Ikegami keys Miami Dolphins renovation

By Andrew Lippe

When the Miami Dolphins kick off their pre-season next weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars it will signal a new day in National Football League stadium scoreboards and production.

The stadium completed a major video overhaul for the new season that will culminate in the stadium hosting the Super Bowl on February 4, 2007. Among the changes? A new 2,105 sq. ft. high definition LED digital display to supply audiences with big-screen, HD coverage of each event they host. And six Ikegami HDK-725P portable HDTV camera systems have been added to shoot 720p images of the action.

Chad Messina, Dolphins Stadium director of scoreboard operations, says Ikegami won out because the cameras are long lasting, durable, and deliver great pictures. I’ve seen demos and seen this camera in action; it looks great and we’re very impressed with the HDK-725P’s performance, he says.

As Director of Scoreboard Operations, Messina and his camera crew are responsible for providing fans with detailed coverage of each event, from replays, half-time shows, and crowd shots, to post game interviews and press conferences. “We provide the fans with all the information and entertainment they need,” says Messina.

The HDK-725P cameras feature newly developed 12-bit A/D conversion and up to 38-bit internal digital quantization for non-linear processes. Processing is performed digitally, ensuring that the HDK-725P will continue to provide high picture quality and reliability for many years.

Dolphin Stadium recently began installation of its new 2,105 sq. ft. high definition LED digital display to supply audiences with big-screen, HD coverage of each event they host. In order to guarantee high-quality digital imagery for their new screens, Dolphin Stadium chose six Ikegami HDK-725P portable HDTV camera systems for outstanding performance in full digital native 720p video.

“Dolphin Stadium is a multi-use stadium,” said Chad Messina, Director of Scoreboard Operations. “We have the Miami Dolphins, the Florida Marlins, the FedEx Orange Bowl, among the many other events that we host. When we started putting in the new scoreboards, I knew we needed these cameras because they’re long lasting, they’re durable, and they’ll give us great pictures. We’ve ordered six cameras all Ikegami HDK-725P’s. I’ve seen demos and seen this camera in action; it looks great and we’re very impressed with the HDK-725P’s performance.”

As Director of Scoreboard Operations, Messina and his camera crew are responsible for providing fans with detailed coverage of each event, from replays, half-time shows, and crowd shots, to post game interviews and press conferences. The Ikegami HDK-725P offers advanced, full digital technology to provide clear, high-resolution HDTV pictures, making it possible for fans to experience every aspect of a game or performance.

“We provide the fans with all the information and entertainment they need,” said Messina. “We wanted to secure the best camera available for the events here at Dolphin Stadium, and Ikegami was clearly the best choice. The picture is clearer, and you can see detail and definition in everything. It’s amazing you can basically reach out and touch it and we’re really excited about that.”

The HDK-725P’s superior imagery is made possible by using newly developed full digital process ICs, where video signals are digitized with 12-bit A/D conversion and up to 38-bit internal digital quantization for non-linear processes. Processing is performed digitally, ensuring that the HDK-725P will continue to provide high picture quality and reliability for many years.

The HDK-725P is also equipped with a DTL (detail) Correction system that is incorporated in both the camera head and CCU, and includes digitally processed horizontal, vertical, and diagonal correction signals for the red, green, and blue video signals. DTL Correction also achieves noise-free full resolution HDTV picture quality even if the camera is used in stand-alone configuration.

The images will be displayed on a new Daktronics ribbon board that measures 2,105 feet wide and 4 feet tall and covers the stadium fascia between the luxury suites and the upper deck seats.

“Ownership did not ask for the largest ribbon board in the world. They asked for a 360-degree display, which happens to be the world’s longest contiguous ribbon board,” adds Messina of Dolphins Stadium.

George Torrez, Dolphins Stadium senior director of corporate communications and development, says the stadium is also adding two of the largest HD video boards in the world. The East scoreboard measures 54 feet tall and 140 feet wide with 2,112×736 pixels. The West scoreboard is slightly smaller, measuring 54 feet tall and 100-feet wide. The pixel size of that scoreboard is 1504×736. The scoreboards are not only large stature but play such a huge role broadcasting and in the fan experience.

“Replay is a huge deal especially to those in attendance and the HD video scoreboards provide high quality, says Messina. With the old scoreboards we had, we used three cameras. With the new HD boards, we now use six cameras. The more camera angles we have, the better the replays we can show.