Daktronics digital signage lighting up IU sports

The Brookings, S.D.-based Daktronics Inc. recently announced that it has been picked to provide Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., with integrated video and scoring systems for several athletics venues.

Daktronics will upgrade IU's football, aquatics, soccer and tennis facilities with the latest in light emitting diode (LED) technology, according to the release.

"The new scoreboards will enhance every aspect of the gameday experience," said Fred Glass, vice president and director of Athletics. "It's state-of-the-art and will be a major part of the big-time atmosphere we are creating at venues throughout campus. We strive for excellence at Indiana and we are thrilled to partner with an industry leader like Daktronics."

The most impressive item on its way to Bloomington is a 36-foot high by 90-foot wide high-definition video screen featuring Daktronics updated technology with wide-angle visibility and superb image clarity, according to the company release. The new video board can operate as an independent display showing single large images or be divided into multiple zones (windows) to show a wide variety of statistics, information, graphics, animations and live and recorded video in crystal clear HD content. Hoosier fans at Memorial Stadium will also hear all the hard-hitting action with a Daktronics custom audio system offering a powerful audio experience with excellent sound projection and high speech intelligibility.

Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center will soon feature one of the largest LED video displays in any collegiate aquatics venue. IU swimming results and highlights will soon be shown on an impressive 15-foot high by 37-foot wide video board. Daktronics will also provide another video display inside the aquatics center to be used primarily for diving.

To ensure precise and accurate timing of events, the new complete scoring, timing and video system will incorporate Daktronics' patented touchpads, relay take off platforms (RTOPs), pace clocks, horn start systems and Daktronics' sports timers. The timers provide 1/1000th of a second accuracy and advanced features needed at high level competitions. The touchpads are highly sensitive across the entire nonslip surface and fill with water to equalize internal and external pressure. They are constructed of stainless steel, providing a reliable surface that will not warp or leak. Daktronics RTOPs are not dependent on the weight of the athlete, the style of start, or variations with blocks. Instead, they detect the split second a swimmer loses contact with the platform during a relay exchange.

Inside Bill Armstrong Stadium, fans will see and hear the action of Hoosiers men's and women's soccer on a new Daktronics scoring, matrix and sound system. A Daktronics soccer scoreboard, complete with programmable team name displays and bright LED digits, will inform those in attendance of vital game information. Above the scoreboard, will be a LED message display to engage fans with game information, exciting prompts and sponsorship opportunities. Rounding out the system will be Daktronics' Sportsound 1500HD audio system to provide high-impact sound reinforcement to deliver excellent sound quality throughout the stadium.

Daktronics will keep score of Indiana men's and women's tennis with scoreboards to be installed inside the IU Tennis Center. The scoreboards are capable of scoring up to six different matches at a time and feature programmable team name displays on each scoreboard.

Included as part of the upcoming project will be Daktronics' video image processing technologies and the company's new Show Control system. The company's video processing system is touted by experts as the best in the industry, processing and scaling live and recorded video signal to vivid digital imagery on large displays. The Show Control system is the one of the latest developments from Daktronics, providing a power combination of control software, data integration, and playback hardware that forms a comprehensive production solution.