Notre Dame upgrades sports officiating with Riedel's RefBox System
The RefBox system, which includes a 24-inch touchscreen monitor and a compact Intel NUC computer, has been integrated into Notre Dame's existing campus network infrastructure to support live sports production.
The University of Notre Dame has implemented Riedel Communications' RefBox system, part of the SimplyLive Production Suite, to modernise and streamline referee decision-making during campus sports events such as lacrosse and soccer, with plans to expand usage to baseball and softball.
Driven by a need for a flexible and user-friendly replay solution, the university selected RefBox to improve the speed and accuracy of officiating decisions.
Scott Rinehart, Senior Director at Notre Dame Studios, said: 'Riedel's RefBox has truly transformed our officiating process — it's the most intuitive replay system our officials have ever used. It has significantly enhanced our ability to manage referee reviews. The response from both our referees and game management team has been overwhelmingly positive, with particular praise for RefBox's user-friendly interface and impressive efficiency. What truly sets the RefBox apart is how it empowers our referees to conduct their own replay analysis independently. They don't need to communicate with a third party or rely on someone else's interpretation — it's just them and the views — while direct interaction allows officials to make decisions quickly and confidently, significantly enhancing the overall officiating experience and flow of games.'
The RefBox system, which includes a 24-inch touchscreen monitor and a compact Intel NUC computer, has been integrated into Notre Dame's existing campus network infrastructure to support live sports production. The system's intuitive touchscreen controls allow officials to quickly review multiple camera angles, zoom in on crucial moments and make informed decisions without relying on external operators or complex communication processes. Taking advantage of its portability and straightforward setup, the university efficiently manages referee reviews for various sports across different venues on campus.
Beyond implementing RefBox to streamline officiating, Notre Dame has also explored using Riedel's SimplyLive system for production purposes, leveraging its native NDI capabilities to stream and pull replays of club rugby matches and other events. The system's versatility is particularly impressive as it can easily convert between a production suite and RefBox in just two button presses. For club rugby matches, the SimplyLive system seamlessly integrates four NDI camera feeds over the campus network, enabling recording, replay, and full production capabilities within a single, standalone system. This all-in-one solution allows one operator to simultaneously serve as director, technical director, and replay operator. Moreover, the intuitive user interface, featuring familiar touch and swipe controls, remains consistent across different modes, making the transition between production suite, replay suite and RefBox remarkably smooth for operators. This adaptability and ease of use demonstrates the SimplyLive system's potential to serve multiple roles within a university's sports broadcasting ecosystem — from officiating support to comprehensive production capabilities.
Shawn DeWeerd, a Video Engineer at the University of Notre Dame, added: 'The ability to deploy RefBox across multiple venues with minimal setup time has significantly enhanced our game day operations. We can literally roll it out, plug it in, and turn it on, and it's ready to go, taking just 10 minutes to verify all inputs are correct, with all configurations handled server-side and no user setup required. The simplicity that the RefBox offers is a game-changer compared to our previous solution, which was cumbersome and too expensive to purchase multiple iterations for different locations. With RefBox, we can easily move it to wherever it's needed by connecting it directly to the campus network. And I've been able to walk people through the basics in just five minutes. If you can use an iPad, you can run SimplyLive.'
'RefBox has also caught the attention of other sports administrators within the university, who are impressed by its capabilities and ease of use. In particular, soccer program administrators have been showcasing the system to their counterparts in baseball and softball,' he noted.
James Skupien, Regional Sales Manager, North Central, at Riedel Communications, stated: 'The University of Notre Dame has been a valued Riedel customer for many years, and we're thrilled to see them continue expanding their adoption of Riedel products, finding new and creative use cases that push the boundaries of what our technology can achieve. Their innovative application of RefBox across multiple sports — from lacrosse to soccer and potentially expanding to baseball and softball exemplifies the system's versatility and ease of use while demonstrating the positive impact it can have on collegiate sports operations. Notre Dame's forward-thinking approach in leveraging our SimplyLive Production Suite for both officiating and production purposes showcases the adaptability of our solutions and reinforces our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our partners in higher education athletics.'
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We can literally roll it out, plug it in, and turn it on, and it's ready to go, taking just 10 minutes to verify all inputs are correct, with all configurations handled server-side and no user setup required. The simplicity that the RefBox offers is a game-changer compared to our previous solution, which was cumbersome and too expensive to purchase multiple iterations for different locations. With RefBox, we can easily move it to wherever it's needed by connecting it directly to the campus network. And I've been able to walk people through the basics in just five minutes. If you can use an iPad, you can run SimplyLive.' 'RefBox has also caught the attention of other sports administrators within the university, who are impressed by its capabilities and ease of use. In particular, soccer program administrators have been showcasing the system to their counterparts in baseball and softball,' he noted. 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