because they are used to explain the back-and-forth nature of a contest.
The fascias, which are the primary source of scoring, are separately operated by SMT, according to Munroe. During player walk-ons, their information powers our head-to-head visuals. They’ve got people working in the control room, and they’re communicating with Van Wagner’s staff.
She also notes that the rebranding has improved the presentation of matches as they are shown from the stadium thanks to the new creative director of the onscreen graphics. According to the authors, “we made sure that there was a consistent thread among the many visuals that we utilize.”
16 Years of Changes in In-Stadium Entertainment, as Seen through Munroe’s Eyes
For the sixteenth year in a row, Munroe has competed in the US Open. Integrating social media and fan-generated content is still visible two years after it was first used for the 2020 tournament influenced by COVID.
“[2020] taught me that our in-venue show and the broadcast need to be rethought in a way that allows the fans at home, who can’t otherwise be there with us, to feel like they’re a part of [the event].” It’s fascinating to see how vibrant the LED screens that we currently have.
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