IBC, Amsterdam (7 September 2006) --- Every now and then a traditional product is thrust into a non-traditional application, producing results beyond everyone's expectations. That's what happened when the Orlando Magic's sports production team decided it was time to add sizzle and punch to its traditional scoreboard functions at the team's home court, the TD Waterhouse Centre.

360 Systems' ImageServer 2000 is a multi-channel video and graphics server capable of playing three simultaneous streams of video, graphics with key, and animations.For the controller, the production team favored the actiV Cart Box controller from Hi Tech Systems. The actiV Cart Box mimics the operation of the familiar Betacart operator's control panel with access to hundreds of pre-recorded video clips. The equipment combo actually created a tape-less broadcast environment in a sports stadium far beyond the typical replay application.
With the tape-based programming library moved to the 360 ImageServer, the controller can randomly play commercials as needed, at a moment's notice, without demanding pre-game planning.
Now, replays on the scoreboard are possible, but the Magic's production team eventually wants to personalize every replay, e.g. use a specific graphic showing a dunk shot by a given player that will precede replays involving that player. The 360 server enables this because it stores a graphics library, can instantaneously call clips up to the scoreboard, feed them into the production switcher, and be followed up by the actual replay.
This capability requires a controller feature commonly called a "shot box." Hi-Tech's actiV Cart Box has the capacity to recall hundreds of pre-planned server clips via interactive shot keys on its keyboard. Hi-Tech offers the only controller that combines the ability to create playlists and do shot box work in the same unit.
The 360 Systems ImageServer also provides a built-in key/fill feature that lets operators key-in additional moving graphics via a completely separate channel to overlay them onto another video clip - similar to the way a character generator works.
The Magic production team plans to use the third channel of the server for play-out to monitors located throughout the stadium - content like event information, commercials, PSAs - all independent of the scoreboard support activity. The Hi Tech controller has the unique ability to control all three server channels simultaneously for mixed purposes.

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