Scope of Work: Design, Financial Modeling, Procurement,Construction Oversight. Anthony James Partners was contracted as Owner’s Representative and Technology Consultant to manage the design, procurement and implementation of new, high resolution 8mm LED video displays and a new state-of-the-art distributed loudspeaker system for Northwest Stadium (formerly FedExField). LED Display Upgrades: AJP Audio System Design: AV TAKES COMMAND AT FEDEXFIELD The Washington Commanders, one of the oldest NFL franchises, have certainly not been strangers to change over the past few seasons. Now, with the help of Anthony James Partners, the Commanders are bringing more transformation, this time ushering in a new era of gameday AV experiences to Commander fans.FedExField—which is located in Summerfield, MD and plays host to Commanders football, a slew of musical acts and tours, and even Premier League soccer matches—opened its doors in 1997. Then named Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, the stadium changed its name entering the 2000 NFL season to its current moniker. From 2004-2010, FedExField seated 91,000 people—the most in the NFL—until the stadium contracted the seating to the nearly 68,000 capacity it holds today. While stadium seating, team ownership, and even the team name have been through numerous transformations over the past decade, the facility’s AV offerings had not. According to Royce Wall, vice president, construction services at Anthony James Partners and the lead on the LED design, procurement, and construction oversight at FedExField, the Daktronics displays at the stadium needed to be updated. More than a decade old, the previous displays were faded—and with so many different modules replaced over the years, it took on the appearance of a checkerboard more than a fan-friendly display. The LED enhancement began as early as July 2022, when AJP designed the system and began fielding bid offers. By December, the Commanders had selected ANC to provide not only new gameday and ribbon board displays, but an entire graphics package for the first year. The North American representative for Lighthouse, ANC turned to the company’s LED screens for the north and south endzones, game-in-play displays, and the LED ribbon displays encircling the bowl. “There are endless benefits to working with a trusted single-source solution partner,” explained Alison Burke Benesta, senior director, marketing and branding for ANC. “More than simply adding new digital screens is required to improve a venue’s experience fully. Beyond the required technical integration expertise, teams want to take the latest display technologies to the next level. “Venue display systems must deliver a connected experience visually and behind the scenes. To achieve that, there needs to be a strategic network of complimentary technology and venue solutions, including powerful control software, creative content production, multimedia advertising solutions, ongoing maintenance, and reliable partners that build custom solutions that ensure our client’s success for years to come.” The main end zone Lighthouse displays are 8mm HD displays (tighter than the previous 23mm displays) that measure 95×26 feet. A pair of ribbon displays flank each scoreboard and measure 2.95×674.5 feet with a 10mm pixel pitch. Four 8mm game-in-play displays were installed throughout the stadium measuring at 4.4×31 feet. ANC also provided a one-year unlimited graphics package that includes, well, everything. Wall said ANC will handle marketing and other graphics for both main displays and ribbon board displays. “In terms of fan engagement, just think about the ability to highlight 30 sponsors throughout the stadium throughout the experience, along with continued game prompts, touchdowns, get loud, scoreboards, things like that,” he added. “ANC is creating all content for the whole year for them.” “ANC Studios designers have an extensive understanding of unique aspect ratios, wrapping content, and visibility,” added Burke Benesta. “Additionally, we utilize the primary objective of the location to creatively produce content for the purpose of the different displays. It’s important when starting the process to keep the big picture of the fan experience in mind. Hence, all boards deliver a fun but cohesive look and still play to their strengths.” We always hear that new LED displays—which made their FedExField debut during a Premier League doubleheader on July 30—bring a better gameday experience. But what exactly does that mean? “The flash and the flare,” Wall explained. “When you sit in these stadiums, you can see the action on the field, but you get more out of it when you watch the high-definition boards. FedExField’s new 8mm displays are probably the tightest pixel pitch in the industry; most venues are at about 10mm. Before the upgrade, you really didn’t even pay attention to [the displays] because they had no impact. Now it’s bright, it’s clean, it’s fresh, and with the enhanced audio, it’s just going to be incredible.” The audio Wall referred to is a work in progress. As with the LED displays in place, the sound system was old and needed to be replaced. Jack Covert, director of audio and AV engineering at AJP, quickly realized he had a monster on his hands. “We recognized based on the complexity and the size of the stadium and access, it was going to be broken into two phases,” Covert explained. “The stadium doesn’t stop; it doesn’t shut down. They’ve got events, they’ve got soccer, they’ve got Beyoncé coming in in a couple of weeks. The amount of staging they do takes—let’s put it this way, it’s not as fast as halftime at the Super Bowl.” Phase one was ready for the Commanders first NFL preseason home game in mid-August, and phase two will begin as soon as the NFL season ends. During the first phase, AJP identified existing components that could be used for another year. “It’s a distributed system around the stadium everywhere, and you can tell that although it was a thoughtful design originally, a lot of delay fill speakers have been added in different places,” Covert explained. “We had to get around and identify all of that, the condition of that, and the reason it was put in. So, phase one: a new front-of-house mix position refit and a completely new loudspeaker system.” With the help of Washington Professional Systems (WPS), AJP selected and installed more than 40 Fulcrum Acoustic FH15 Series loudspeakers, which, according to Covert, cover the majority of the stadium. A Powersoft Unica amplifier system was chosen for its power and reliability. A QSC Q-SYS system is being used for processing, Shure digital wireless improves speech intelligibility for the PA announcers and hosts, while a DiGiCo FOH mixing console brings it all together. Phase two will literally take the audio to new heights, as the plan is to install Fulcrum Acoustic AHC Series loudspeakers and US221 subwoofers on the lighting towers at season’s end. Covert said the challenge is to offer enhanced live sound that is comparable to audio performance from quality headphones or earbuds. “It’s twofold. Number one, certainly we want to enhance the experience for the audience, which means the subwoofer, the sub-low content of the sound system, needs to go down to the bottom of the spectrum,” he noted. “At the same time, we need to be able to have efficient coverage from the upper mids to the high frequencies, defining speech intelligibility, as well as providing that kind of sparkling clean sound that everybody’s used to from a full range device.” Whether it is football or fútbol, fans at FedExField are now engulfed in an experience that touches all the senses. “There’s absolutely no doubt in our minds that this upgrade is exactly what is needed at FedExField and is going to elevate the client expectations for the NFL games and other performances in the stadium exponentially,” said Covert. “The upgraded video displays and audio systems are the next steps in modernizing our stadium to create an exciting and immersive gameday experience,” added Trista Langdon, senior vice president of operations and guest experience for the Washington Commanders. “The upgraded resolution will immediately improve the in-game experience for our fans by providing crisp views of video content and game information, as well as immersive play-by-play engagement.” According to Wall, with the recent change in ownership, if a new stadium is on the horizon in the not-so-distant future, the Commanders are ready to move forward. “The buy-in to replace these displays was that potentially in the next three to five years, if the team ends up with a new home, the intent is to take the displays with them,” he explained. Not only did this project expand AJP’s audio portfolio into the sports world, but for Wall, there was some personal satisfaction with the successful installation. “I’ve been a Washington fan my entire life,” Wall said. “Being part of this build and working in the stadium was something that my family and I were excited about. We’ve watched them since forever. On a personal level, it meant a lot to be at FedExField getting to know all the folks there. They’re just incredible people.” WASHINGTON COMMANDERS ANNOUNCE UPGRADES TO VIDEOBOARDS AND AUDIO SYSTEMS AT FEDEXFIELD FOR THE UPCOMING 2023 NFL SEASON LANDOVER, Md., March 2, 2023 – The Washington Commanders announced upgrades to the video boards and audio systems at FedExField for the upcoming 2023 NFL Season. These upgrades will benefit Commanders fans across the DMV and beyond, giving them the technology and information they need to immerse themselves in an enhanced, fan-first gameday experience and atmosphere at FedExField. When in attendance at a Commanders game next fall, expect better visibility to game footage and improved audio, statistics, play-by-play engagement, updated graphics, and more. The Commanders worked with Technology Consultant, Anthony James Partners (AJP), to manage the design, procurement, and implementation of new, high definition LED video displays and a state-of-the-art distributed loudspeaker system for the 2023 NFL Season. ANC, the technology integration partner selected for the video displays at FedExField, has extensive experience in providing digital signage design, installation, game-day operations, and support services across numerous professional venues. ANC currently has four NFL contracts, ten MLB venues, ten NBA arenas, additional NHL and MLS crossover locations, and over seventy collegiate sports venues over the past decade. “The upgraded video displays and audio systems are the next steps in modernizing our stadium to create an exciting and immersive gameday experience. The upgraded resolution will immediately improve the in-game experience for our fans by providing crisp views of video content and game information, as well as immersive play-by-play engagement,” said Trista Langdon, SVP of Operations & Guest Experience for the Washington Commanders. For fans in the seating bowl and suites, the new LED Endzone and Game-in-play displays will showcase the Commanders’ action on the field at a higher resolution providing incredible image quality. COMMANDERS DETAIL PLANS FOR FEDEXFIELD TECH UPGRADES The Washington Commanders have engaged Anthony James Partners (AJP) and ANC to upgrade the video and audio technology at FedExField for the 2023 NFL season.When in attendance at a Commanders game next season, the franchise has said fans should expect better visibility to game footage and improved audio, statistics, play-by-play engagement and updated graphics.The Commanders have worked with technology consultant AJP to manage the design, procurement, and implementation of new, high definition LED video displays and a state-of-the-art distributed loudspeaker system. ANC is serving as the technology integration partner for the video displays at FedExField.Trista Langdon, senior vice-president of operations and guest experience for the Washington Commanders, said: “The upgraded video displays and audio systems are the next steps in modernising our stadium to create an exciting and immersive gameday experience.“The upgraded resolution will immediately improve the in-game experience for our fans by providing crisp views of video content and game information, as well as immersive play-by-play engagement.”In total the work covers the two main endzone displays, four game-in-play displays and two ribbon displays. Michael Rowe, AJP’s CEO, said: “With the newest technology in audio, plus 8mm LED displays, you’ll be able to both hear and see a noticeable difference. FedExField will have superior sound and some of the tightest pitch screens in the NFL.”Seeking to harness the potential of the improved displays, the Commanders will also reveal an upgraded graphics package designed in collaboration with ANC Studios’ graphics department…
Commanders Field: LED Display System, Distributed Loudspeaker System.PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
With an endzone LED Display replacement that involved the installation of nearly 6000 square feet of 8mm LED, Commanders Field now has incredible image quality via some of the tightest pitch screens in the industry. 8mm pixel spacing has 50% more pixels that the 10 mm that is currently dominating new installations throughout professional sports. The venue’s previous displays installed in 2010 were approximately 18mm.
AJP’s audio system design featured a new Fulcrum Acoustic distributed loudspeaker system installed during the NFL off-season. The system features Fulcrum Acoustic AHC-400 series high powered, full-range loudspeakers powered by Powersoft Unica series digital, multi-channel, high performance audio power amplifiers. A new Digico digital mix package was installed, with updated source devices including wireless microphones, streaming audio, Bluetooth, traditional analog program music, and FM radio sources. The audio network infrastructure was updated with a new fiber optic backbone, dedicated network switches, a fiber optic core switch, and digital signal processing to efficiently direct the digital audio signals around the stadium for the state-of-the-art system.Flash and Flare
All About the Experience
Elevated Expectations