The Southbank Bar in Nottingham has received a full AV refit from local AV specialists Cable Guys and distributors CIE-Group in order to provide the best quality sports coverage.
The bar is located close to Nottingham’s sports grounds including the City Ground, Trent Bridge, and Meadow Lane Ground, and is the latest establishment within the Great Northern Inns group to be refurbished.
The AV solutions installed needed to deliver outstanding sports coverage and live entertainment throughout the bar. Cable Guys installed more than 24 screens, videowalls and TVs to distribute HD live sports coverage, news updates and entertainment from eight AV sources, including a combination of full HD and 4K UHD.
One of the main objectives was to provide multi-channel picture-in-picture functionality to the bar’s 90in UHD screens. Cable Guys and CIE-Group worked together in designing and implementing a fully integrated AV distribution system using the latest CYP HDBaseT range of 4K UHD matrices and receiver end points, together with CYP’s EL-41PIP.
CIE-Group’s CYP product manager Martin Featherstone explained: “Cable Guys approached us to get involved in the design and specification by offering an innovative solution in the Southbank Bar delivering HD and UHD content to a large number of screens.
“Within the system is the PU-8H8HBTPL-4K22, which is the latest HDBaseT Lite Matrix which delivers 4K content, as well as HDCP2.2 compliancy, together with the CYP’s Power-over-Cable HDBaseT Lite Receivers. We’ve also made great use of CYP’s EL-41PIP picture-in-picture device, which allows for four separate sections of content at any one time without any bezel interference.”
The EL-41PIP HDMI switch device, is particularly effective in this environment as it allows the bar to show several different sporting events on one screen.
Cable Guys’ Lee Spicknall commented: “In [The Southbank Bar] we have a pretty colossal system; eight sources; four Sky HD boxes, one band camera, a promotional computer delivering digital signage, a DVD player and of course the picture-in-picture device which enables us to overlay different sources on top of one another in multiple configurations.
“There are also three CYP 8×8 matrices which control every source to every screen in the bar; what that means is that each screen can quickly and easily be configured to show whatever we want it to.”
A key requirement from the client was that the install needed to provide audio to every area of the public space to ensure visiting sports fans have consistent access to live commentary. The new AV system means that customers can hear up-to-the-minute live coverage of their favourite sports throughout the bar.
Southbank Bar manager Owen Roach, said: “The biggest thing for us is to try to be the first to do new things and deliver the latest and best technologies to our customers. When people come to watch sport it’s an experience it should make a serious impression. I like to think we’ve got that all-round package we’re not just about sport but it’s a huge part of what we do. It’s about providing an enjoyable experience and attracting people in.”
