The NASDAQ MarketSite video wall is located in the heart of Times Square, New York and operates primarily as a broadcast studio. Like NASDAQ’s seven-story tower that shines on Times Square, the video wall has become a modern day icon, a symbol of this unique electronic market. By providing easy-to-access information to investors in a highly public format, NASDAQ offers listed companies the ability to promote their brands while demystifying the investment process.
The NASDAQ MarketSite was created to provide a unique platform for NASDAQ listed companies. Numerous major financial broadcast outlets, including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, Reuters, NDTV Profit, CNBD India and Business Week TV, are hosted at the studio and their journalist conduct daily reports, which are broadcast globally, from the MarketSite. The video wall offers these journalists the latest technology to clearly illustrate market patterns and post real-time trading data to identify ongoing stock market developments.
The Challenge
Every business day the video wall is the showcase for NASDAQ’s opening and closing of the market, hosting some of the world’s most prestigious business leaders who preside over these events. As a broadcast studio, over 100 daily reports are conducted in front of the video wall and CNBC’s popular show,“Fast Money” broadcasts daily at 5:00 PM ET. The studio is also frequently used for a variety of important financial interviews and announcements. There could be no disruption to the weekday activity of the NASDAQ MarketSite; all the installation work was restricted to weekends.
The original video wall was constructed in 1999. There are two levels in a curved array with 40” and 50” multimedia screens spanning up to 48’ across the studio and reaching 16’ high. NASDAQ’s requirement was to update the resolution, brightness and processing capability of the video wall. They wanted to expand their presentation capability, allowing them to display market data in a variety of more dynamic formats.
The Solution
Retrofitting the existing video wall (versus removing and replacing the structure) was the least disruptive solution; it would save time and overall costs for the project. Any retrofit project demands diligent production planning and complete team commitment. Fitting new projection technology into an existing curved structure offered many unique engineering challenges.
By upgrading the projection engines to Christie TotalVIEW RPMX-D120Us, using leading-edge DLP® technology, the video wall can present content with a significantly higher native resolution and contrast ratio, valuable in a broadcast environment. The wall now provides a 50% higher pixel density making images appear crisp and clear on camera.
The individual screens of the structure were also updated to 3-ply anti-reflective, high contrast, wide-angle screens. As a 48’wide by 16’ high video wall in a broadcast studio, these screens will ensure proper light reflection and rightness uniformity throughout the entire wall.
With this new screen technology the wall takes on a more seamless appearance. Now there is only 1 millimetre of spacing between each screen as there is no framing (or mullions) needed on each of the cubes.
Fitting existing light engines into an existing structure required a few modifications in the manufacturing of the 96 projectors used in the video wall. Also, to fit Christie screens onto the existing structure, each screen was precisely measured and cut on the factory floor.
The timely and accurate delivery of the replacement projectors and screens to the installation site was a critical component in the success of the project. Every installation item shipped from Christie’s North American manufacturing plant was prepared to ensure that once it arrived on site, it could be installed quickly and easily.
Powering the updated video wall are 13 Christie Vista Spyders. These windowing processors allows the video wall operator to control the content of the 96 cubes as a single 75 million pixel canvas. The Spyders will take multiple digital sources, including HD, and process it through one point of communication. This new system also dramatically enhances NASDAQ’s ability to present their market data in a more dynamic and creative format.
From the beginning, Christie engineers and project managers recognized the commitment that would be required to deliver this project on a very tight schedule. A project team was dedicated to the success of this installation. From the design and engineering process, to customizing products to fit into an existing structure, through to the manufacturing process,to ensure smooth and speedy installation on site, to the final installation team, working with NASDAQ’s designated installation company McCann Systems, the entire team gave 100%.
Decision Making Factors
“The Christie team approached this project from a very strategic point of view, not just another project or proposal. From the beginning we worked closely with their engineering and production teams to find particular solutions for retrofitting our video wall. There were a number of challenges with this project and it had a very aggressive timeline yet the end result is a total success. By working together with the Christie team we were able to upgrade our video wall, enhancing brightness, contrast and resolution along with adding a new dynamic processing tool that will allow us to do even more with our content.” ~John P. Son, Director, Technical Operations, NASDAQ OMX
Timing and ease of installation — the existing video wall could only be out of operation over weekends with no disruption to broadcasting activity at the MarketSite.
Work within existing structure — the longest lasting element of a video wall is the physical structure which typically outlasts electronics and processing capabilities. By working with an existing structure, the overall costs of updating a video wall can be reduced.
Reliability — operating 24/7 in one of the world’s busiest and most visited public squares, the ongoing visibility of the MarketSite is a key marketing story for NASDAQ, as a means of differentiating this electronic market. As a busy broadcast studio, reliable operation with limited maintenance requirements was important to NASDAQ decision makers.
Functionality — enhanced processing capability to ensure dynamic presentations at high resolution, ensuring image clarity of the market data content and NASDAQ listed company logos.
Return On Investment
By refreshing the video wall NASDAQ presents a more dynamic and brighter display solution in a broadcast environment.
• Overall reduced project costs by revitalizing an existing structure with updated projection engines, screen technology and processing systems
• Service costs lowered due to reliable projection engines with longer lasting lamps
• Reduced stress on existing facility infrastructure such as HVAC and electrical systems, due to more efficient projector technology