Challenge

The Victory Media Network® set out to create the first large-scale, outdoor digital gallery in the world, which would feature high-end digital art from designers across Texas and the international marketplace. The goal was to develop a modern architectural masterpiece at the heart of Dallas’ Victory Park, one of the most significant new urban developments in the United States. The Victory Media Network® engaged Whitlock to help with the procurement, design, integration and management of the audiovisual technologies involved. Key challenges included matching the quality, design and longevity plans this innovative plaza, where images would be viewed by thousands of people in close range and at long-distances from the site.

Solution

Whitlock installed eleven large, high-resolution screens in Victory Plaza, eight of which move along horizontal tracks to allow for a myriad of configurations and motion possibilities. The tracks enabled Victory Media to combine screens close together creating a super HD screen featuring larger scale artwork up to 31' x 53'. High fidelity sound systems and theatrical lighting systems were also installed to further enhance the impact of the digital environment. This modern digital art arena has been a key Dallas attraction for over five years, and still generates interest from architects and artists around the globe.

Technology Highlights

Whitlock’s solution involved installing 46,000 high-end OLITE 501 outdoor Barco LED modules, two fixed 20' x 20' tower displays, a digital portal, eight movable 15' x 26' LED walls, and a Barco Screen Movement System. The entire project uses four million individual OLITE SMT (Surface Mount Technology) LEDs, each with a capability of 185 trillion colors.

The sound system uses a combination of custom JBL cabinets that are color-matched to the buildings, Crown amps and Biamp processing. The main equipment room holds much of the equipment, but a satellite equipment station with three 7’ racks holds the equipment for the east building. The Playback system features eight GrassValley Turbo IDDR dual-channel HD playback decks, Sony Beta HD, Panasonic HDCAM deck, and Panasonic DVD, plus several Media Hydrants that provide connectivity points throughout the district that can be used to bring content into the display system. A large Extron matrix router, a Communications Specialties fiber distribution system, and an Evertz fiber distribution for the distribution backbone among the VMN, the local ABC affiliate and the American Airlines Center and the video kiosks that are positioned along the district’s main walkway. A Cisco network featuring a Catalyst 6400 network switch was designed and installed to provide a way to bring new content in from anywhere, and it allows us to support the system remotely. The lighting control system uses five DMX galaxies that are managed by a Barco High End Systems Hog PC that runs the LED multi-color fixtures that line the “eyebrow” on the top of both main buildings and the fixtures within the Tower.

"To me, this plaza is a noteworthy way of branding a sports facility and tangibly, architecturally, creating a 360-day-a-year destination in Dallas." – Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys Owner.