It's not every day that a Spyder is welcome in Atlanta's Philips Arena. But Vista Systems' Spyder X20 is now at home feeding twin Mitsubishi Diamond Vision systems in the multi-purpose facility.
Philips Arena opened in 1999 and hosts the NBA Atlanta Hawks and WNBA Atlanta Dream. It's also among the busiest arenas in the world for concerts. The Mitsubishi Diamond Vision systems, which measure 100 feet long and 12 feet high, are mounted at each end of the arena and display statistics, replays, video footage, graphics and advertising.
"We chose Spyder for its flexibility and functionality compared to other options on the market," says David Corathers, engineering manager for Mitsubishi Diamond Vision who helmed the integration. "Spyder provides the most flexibility for inputs - video sources, HD-SDI, DVI, keys, without degradation of the video images into our advanced proprietary LED processors. That allows our customer to produce very complicated shows. A lot of different sources of information can be aggregated to one place along with advertising."
Spyder was installed for the current NBA season and it has been "working great," according to Corathers. "Our customer really likes the flexibility, and it's very cost effective. I've been impressed with the product and the people at Vista."
He notes that, "We're just starting to scratch the surface of what Spyder can do and are in the process of integrating Spyder more deeply into our system. At the Philips Arena, Spyder allows our customer to drive and manage material and customize a unique visual palette."
About Vista Systems
Vista Systems' switchers have become the industry standard for live multiple-destination video and data mixed signal switching with real-time windowing and composition. For more information on Vista Systems, visit their website at www.vistasystems.net.