Capital One Field ‘capitalize’ on videoboards

Article posted by Coliseum, October 8^th, 2021

Image: Maryland Athletics

The Maryland Athletics debuted two new videoboards at the Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium (US) this Fall, including one of the largest in America which was unveiled for the October 1^st football game against #5 Iowa.

The ‘M’ stated that the 120-foot-by-54-foot (3,600-by-1,620 pixels) display in the West end zone (adjacent to the Stadium Drive garage) is 6,532 square feet, making it the ninth-largest collegiate videoboard in the country and largest in the Big Ten Conference. The display will be the first in college athletics to operate end-to-end in 1080p HDR (High Dynamic Range) broadcast quality.

The 54,000-capacity Maryland Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. It is the home of Maryland Terrapins football and men’s lacrosse teams, which compete in the Big Ten Conference.

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The Big Ten Conference is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It is based in Rosemont, Illinois. For many decades, this Conference consisted of 10 universities, and presently has 14 members and two affiliate institutions.

The ‘M’ further stated that this board replaces one that measured 49-foot by 30-foot, making the new LED display area nearly six times larger than the previous board, which was more than 15 years old.

Said Athletics Director Damon Evans, “We are incredibly excited to debut one of the largest videoboards in the entire country for all of Terp Nation to enjoy. We know our fans have been anticipating this videoboard for a long time and we are thrilled they are seeing it in action. On the heels of the opening of Jones-Hill House, the investment in this videoboard continues to demonstrate how Maryland Athletics is leading boldly with state-of-the-art innovations to enhance the student-athlete and fan experience.”

On the East end of the stadium, Maryland unveiled a new 34-foot-by-18-foot videoboard earlier this football season. That board replaced one that was nearly 20 years old.

Both new videoboard displays are full HD 1080p, with a pixel pitch (the space between the bulbs) reduced from 25 millimeters to 10 millimeters to dramatically improve the clarity.

As part of the new innovations, Maryland is also building a new Broadcast Center, including three new video control rooms at XFINITY Center. The Center will be connected across campus to allow for high-level productions at multiple Maryland athletic venues.

Maryland will also debut a completely upgraded audio experience at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. This will include additional speakers added to the under balconies of Tyser Tower and the North Upper Deck. In total, the new system includes 107 brand new speakers throughout the stadium.

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