Longhorns to snatch "world's biggest HD display" title from Dolphins?

It's been a bad year for the Miami Dolphins: first they lost Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ricky Williams for the upcoming season, and soon their "biggest HD display in the world" may have to play second fiddle to a new scoreboard being installed this summer for the University of Texas Longhorns. At 7,370 square feet, the 134-foot by 55-foot 'board being built for the school by Daktronics (who also manufactured the Miami display) has a slightly larger screen area than the current 7000-sqaure-foot title-holder, but nitpickers may argue that since the UT model will be almost a foot shorter diagonally, that it doesn't qualify as the "world's biggest." The argument may turn out to be moot, though, as a horse track in Tokyo is supposedly planning to install a ridiculous 197-foot-wide monster of a screen later this year that will overshadow all who came before it. UT's project comes as part of a multi-million dollar overhaul of their stadium, which will also include several other large displays, a new sound system, and a $150 million renovation of the north end zone meant to enable a 90,000 person capacity.

[Thanks, Brian]

[NNTPgrip @ May 10th 2006 11:33AM]

However, the Longhorn one requires a secure HDCP connection from any source to display actual HD material.

(Damn that was a geek-ass joke)

[TomTheBomb @ May 10th 2006 11:43AM]

What's the dead pixel policy on one of those?

[David @ May 10th 2006 11:44AM]

The Display is quite amazing. But i think they should concentrate on their game more and its much better if they spend this much money on the development of the players

[blah! @ May 10th 2006 11:47AM]

Haha i can see the stadium from my house....now i will be able to see the screen also! Woo-hoo!


LONGHORNS NATIONAL CHAMPS BABY!!!

[MegaMe @ May 10th 2006 12:02PM]

God how I hate The Texas Longhorns!!!!

Top 5 recruiting classes for years and they just now win the title.

Yes, they are good, but I still hate them.

Then again, my team sucks too.

[Trae @ May 10th 2006 12:10PM]

tu...meh Guess corporate sponsorship gets you nice displays.

[huzzah @ May 10th 2006 12:19PM]

I do research here in the stadium. Construction sucks big time.

[Perrey Z. @ May 10th 2006 12:28PM]

We are no longer accepting the "Mine is bigger than yours" or: "World's largest production..." crap from the manufacturers at the trade shows now we have to have it on the fields of America., terrific! competition at it's best!

[J. Botter @ May 10th 2006 12:38PM]

That's what happens when you win the national title -- more money from alumni to buy cool stuff.

[Perrey Z. @ May 10th 2006 12:43PM]

#2: I say if you find more than 5 dead or stuck ones from your seat, free tickets for the entire season.

If you find an entire row of dead ones, the skybox fill with hot babes, plenty of beer plus you get to kick it with Joe Rogan.

[foshizzle? @ May 10th 2006 12:48PM]

are you sure this will beat out the one at dolphin stadium? seems to me like the new scoreboard doesn't take into account room for advertisements and assumes that the area of the display will include all that. Therefore won't the actual HD display be a tad smaller, losing out to the one in Miami?

[Dro @ May 10th 2006 12:48PM]

How much does a screen this size go for?

[elmo @ May 10th 2006 1:01PM]

90,000 fans. Whatever both PSU and scUM seat over 106,000. No one cares how big the screen is if they still can't get a ticket!

Spend that money to build even more seats for the Texas faithful, they deserve it. Just don't expect Michigan and Penn State to sit by and watch. They will continue to add seats as well.

[Luke @ May 10th 2006 1:05PM]

I can see the screen easily from the roof of my house. This is going to be awesome! Hook 'em baby!

[Michael @ May 10th 2006 1:06PM]

Hook 'em Horns!

They deserve it.

bigMIKE
Class of '97

[J @ May 10th 2006 1:13PM]

There are horse tracks in Tokyo?

[Brian @ May 10th 2006 1:27PM]

Elmo, this is just the first phase of the renovation. This is going to add 10,000 seats, close in the north end zone, add a veterans' memorial plaza, more luxury boxes, new offices and academic areas, the scoreboard, and other modenizations. The next phase would likely close off the open south end and add a TON of new seating, while making DKR a much louder place to play.

Phase 1: http://www.bevosports.com/2006/02/11/sketches-of-changes-to-texas-memorial-stadium/

Model of stadium with all sides closed off: http://www.bevosports.com/2005/11/12/minor-stadium-upgrades-approved/

[Dan @ May 10th 2006 1:35PM]

Univ of Texas charges more for each seat than PSU and Mich they make more money having less fans in the stadium, sucks for us fans.

This is cool though since one of the scoreboards hasnt worked for a while.

[Michael @ May 10th 2006 1:37PM]

No. 2's question would be easy for me to answer - if a client with a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar contract came to me, I'd either a) fix/replace the dead pixels, or b) replace the whole bloody thing. Is that ridiculous? Yes, but...work with me here.

The question then becomes, not what the dead pixel policy is, but what the heck you do with the old one.

You can't throw it out, and you sure as hell can't hide it in a warehouse somewhere very easily

o.o; All you'd need is, like, 25-30 (okay, maybe 50) of your Lan-Party friends to find where they put the old one, and you've got yourself a really, REALLY big screen to go fragging on. =P

*drools*

[Pit Viper @ May 10th 2006 1:40PM]

I hope that all of UT burns. They make Austin an irritating place to live.

[Pit Viper @ May 10th 2006 1:43PM]

@#9: More like money to waste.

[DJ @ May 10th 2006 1:43PM]

Guess everything really is BIGGER in Texas......

[elmo @ May 10th 2006 1:46PM]

Brian. I understand that college sports stadiums, at least football stadiums, grow what seems like every year. That doesn't mean that UT should waste the money on a larger screen before they add the extra seats. First off, its a bad business decision because you are choosing to put in a showpiece that will bring in $0 before adding seats to the North endzone that could up reveenue. All I'm saying is add the seats first, and once the stadium reaches 100k capacity then thinnk about adding a larger screen in one endzone, just be sure to leave yourself enough real estate to add it.

[Benjamin @ May 10th 2006 1:51PM]

@#18: Not to mention all the rich assholes I need to contend with on the road.

[Arnob @ May 10th 2006 1:54PM]

oooooh, so that's where my tuition money is all going to!! Pssh, that's awesome, i woulda been buying a huge tv too if i had that type of money.

HOOK EM!!!

[g @ May 10th 2006 2:54PM]

This is what's wrong with America. College tuition that burderns students, but hey, let's spend loads on a tv screen used a dozen times a year. Whatever happened to college football for the students diversion instead of a massive, scandal ridden industry (college football) to contributes to moral decay. And yes, I expect to get flamed for posting such a moralistic diatribe in engaget.

[PB @ May 10th 2006 3:14PM]

well said #24. well said.

[Charlie @ May 10th 2006 3:18PM]

It's about time they finally won. They could never beat OU for the last 4 years or so. GO SOONERS!!

[Chris @ May 10th 2006 3:35PM]

HOOK 'EM HORNS!!

BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD!!

USC SUX!

[Geojap @ May 10th 2006 3:50PM]

I'm loving it. Good purchase. Nice to be a Longhorn.

To all the haters:
UT has the reigning NCAA Baseball Champs, reigning NCAA football champs, and the men's basketball program was ranked #6 to end the season. Softball team currently ranked #2, men's track currently ranked #2, and a rediculous amount of swimming championships.

Like what the lettuce said when he stepped on the tomato, "Ketchup".

[Bret @ May 10th 2006 3:50PM]

I think they need to concentrate less on spending gobs of money on huge ass screens and spend a little more time working out there idiotic acceptance policies.

[Brian @ May 10th 2006 3:54PM]

g (#26), yes I'm going to flame you but that's because you're flat out wrong. Not a dime of tuition goes towards the football program. In fact the University of Texas is the nation's richest & most profitable football program, with revenue of $53.2 million & profits of $38.7 million. And that's for the fiscal year PRIOR to their national title run this season. I imagine it'll be even higher this year.

The Longhorns' football program pays for every other men's and women's sport and brings a great deal of national exposure to the University.

[Jen @ May 10th 2006 4:21PM]

Moralistic diatribe? The football programs pays for itself and a lot of my education. Football convinces alumni to give money for scholarships and even academic programs. If they want to buy a nice new tv for themselves and their fans off of their national championship money, why shouldn't they? Football supports not only itself but also almost all of the spirit groups and women's athletics. But if you want to hate us just because you're ignorant, I suppose you are free to do so.

[Matt @ May 10th 2006 4:30PM]

21- you don't think they'll sell a ton of ads on that huge peice of real estate?

they'll also get the video board up quick.. FWIW, they're redoing the luxory boxes and press box right now as well..

[12th Man @ May 10th 2006 4:51PM]

Gig'em Aggies!!!! Your new score board will be our next bonfire!!!!

[Big B @ May 10th 2006 4:52PM]

has anyone else ever seen one of these monster screens and just wanted to shoot it? It's the ultimate irony: they install a screen that costs a lot (millions maybe) and then it gets shot with a $500 .22

[Russ @ May 10th 2006 5:40PM]

Our Ohio Stadium can cram in 105k but unlike the scUM suckers and PSU, ours is dreadf.. err tastefully decorated with corporate sponsorship everywhere. By the time I graduated students in their first two years of school were lucky if they got a ticket, let alone all home games.

I don't dare miss the 'donation' period every year otherwise old (27) mfer's like me will never get offered the 'invitation' to donate and purchase tickets ever again.

[Al Wilkes @ May 10th 2006 7:55PM]

But they won't pay for our rowing team to go to its national championship this weekend...

Still, hook'em. I'm proud to row for Texas.

[David @ May 10th 2006 8:04PM]

12th man... need I remind you what happened when the genius A&M students built the bonfire in 1999...

BTW it will be nice to see the screen next year... they deffinately needed to replace the tiny screen they had... high school stadiums in Texas had a bigger screen than that...

[Nathan @ May 11th 2006 11:28AM]

To number 32: That's true that the money UT Athletics spends is totally from revenue they raise. I have to say that I'm thrilled to see these renovations on our stadium. It's time to add more seats too and that will come, but I'm sure there's a reason for doing this first. As for UT making Austin an irratating place to live, um, the amount of revenue this University brings to the city of Austin is not irratating and neither is the fact that this is a top tier institution of higher learning.

HOOK 'EM HORNS!

[J @ May 11th 2006 12:07PM]

31. I think they need to concentrate less on spending gobs of money on huge ass screens and spend a little more time working out there idiotic acceptance policies.

Right. Is this because they don't accept applicants who use "there" when they should use "their"?

[bradtwitty @ May 12th 2006 2:29AM]

#39, since you think it is okay to joke about the death of rival students:

Need I remind you what happened in 1966 when a genius longhorn climbed the clocktower? At least our school deaths are accidents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman

http://bonfirememorial.tamu.edu/

[kevin @ Jul 28th 2006 9:40PM]

#39

Thats not cool.

As far as the screen goes, after the national title I am pretty sure this board isn't gonna hurt the budget too bad....

[chris @ Aug 8th 2006 3:58PM]

Daktronics was not the chosen favorite by the scoreboard folks over at Dolphin Stadium (i should know, I used to work there) Mitsubishi Diamondvision was the preferred client but b/c some people were in bed with Dak, they chose them. Now over the course of time, Dak has improved their boards but still lacks the quality of the Diamondvision product.

How did Dak install it? They used the exisiting framework of the original analog display boards which were Sony (and godawful sony parts). They removed the Whiteway boards (advertisements) and paneled in the whole display. Here's the catch...the original scoreboards at Dolphinstadium were 2 different sizes on either endzone. The West Endzone was just a videoboard, and the East was a videoboard and LED. So, hypothetically, Dolphin Stadium has 2 HD boards instead of one. The larger one of course being the highly touted Dak board in the East endzone.

Diagnolly speaking, it is larger than UT's (overall display size). Hell, folks in Cuba can watch the game from there!

[Brent Wood @ Aug 29th 2006 3:24PM]

which hd screen was finished frist Ne or TX

[Brent Wood @ Aug 29th 2006 3:24PM]

Which hd screen was installed frist???? Texas or Nebraska

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