How to Create the Ultimate Sports Bar Multiple TV Setup
Sports Bars are the ultimate neighborhood hangout where patrons can enjoy food, drinks, companionship, and most importantly, watch their favorite sports on screens. It is crucial for a sports bar to have as many screens as possible, offering a wide variety of sporting events so that patrons can watch the games they most value.
Why Does Your Sports Bar TV Setup Matter?
So how do you create the ideal sports bar set up? It’s certainly important to have high quality, large-size screens that can be viewed from different locations throughout the venue. These screens should be high quality (plasma or HDTV), and be placed high enough on walls so they are not blocked by those sitting at the bar or viewable from across the room. Angling the screen 5-7 degrees downward is optimal for those viewing both from below and across the room.
Your sports bar screen setup is key to creating an inviting and appealing environment. You need enough screens to offer multiple sports options while also having the ability to show the most important events on several or even all screens (realistically, most people in the bar will want to watch the Superbowl or World Series). Being able to easily control what shows on what screen and when is crucial.
In addition, you don’t want wires and cables and other necessary a.v. equipment to be visible to customers. Having a seamlessly connected system gives your sports bar a professional appearance. Here’s a really useful article on how to hide wires in your sports bar.
How to Setup Multiple TVs in a Sports Bar
Setting up multiple TVs in a sports bar does not have to be complicated. In general, there are a few options, using wired or wireless solutions. These systems allow you to connect two or more TVs together from a single source.
Screen Setup with HDMI Splitters
To play different content or the same content on different screens simultaneously, use HDMI splitters. This will require wiring each screen to the main media source using HDMI cables, and then using the splitter (connected to the source) to send a signal to each screen. Many HDMI splitters allow you to connect up to eight displays from a single source.
An A/V switcher would then allow you to send a signal to multiple screens from more than one source, so you can display events not only from a cable box or computer, but also from any other source.
Screen Setup with a Wireless Transmitter
A wireless transmitter allows you to display content on multiple screens from a single source, without needing wiring throughout your bar. There are many different wireless screen mirroring transmitter options available. Options include Chromecast, Roku, or Apple TV. Using the connected streaming apps from these devices, you can select the screens you want to send the signal to.
Note that these options require using WiFi to mirror your screens. Using an HDMI wireless transmitter and receiver is a good option if you do not have strong WiFi or don’t want patrons hacking into your WiFi, letting you mirror your content securely. Having your wifi hacked is not uncommon. Here’s an article outlining signs your router has been hacked.
Stream Different Channels Using LoopTV
An additional option for bringing sports-related content to your venue wirelessly is to add Loop® TV. The Loop® TV device plugs directly into your TV screen(s) and streams a wide range of content ranging from Sports News Highlights, PAC-12 College Football and Basketball channels, World Surf League, extreme sports and more. In addition, Loop® TV offers a sports score ticker widget that can run across the bottom of the screen to keep viewers aware of scores of other games.
Unlike traditional sports content playing on screens, LoopTV offers a free digital signage option that lets you create ads that appear on the screens, appearing on a regular basis or continuously. Digital signage allows you to advertise food/drink specials and upcoming events, which ultimately adds to your business’ bottom line. Learn more at http://www.loop.tv/business.
Bring Your Sports Bar To Life with a Great Screen Setup
No matter which option(s) you chose, be sure to create an environment in your sports bar using high quality equipment that can easily be seen by all guests. .. With the quality and size of home entertainment systems improving rapidly, your sports bar needs to offer more than what guests can create at home.
By offering multiple screens featuring different events AND great drinks and food, you can ensure your guests will want to watch their favorite teams at your location. With the option to add LoopTV to the mix, you can not only add additional sports content but also leverage the ability to create digital ads to promote your business to your customers easily and effectively (the result of which should be increased sales and return visits to take advantage of all those advertised specials and promotions).
Find out more about how LoopTV helps sports bars provide unique content here.