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ARLINGTON — With one eye fixated on the kickoff of the 2009 football season and the other focused five years down the technological road, the Dallas Cowboys and Cisco Systems have collaborated to take Cowboys Stadium beyond state-of-the-art.
"Our fans are going to have a sensory experience when they come to events here," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. "It will be a sensory experience from everything to even buying a hot dog."Cisco’s Connected Sports Solutions, deployed through a project with AT&T, provides Cowboys Stadium operators the ability to customize digital signage from event-to-event, much the way one might program a playlist into an MP3 player.With the push of a button, event-specific advertising and targeted promotions, whether directed at the pre-teen demographic for Saturday night’s Jonas Brothers concert or frenzied football fans for the Cowboys’ Sept. 20 home opener, will instantly appear on high-definition monitors throughout the stadium as well as ribbon boards and other electronic video boards.From the fans’ perspective, the Cisco network includes 3,000 high-definition televisions perched throughout the concourses, designed so fans will never miss any of the action on the field when they leave their seats.If a hot dog is on the agenda, nine side-by-side flat-screen TVs above the concession windows will take on different tasks. Some will show the menu items, some will show the game, while others display advertising or promotions.The best, however, is likely yet to come. Interactivity is a high priority. Starting this season, eight cameras will follow the action on the field and beam it to the world’s largest video board 90 feet above the field.The Cowboys foresee a time, for example, when fans can connect to the feed from their seats on a hand-held device and watch instant replays or view game statistics."We are able to deliver a destination experience that extends beyond a football game and really changes the way fans interact in the stadium," said Pete Walsh, head of technology for the Cowboys. "Our investment in technology goes beyond what we can do today for our fans and partners. We are positioned to be able to adapt to their ever-changing needs for years to come."Jeff Caplan, 817-390-7760
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