Football fans who will be taking in Rider home games, and the upcoming CFL championship Grey Cup game, will get to enjoy high-definition large-screen video replays of all the action from the field. The system is called ZEPLAY, supplied by U.S.
Football fans who will be taking in Rider home games, and the upcoming CFL championship Grey Cup game, will get to enjoy high-definition large-screen video replays of all the action from the field.
The system is called ZEPLAY, supplied by U.S.-based Tightrope Media Systems, and a former Weyburn resident is an employee of this company.
Amber Ward, daughter of Darryl and Patricia Ward of Weyburn, is based in Los Angeles along with her husband Jeremy Cleek, and Amber works as the graphic designer for Tightrope Media Systems.
Amber's involvement with ZEPLAY revolves around developing the brand which includes logo design, the look and feel of the product, packaging design as well as marketing collateral.
The Roughriders first saw ZEPLAY at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas in 2010, and they had it installed at Mosaic Stadium to provide multiple-angle slow-motion replays for the fans at the game.
For the Grey Cup game, coming up near the end of November, Mosaic Stadium will be using three ZEPLAY systems, with up to 12 angles of replay, giving the fans at the stadium the best possible views of the games.
"ZEPLAY gives us the capacity to be very quick and nimble. Instant access to all playout angles allows us to be better than the broadcaster, and give our fans more of what they want," said Bill Wright, director of game-day operations for the Roughriders and director of partnerships.
"We show more replays than viewers get at home, along with more close-ups and stats," added Wright.
Prior to bringing in ZEPLAY, Mosaic had its first large video screen set up in 2005, and has since added nine cameras, multiple graphics layers and later the ZEPLAY system in the stadium's control room.
"We've progressed to the point where this has become a very full-sized production show, and we are directing everything that happens in the bowl to the fans," said Wright.
The Riders are currently the only CFL team using ZEPLAY, and the Ottawa Senators are the only NHL team in Canada.
In the U.S., a number of teams use ZEPLAY, including the Florida Gators, Arizona Wildcats, Tampa Bay Lightning, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the Colorado Buffaloes.
