Barco LED display solution lights up Hala Sazka Arena in Prague, Czech Republic
Arena hosts the 2004 world championships ice hockey, from April 24th until May 9th 2004.
Kortrijk, May 5th, 2004 – Barco is pleased to announce that it has completed the installation of its total visualization solution at the brand new Hala Sazka Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. The Hala Sazka Arena, which officially opened on March 27, 2004, is unique in Europe and currently hosts the ice hockey world championships. Barco’s display solution perfectly matches the image and uniqueness of the arena and ensures stadium entertainment for the fans as well as extra revenue generation for its owner.Hala Sazka Arena is a state-of-the-art multi-purpose venue for sporting events, exhibitions as well as social and corporate events. It can be transformed overnight from a roaring hockey arena into an intimate concert hall. The visualization solution in the arena, installed by Barco, includes a four-sided LED-based center-hung display for video as well as scoring, a 310 meter long LED fascia ring used for scoring information as well as advertising, LED displays on the stairs for light effects, messaging and audience interaction, and flat panel displays for signage in public areas of the arena.
On top of that, Barco has provided the hardware as well as the software for the control room. During the games, two operators are present to operate the entire display system. From within the control room, they can see what is happening on each of the displays and can interact with them real time.
The center-hung cube which is being used for live video and scoring, is the main element in the arena. It is composed of four 12mm indoor LED displays, each measuring approximately 5.8m high and 5.8m wide. The cube itself is not always visible to visitors as they enter the arena. As the game begins, the entire construction comes down from the ceiling in a spectacular, almost majestic way, after which it lights up for the action and entertainment to begin.
“We had very high expectations for the LED video and scoreboard solution in our arena”, says Mr. Surka CEO of Bestsport. “We want to attract as many spectators as possible, to entertain them and to give them every reason to come back. Barco’s display solution will greatly contribute to achieving this goal. Barco has met, even exceeded our expectations.”
For the realization of this project, Barco’s design and project management teams in Belgium and the United States worked closely together to ensure all design, equipment, and service specifications were met to the customer’s satisfaction. This combination of product and installation knowledge among all divisions and the willingness to work closely together makes it possible for Barco to complete installations of any size or type in any location throughout the world.
“The solution chosen by Sazka Arena’s designers is a perfect example of our ability to adapt our display solutions to the customer’s specific needs” adds Nico Vernieuwe, General Manager, Barco Media. “We are proud to have Sazka Arena as our customer and are convinced that our display solution will ensure a great time for the fans in the arena, as well as plenty of opportunity for increased revenue from advertising”.
For more information on Barco’s sports solutions, please visit www.barco.com/sports.
About Barco
Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, provides visualization and display solutions for professional markets. Barco designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Barco has a network of subsidiaries, distributors and agents in almost 100 countries. Barco is quoted on Euronext Brussels and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company.
