Thinking Outside The Video Board Box

As sporting venues continue to push the innovative envelope in creating unprecedented and revolutionary designs for the architecture of the building, they also look to include unique designs for the amenities associated with the venues.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen the creativity of design in major league sports venues spread to the video boards as well. Venues today are thinking outside the traditional box-shaped LED video board design and transforming video technology into custom-shaped displays including curves, cylinders, ellipsis, ovals and landscape designs.

Most recently, Climate Pledge Arena unveiled dual hanging displays, a massive atrium covered in wall displays, a Modelo Bar display, and a ceiling and column-wrapped display. 

Similarly, UBS Arena added a large lobby display that takes advantage of unique edges and angles to create an interesting viewing experience for fans.

In Phoenix, the Suns and Mercury are playing in the reimagined Footprint Center downtown. In doing so, they installed some unique displays of their own, including their centerhung and lobby displays.

Speaking of lobby displays, Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks, have their own version to brand their facility and connect with their fans. The number of venues we’re seeing installing these massive lobby displays just proves the trend is continuing to grow across the sporting landscape.

The Kansas City Chiefs upgraded their west end zone oval-shaped video board. The upgrade kept the iconic shape of the video board, which is now HDR-capable.

PNC Arena installed this massive 4,000-square-foot centerhung display in 2019. The centerhung is curved around the corners to provide a large, single canvas presentation that is HDR ready and capable.

In 2018, the Colorado Rockies installed a logo-inspired shape to the top of their main video board. The mountainscape design features a jagged-edged top that helps build the brand of the team. In addition, the Rockies also incorporated a unique aspect by lighting up the “ROCKIES” channel lettering above the video board with LEDs.

Perhaps the most recognized video board in all of sports, the Halo board at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, is a 61,900-square-foot elliptical-shaped engineering feat that is the largest video scoreboard in the world. While in the design phase, our design and structural teams worked closely with Mercedes-Benz Stadium to collaborate and refine abstract video board shapes and concepts into feasible, attainable designs.

Thinking outside the box of standard digital signage shapes and sizes, the idea to create a revolutionary display to the size and scale never seen before in facility design was born. Mercedes-Benz Stadium also showcases an 70-foot wide tapered and curved 4-millimeter display at the main entrance.

“Daktronics is in a league of their own. We selected to work with them because of their dependability known throughout the industry as well as the creativity they bring in crafting something that has never been done.” – Rich McKay, Atlanta Falcons President & CEO

Speaking of Halo displays, the Los Angeles Angels provided an LED upgrade to their Halo marquee display by also implementing customized-shaped cabinet designs. The Angels are also the first to install seamless LED corner wraps to the edges of a main video board.

In 2017, the Detroit Lions incorporated LED technology onto their stadium structural support columns. The two super columns feature curved cylinder-shaped 6-millimeter displays measuring more than 60 feet tall. Fitting these curved displays along the architectural areas of Ford Field brings static spaces to life to engage and inform fans as well as provide new sponsorship opportunities for additional revenue generation for the Lions.

At the FedExForum in Memphis, the Grizzlies installed this centerhung that features a single, continuous screen wrapping around the corners of the centerhung structure. These curved corners are an innovative visual element that allows the Grizzlies to incorporate unique engagement opportunities at the arena.

The Minnesota Vikings installed this curved Sail display outside U.S. Bank Stadium for their Legacy Ship to welcome and inform guests.

Over the past couple of years, we have helped to create many “firsts” and uniquely-shaped displays at major league sports venues. We look forward to the next innovative concept and engineering challenge as venues, as well as everyone here at Daktronics, continue to think outside the typical LED box-shape design with video boards.