Panasonic Cams Power Live Production at Esports Arena Las Vegas

More than two dozen Panasonic pan/tilt/zoom cameras are playing key roles in live production at the Esports Arena Las Vegas at the Luxor Hotel and Casino, the first permanent Esports venue on The Strip. The camera models are the AW-HE130 three-chip and AW-HE2 compact FHD PTZs.

The 30,000-square-foot, multi-level arena, which opened earlier this year, is designed to host every form of competitive gaming. As Allied Esports’ global flagship arena, the venue hosts players around the world who compete for the chance to play in Las Vegas against the world’s top competitors across multiple titles.

Systems integrator CBT Systems designed, fabricated, and provided integration services at the Esports Arena. According to company president Darrell Wenhardt, there are several distinct production-centric areas in the arena, including the premier production facility that delivers broadcast-quality content to the arena’s two-story LED video wall and live streams across the world.

Wenhardt explains that 15 HE130 PTZs support both production and broadcast systems, with two of the cameras placed in the commentators’ booth, two in the studio, and 11 cameras strategically sited around the building for primary use as “player-cams.” A dozen HE2s are typically situated above the players’ screens, as well as assigned to capture stage perspectives and the players’ entrance ramp, and are used for general purpose cameras. Two Panasonic BT-4LH310 4K/2K production monitors are deployed in the studio control room.

“We chose the three-sensor HE130 models so we can be assured of avoiding moiré on the LED display, especially if shooting anything other than a static screen,” says Wenhardt. “The HE2’s no-moving-parts design makes it ideal for remote, non-distracting monitoring of the players. And the 4LH310 addresses our need for a reliable broadcast-quality monitor.

The house format at the arena is 1080p/59.94.

Mike Buetsch, Technical Operations Manager for the Esports Arena, says the venue has achieved the objective of being as modular and scalable as possible to handle events ranging from small local gaming to network broadcasts.

“The Panasonic PTZs have been simple to operate, and it’s been highly efficient to bring all the cameras under the same control platform (the AW-RP120 controller),” says Buetsch. “The robotics have been fantastic!”

Buetsch emphasizes that, while Allied Esports’ tournaments and high-stakes match-ups are the focus of the arena, the facility has hosted scores of outside events since its launch earlier this year, ranging from small local gaming shows to major projects of the World Poker Tour, Red Bull, Twitch, and the like.

For more information about Esports Arena, visit here.