Testimonials - Synergy 3

Ross Synergy 3 Adds to Entertainment Value of Detroit Tigers Home Games

Robb Wilson
Scoreboard & Video Producer
Detroit Tigers, Inc.
Detroit, Michigan

I serve as the video producer for the Detroit Tigers. Our business is Major League Baseball and my department works at keeping our fans entertained and informed throughout their visit. Essentially, it's my job to create an entire package of elements, features, promotions, and advertisements to be used over the course of our baseball season.

Comerica Park is chock full of entertainment options for our fans. Obviously there is the main attraction of a baseball game, however, fans can also tour the entire park and see the history of our club represented on several "Decade Monuments". Other amenities include: sculptures of former Tiger greats, a ferris wheel, a carousel, a large water fountain, interactive games, and a great view of the downtown skyline.

I work quite closely with several departments within our organization: Promotions, Marketing, Public Relations, and Ticket Sales to name a few. Each of these departments has a message, information or a product to promote and that's where I fit in.

In baseball, there's certainly a lot more attention being paid to the entertainment aspects outside of the actual game. The video presentation and the music are critical between innings and/or pitches. The challenge we face is keeping people interested without diverting their attention from the game being played. We have a minute and a half to dazzle or inform our customers then we need to wrap it all back up and allow the game to continue.

We purchased the Ross Synergy 3 as we moved into our brand new baseball facility, Comerica Park. Previously, we were in Tiger Stadium, a facility that was nearly 100 years old, with video capabilities that didn't require much more than the simple old Sony switcher we installed in 1992.

Ross' Synergy switcher was highly regarded by many industry professionals and seemed like the perfect fit for our all-new control room, especially since we occasionally face a dual aspect ratio situation. Our video board is set up for 16:9 output while we occasionally need to supply a 4:3 output to other areas of the park or TV personnel.

We purchased the Ross switcher after several demos with an assortment of products. It seemed to offer everything we needed from a switcher within our industry. And without question, it allows our production to look its' best. Combine the Ross switcher and a creative Technical Director and good things happen.

Personally, I like the switcher because it was easy to learn how to operate and it always offers something new to discover.

The installation process was smooth from our standpoint. The whole control room was actually preconstructed at our installers facility then dismantled, shipped to Detroit and reinstalled in working order in a matter of days.

The training process was fun for the few of us involved. We had a very tight window in which to train due to the upcoming season but as the year wore on, any sharp-eyed person would notice the new wrinkles disappear almost on a game-by-game basis.

We are very pleased with the performance of our Ross switcher. I think everything we've needed from the Synergy we've accomplished. We've used "Squeeze and Tease", Aspectizers, as well as multiple keys.

We've only really run into one bump in the road that required service and the process was painless. The parts we required were in hand within 12 hours of our phone call to Ross. It's certainly a nice feeling to get such prompt and attentive service.

I believe as we grow into our new facility the Ross switcher will be one of the main products in our room that allows us to reduce production costs. We can maximize the use of our control room and depend far less on outside vendors.