Comcast-Spectacor, the owner and operator of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, has completed a upgrade to the arena's scoreboard and high-definition control room that will be used at Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers games.
The upgrade to new HD video production and LED technology was completed by Sony Electronics and will go live when the Flyers host the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
"This HD technology upgrade will create a whole new level of enthusiasm and excitement, and raise our level of production values," said Peter Luukko, president of Comcast-Spectacor, in a statement.
The Wells Fargo Center project is the latest example of Sony's ongoing efforts to provide complete solutions to the professional sports market by serving as a prime contractor to assemble, design and maintaining systems.
This project comes directly on the heels of a multi-million dollar Sony HD upgrade at the nearby Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sony also upgraded the televisions at the Flyers Skate Zone ice facilities located throughout the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas.
"Arenas and stadiums are now entertainment destinations," said Steve Stubelt, director of the Systems Solutions Group at Sony Electronics, in a statement. "To create that type of environment requires a full service approach -- more than just installing great products. Wells Fargo Center had very a specific vision for what they wanted to offer their fans, and we were able to work with them to offer consultation, integration, technical support and more, resulting in a greatly enhanced sports and events venue."
Diversified Systems was chosen by Sony to provide integration services for the new HD control room, with Sony's acting as lead consultant and designer on the project.
The Wells Fargo Center's new HD control room has Sony HSC-300K and PDW-700 cameras, an MVS-8000 production switcher, LCD professional monitors (model FWD-S42H1) and studio recorders (HDW-M2000/20).
The Sony equipment will capture and produce video for playback during games on the center's LED screens and HD displays throughout the facility.
The project also included a collaborative marketing agreement between Wells Fargo Center, Sony and Best Buy.
As part of that marketing deal, there will be a Sony and Best Buy co-branded HD/3D interactive kiosk area in the center's concourse.
