Versus taps SSL for new facility

Versus has acquired a Solid State Logic C100 HD Digital Broadcast Console for its new, 18,000 square-foot facility. The C100 HD will be used in live sports programming at the new facility, adjacent to its previous location and constructed to accommodate the company’s explosive growth.

Versus, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation, has constructed a 25,000 square-foot space. The complex will meet the increased demand of the network’s expanding sports entertainment offerings, which now includes college football action from the Pac 10 and Big 12, Mixed Martial Arts, this year’s Rugby World Cup, and the track and field world championships from Japan.

A primary reason behind the decision to install a C100 HD, explains VERSUS Director of Engineering Paul Koopmann, was a unanimous verdict by the ample C100 user base.

“The feedback on the console was tremendous,” says Koopmann. “It seemed that every operator we spoke with—Golf Channel and SportsNet in Philadelphia, along with many other installations that we met with in New York—were absolutely head over heels about the C100 HD’s power and capabilities. That spoke volumes; it really comes down to the people who are using it in a similar application as we have. That really convinced us.”

“The power of the core really stands out from any other console out there. It’s durable, bullet-proof and very powerful,” Koopmann continues. “The control surface was also extremely intuitive—it is very, very easy to understand. That was something we needed, because we have a wide range of people that could be using it. We didn’t want to be tied down with a system that we would have to train each individual to understand.”