Carter Finley Videoboard Update

Solid.

Carter Finley Videoboard Update

The actual videoboard puzzle pieces started going up today!  I was able to get over and get some good photo and video if you're interested!

Carter Finley Videoboard Update

It's been nearly two months since the last update here... Time flies when you're having fun ;)

Here are some shots and descriptions of the progress on the CF north-end videoboard.

Carter Finley Scoreboard Update

Something seems to be missing....

Carter Finley Stadium

For the Wolfpack Nation (and geek nation), there's a nifty new item to follow.

After much speculation, Carter-Finley Stadium is getting a new videoboard.

By the time I got around to getting a shot of it, the entire old videoboard was deconstructed. I will do my best to keep things updated on here as to the progress. For now, here's a picture of what it looks like as of this morning.

Released

So, I just noticed that this press release was out... a week later ;)  Many of you may have seen it, but it's the "official" release from the RBC Center about the Megatron.

Also, ncsu1 shrewdly deciphered that we're doing our commercial shoots on the ice.  The look from above:

Have a good one everybody.  If you see my wife, tell her hi for me ;)

Wow...

Man I'm exhausted!

Three days of switcher training is now a memory. Hopefully I can just as easily "store" and "recall" information from my brain as it is to store and recall presets in the switcher! Okay, geek joke, sorry. It is midnight, after all ;)

Among other things happening around the room today, we tested our program (main video output) video on the main boards today from the switcher, as well as testing our aux (alternate) send to the upper boards. Basically, I can be sending out two separate feeds through the switcher simultaneously. Just as long as I get the right source going to the right output I'll be fine :)

A few more days of football production and I can turn my focus more toward hockey. It sure is getting close!

Hot Off The Press

I told you that there were some awesome things going on in the background here. And it's all for the awesome readers of the CVHD blog!

Presenting CanesVision HD & Wolfpack TV HD desktop wallpaper, exclusively from the CVHD blog!

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Enjoy, everyone, and have a GREAT weekend... don't stare at your computer screen too much!

Red Bull, Anyone?

Why is it that I can't get around to starting this until nearly midnight? You think you fall asleep READING it... sheesh... ;)

I do have some cool stuff coming down the pike. I have to run it through the channels first, but stay tuned within the next couple of days for something really cool :) Have I piqued your interest enough yet? Good! Now, stay awake!

First, I'd like to give a shout out to Destination Wake Forest for drumming up interest in what we've got going on here. Thanks so much for the mention!

Now to the geeky stuff:

I got to see the camera that we're going to be using on the robotic head.

It's simple, but it works :) Something I learned about the robo head that I thought was interesting... Stay with me, I don't know how much I can simplify :)

Basically (I know, ha ha), there's fiber running from the control room to the robo head for the HD camera signal. However, the signal from the camera actually comes out HD SDI (BNC Connector) and plugs straight into the head. Then, the signal is converted into light and transmitted through the optical slip rings and actually exits the head as fiber! I figured there would be some elaborate external "box" we'd have to mount on the side of the camera for conversion - NO! The head actually converts it for us :) Streamlining the process is good!

A part of this whole process is the camera control station. This is where the color/iris (brightness), etc. for all of the cameras can be set remotely.

The large monitor (which is identical to those on the monitor wall - 46"er!) is a source monitor driven by the multiviewer. The smaller monitor just below and to the left is the "match monitor" (to make sure all the cameras look the same).

Notice the four identical RCPs (remote control panels): those are for our four main "manned" cameras.

The medium-sized RCP is for an additional camera that we can use for our show or that we can convert for ENG work. If the opportunity presents itself, I will try to go into more detail on all the cameras other than the robo :)

Okay... for those who are still awake... or have unexploded brains...

We have our main monitors on the wall that will show the video sources through the multiviewer. It looks good to see the big guys on the wall :)

It's not quite finished yet, but it's certainly closer! WOOO!

Someone also asked me why I'm putting these crazy watermarks on all my pictures. I noticed early on that my photos were showing up in places that I didn't put them... and no one knew where they came from... So, I know they're annoying, but I am doing this so that I can still get credit for staying awake writing all this stuff down :) It's inevitable that these pictures will be re-circulated elsewhere... All I ask is that you give the blog credit. The address is http://canesvision-hd.blogspot.com/. You could also promo the Twitter address @CVHD.

Thanks!

Now that the mean stuff is out of the way, and because I got so many good comments about the Canes picture, I wanted to make sure I spread the love to the NC State crowd!

Special framing just for you! Includes the '74 and '83 Banners :)

I can almost hear a distant "WOLF"... "PACK"...

Update: In Pictures

A few things have been going on over the past couple of days, and I wanted to update you on it! I may not be as timely as I should, but hopefully I'm keeping you interested ;)

While the overall room looks pretty much the same as it did last week, a few details have popped up that are worth noting :) The second row of the control room started getting some of its auxiliary user equipment - some of which has been posted previously, but it's cool to see it finding it's final resting place... um... finally!

This is one of the EVS replay stations; the "shotbox", keyboard and touchpad/stylus have been placed.

The second EVS replay station.

Something familiar for our CanesVision crew... the "Profile" Slo-Mo machine still lives!

For those who have no clue what I'm talking about... We are actually keeping our "old" standard-def (SD) replay system to be used for extra replay angles. We can actually run these on either analog or down-converted [HD to SD] signals, then bring them into either a frame sync or directly into the switcher and voila! Two additional replay angles! These are perfect for football, as the cameras are already analog (we're using the cameras we used to use for football/hockey/basketball solely for football for now... until Carter Finley gets HD displays, at least...). For hockey and basketball, we will be able to put either goal overheads or "slam cam"s into these units for extra looks in-game.

Info overload, huh?

More pictures, then!

I know I posted a similar picture Friday, but look... it's alive! The audio board is the first operational thing in the control room :) Of course, it isn't quite fully hooked up to everything on the output side yet... because not everything is there yet!

The robotic camera controls were placed on the second row, as well. It's a big box, but the ability and flexibility of the camera will be tremendous!

And now... what many of you have been waiting for... the main event! We threw together some logos to place on all the boards for a photo op for the Sports Business Journal, which is doing a story on our HD conversion... No ideas on a publishing date just yet, but I'm guessing pretty soon....

Also, due to Daktronics still ironing out some last minute details on the physical board, it was down on floor-level, but that just means it's closer to take pictures of ;)

Nevertheless, here's a small preview of things to come! Do enjoy!

I hope to have a similar NC State look by the end of the week (don't hold me to it!).

Until next time...

God Bless America

Running the boards for signal check and heat tolerance. Nice choice of testing content :)

I See A Pattern Forming...

Earlier today, they took a still from my personal camera and put quite the interesting subject on the board...

Look, Ma... I'm in HiDef!

Notice there are three separate signals on the boards on the top. We can run something different on all eight if we want. It's all in the scripting :-)

We'll be running more test content over the next few days, and scripting over the next few weeks. Be patient... these things are tricky and we have to create the content to script, too ;) It's coming soon, I promise!

Check check....

Special Thanks to Paul Chapman for this photo :)

Testing 1...2...3...

I'm not in the office today, but I did notice they are testing out the videoboard today. Probably just test patterns and such (I really can't see what's on there right now from the webcam, but it's getting tested :-)

Here's the image around the time of this post.


I will have more details when I am back in the office tomorrow... I should be able to put my own test content on the board by the end of the weekend... fingers crossed!

Exciting times

I have to be careful not to get too many people's hopes up on this one, but it's still very nice!

I can't remember where, but some time ago, I heard that July 17th was the earliest that we could have the Daktronics computer(s) that could run all of the videoboards. Meaning, any creative content built ON the Dak computer, scripts (a single button that can play content on multiple boards) or RTD pages (Real Time Data - stats, game clock, score) that we needed would have to wait until July 17th to be STARTED. Remember: we have to rebuild E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G from the ground up.

Well....

Dak brought their rack of equipment (including data distributors, Venus/V7000 computers, etc.) pre-built. Meaning, all the pieces were already screwed in and wired up (within the rack). They had some computer issues to iron out once they turned it on (RAID controller problems), but once that was done, the rack was ready... but... it was still just sitting in the hall.

Asking the project manager how long it would be before it was in place and ready, I was given an answer of "a few weeks" [because they would need to wait for Diversified to finish some things first...].

Then, out of the blue, the following option was presented...

Why not move the rack down to your temporary office?

Simple, but AWESOME! The electricians were still wiring up the power today (officially meaning it took longer to POWER the board than it did to BUILD it), and there are some fiber terminations that still have to be made.

BUT... by the end of NEXT WEEK (nearly three weeks ahead of "schedule") we should be able to start sending some test content to the boards.

NOW... for the depressing part... While we can run content on the boards, it will still be a few weeks before we have everything starting to sing. There are tedious scripts we have to build (so that we hit one button and everything goes crazy, or whatever it's supposed to do), as well as building our RTD pages to hold our scoreboard info, shots/fouls, blah blah blah...

Because it will still be a few weeks, it means that - according to the original schedule, we'd be getting "up to speed" around the same time as all of our main equipment training kicks in the first of August... NOW, we'll have a little "extra" time to make sure things work on Opening Night :)

I know, I know... not as exciting as "we're running stuff already", but it's another significant step in the process! Now... time for a caffeine refill and back to work ;)

Oh yeah, and congrats to the Penguins for winning the Cup...

Feeling more like home...

We got intercom stations and tape decks set up in our temporary offices today so we can work a little easier. It's starting to feel a little more like home!

Someone had asked on a previous post about the physical size of the boards. I actually got firm numbers, but I don't think they tell the whole story...

The old boards had quite a large bezel (physical area outside the display surface, like a TV would have...) between the display area and the corner of the panels (nearly a foot if I'm not mistaken).

Old Matrix Detail


Old Jumbotron Detail

The new boards have pixels covering nearly every ounce of space, so even if the physical board is the same size, this one has a larger image because of the smaller bezel.

The Lower Ring and the lower portion of the Main board

That said, the rough physical dimensions comparison is as follows:

OLD JUMBOTRON:
Width: 34' (at the top)
Height: 20'

NEW VIDEOBOARD (not including the "RBC Center" lettering):
Width: 29' (at the top)
Height: 23'

Again, the numbers lie a little ;) The USABLE DISPLAY AREA has easily quadrupled for us on these boards, so don't let the numbers fool you. Even looking at it hanging in the room it looks gargantuan! Remember, too, that part of the size was due to the ad panels at the top, the tri-vision displays at the bottom and the RBC Center designations in the corners.

Also, there has been a rather exciting development here over the last couple of days, and I will be more at liberty to share tomorrow...

Building the future

Time lapse of the new video board constructed for the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC. This replaces the old Jumbotron and will be the new scoreboard primarily for the Carolina Hurricanes & the NC State Wolfpack Men's Basketball team.

Deconstructed

With a new video board going into the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC, the old Jumbotron had to be taken out. Here is a time lapse by CanesVision on the deconstruction of the old scoreboard.

From the inside

Special thanks to Chad for posting in my absence! I think it's a good thing that we're documenting all of this for posterity, if nothing else! Of course, some people obviously find it interesting, because according to Google Analytics, this blog - that I thought maybe 15 or 20 people would find interesting - now has over 4,600 page views from more than 1,400 unique visitors from across 36 states and even Canada... no pressure to get my info right, eh? :)

The Daktronics boards were physically completed on Sunday! Here is what the completed videoboard looks like - close to the ground, at least!

Man... that's a monster!

From the corner

Catwalks inside the videoboard allow for maintenance access and such.
Much more user friendly than the previous version!

You can certainly notice the "high school locker" look I referenced previously...
Also, note the cable bin in the lower left... this is for the cable to spool itself when the board is raised.

And this is how it's looked for most of the day. We have seen so much progress that the next few days will be rather "slow" for us... The electricians are hooking up all of the power and such to the boards today and I'm sure into tomorrow.

As for the control room, we are in the holding pattern for equipment. We got in some rack bases today; we'll get more tomorrow... Slowly, all the equipment that is meant to "drop ship" to us will begin trickling in over the next couple of weeks. DSI will have the site supervisor and some personnel beginning on July 6th(ish), with the full team in house beginning July 13th. Their main objective - wrangle all of the equipment, stick it in the room and wire it up to work!

Not too difficult, right?

So, if I'm a bit absent from posting, it may just be because there's not much to say during the "slow" parts... basically there's nothing new to take pictures of ;) But, rest assured, there's plenty of work going on from the inside!

And then there was HD

Saturday brought the installation of the main HD boards.  The crew got to work early, but I did not...  When I dropped by around 11am, the main frame for the video boards was completed and the lower sections of the boards were staged around the frame and ready for assembly.  

Main boards and frame

The frame for the lower boards sits on the ground for now, awaiting installation of the main boards.  The 4 main boards are approximately 16' wide by 9' tall, and were each shipped in 4 pieces.  Each piece was half the width of the main board, and the lower sections were about 6' tall, while the upper sections were about 3'.  As you can see in the next couple of pictures, the upper section was attached to the lower section, then that half of the board was bolted to the frame.  the process was repeated for the other half to complete one side of the 4-sided main display structure.

Wider view of the whole structure.  In the foreground is the lower left panel of each side of the main display.

The upper right section of a main display is being moved into place.

 

As with the other boards, the front panels are removed to bolt the panels together and to make power and signal connections.

The south-facing main display is complete and attached to the main frame.  You can get some perspective of the size relative to the person standing by the forklift to the left of the board.

-Chaq