Venue News: Blue Jackets Upgrade with Daktronics, Burst; Buccaneers Invest in Mobile Ticketing Technology

Compiled by Karen Hogan, Associate Editor, Sports Video Group

Fans will soon be closer to the action at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Blue Jackets hockey team. The 12-year-old arena is currently being updated with four center-hung Daktronics video scoreboards and a HD control room. Denver-based Burst was awarded the contract for the design/build of the HD video control room in the 20,000-seat arena, which hosts sporting events, concerts, and even monster truck events. When complete, fans throughout the house will enjoy a better viewing experience. The control room will feature Grass Valley cameras and a K2 Dyno Replay System; Fujinon lenses; a Chyron Character Generator; EditShare centralized editing storage system; Evertz routing, multi-viewer, fiber, and technical core; and a Ross Video production switcher. Anthony James Partners is the consultant and project manager…

…The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in first place in the National Football League when it comes to mobile ticketing technology. The team has begun using a new mobile app from Ticketmaster for scanning virtual tickets. The app enables fans to purchase tickets online and pull them up on their phones for scanning at the game. The Buccaneers are the first team in the National Football League to use the app’s paperless ticketing capability, according to a written statement from the team. The team will also be the first in the NFL to use Apple’s Passbook app, beginning Oct. 14. Passbook is a new “mobile wallet” feature on Apple’s iO6 operating system…

…Frustrated city councillors shut down arena talks with Oilers owner Daryl Katz Wednesday and are considering options that include building the project alone. There has been nothing to justify Katz’s demand for a $6-million annual subsidy to offset operating costs at a downtown arena, which city staff identified as the major stumbling block to completing a deal, according to Edmonton Mayer Stephen Mandel. Mandel supported a unanimous motion to immediately cease negotiations over jointly building what is now a $475-million facility and look at other ideas, including refurbishing Rexall Place or having the city put up a new arena by itself. However, Mandel cautioned that even if the city constructed an arena, it would still have to negotiate a lease with the Oilers…

…After hinting about a relationship earlier this year, the San Francisco 49ers and networking vendor Brocade made it official Tuesday, announcing Brocade as the “exclusive and official network solutions partner of the San Francisco 49ers.” Though no details on the exact buildout are yet available, Brocade Chief Technical Officer Dave Stevens told MSR in a phone interview Tuesday that Brocade will be responsible for the “entire wired and wireless network infrastructure” for the new Niners stadium currently being built in Santa Clara.