CONSULTANT SPOTLIGHT – Coherent Design and Analog Way Team-up on Unique Live Event and Entertainment Venues Coast to Coast

The longstanding relationship between Las Vegas-based Coherent Design and Analog Way has spanned at least a dozen major projects requiring top-of-the-line video processing, switching and media server solutions for cutting-edge LED video displays.

“The collaboration and trust established by our two companies has led to Analog Way products playing key roles in spectacular and unique projects across the US,” says Dan Benjamin, Regional Sales Manager/Western US and Canada for Analog Way.  “Coordinating with Coherent has given us the opportunity to be involved with some really cool live event and entertainment venues and has provided Coherent with reliable and consistent technical solutions that work for many different applications.” 

One of the biggest projects that Coherent and Analog Way have teamed on is Circa Resort & Casino’s new big-screen sportsbook and pool venues in Las Vegas, which have revolutionized the game-day experience for guests.

Circa bills Circa | Sports as “a sportsbook so big we built a casino around it.”  With a 1,000-person viewing capacity from stadium seats, a lounge and private boxes, the world’s largest sports betting experience features a three-story screen displaying live sports feeds driven by Analog Way’s LivePremier family of multi-screen presentation systems and videowall processors. 

In addition, guests who prefer to watch their sports outdoors can sun and soak at Stadium Swim where six pools on three different levels have views of a giant high-definition screen also powered by an Analog Way system.  

“Circa’s ownership is very sports savvy and wanted guests to be able to watch multiple events at the same time on the big screens,” says Jason Pritchard, Senior Design Engineer and one of the Principals of Coherent Design.  “We needed the video processing power and windowing capabilities of Analog Way to drive a massive amount of pixels with multiple, configurable 4K outputs.  Not many manufacturers offer those capabilities to the extent we required.”

A trio of systems in Analog Way’s LivePremier family are deployed at Circa | Sports and Stadium Swim.  An Aquilon C+ drives the sportsbook’s massive 66 million pixel, 118 x 38-foot 2.5mm LED screen.  An Aquilon C powers the main 6 million pixel, 42 x 23-foot 3.9mm odds board on an adjacent wall and the 1.4 million pixel, 10 x 5.6-foot 1.9mm second floor odds board.  Another Aquilon C drives the giant outdoor 13.7 million pixel, 132 x 40-foot 6mm Stadium Swim screen.  Analog Way worked closely with Daktronics to update the Aquilon configuration as screen designs and sizes changed up to the final design.

“We were able to use Analog Way to do some creative and eye-catching screen layouts,” Pritchard reports.  “It’s all about entertainment, and Analog Way helps us create different looks and execute new ideas without running out of horsepower.”

Pritchard gives kudos to the LivePremier Simulator, which allows users to simulate any LivePremier series multi-screen presentation system on their PC or Mac.  “I can virtually configure boxes with inputs and outputs, pixels and aspect ratios and simultaneously validate the design and the windows we want to get,” he says.  “It’s extremely helpful in the design process: If we can do it in the Simulator we know the real processor will be able to handle it.”

Pritchard first used Analog Way products in the Texas Live! entertainment center next to the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Park stadium in Arlington.  Prior to the introduction of the Aquilon line, Coherent chose an Ascender 32 processor, two NeXtage processors and a Vertige controller to power displays in the Live! Arena, a multi-level, central gathering place with dining, sports and entertainment options.  

“We selected the best technology to get the job done and get it done right,” says Pritchard.  “We pushed the limits of what processors could do at the time.”  Coherent was tasked with driving eight games on two sets of top, middle and lower screens that required custom mapping for proper display; Analog Way’s Chief Technologist, Andrzej Lubaszka, traveled to the site to ensure a successful end result.

Coherent Design Engineer Joel Spurgeon also chose Analog Way gear for the Live! projects he worked on.  At Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, near the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, an Aquilon C powers a 52-foot LED Media Wall in the FanDuel Sportsbook and Lounge, where guests can watch up to 24 televisions simultaneously, and a similar wall in the R Bar where roulette players gather the Sports & Social restaurant and bar.  Another Aquilon C drives the odds board there as well as a 4K LED videowall in the adjacent Man Cave.

At Live! Casino Pittsburgh an Aquilon C drives the 40-foot LED wall in the FanDuel Sportsbook and Lounge, enabling guests to peruse up to a dozen games at once, plus an odds videowall alongside.  Analog Way’s Picturall Quad media server powers the elevated LED video ribbons above the betting kiosks and counter.

“Analog Way is known for its mission-critical products and delivers in mission-critical applications,” says Spurgeon.  “No matter what you throw at Analog Way’s gear in a single frame, the system can handle it.  I jumped for joy when Aquilon C was introduced – it’s become our number-one choice for windowing processors.  It requires fewer machines and saves rack space while providing quality scaling and great pictures on any LED pitch’s native resolution.  And Analog Way’s service is always top notch.”

Most recently, Spurgeon utilized an Aquilon C+ for the 3-wall LED video centerpiece in the Sports & Social restaurant and bar at Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in Hanover.  

Coherent’s Director of Operations, Sean Greener, Jr., is also enthusiastic about Aquilon.  “It saves a great deal of space inside the rack, has a tremendous amount of processing power and a ton of flexible I/Os,” he says.  “Analog Way offers us robust solutions with workhorse products that do the job well.  And Dan Benjamin and the support team are really great – so knowledgeable and responsive.  They make every job very easy and smooth.”

When Greener joined Coherent he tapped Ascender 48 seamless switchers integrated with a Picturall Pro media server to drive the 105-foot curved LED videowall in the William Hill Sports Book at The STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod attraction on the Las Vegas Strip.  Ascender 48 proved to be a perfect fit with its ability to scale and process very wide pixel spaces and drive so much pixel density.

In addition, Ascender 32 systems power large LED videowalls in the adjacent Taphouse restaurant and bar.

“We go to visit The STRAT here in town, and they’ve had absolutely no issues at all with our equipment,” Greener reports.

The Coherent team chose Aquilon C systems for two more new projects, one in Boston and the other in Reno, Nevada.  Pritchard says they continue to keep up with new products Analog Way introduces, too.

“I’m a big nerd and like all that stuff,” he notes.  “We haven’t used the Midra yet, but it looks to be a problem solver: a smaller processor with two 4K outputs for spaces that don’t need the horsepower of Aquilon.  That another new Analog Way tool exists – and at a reasonable price – is always nice to know!”