Commercial Integrator February 2021 - 10

#TECHTRENDING THE BUZZ ON TECHNOLOGY AFFECTING INTEGRATORS
#Collaboration
How Jeopardy's AV
Has Changed
IT'S NOT JUST the quality of the
questions, intelligence of the
contestants and command of
the late host Alex Trebek that
has made Jeopardy! a family favorite
game show for decades.
The show also utilizes the
latest in display and audiovisual
technology to bring the fastpaced,
classic thinking person's
game show to life and into our
homes.
Vista Electronics is the
Valencia, Calif.-based vendor
and contractor for Jeopardy!,
Wheel of Fortune, and other
game shows. CEO Ron Schwab
calls the company a custom
electronics firm that designs,
installs, integrates and manages
the audiovisual equipment used
in on set, including the video
wall game board and contestant
lecterns.
In an email, Schwab broke
down his company's involvement
with the Jeopardy! set
since 1984, through Trebek's
battle with cancer and to the
present day as the show is in
search of a new host to replace
Trebek.
Set #1 (1984-1991)
According to Schwab, this was
the original Jeopardy! set. The
main components were three
contestant podiums, host podium,
a header that supported
large Jeopardy! logo sign can
letters with integrated lighting
and the video wall.
" On this first version of Jeopardy!,
the categories at the top
of the gameboard were neon
front lit graphic cards that were
dropped in place by a prop
man working on a scaffolding
behind the video wall moni10
tors, "
Schwab says.
The video wall was made
up of 30 25-inch diagonal
Proton monitors sourced from
a 36-channel routing switcher,
and the graphics processer was
a Chyron 4100 with two channels
of Abekas A53D and an
Abekas A53D Combiner doing
the video blow out effects for
the video wall.
Contestant podiums contained
seven segment reflective
Staver displays for scoring
along with a 25-inch monitor
for displaying the telewriter
output of the contestant name
and Final Jeopardy answers.
Set #2 (1991-1996)
The set went through a bit of
a redesign, including a large
" Jeopardy " sign with letters that
had a white diffuse face backlit
with red, green and blue neon
for color mixing and sequenced
lighting effects, Schwab says.
In addition, the video wall
was redesigned using a 6×6
matrix of Hantarex 28-inch
monitors sourced by a PicBloc
video wall processer.
The Chyron 4100 was
replaced with a Chyron Super
Scribe with intelligent control.
Game control processers were
Commercial Integrator FEBRUARY 2021
replaced with new gear and
custom software to streamline
the game.
According to Schwab, the
company also designed and
fabricated new 7-segment internally
lit readouts with drivers
for the contestant podiums.
Set #3 (1996-2002)
According to Schwab, this new
set was commonly referred
to as the " Library Set " that
included faux stained wood
framework, new host entrance
doors for Trebek, new podium
designs and of course, a video
wall refresh.
This new video wall consisted
of a 6-x matrix or Barco
SCM2850 28-inch diagonal
monitors. The video wall
processer was upgraded to a
PicBloc 3 and a Chyron Infinit!
with intelligent interface for
graphics generation.
Contestant podium monitors
were upgraded to the Sony
PVM 2950.
7-segment lit readouts
were left in service, however
new drivers were designed
and fabricated. The scoring
system processor was upgraded
and new control software
written.
Set #4 (2002-2006)
This new set was designed
with more open space, but
the Barco 6×6 monitor matrix
and Chyron Infinit! Remained,
Schwab says.
The biggest AV change here
was the contestant podiums,
as the new design included a
single Sony PFM42b2 42-inch
diagonal plasma monitor in
portrait aspect that incorporated
both the scoring and
telewriter outputs on one video
output source.
" To accomplish this task
without having to employ
three two-channel DVEs,
Vista designed a three-channel
downstream keyer that
would independently combine
scoring and telewriter signals
for each of the 3 contestant
monitors, " Schwab says.
Set #5 (2006-2009)
For this set refresh, Schwab
and his company incorporated
more hi-definition elements.
The video wall was rebuilt to
change from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect
ratio, and the rear projection
engines from Toshiba 4130-U
video cubes were mounted
into a 6×6 matrix rack structure.
A custom rear projection
commercialintegrator.com
Decades of production have lead to several iterations of the AV that runs the Jeopardy! board.
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Commercial Integrator February 2021

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