The Daktronics Experience

The Texas Rangers opened their new ballpark, Globe Life Field, in 2020 during a pandemic. Justin and Matt talked with the Rangers’ Chris DeRuyscher, senior director of ballpark entertainment, and Colin Drake, Graphics Coordinator, to hear more about their new technology and control system, using the stadium during this year’s playoff bubble and much more.

• Texas Ranger Fact Sheet: https://daktronics.widen.net/s/dvru9hwt1l
• Texas Rangers News Release: https://www.daktronics.com/news/Pages/Texas-Rangers-Taking-Total-Control-With-Daktronics-Show-Control-System.aspx
• Texas Rangers Blog Post: https://blog.daktronics.com/2019/12/02/the-texas-rangers-daktronics-together-since-1994/ 

As our control systems continue to improve and advance, Justin and Matt sit down with Scott Davidson, Broadcast Systems Engineer at American Airlines Center, to talk about his experience with their recent Show Control upgrade. We also talk about Scott’s role and other stories surrounding his work at the venue.

• Daktronics Show Control Webpage: www.daktronics.com/showcontrol 
• American Airlines Center Website: http://www.americanairlinescenter.com/

Usually when the lights go out at a sporting event, it’s a bad thing. But at the University of Georgia, it’s a critical part of the show. Justin and Matt sit down with Video Board Event Producer Anna Pence to hear more about their production, especially at Sanford Stadium for football games. Anna also shares details of how she triggers venue lighting, video boards and music from Daktronics Show Control.

Links:

• UGA Highlight Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44SGFsXIeU8&t=1s
• UGA Lighting Blog Post - https://blog.daktronics.com/2019/12/06/a-light-show-on-campus-at-the-university-of-georgia-a-qa-with-event-producer-anna-pence/
• UGA Project Photos - https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/photos/details?pn=WP-16353&cid=UGAAGA

To talk more about our Show Control system for live events, Justin and Matt welcome Mark Eisenstadt back to the podcast for the third time. Mark shares the basic overview of the system including the main building blocks, what they provide for our Studio Product Family and for our new Live Product Family, and how they work together.

• Daktronics Show Control website: daktronics.com/show
• Fuzzy man video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB_43zaXFH4
• AJT Systems podcast: http://podcast.daktronics.com/e/15-building-broadcast-features-with-ajt-systems/
• Professional Services Contact: professional.services@daktronics.com

Bringing data into a live event production helps tell a more detailed story about what is happening right in front of the viewer’s eyes. That is why we visited with Bill Hadsell, Daktronics product manager, to talk about the capabilities of Data Studio within Daktronics control systems. He tells us about the basketball offering, how it connects to your control system and how teams can start using it to tell their story.

• Contact for Data Studio: sales@daktronics.com or professionalservices@daktronics.com
• Data Studio Video: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/video-gallery/DataStudioNBA1
• Show Control: www.daktronics.com/showcontrol
• “Easability” definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/easability

*DISCLAIMER* No discounts are currently available for this product. The mention of a discount is in a joking manner within this episode.

Adam Kaminski joins Matt to talk about his role as a Daktronics Control Systems Specialist including training key operators on their new system after it’s installed. He also talks about other Daktronics services he helps to provide at all levels of events from high schools to the pros. He even shares a fun story about what it was like working on the new system at Wrigley Field for the Chicago Cubs.

• Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs project highlight video: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/video-gallery/Wrigley-Field
• Tottenham Hotspur Stadium news release: https://www.daktronics.com/news/Pages/Daktronics-Supplying-Complete-Street-to-Seat-Experience-At-Tottenham-Hotspur-Stadium.aspx
• Little Caesars Arena – Detroit Red Wings & Detroit Pistons project highlight: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/video-gallery/Little-Caesars-Arena-Virtual-Tour
• Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee Bucks project highlight: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/video-gallery/Milwaukee-Bucks-Fiserv-Forum-Testimonial
• Target Center – Minnesota Timberwolves project highlight: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/video-gallery/Minnesota-Twins
• Great Lakes Loons project highlight: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/video-gallery/Great-Lakes-Loons-Hear-It-From-Them
• Contact Professional Services: www.daktronics.com/professionalservices

Before the 2019 March Madness tips off, Dustin Culhane, Daktronics professional services manager, joins Justin and Matt to talk about the company’s involvement in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. Daktronics equipment is at 11 venues for 52 games this year.

• March Madness blog post: https://blog.daktronics.com/2019/03/13/march-is-madness-for-daktronics-not-just-college-basketball/

Daktronics Services Manager Stephanie Walker joins Justin and Matt to talk about how LED display customers can prepare for the upcoming baseball season in 2019. Details are shared about getting displays up and running, control systems prepared, data and stats queued up, and more.

• View all baseball checklists under the “Maintenance” dropdown section on our baseball support page: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/support/sports/baseball
• For questions or service requests leading up to the season, complete a new case in your MySupport Account here: https://www.daktronics.com/MySupport/Pages/default.aspx
• Sign-up for our service emails here: https://www.daktronics.com/en-us/services/professional-services/email-preferences
• View our Creative Services Baseball Branded Catalog here: https://p.widencdn.net/ee9t3h/CATALOG-ANIMATIONS-Baseball

Angie Wilson drops by to chat with Justin and Matt about recent control system updates. Angie is Daktronics’ professional services manager and has some great insight into the latest version of our Show Control System (version 2.13) and how it helps our customers create better shows, workflows and presentations. We talk with her about data effects and zone visibility, but also about how customer feedback has led to the innovation of our control system.

Referenced in this episode (links):

• Data Effects Demonstration Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0fwX-yCuuA
• Data Effects Blog Post: https://blog.daktronics.com/2018/12/01/new-data-effects-available-with-show-control-version-2-13/