The first direct-to-television esports studio in Australasia recently opened in Auckland New Zealand’s iconic Sky Tower. The studio is an outcome of a partnership between esports company LetsPlayLive and SKYCITY Entertainment Group.
The Opportunity
Designed exclusively with esports in mind, LPL Studios is a state-of-the-art broadcast studio that includes an ultra-modern control room, dedicated console and PC booths as well as commentary and analysis desks and game pods. The facility allows for 4K or HD recording and live broadcast of esports events at most major New Zealand and Australian venues.
The studios are close to the SKYCITY Theatre, where live events with a 700-strong audience are possible. Up to 3000 fans are being projected due to the opening of the International Convention Centre in 2019.
The Solution
As a result of their experience and knowledge integrating systems in a wide range of applications, leading broadcast integrator Digital Video Technologies (DVT) was tasked to implement a broadcast service solution based around the unique requirements of esports.
“The layout of the venue is rather unique as it is cylindrical in shape, following the natural floor layout of the Sky Tower” comments Stuart Barnaby of DVT. “We needed to ensure that the acoustics of the various studios was efficient. Further to this we required a flexible, out-of-the-box audio solution.”
To ensure a unique world-class audio solution for the esports studio facility, DVT approached New Zealand Studer and HARMAN Professional Solutions distributor JPRO (formerly known as Jands NZ).
“We are excited that HARMAN Professional are able to provide a solution for the enjoyment of gamers and fans alike.”
“When I heard the details of the audio requirement, I knew that the best broadcast solution for the studio would be Studer Micro, AKG Professional and JBL” says JPRO Broadcast Specialist Tim Robertson.
The Studer Micro fader control surface was included in the TV Control Room with Studer MicroCore set up as the audio hub and controller. JBL’s compact 305P studio monitors were added into the control room, with volume managed by a JBL MSC1 monitor system controller.
DVT specified AKG HM1000 and CK31 hanging microphones that are used as ambient mics and installed in the game pods. The commentary and analysis desks make use of AKG HSD271 professional studio headsets for the commentators while AKG DMS800 wireless microphones are distributed via Dante.
“With the opening of the first esports broadcast studio in Australasia, we are excited that JPRO and HARMAN Professional are able to provide a solution for an exceptional integrator such as DVT, for the enjoyment of gamers and fans alike,” adds Tim Robertson.
