What to know about TV and video distribution in Scottsdale
The Giants open at Scottsdale Stadium on February 19, 2027
Scottsdale Stadium sits in Old Town and has hosted the San Francisco Giants since 1984. The Giants' 2027 Cactus League home play there begins Friday, February 19, 2027. Check the league's schedule for changes. Bars within walking distance should expect crowds around game days.
Source: Cactus League, Giants team page
Salt River Fields adds a second spring crowd
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Road in Scottsdale, is the Diamondbacks' spring home with an 11,000-seat ballpark. Plan for spring-training crowds near the ballpark as well.
Barrett-Jackson comes first, on January 23
WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, hosts the Barrett-Jackson auction, which the city's event calendar says draws hundreds of thousands of attendees. The 2027 auction is set for January 23, so the crowds start before spring training does.
Low-voltage video wiring is not on the exemption list
The city says an electrical permit is required to install, alter or repair wiring on any building. Its amended exemption list names only minor repairs and maintenance, with nothing for low-voltage, data, AV or security wiring. Starting before the permit is issued doubles the permit fee, so we confirm with Permit Services before we pull cable on a larger job.
Source: City of Scottsdale, Permit Services and 2021 IBC amendments
What video distribution actually is
Instead of a cable box or streaming stick behind every TV, the sources live in one rack. Cable, satellite, streaming and a few spare inputs feed a switcher, and each screen gets a signal over a single run of cable. Staff pick what each TV shows from a tablet or wall panel.
The change you notice first is that a TV never sits on the wrong channel because someone bumped a remote. The change you notice second is that one dead box doesn't take out a wall of screens.
Matrix switcher or AV over IP
A matrix switcher takes a fixed number of inputs and sends each to any output. It suits a room with a known number of sources and screens, and it is simple to understand. AV over IP sends video across a network switch, which makes it easier to add screens later and to reach rooms far from the rack.
We pick based on how many screens you have now, how many you might add, and how far the cable runs are. A bar with eight TVs and one rack is a different design from a restaurant with a bar, a patio and a private room.
Game-day and event-week loads
Spring training doesn't change your system, it changes how much it gets used. On a Giants game day every screen is on at once, the sources are switching all afternoon and the bar is full. That is the worst day to find a screen that drops out or a source that lags.
We plan for that load: enough inputs that two games don't fight for one box, presets for game day and for a normal night, and labeled sources so a bartender can fix a TV in seconds. If your system already works for most of the year, we can test it under a full set of screens before February.
- Presets for game day, happy hour and close.
- A spare input or two for a game that isn't on your main package.
- Audio sent to the zone that matches the screen, not to the whole room.
- A clear rack layout, so service on game day is quick.
Screens on the patio and near windows
Outdoor TVs need to be made for the sun and heat, and they need a place to mount that doesn't glare in the afternoon. If a screen sits within three feet of a window pane, Scottsdale's sign code treats it as a window sign (an older section, so we confirm with the city), so we look at that before we hang a TV near the glass.
From count to handoff
- Count screens, sources and cable paths on a walkthrough.
- Plan the rack, switcher type and control method.
- Mount and cable, usually after hours so you stay open.
- Set presets, name the sources and test every screen.
- Show your staff how to switch games. Service runs Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Sound, control and menu boards
The sound should follow the screen, so video distribution normally goes in with commercial audio and one panel from AV control. A menu board can join the same system as digital signage. See the Scottsdale page. Call (602) 769-7992 in time to finish ahead of February.
