STEM-focused Pennsylvania university creates stunning eSports center
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology has the distinction of being one of the early adapters of eSports as a university-sanctioned sport. The resulting Harrisburg Storm is an endeavor that they’ve fully invested in. As part of that investment, the university knew that they needed a space for their players to practice that would be as conducive as possible for success. Such a center would allow players to practice games like Overwatch and League of Legends in an environment that is tailor made for the fast-paced online gaming world.
One of the most necessary elements to a successful practice facility was the inclusion of a video wall to display gaming sessions—either split into team based play or using the entire wall to display an individual’s game. Harrisburg Systems Engineer Keith Thomas knew he needed a state-of-the-art wall that lived up to the graphical standards that they are used to in terms of image quality, color and uniformity. They also needed a wall that would allow for various configurations in terms of screen display and a system in place to translate the image with little to no latency.
To achieve the best results possible, Thomas turned to New Era Technology as their partner of choice. From the start, it was clear that bringing in a trusted adviser and best-in-class manufactures was key. Through that conversation it became evident that Barco’s UniSee® wall was the only choice.
A near seamless gaming canvas
One of the more challenging aspects of the Harrisburg space was the size. The concern was how to best translate the fast-paced action of an Overwatch match to a large video wall with such a relatively close viewing distance. UniSee’s bezel-less feature stood out as it allowed for a near seamless wall—meaning no distracting breaks in the action. In addition, Barco’s SenseX calibration technology ensures that the entire 17 panel wall is consistently calibrated to a uniform quality, color and brightness.
The UniSee video wall also provides for a variety of screen layouts depending on what the players most want to focus on. With this flexibility, The Storm has the ability to choose between displaying several players during a multi-player match or to get hyper-specific on the play of one or two players. The near seamless design ensures that regardless of the configuration, the uniformity of the images remain the same.
In addition to Barco’s UniSee panels, the Harrisburg center includes Aurora’s IPX-TC2 SDVoE AV over IP transceiver boxes and IPX-TC3-WP SDVoE AV over IP transceiver wall plates. These 10-gigabit AV over IP transceivers allow for zero-frame latency resulting in a clear, high-resolution image when transferring the gaming sessions from a PC to the video wall.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
