Sharp NEC Display Solutions Customer Installation Leisure & Entertainment
Straubing Tigers‘ Ice Stadium
LED generates excitement and revenue
Indoor and outdoor LED displays help to exhilarate the crowd whilst providing additional revenue streams at the Straubing Tigers ice stadium.
Professional men’s hockey team, the Straubing Tigers, compete in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) playing their home games at the Eisstadion am Pulverturm with a capacity of 5,800 spectators.
A game of high speed and high exhilaration, ice hockey, like any other team sport, enjoys a passionate following. With eager fans encircling the rink, match day is a sensational mix of audio and visual stimulation where getting a good view of the action is vital and loud music fuels the emotions.
Since ice hockey pucks are incredibly small and fast moving across the ice, large format screens have become a key part of the experience, providing action replays and close up views of the players.
The challenge
The existing LED screens at the ice stadium had become outdated and no longer provided the visual stimulus the fans expected. High bright, quality images and reliable performance under harsh conditions were a prerequisite for any replacement. Another challenge was the infrastructure required to support the new displays.
To be located central to the rink where the fans, no matter where they sat, could enjoy a clear view of the action, required suspension from the ceiling of the stadium.
As in many roofed sports venues, the load-bearing capacity of the roof sets the limits in the design of the new technology. Humidity created within the stadium poses an additional challenge; no friend to electronic equipment, to deliver long lasting performance any digital screen would need to withstand harsh conditions.
The solution
Designed, planned and implemented entirely by S[quadrat] GmbH, now part of Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe GmbH, an LED video cube with a total LED display area of 45.6 m² displaying content on all four sides was installed at the stadium. The four 11.4 m² LED screens each have a resolution of 720 x 440 pixels. In addition, an LED ring with a display area of 7.6 m² is suspended below the cube creating a 360 degree curved screen.
The resolution of the LED ring with a circumference of 16 m is 2,640 x 80 pixels. All the LED screens have a pixel pitch of 6 mm, delivering content perfectly visualised by the distant crowds.
Both the cube and the ring of LED benefit from a special coating which was pre-applied at the factory to provide protection against humidity. The total weight of the two display systems is less than 5.5 t, of which about 3 t is attributable to the steel construction, the precision frame and the cladding.
The impressive LED construction providing 360 degree viewing is operated by the user-friendly SX[SportBox] ice hockey content management system. Content can be pre-scheduled and instantly updated to deliver fast moving visuals of action replays during the match, plus animated graphics, player profiles and spectator shout-outs to entertain fans, alongside concessions advertising and other potentially revenue generating content.
Since this successful installation, S[quadrat] was called upon to implement a further LED display, this time outside the stadium to attract passers-by and display game information. The high-frequency outdoor area of the ice stadium offers a lot of potential for additional advertising revenue.
The pylon supports a 11 m² outdoor display with a pixel pitch of 4.8 mm consisting of 27 tailor-made LED modules. The modules of different sizes are fixed to a precision aluminium frame mounted at the top of the steel pylon. Thanks to a brightness of up to 5,000 cd/m², the advertising content is displayed perfectly even in direct sunlight. Customized brightness sensors and the accompanying S[quadrat] SX[BrightnessControl] software automatically regulate the brightness of the display according to the ambient conditions.
The content currently consists of changing images that display upcoming match information and advertisements. The Sedna Content Management System, which was specially designed for digital signage applications, offers an additional add-on to allow live broadcast of the action and match day scores.
The result
Fans of the Straubing Tigers and their opponents are treated to a remarkable match day experience, one they will want to repeat over and over. Helping to boost the team’s following, the stadium enjoys increased ticket and merchandise sales alongside additional revenue from concession stands and advertising.
