Panasonic lights up Blacktown Sportspark
Blacktown City Council has invested in a Panasonic LED Video Scoreboard at its flagship sports venue — Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney, which has been impressing spectators with stunningly sharp images of all the sporting action at the Sportspark’s AFL/Cricket Centre.
Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney, formerly Blacktown Olympic Park, was developed as a major playing and training venue for athletics, baseball and softball for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. AFL, cricket, football and the International Goalkeepers Academy have joined the venue since and the facilities now attract half a million visitors each year.
Blacktown City Council selected Panasonic through an open tender process with the aim to provide a first class scoreboard and screen at the 10,000 capacity AFL/Cricket Stadium. Blacktown International Sportspark had previously used a scoreboard without any video capabilities.
The screen is an affordable, reliable and accurate solution for stadium operators such as Blacktown to install, as it does not require a dedicated operator or technical staff on hand to reconfigure it for each sporting event.
Panasonic and the system integrator have created a template for modes such as AFL, Cricket and Concert. Selection of this is a one-click process, allowing administration staff to simply switch the screen on and select the correct mode to operate in.
Blacktown Venue Management Ltd, Council’s Managing Agent for the Sportspark, are very happy with the new scoreboard. “The most important feature of the LED Video Scoreboard to Blacktown International Sportspark, for us, is functionality. The Scoreboard has added greatly to the all-round venue experience through its ability to run video, images and configurations for both requirements of AFL and Cricket score keeping,” said Chairman of Blacktown Venue Management, Len Robinson.
At 77.4sqm, the immense space afforded by this screen makes it possible for live action to be displayed at the same time as advertising, sponsorship information, scores and player statistics, without disrupting the viewer’s experience of the game.
Mark Wong, National Projects Manager — AV&IT, Panasonic Australia said: “The screen offers the same capabilities as international stadiums in terms of the level of scoring that can be displayed. All the scorer has to do on the day — for example, a cricket match — is to enter the scores into templates and the software ensures the information appears in the correct place on the screen.
“The superior technology of these screens ensures excellent outdoor viewing, thanks to the bright LED display and the 140° viewing angle that allows every person in the stadium to have the ‘best seat in the house’.”
The LED Screen is outdoor IP65-rated with an operating temperature of between -10 and 45°C and is perfect for bright, outdoor conditions and changeable weather. The screen employs LED technology with over 281 trillion colours and a 7680Hz refresh rate for a vivid, clear and flicker-free display of broadcast footage.
Panasonic