Sports Fans and Nighttime Revelers Enjoy AV Upgrades at Hi-Fi Kitchen and Cocktails

Mainstay in Old Town Scottsdale, Ariz., entertainment district relies on LTJ Systems and Just Add Power system to meet everyone’s needs.

June 9, 2020

Located in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale’s entertainment district, Hi-Fi Kitchen and Cocktails originally opened its doors in 2013.

In the summer of 2019, the restaurant, sports bar, and nightclub briefly closed them again as it underwent a complete makeover, reopening over Labor Day weekend with a new look that blends the top musical influences from the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s.

As a venue owned and operated by the Evening Entertainment Group (EEG), it’s no surprise that a key element of Hi-Fi’s renovation was a technological upgrade to deliver a unique AV experience for guests.

The installation was performed by LTJ Systems, which does sound, video, intelligent lighting, and anything new with tech. Even so, with a name like Hi-Fi, expectations were particularly high.

Inside the Hi-Fi Kitchen Installation

In addition to its attention-grabbing sound system, descending lighting ring, and ceiling port that disperses a cloud of condensed liquid nitrogen to cool down the crowd, Hi-Fi Kitchen is packed with a variety of displays.

Highlights include a 20-foot by 11-foot video wall behind the DJ booth, which consists of 100 LED panels in a 10×10 configuration.

In addition, 35 50-inch flat-panel displays are located throughout the venue, while three projectors have the entire back wall covered, and a selfie wall allows guests to strike a pose inside the front entrance.

Feeding the screens are 13 DirecTV boxes, a cable box, a Roku player, a Google Chromebit, a computer outputting six different graphic sources from one software program and a Just Add Power VBS-HDIP-759A 3G+4+ video tiling processor that allows up to four inputs on one screen in different configurations.

To incorporate additional sources as needed, such as laptops for special events, there are two inputs located in the DJ booth and one on the patio.

During the day and evening, Hi-Fi offers guests a prime spot for watching sporting events. Not only is the venue the official UFC sports bar in Old Town, it also shows every Iowa Hawkeyes football game.

With each individual displays, a large projector and video wall capable of playing out sports and other live content, there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

But when the sun goes down, the vibe at Hi-Fi Kitchen shifts as it transitions into one of Old Town’s hottest nightclubs, offering up a high-tech party scene for revelers.

 

To enhance the festive atmosphere, content on the flat-panel displays and DJ booth video wall switches to custom graphics, while the three projectors team up to create a 3D digital graffiti wall.

Together, they project one giant image on the back wall, which looks like a painted-on boombox with speakers, dials, and lighting bolts coming out of it.

The selfie wall displays Instagram content in short clips and provides backgrounds such as celebrities and the Hi-Fi logo for guests.

“With so many displays and sources — in addition to different types of content for days and nights — video distribution was integral to delivering a unique experience at Hi-Fi,” said LTJ’s Jason Jones.

“The venue required a solution that offered rock-solid reliability, allowed managers to quickly change the video source on any screen or group of screens and easily add sources for the DJ or group events on the fly,” he said.

History of Success

LTJ relied on a combined solution that has proven successful in other installations: Just Add Power’s 2GW/3G HD Over IP platform, combined with networking solutions from Luxul and DTVGameControl’s iPad-based app for control.

Each video source at Hi-Fi is equipped with a J+P VBS-HDIP-715 PoE transmitter — the computer features six for its different graphic sources — while a VBS-HDIP-515 PoE receiver is attached to each display, projector, and video wall.

The receivers feature an integrated scaler that automatically adjusts the picture to fit the screen, while J+P’s built-in SwitchPlease web interface allows LTJ to remotely access the devices to perform reboots if needed.

The scalable HD over IP platform allows LTJ to expand Hi-Fi’s system with an additional screen, source, or video format by simply adding receivers and/or transmitters. More transmitters are located in the DJ booth and on the patio.

The Just Add Power transmitters are installed in a Middle Atlantic rack, along with the video sources and two Luxul XMS-7048P 52-port stackable Gigabit PoE+ L2/L3 switches, which manage the wireless network.

The Just Add Power receivers and transmitters run on Power over Ethernet through the switches instead of relying on external power.

Hi-Fi Kitchen managers control the system using the DTVGameControl floor-plan-based iPad application. The interface depicts the venue’s layout, display locations, sources and more on one screen.

Users tap a source to select it, choose a channel, and tap on the screen or screens they want to display it on. With Just Add Power’s tiler, they can display up to four images in a picture-in-picture configuration on any display.

A live preview window lets them confirm their selection before making it official.

To power on and off displays and projectors, the Just Add Power transmitters’ CEC feature sends on/off command signals over the same HDMI cables that deliver the video.

This allows managers to power on/off all displays and projectors with a screen tap, without the need for additional IR equipment, cables or remote controls.

“We’ve utilized a few different types of solutions for video distribution over the years, including simple matrix systems, single HDMI splitters and larger matrixes,” said Jones. “Unfortunately, they all suffered drawbacks when it came to reliability and ease of use, which you just can’t have in high-end sports bars and nightclubs.

“Operating the system couldn’t be any easier for managers — they are comfortable using it with little, if any, training. It all adds up to an uncompromising experience for guests that has turned Hi-Fi into a hot spot for sports fans and partygoers alike.”