Basketball arena greets fans with 65 million pixels of LED
Two displays at the Phoenix Suns arena are using 12 of the 16 outputs available on a Christie Spyder X80 multi-windowing processor and all 20 inputs.
A sports and entertainment arena in Phoenix, Arizona has been outfitted with 650 square metres (7,000 square feet) of LED displays, with Christie’s Spyder X80 multi-windowing processors driving content aimed at fans as they enter the building.
The 29-year-old Phoenix Suns venue, home to an NBA basketball team of the same name and other local sports teams, has recently undergone a $230 million modernisation. The transformation included upgraded fan amenities, technology, and more.
Stranger Production, which specialises in sports and broadcasting video processing and automation, commissioned the Christie Spyder X80 processors that are used to drive content to the LED walls in the new lobby area.
Two custom, curved LED displays welcome fans to the arena inside the reimagined Phoenix Suns Arena pavilion. One display measures 26 feet high by 202 feet long and the other 26 feet high by 113 feet long, and they display a combined 64.8 million pixels. Two Christie Spyder X80 processors (one used as the primary processor, and the other as part of a back-up system) were installed to deliver content.
Eric Howell, owner of Stranger Production, commended: “The system is designed so that the Spyder X80 is the central processor of the pavilion LED displays. Video is fed from computers to the media processors, into the Spyder. The display is completely customisable, including advertising, video feeds, and pre-game content, and different types of media and content can be layered using the Spyder.” Additionally, content can be synchronised on the displays throughout the arena.
The system is using 12 of the 16 outputs available on the Spyder X80 and all 20 inputs. “We’re using a lot of pixels – 64.8 million pixels are managed by the Spyder – and there’s still room for one more display,” said Howell.
“We have a history in commissioning Christie Spyder for large-scale sports and arena installations,” he added. “And for me, it comes down to sheer horsepower with 24 inputs and 16, 4K outputs. And with the Spyder, we are able to get multiple technologies converted to the same display type.”
“We’re thrilled that the Phoenix Suns have selected a Christie Spyder X80 to manage content for its lobby display,” said Joel Turensky, sales engineering supervisor at Christie. “The Spyder X80 features 80-megapixel processing power, with 4K support on every channel. The Spyder X80 enables the creation of spectacular experiences, and the Phoenix Suns Arena is no exception.”
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Posted: 8th June 2021