The IKH Areena of Finland opts for Kramer's AVoIP technology

To offer immersive audiovisual experiences, This professional basketball complex in Finland has installed a system that includes 50 KDS-7 encoders and decoders, the solution Kramer Control and touch panels SL-240C and KT-1010.

He IKH Areena it's a multipurpose sports venue located in the town of Kauhajoki, city ​​and municipality in the province of Western Finland. Opened in October 2022, It is the headquarters of the Karhubasket professional basketball team, who plays in the highest national category. It attracts thousands of fans to its matches and serves as a meeting point for 13.000 city ​​citizens. Consists of three restaurants, a vestibule, six VIP sections, a large conference room, a gym for the team, changing rooms and, of course, the field on which the team plays.

Ville Nurminen, technical director of audiovisuals at Karhubasket, chose Kramer to serve both the local basketball team and facilitate local events.

A network system was chosen that allows sharing AV content from multiple sources. “With AVoIP you can achieve much more and send anything anywhere”, affirms Antti Kivekäs, of the audiovisual sales department of Creative Factory, company responsible for audiovisual design. “It is such a simple solution that, however, allows us to do much more than with a basic matrix system. Besides, It is more flexible and we can expand it if necessary”.

In addition to obtaining top scores for the AVoIP capabilities of its products and its ease of use, Kramer's local presence and close technical assistance were a big plus, which helped make this technology the best choice. Its local presence and support in Finnish were priorities for both the systems integrator, Creative Factory, as for the client, providing calm support at every step of the installation process.

Luova Tehdas designed the audiovisual solution before the stadium was built and opted for a networked system that allows sharing audiovisual content from multiple sources. “With AVoIP you can achieve much more and send anything anywhere”, affirms Antti Kivekäs, from the audiovisual sales department of this firm. “It is such a simple solution that, however, allows us to do much more than with a basic matrix system. Besides, It is more flexible and we can expand it if necessary”.

The complete system includes 50 KDS-7 encoders and decoders, y Kramer Control con SL-240C and KT-1010 touch panels. To complete the solution, Kramer equipment was connected to high-end speakers and amplifiers and displays from various manufacturers.

Content around Areena can now switch to a multitude of sources, including, among other things, match information and highlights, public participation and advertising messages.

“Setup is very easy to use, which was one of the main points, since we did not want to have a specialist in the stadium all the time”, adds Nurminen. “Having a couple of iPads with Kramer software installed is also a big plus, since users do not have to go to the control room. You can see that everything is running smoothly from the iPad. It has also reduced support calls. And with the possibility of making changes online, we have been able to offer remote assistance”.

This, of course, represents a significant saving of time and money for both Karhubasket and Luova Tehdas. Ease of configuration and user interface ensure that no on-site specialist is needed to operate the system.

The audiovisual system has proven to be very reliable, something essential in a live gaming environment. The stadium's IT team is happy and the public enjoys a much more entertaining and immersive experience in each match..

Kramer technology has responded to the challenges posed by the sports center. The solution has managed to make matches more exciting with an immersive audiovisual experience, Easily share images and audio from multiple points, through multiple sources, avoid the need for an audiovisual specialist during matches and allow customization and easy expansion to meet changing needs.