Ross Video tech trappings to Nokia Arena

Article posted by Coliseum, June 9^th, 2022

Image: Ross Video

The Nokia Arena is a world-class sport and live entertainment center located in Tampere, Finland, and is home to both the Tampereen Ilves and Tappara of the Finnish Elite Ice Hockey League.

‘Ross Video’ stated that the Nokia Arena is a true multipurpose sport and live entertainment center consisting of an arena that can hold up to 15,000 spectators, a state-of-the-art hotel, an international casino, diverse event venues, and numerous restaurants. As one of the most modern multipurpose venues in Northern Europe, the Arena features a state-of-the-art live production technology system that is flexible enough to give in-venue operators the freedom to produce a wide variety of events with ease.

Having first opened its doors in December 2021, the Arena hosted the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Ice Hockey Championship. The spectacle was held from May 13^th to May 29^th of which the world-class Nokia Arena served as the main venue of the games.

The lavish Arena will also stage the 2022 National Hockey League (NHL) Global Series on November 4^th and the clash will be between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Colorado Avalanche. The venue will also be home to several world-renowned concerts.

The Ross Video Limited is a privately-held Canadian company that designs and manufactures equipment for live event and video production.

Kevin W. Cottam, VP, Global Sports & Live Events, Ross Video, Canada, and Harry Sampson, BDM, Sports & Live Events, EMEA, Ross Video, UK, are Members of Coliseum – Global Sports Venue Alliance.

The challenge

The Nokia Arena is a true multipurpose sport and live entertainment center consisting of an arena that can hold up to 15,000 spectators, a state-of-the-art hotel, an international casino, diverse event venues, and numerous restaurants.

The ‘Ross Video’ further stated that with two major ice hockey teams playing many games during the week, plus concerts and musicals, the venue attracts a range of live events. To support these events, Broadcast Solutions Nordic was tasked with designing and implementing a live broadcast technology solution at the venue that was flexible enough to drive the fan experience for the different types of shows. From the control room and LED display control to the Arena TV system and on-ice projection system, every live production element needed to be tied together to deliver a truly immersive experience for the hockey fan or the concertgoer.

The solution

When designing the in-venue broadcast technology solution that would unify these live production elements, Broadcast Solutions turned to Ross Video as the company’s wideranging suite of products combine to create a flexible, scalable in-venue solution that merges the traditional production control room with LED display control.

Maintained Marko Hurme, CEO, Nokia Arena, “After our initial meeting with Ross Video, it was clear that they had the technology and experience in developing complete venue solutions that would allow us to realize our vision of creating an unforgettable experience for fans attending events at the Nokia Arena. I am very proud of what we have achieved with the talented team at Ross and look forward to continuing to attract global events to Tampere.”

The full Ross solution at Nokia Arena includes:

XPression for Broadcast Graphics;
XPression Tessera for the LED display control and ice projection;
Hyperconverged Ultrix Carbonite production switcher with TouchDrive control panels;
Carbonite Ultra for display processing;
OpenGear frame for signal processing;
DashBoard Venue Control;
Mira+ for instant replay and clip playback; and
Ultritouch for custom interface recalls.

The impact

By consolidating the production control room and LED display control systems, the Nokia Arena team can coordinate various elements of their production to draw fans deeper into the action.

This includes synchronizing content displayed across the center-hung videoboard, the concourse and vomitory displays and even the LED strips embedded within the stanchions and along the dasher boards surrounding the ice surface.

This synchronization of content is achieved through the DashBoard control software, as all these displays can be programed and triggered at the push of a button.

In addition to combining the production control room technology with the LED display technology into a single workflow, another advantage of the Ross Unified Venue Control Solution is the ability to take realtime data from an event and translate it into visually stunning effects with the XPression Tessera system.

For example, hockey fans at the Nokia Arena are wowed by on ice display projections during stoppages in play and intermissions that show in-game statistics such as the speed of players and shooting maps that identify where the most scoring chances are being created.

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