This is definitely the time of year that sports bars live for.
The Super Bowl, NCAA’s March Madness, NBA and NHL All Star Games and this year’s Winter Olympics make for a dizzying and delirious few months of nonstop games, matches and events. It’s prime season for these establishments, with every flat screen in the house lit up with a different game and every loudspeaker alive with crowd cheers and announcers pontificating, while the wings and cold ones keep moving. It’s also when sports bars need to make sure their audio and video is in major-league shape, and scalable AVoIP technology from Key Digital is just the winning ticket to make that happen.
A great example is found at The Bear Trap, Tuscaloosa’s only rooftop restaurant and bar, deep in the heart of Alabama sports country, overlooking Bryant-Denny Stadium (home of the University of Alabama’s famed/feared Crimson Tide). Patrons enjoy a kinetic atmosphere created by the strategic placement of large video displays and projection screens throughout the two-level building, all thanks to a scalable AV over IP system from Key Digital, installed by locally-based expert integrators EMB Pro AV.
The Bear Trap co-owner Daniel McCullum wanted to be ready for the winter rush — venues like sports bars are the most popular locations for fans to gather to watch sporting events outside their homes. However, as The Bear Trap management was about to embark on the project to refresh their AV systems, they worried it would prove to be a daunting task to update the unruly wiring and dated cabling infrastructure, consolidate expensive monthly subscription sources for a more economical solution, and modernize the atmosphere, all while staying true to their college sports-bar roots. With their focus honed in on providing the most robust system at a cost-effective price point, the professionals at EMB Pro AV knew to turn to Key Digital for a reliable and trustworthy AV over IP system.
EMB Pro AV’s system design included Key Digital’s KD-IP822 AV over IP encoders and decoders, which seamlessly integrate with the installed third-party Creston control system, providing exceptional signal paths and allowing the video system to be used for digital-signage applications. Key Digital’s AV over IP product family offers near-limitless scalability.
The result provided benefits for patrons’ experience and the owners’ pocketbooks. In addition to the crystal-clear picture and razor-sharp audio fans enjoy, “Every month we’re also saving money on the cable bill, because we were able to get rid of about 12 boxes that were previously mounted right at the televisions,” McCullum explains. “That’s a great savings right off the bat. And now with this digital signage we can advertise specials and sell more than we ever have of certain premium liquors just by putting the names up on the displays and letting everyone know to ask for it by name. We’re looking into eliminating our printed specials inserts because the displays do such a better job of reaching everyone in the crowd.”
