ANNANDALE, VIRGINIA – The recent Professional Bowlers Association Super Slam was an invitational event featuring the five winners of the 2021 PBA Tour Majors. Offering a total prize purse of $200,000, this all-star tournament was broadcast live on FOX Sports. It featured a dynamic set, constructed from a variety of different ADJ LED video panel models, which surrounded the bowlers on three sides and provided a vibrant backdrop of animated patterns and sponsor logos.
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Hosted in Annandale, Virginia, the inaugural PBA Super Slam was hotly contested between Kyle Troup (PBA Players Championship winner), Francois Lavoie (Kia PBA Tournament of Champions winner), Tom Daugherty (Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship winner), Thomas Larsen (USBC Masters winner) and Chris Via (BPAA US Open winner). Following a close competition that saw Daugherty eliminated in the first round and Lavoie and Troup win the semifinal matches, Francois Lavoie clinched the victory beating Troup 247 to 202 in the final and walking away with the $100,000 top prize.
Responsible for designing and supplying the set for the competition was niche bowling industry technical supplier JWI Entertainment Technologies, which has supplied ADJ LED video panels to PBA tournaments since 2017. Established in 2012 by Justin Wyman, who personally has more than 20 years of experience in technical event production, JWI Entertainment Technologies offers a turn-key service covering audio, lighting, video, and rigging.
Justin has developed a close working relationship with the PBA over the past five years, helping them to raise the production value of their events and use LED video panels to create versatile sets that can be fully customized with animated patterns and sponsor logos. This has helped the organization to attract premium sponsors for PBA competitions by ensuring their logos appear prominently whichever way the audience looks and – more importantly – every direction the TV cameras may be pointed. Justin is constantly refining this concept and investing in additional ADJ LED video panels to allow even more impressive set designs.
For the 2021 season, Justin made his first investment in ADJ’s new Vision Series of LED video panels, adding 24 of the VS2 model to his inventory. The Vision Series panels offer the highest quality LED binning and bright, clear output, with a variety of pixel pitch options from which to choose. All models are front and rear serviceable, and feature four individual mini modules for quick and easy servicing. They are all also built on the same frame, allowing panels with different resolutions to be used together. All the Vision Series panels use the same rigging bar (VSRB1) and fit into the same road case (VSFC8). All models have retractable corner protectors that safeguard the corners while they are not connected. There are also magnets on the top and bottom of the panels that allow users to temporarily connect two panels together, let go of the panels, then securely latch them on the rear. This allows for a single user to install a full wall of panels, which isn’t possible with other LED video systems. The VS2 model is the highest resolution panel in the series, offering a pixel pitch of 2.97mm and a brightness of 1000 NITS.
For the PBA Super Slam event, Justin deployed 20 of his new VS2 panels running down the side of the lanes, rigged to a truss frame. Long thin video displays like this have been a signature feature of Justin’s set designs for PBA events for some time, allowing the placement of animated sponsor logos – as well as competition branding – that appear on TV when the cameras follow the path of the balls down the lanes.
“The new VS2s are great panels that are very bright and have a really impressive contrast,” says Justin, “however, when I’m doing these broadcast events I have to dial the brightness right down as the TV cameras are very sensitive to light! They blend in very well with my existing inventory, so no one would look at this setup and know that the panels running down the lanes were different to the ones on the backdrop. I also like the physical design of the VS2s, they are lightweight and fit together really easily using the convenient half-turn locking connectors. Another nice touch is the dedicated VSFC8 flight case has a viewing window which lets you see which of the eight slots are filled with panels without lifting the lid.”
Another key element to Justin’s PBA set designs are the curved backdrops he positions behind the bowling area, constructed from arrangements of ADJ AV2X panels. The Super Slam event featured the biggest of these backdrops to date, made up from a total of 128 panels arranged into three separate sections. The reason for this design was a practical one, as the bowling facility featured steps behind the bowling area with fixed metal handrails. To accommodate this, Justin designed a set that featured his usual 90-degree curved backdrop constructed from 88 AV2X panels, with an additional smaller curved section comprised of 28 panels. The two curved sections were erected at either side of the handrails, while a third straight section – constructed from 12 additional panels – was positioned behind the steps. This allowed the players to make their entrance ‘through’ the LED video wall backdrop, which proved to be very effective.
The final use of ADJ video panels at the PBA Super Slam was for the scoreboard positioned above the lanes to inform the in-person spectators as well as the bowlers themselves. This was constructed from 27 AV6X panels, arranged in a 3 x 9 rectangle, and hung from a truss structure positioned over the three lanes used for the competition. As this screen was viewed from a considerable distance, the lower 6mm pixel pitch of the AV6X was more than adequate. However, Justin plans to upgrade the panels he uses for this purpose to the new VS3IP model before the end of the year in order to improve the image quality when the score board is picked up by the TV cameras.
Processing for both the backdrop and ‘down lane’ sections were provided by a Novastar MCRL4K connected to a dedicated graphics computer running ArKaos Media Master Express 5. Meanwhile, a Novastar VX4S – connected directly to a laptop – was used for the scoreboard. Justin uses ADJ panels exclusively for all of his LED video needs, having had positive experiences with both the products and the support service offered by ADJ.
“I’ve always found ADJ LED video panels to be good quality and reliable,” he confirms, “but what I like most is the customer service and support I receive right down the line. From my dealer, Tom [Capo] at KPODJ, to ADJ’s local rep, Scott [Jolliffe] from Healy Sales, through to Edgar [Bernal] ADJ’s Regional Rep and of course not forgetting Corey [Saenz] ADJ’s Video Product Specialist. I have a great relationship with these guys, they’re extremely patient with me and there have been a number of occasions when they have gone above and beyond to support me. I have no reason to look anywhere else for my LED panel needs!”
Event: PBA Super Slam
Venue: Bowlero Annandale, 4245 Markham St, Annandale, VA 22003
Event Production / Photography: Justin Wyman, JWI Entertainment Technologies
ADJ Dealer: KPODJ | 12B Lakeside Blvd., Hopatcong, NJ 0784 | www.kpodj.com
ADJ Gear List: 128 x ADJ AV2X
20 x ADJ VS2
27 x ADJ AV6X
Novastar MCRL4K
Novastar VX4S
ArKaos Media Master Express 5
