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Home > Contet Home > Interviews > May 1999 Interview
May Interview: John Jackson
Interview conducted: May ,1999

In 1995 the Portland Trailblazers were having problems with broken carts and warped audio cassettes.  At the same time, Blazers owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen had challenged the Blazers staff to develop new technology for sports which would blend some of Allen's passions (sports, music, and technology). 

These events lead to the development of one of the most powerful tools in game operations, the Game Ops Commander.   John Jackson is a Portland Trailblazer Game Operations Manager who markets and distributes the Game Ops Commander, he joins us for our May interview. 

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gameops.com:  What is the Commander, and what does it do?

john jackson:   The Game Ops Commander is a software solution for game operations and game entertainment.  The technology developed by the Trailblazers and Asymetrix enables you to call on a library of sound effects, music selections and even videos on-demand with no delays and high sound quality.  The software also enables you to load in new music quickly and easily which will keep your games fresh and interesting for your fans. 

gameops.com:  Who is using the Game Ops Commander?

john jackson:   The Game Ops Commander is currently being utilized by over 300 teams.  We have clients in all sports and at all levels.  About 30% of NBA teams use it.  One of our fasted growing segments is High Schools and Colleges.  We offer educational discounts which put the Commander in reach for nearly everyone.

gameops.com:  You have issued upgraded versions in the past, talk about the upgrades and is there a new upgrade in the works?

john jackson:   A year or so after our first release (version 1.0) we offered Version 2.0.  This was mostly an improvement and upgrade on the overall product, making it more user friendly and adding feature that our users were requesting like hot-keys.   We still offer this version.  We have also released Version 2.5.  This version added multi-track capabilities which allows you to cross fade multiple songs.  It also incorporates the ability to use 144 screens. 

Although we don't have a release date scheduled, we are looking into adding new features and some advanced video features for our next version of Commander.

gameops.com:  How reliable is the system?

john jackson:   We spent a great deal of time debugging the Commander which has saved our users from the hassles of software problems.  The few problems I do hear are hardware problems.   We also offer support services for the package to help clients get the most out of the system. 

gameops.com:  What is the best non-traditional use of the Game Ops Commander that you have heard of?

john jackson:   There are a lot of great uses outside the world of sports.  We have had the software used in theatrical productions, by mobile DJ's, at large assemblies, seminars, and dances.   Many of these creative uses have been from high schools and colleges.  The Commander is the perfect tool anywhere you need on-demand audio.

gameops.com:  How do people get more info on the Game Ops Commander?

john jackson:  For more information see our web site, email or phone us:

Web site: www.gameopscommander.com
Email: commander@rosequarter.com
Phone:     1.800.346.8037

Thanks to John Jackson and the Portland Trailblazers for this months interview.  

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