You ain't seen nuthin' yet

Since the PBA resumed playing this year after the holiday break, the crowds have packed the Araneta Coliseum like the games were going out of style. PBA media bureau chief Willy Marcial said last Wednesday’s attendance went over 11,000. Then, it was down slightly to 10,000 last Friday but surged to 17,500 last Sunday.

No doubt, the match-ups in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals are mouth-watering. That’s why the fans are gobbling up tickets like nobody’s business. B-Meg vs. Talk ‘N’ Text and San Miguel Beer vs. Ginebra San Miguel are certified crowd-drawers. You can expect even bigger crowds as soon as the finals begin.

When the Araneta gates opened last Wednesday, the fans were treated to a wonderful Christmas present – the 4.9 meter by 4.6 meter LED scoreboard hanging from the ceiling over the hardcourt in the middle of the Big Dome. It’s the biggest indoor installation of an LED video display in Southeast Asia with the distinct feature of 10 millimeter pixel pitch, assuring vivid picture clarity. The smaller the pixels, the brighter the image, explained Uniprom marketing manager and Araneta spokesman Gines Enriquez who added that the previous scoreboard had only a 22 millimeter pixel pitch.

Two American engineers flew in from the ADSystems headquarters in Fort Myers, Florida, to supervise the installation before Christmas. Enriquez, who joined the Araneta group only three months ago after working as programming director for FM radio with ABC-5 and heading the operations of an LED display company, said a team of 12 put up the scoreboard – fondly called the Big Cube – over five days, round the clock.

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“Now, we’re able to provide front row viewing for fans in upper A and general admission,” said Sienna Olaso, director of entertainment and marketing of Uniprom. “No matter where you’re sitting, you can watch the action from a premium position. We’re excited about this development and we hope the fans enjoy our efforts in giving them the best entertainment alternative in viewing.”

Two technicians control what is beamed on the Big Cube’s four-sided monitor. A staff from the PBA feeds the encoded scores directly through the Araneta technicians to reflect immediately on the board. At the moment, a single TV camera is on stand-by to air shots on the Big Cube outside of the angles and footage provided by the PBA coveror.

“By Valentine’s Day, we hope to upgrade our systems, possibly to use three to five cameras of our own,” continued Enriquez. “For the PBA, that’s in addition to what’s patched in by the TV coveror. During the recent China Acrobatics Circus, ABS-CBN mobilized five cameras to take footage of two shows. It was inspiring to witness the different angles that were shown on the Big Cube. They had two backpacks, cameras with long-range lenses and a crane to capture unbelievable angles. In February, we’ve got a lot of concert shows lined up featuring Taylor Swift, Dan Hill and Martin Nievera with Sarah Geronimo. We hope to enrich the spectator experience with our new systems not only in sports but also in concert shows. We want to be both sports-friendly and concert show-friendly.”

The previous Araneta scoreboard was installed eight years ago and weighed six to seven tons. The Big Cube weighs about two tons less but offers magnificent picture quality, thanks to technological advancements. The estimate of the cost of the Big Cube is P35-40 million and it’s well worth the benefit to the fans.

Curiously, the same two individuals assigned by ADSystems to install the Big Cube were involved in putting up the previous Araneta scoreboard. “It helped that they were familiar with how we work and the configuration of our stadium,” said Enriquez, a UP graduate in speech communications. “During the installation process, the engineers were hooked up to technicians in the US and received instructions along the way. What’s beautiful about the Big Cube is it’s upgradeable. Technology in the digital industry is moving forward very fast. Right now, we’ve got full Internet integration with our systems. We can even do live feeds to air on the Big Cube. We can adjust brightness to complement the lighting for TV purposes. From a commercial standpoint, we plan to put a crown above the Big Cube where we can display different brands. We plan to sell ads and provide merchandising opportunities for sponsors. There are outdoor LED installations in Metro Manila but this is the first indoor system so we’re very excited about the potentials of the Big Cube.”

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Olaso said with the four-sided Big Cube, line of vision is no problem wherever a spectator sits in the coliseum. “Even if you’re far away from the action, you’ll be able to see what’s going on clearly as if you’re on the front row,” she said.

Enriquez said the LED scoreboard is perfect for proscenium (as in the China circus) or in-the-round (as in the PBA) shows. He noted that in the next Manny Pacquiao fight, the viewing will be further enhanced by fitting a 30 foot by 30 foot monitor under the Big Cube. By the way, the Cowboys Stadium’s LED screen has a 20 millimeter pixel pitch, meaning the Big Cube displays images twice as sharp and clear.

ADSystems is Animated Display Systems, Inc., a company established by Jim and Teri Thomas in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1980 and later relocated to Fort Myers, Florida, in 1986. It specializes in electronic and digital displays and manufacturing and installing large sign structures. The company employs engineers with software and hardware expertise and a diverse team of service technicians. ADSystems operates out of a 40,000 square foot building in Fort Myers. Among its customers are the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees. It has installations in South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the US and now, in the Philippines.

The Big Cube makes watching at the Big Dome a whole new enriching experience. It’s a great way to welcome the new year. The fans are surely getting their money’s worth – wherever they sit – witnessing the action in the PBA semifinals.

And with plans to continue upgrading the viewing experience at the Big Dome, you can almost hear Olaso exclaiming, “you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.”