The University of Connecticut at Storrs has recently undertaken a significant upgrade to its AV systems at the Gampel Pavilion basketball facility, aiming to enhance the fan experience. This project is part of a series of collaborations between UConn and the integration team at Metinteractive, which has previously worked on various campus facilities including the Freitas Volleyball arena, Toscano Hockey arena, and the student recreation center.
Metinteractive’s chief commercial officer and project executive for Gampel Pavilion, Jeff Mele, emphasized the importance of this project not only as a fan of the Huskies but also as a taxpayer in the state. “UConn is our home team—we’re big Huskies fans,” Mele said. “As taxpayers in the state, it’s also important to us to see that tax dollars and donor dollars are spent wisely.”
One of the major long-term challenges faced by both the in-house staff and the integration team has been the lack of standardization between campus sports facilities. Mele explained that Gampel Pavilion is part of an ongoing effort to standardize and connect facilities across all sports on the UConn Storrs campus. “Facilities that are fragmented often require more support and more initial capital expenditures due to their individual, complete systems,” Mele said. “Although standardization and connectivity add complexity, the long-term results are lower costs and greater operational flexibility.”
Eric Pirozzi, an integration technician at Metinteractive and project manager for Gampel Pavilion, highlighted another challenge: optimizing live production by installing an up-to-date broadcast system and integrating it with existing infrastructure.
The team ultimately selected a range of Sony Professional equipment for installation, including Sony Pro BRAVIA BZ30L displays, SRG-X400 4K NDI cameras, and VPL-FHZ80 projectors. These installations are not only enhancing the fan experience but also supporting classroom presentations and collaborative discussions in educational settings.
At Olds College of Agriculture and Technology, the AV/IT team, led by Information Technology director Joe Guenther and team member Danny Belanger, has been leveraging similar technology to capture HD footage for future course materials and to provide better access for students during procedures. The cameras and displays create viewing gallery areas, allowing more students to observe procedures without crowding around a single table.
“Having these cameras opens up the possibility to put any signal on any screen in any classroom,” Belanger said. “We now have the capabilities to record on every single camera and then save to a shared drive, which authorized users can access. That wasn’t possible before.”
The technology’s benefits extend beyond the classroom, providing a competitive advantage for attracting new students and experienced faculty. The entire installation is AV over IP, allowing for live demonstrations of medical procedures from the animal hospital to be shown in classrooms elsewhere in the building.
The implications of these upgrades are far-reaching. For UConn, the enhanced fan experience and standardized systems promise long-term cost savings and operational flexibility. For educational institutions like Olds College, the technology enables innovative teaching methods and better access to learning materials, ultimately enhancing the educational experience. As technology continues to evolve, these advancements in AV systems are setting a new standard for both sports facilities and educational institutions.