Kauffman Stadium has seen its fair share of off-season projects and renovations since it’s 1973 debut and 2021 was no exception. The Royal’s iconic CrownVision centerfield scoreboard debuted in 2008 with the recognizable crown atop the structure’s highest point. Thirteen years later, the crown-adorned videoboard has traded in its LED for HDR-capable panels. Measuring 105 x 85 ft., the MLB’s fourth main HDR videoboard has a pixel increase of 138% and is currently the tallest videoboard in the league. In addition to the main videoboard, the Royals are sporting new LED displays in their Hall of Fame display (20.5’x108’) as well as two, 7’x127’ ribbon boards running along the outfield wall. With a grand total of more than 5.1 million LED pixels, Kauffman Stadium will be shining for many seasons to come.
To support these new displays, the team decided to invest in new video production equipment. Diversified redesigned the control and equipment room layouts from their cramped confines into a renovated room where staff production space and workflows have more elbow room and efficiencies. Following space layout changes, Diversified then developed the control room’s equipment upgrades to include Ross Video’s 5M/E Acuity production switcher, XPression graphics and the Kiva live-production server; EVS XT4K and XTSK replay servers and IPDirector, Evertz EQX10 router, four Sony HDC-5500L and three PXW-Z750 cameras, Riedel Communications wireless intercom and Wave Central wireless camera support—all of which represent major changes to control room design and production. Perhaps the space’s most important addition is an AJA FS-HDR 1RU rackmount converter/frame synchronizers, which convert the live production feeds to HDR on the videoboard.
Additionally, this was a fast-tracked project that needed to be completed before the start of the season, all during the height of a pandemic. Diversified met with the team, provided thorough research regarding whether the potential project could be accomplished and, after on-site review of the systems and coordination with the team, drew up a plan that would allow the franchise to mix their preexisting technologies with new tools and welcome fans back for a game-changing experience they just can’t get at home.
