The Bear Trap is Tuscaloosa’s only rooftop restaurant and bar, deep in the heart of Alabama sports country, overlooking Bryant-Denny Stadium (home of the University of Alabama’s famed/feared Crimson Tide). Patrons enjoy a kinetic atmosphere created by the strategic placement of large video displays and projection screens throughout the two-level building, all thanks to a scalable AV over IP system from Key Digital, installed by locally-based expert integrators EMB Pro AV.
The Bear Trap co-owner Daniel McCullum wanted to be ready for the winter rush—when the Super Bowl, NCAA’s March Madness, NBA and NHL All Star Games, and this year’s Winter Olympics, make for a dizzying few months of nonstop games, matches and events. However, as The Bear Trap management was about to embark on the project to refresh their AV systems, they worried it would prove to be a daunting task to update the unruly wiring and dated cabling infrastructure, consolidate expensive monthly subscription sources for a more economical solution, and modernize the atmosphere, all while staying true to their college sports-bar roots and budgetary needs.
EMB Pro AV’s system design included Key Digital’s KD-IP822 AV over IP encoders and decoders, which seamlessly integrate with the installed third-party Creston control system, providing smooth signal paths and allowing the video system to be used for digital-signage applications. Key Digital’s AV over IP product family offers near-limitless scalability, and leave room for future expansions as often as the restaurant would like.
The result provided benefits for patrons’ experience and the owners’ bottom line. In addition to the clear picture and audio fans enjoy, “Every month we’re also saving money on the cable bill, because we were able to get rid of about 12 boxes that were previously mounted right at the televisions,” McCullum explains. “That’s a great savings right off the bat. And now with this digital signage we can advertise specials and sell more than we ever have of certain premium liquors just by putting the names up on the displays and letting everyone know to ask for it by name. We’re looking into eliminating our printed specials inserts because the displays do such a better job of reaching everyone in the crowd. We’re really happy with the system and look forward to expanding our AV even further in the future.”
