A $10M audio-visual system at the Ravens' new stadium
will provide an "electronics extravaganza that may very well
end up as the most memorable aspect of a Ravens game and set
a new standard for outdoor sporting events," according to
Jon Morgan of the Baltimore SUN. The technology will be
unveiled in a media preview today. The team selected the
system of Canadian-based SACO SmartVision, and the new-style
technology boards "could render obsolete the Sony JumboTrons
now familiar in other stadiums." Operators can "dedicate
the entire" video board to replays, then "break the board up
into 16 sections showing simultaneous live cuts of games
going on around the league." Marcia Kapustin, the Ravens'
video producer, worked with U2 and directed the LED boards
featured in the band's recent tour. Ravens Associate
Producer Larry Lachman used to produce video shows for the
Grateful Dead, and film director Barry Levinson has also
"been consulted" on the project. Ideas being discussed for
the LED boards include flashing the "quarterback fading back
for a pass on one board and showing the receiver on the
other board across the stadium." The team will also allow
fans to stay at the stadium and show out-of-town games in
progress (Baltimore SUN, 7/16).
A ROYAL FLUSH: More than 600 fans helped flushed all
the toilets simultaneously at the Ravens' new stadium
yesterday in an effort to test the plumbing. USA TODAY
reports that, "Everything went smoothly" (USA TODAY, 7/16).
