Commercial Integrator March 2022 - 25

explains, however, that the compressed
timeline wasn't a stress to CTI, whose
more than 100 technical personnel give
the company a lot of horsepower. " This is
the work we do, " he says with confi dence.
All together, about 20 members of the CTI
team (onsite and off site) contributed to the
Subaru Park project, working hand in hand
with Mandell's core team of nine.
No level of technical mastery can contain
a pandemic. This meant that the project
team had to contend with nationwide
lockdowns aſt er onsite integration had
begun. Indeed, in March 2020, the project
team prioritized health and safety, strategically
pressing " pause " on onsite activity.
However, that doesn't mean the integration
team wasn't working! Citing CTI's large,
full-featured Maryland Heights facility, Wile
says the integrator's capacity to stage systems
in its own spaces ensured there would
be no delays. " We were still able to work, "
he explains. " We were able to continue the
project and be ready for the Union when
the Union was ready for us. "
Onsite work resumed in June 2020, with
Parker, Brodie and others fi nishing up some
last punch list items. At that point, though,
nationwide capacity restrictions prevented
commercialintegrator.com
Carl Mandell, senior director of broadcast
and entertainment for the Union, was
entrusted with a multi-million-dollar
dedicated budget for video systems.
the team from playing at Subaru Park.
Although that was disappointing, it off ered
Mandell and his technical team a chance to
acclimate themselves to the new technology
at their disposal. " We were running at probably
10% to 20% capacity in 2020 [in terms of]
complete functionality of the control room, "
he says. In 2021, Subaru Park reopened the
control room with the Union's full production
crew, complemented by CTI event support.
By then, all parties knew exactly how to deliver
a truly exceptional fan experience.
High Dynamic Range
Although a few million dollars is a healthy
technology budget, the Union and consultant
AJP certainly had to make choices
about what investments it would prioritize.
Arguably, the most important decision was
to transition from a 720p workfl ow to a
1080p60 HDR workfl ow. " At the end of the
day, I asked, 'How can I get the best quality
product to maximize our budget?' " Mandell
recalls. That question made him realize
that 4K was simply not worth the budgetary
outlay it would entail, especially given the
ancillary equipment updates that native 4K
fi les would require. That decision-making
was of a piece with the Union's overall
pattern of spending its money wisely and
fi nding ways to invest in value.
CTI agreed with Mandell's calculus,
with Wile saying, " In a sports venue where
there are very large screens and you're
outdoors - all of those factors - you wind
up with the high dynamic range being more
impactful than the higher resolution of 4K. "
He makes the underappreciated point that
huge displays, viewed from signifi cant
distances, are an entirely diff erent equation
than when someone is outfi tting their home
living room with a 4K TV. So, with all stakeMARCH
2022 Commercial Integrator 25
COURTESY PHILADELPHIA UNION.
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Commercial Integrator March 2022

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