Animated graphics,
multiple replay screens,
computer control and
synchronised speakers are
drawing spectators into
a more stimulating
sports experience.

The new state-of-the-art SACO SmartVision 
video display at the Baltimore Ravens 
Stadium in Camden Yards, Maryland (52k).

t the Baltimore Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards in Maryland, fans will no longer watch football games - they will 'experience' them.

That vision - to revolutionise what the Baltimore Raven's owner Art Modell calls the 'fan experience' - has come into fruition this year. Because of the latest audio and video technology, thousands of enthusiastic Ravens fans are finding themselves transformed from passive spectators to virtual participants. Animated graphics, multiple replay screens, computer control and synchronised speakers, co-ordinated with a state-of-the-art Saco SmartVision Inc. video display, are drawing spectators into a more stimulating sports experience.

The Ravens Stadium in the acclaimed Camden Yards sports complex holds 68,400 fans. It offers fans the ultimate in comfort and luxury, amazing sightlines, food and viewing convenience. Incorporating the latest in audio and video technology encourages fans to stay longer, spend more money, and take advantage of the luxury features of the stadium.

Strategically placed in each end zone of the Raven's Stadium are two 24-feet high x 100-feet wide SmartVision LED video displays - among the biggest in sports. The life-like clarity of the video and the ability to create special effects are bringing the fans experientially into the field.

"Those screens and sound system will give an interaction with football that's impressive, the way you're going to watch the play will take football almost to a theatrical level. It's set to be the stadium's national signature," predicts Maryland Stadium Authority Chairman John A Moag, Jr.

John Modell, a music producer and son of the Ravens owner, runs Raven Image, a 15-person digital studio filled with 42 video screens and numerous computers. There, computer operators control the spellbinding spectacle from a glass room in the corner of the stadium. With a click of a mouse, they can change the image from a 16-section display of live play from games around the league to a high-fidelity video replay or sponsor advertisement. From there, they routinely create special effects such as a thundering squadron of jets swooping through the seating bowl, entering at one end zone and exiting at the opposite one.

Modell, a composer and multi-media producer, who has made many of the digital masters of the Grateful Dead CDs, has just begun to explore the visual possibilities. Co-ordinating video on the two boards, using techniques such as morphing the live action with animations, is just one of the innovations that is currently being explored.

The boards can keep fans in the stadium longer before and after the games, watching other games from around the league and post-game news conferences from the locker rooms. This creates an additional source of revenue for the stadium, as lingering viewers purchase refreshments and other concession items.

The first test of the recently perfected LED technology came when SACO designed and produced the largest transportable video screen ever made for U2's, Popmart tour. The 50-feet high by 150-feet wide screen toured the world with the famous Irish rock group. It was at one of the tour stops that John Modell first noticed the SmartVision screen and suggested it to his father; Art Modell caught the ball and ran with it.

John Modell has speculated that the video may someday become so spectacular, fans may actually wish to come to the stadium for forms of audio and video entertainment on days when no games are scheduled.

To complete the riveting visual and audio experience, a 300,000-watt network links 1,894 custom-built speakers mounted strategically throughout The Ravens Stadium accompanying the massive video screens. Unlike typical sound system installations, Raven fans will each have a speaker within 144 feet of their seats. Experts say the results can match the crisp, 100-decibel level of the latest Rolling Stones concert.. 

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SACO incorporated recent advances in light emitting diode (LED) technology to achieve these spectacular effects. About two years ago, Japanese scientists discovered an LED crystal combination that can emit a blue light. When combined with existing red, green and yellow LED's, this discovery makes it possible to produce up to 16 million shades and colours when an electrical current is passed between the electrodes. This full-colour spectrum enhances the text, graphics and video, creating images that appear crisp and clear. The tiny LED 'lights' are grouped into prescribed combinations, which form pixels. A remote computer then controls the brightness of each LED in the pixel. This gives the producer the ability to fine-tune a vast electronic paint pallet, generating virtually endless graphic possibilities.

"This technology is opening up infinite creative possibilities in the entertainment and information industries," claims Fred Jalbout, President of Saco SmartVision Inc. "What we are seeing now is only the beginning of a new way to capture the imaginations of a new generation of visually sophisticated viewers."

The Ravens and the State of Maryland reviewed several systems before deciding on the LED boards of Saco SmartVision Inc. of Montreal, Canada. The Saco system was deemed to be brighter and less expensive than the other systems reviewed. In addition, they also found them to be lighter, more energy-efficient, and at five inches deep, sported a much smaller footprint.

Another advantage the Ravens and the State of Maryland perceived was their flatness. The boards have a wide viewing angle, which offers fans a clear picture from all seats in the stadium. The boards display instant replays, game highlights, statistics, and player biographies in addition to true-to-life action..

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SmartVision displays are illuminating stadiums and arenas throughout the United States, including the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum & Arena in California. They were also contracted to provide an eight-sided, centre-hung display for the London Arena last July, through their UK distributors VRS (Venue Revenue Services).

"Our screens bridge the two worlds of sports and entertainment," points out Gary S. Nalven, Director of Operations for Saco SmartVision (USA) Inc., in New York. SmartVision screens have toured with the world's leading performers, including Celine Dion, U2, The Spice Girls, Rod Stewart, The Bee Gee's and Janet Jackson.

The fact that they can be constructed in any size and shape enhances their architectural and design possibilities. For the pop singer Celine Dion, Saco custom-designed a heart-shaped LED stage, which changed colours throughout the show.

Is it possible for 'info-tainment' to overshadow the sports experience? Not likely. Rather, this new medium will serve to enhance and stimulate an interest in sports among viewers of the 21st century.

"You have to have a modern approach to entertainment," Art Modell told the Washington Post. "These people have an appetite for better sound. They expect it. The MTV generation is coming to this stadium now."