New Zealand’s Westpac Stadium recently acquired a Broadcast Pix Granite 5000 video production system as part of a total control room makeover.

The system will feed to two large replay screens installed at the north and south ends of the stadium and is part of an overhaul to move to widescreen presentations and digital production workflows

The Granite 5000 will replace three separate devices: a 16-input Ross analog switcher, an Inscriber CG and a clip server. The system’s built-in Fluent Multi-View technology will shrink the control room’s footprint even further by reducing the technical director’s current bank of CRT monitors to four dedicated LCD models. Three 42-inch LEDs, for viewing by personnel or visitors, are fed separately by a Harris multi-viewer.

Before the upgrade, footage was produced in 4:3 and stretched to fit the 16:9 replay screens. Now, footage is HD quality from the start, with the potential for widescreen SD downconversion. Additionally, Granite 5000’s 2 M/E capability allows for separate presentations on each stadium screen.

Westpac Stadium is located in Wellington, New Zealand, and has a 34,500-seat capacity. It features a regular schedule of concerts, sporting events and will be host to no less than seven matches of this year’s Rugby World Cup.