In Broadcast - CCW 2015 - 46


46

www.inbroadcast.com | CCW 2015 InShow Guide | 11-12 November

ZEPLAY Invigorates
The Sports Fan Experience
Tightrope Media Systems offers lightning-speed playback as well
as dynamic and dramatic slo-mo video...

T

he evolution of in-home
TV quality and on-thego streaming platforms has
amplified the importance of
fan engagement inside the
sports venue. With rising
ticket prices and other
costs associated with game
attendance,
professional
teams and the venues they compete
in have made significant investments
in technology and infrastructure, to
ensure fans enjoy an exciting and
memorable experience.
Tightrope Media Systems brings
the best price-to-performance ratio
for instant replay with its ZEPLAY
system.
Offering
lightning-speed
playback of game action from multiple
camera angles - not to mention
dynamic and dramatic slo-mo video
- Tightrope also delivers exceptional
reliability and ease of use that brings
outstanding value to professional
leagues, universities, and sports clubs
worldwide for in-venue applications.
We're Playing Basketball
As
the
National
Basketball
Association (NBA) team in Salt Lake
City, the Utah Jazz engages fans with
instant replays of exciting game
action at Energy Solutions Arena using
ZEPLAY.
Installed as part of a major
renovation of the 19,000-seat arena,
ZEPLAY is used during every Utah

Jazz home game, as well as
motocross, monster truck
shows, rodeos, and other
sporting events.
"Game day entertainment
is very important to Jazz
fans, and seeing instant
replays of key game
moments is one of their
biggest demands," said Shawn Brown,
Director of Video Productions for the
Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena.
"Within a second or two following a
key play, our ZEPLAY operator can cue
and run a multi-angle replay. That's
how fast and easy it is to do."
While ZEPLAY is recording eight
angles of game action (four in, four
out), the operator can select and
output multiple angles of any replay
in just seven frames, to accelerate
playback to the giant YESCO LED
display boards around the venue.
Major advertisers sponsor the replays
for a particular quarter during home
games, making ZEPLAY's playback
reliability exceptionally important.
"ZEPLAY helps enable this important
revenue stream for our operation,"
Brown said. "It also contributes to the
overall efficiency and reliability of our
arena show production. Our previous
system would lock up or crash right in
the middle of games. Since installation,
ZEPLAY has been very stable and
reliable, and the replays just look
awesome on our video boards."

Fire and Ice
Just as the 2015-16 NBA basketball
fires up, players around the National
Hockey League (NHL) are lacing up
their skates for a season of actionpacked games.
The Tampa Bay Lightning gives its
fans at Amalie Arena more to follow
beyond the high-intensity NHL action
on the ice. As part of a recent $65
million renovation that includes a
new production control room and the
largest indoor video board in a North
American arena, ZEPLAY delivers
impactful, in-game highlights with the
same lightning-fast speed as the front
line.
The Tampa Bay Lightning chose
ZEPLAY based on its speed, cost,
reliability, and streamlined operation,
replacing an existing EVS replay
system.
ZEPLAY's
multichannel
capability (four in, four out) makes
multiple streams available for playout
just seven frames after camera feed
selection. The team's production staff
displays its replays and highlights on a
giant, four-sided Daktronics LED video
display, positioned high above the ice
at the 20,000-seat facility.
"As the game unfolds, Lightning
fans want to see a replay of that save
or that goal, or any exciting play
moments after it happens. ZEPLAY
keeps our fans happy by giving them
all the replays they want without
delay," said Jorge Rosell, director of

broadcast production systems for the
Tampa Bay Lightning.
"The issue of speed goes beyond how
quickly the crowd gets to see a replay,"
he continued. "Before it becomes part
of our live show, our director has to
see it first. The faster we obtain his
approval, the faster we can get it out
to the video board. ZEPLAY simplifies
the whole process because the
operator only has to look at one screen
to see the video choices, and all of the
key features and functions are easily
accessible from the controller's T-Bar."
Speed also comes into play when
ZEPLAY is used to furnish official
replays to the referees. This occurs
often during video production for The
Tampa Bay Storm, the Arena Football
League (AFL) team that also calls
Amalie Arena home.
Since there are usually no broadcast
trucks or rights holders associated with
AFL games, the team often provides
official replays and live-stream its big
board show, including ZEPLAY replays
and highlight packages, via the team's
website.
With these benefits and additional
user-friendly features - a built-in
multiviewer,
native
multiformat
playback, intelligent tagging options
and more - it's no wonder that sports
teams, broadcast networks, and
mobile production units worldwide rely
on ZEPLAY to keep fans tuned in.

Tightrope Media
Systems' ZEPLAY
provides immediate
in-venue replays
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