Magna Systems equips Fox Sports Australia's second largest studio with a large LED video wall

Fox Sports has completely renovated its second largest studio in Australia by installing the largest LED screen ever installed on the sports network. To do this, they turned to Magna Systems and your specialist screen installation partner PCB Digital.

Derek Howe, head of production operations at Fox Sports, explains "that the old set at our second largest studio had reached the end of its useful life and had to be replaced. The question was whether we opted for another rigid set or an ultra-wide screen. After speaking with Neville Paterson and the team at PCB Digital, the benefits of the screen clearly outweighed those of another rigid set. We would enjoy fewer moving parts, better quality images, more production options and much more convenience. There was no question."

Fox Sports is always looking for new and exciting ways to present its content and better engage its viewers. According to the head of studio graphics Mat Cooley, the new LED display gave them all of the above and more.

"The screen is very flexible and it offers us many more options than a rigid set. In addition, when we are not using it, we can rent the studio and screen to external companies, so it is also much more profitable. The screen is in our second largest studio, which has gone from needing a complete renovation to being one of the best production spaces we have. The screen makes much better use of the space and allows the set to be expanded without problems,” he points out.

Ironically, one of the main challenges for Fox Sports revolved not around the size and scope of the wall, but rather the installation period, as it had been decided to use the new screen for two of the biggest sporting events of the year: the NRL Grand Finals and the Big Bash League cricket.

Howe acknowledges that “we had some very tight deadlines which, thanks to the professionalism and experience of Magna and PCB Digital, did not pose any problems. In fact, the screen ordering, installation and commissioning only took eight weeks and was flawlessly executed. A truly amazing feat of customer service and engineering.”

As Howe explains, the studio was emptied and cleared as boxes of LED panels were delivered and installed, and the commissioning phase lasted just ten days.

Cooley adds, "The logistics had to be seen to be believed. There was no margin for error when it came to timelines, and Magna and PCB Digital more than delivered on what they had promised. Construction was flawless, as they began stacking over 190 LED cabinets from the ground to build our 15 by 3 meter wall with a pixel pitch de 1,5 mm and one 2.5 degree curve to make the most of the studio space. When we finally pressed the power button, everything worked the first time too. “An incredible achievement by the teams.”

Immersive experience

For Howe, Cooley and the Fox Sports production teams, they now had a state-of-the-art, full-studio-sized LED screen that created a more immersive and engaging experience for their viewers.

"Images, both still and video, look amazing on this screen, the workflow to get them is very simple and the mood and feel the screen creates is instantaneous. This means we have a huge variety of shots we can play with and creating promotions and marketing campaigns is easy and cost effective. In short, it's now easier than ever to create one or more instant moods on a 15 meter screen throughout the studio," Howe highlights.