Daktronics of Brookings, South Dakota, has partnered with Kent State University to provide new centre-hung LED video boards and a ribbon board to the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, Ohio. The installation was completed this fall to bring an improved experience to Golden Flashes fans this season.
“Enhancing our fan experience is a top priority and our new video board provides live action, replays and promotional elements that we haven’t had before,” said Joel Nielsen, Director of Athletics for Kent State University. “The video board and new audio system has taken our atmosphere to a whole new level and our fans have provided great feedback. We have enjoyed a great home court advantage over the years in the M.A.C. Center and this will only add to that tradition. I’d like to thank President Warren for her support, turning this goal into a reality.”
The centre-hung features four LED video boards. Two sideline-facing screens each measure 10.5 ft high by 19 ft wide while the end-facing screens measure 9.5 ft high by 16.5 ft wide. All four screens feature 6mm line spacing to provide crisp, clear imagery with wide angle visibility to appeal to every seat in the arena.
Along the seating fascia, a new ribbon board was installed. It measures 2.5 ft high by 70.5 ft long and features 10mm line spacing. This allows for supplemental information to the main displays and provides the opportunity to highlight sponsors throughout events while immersing fans in the game-day action.
“Kent State knew the positive effects of strong entertainment value for sports and their fans, and adding this technology was another step in achieving their goal,” said Daryl Mihal, Daktronics Regional Manager. “We worked closely with the school to create the right design for their venue and their goal of creating the desired game-day atmosphere. The results are fantastic and we’re thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this great project.”
The centre-hung video boards are capable of showing live and recorded video, game-day statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. Each display can be divided into zones to show any combination of content listed above.
The project includes a fixed-digit basketball scoreboard to share all of the expected statistics for the sport, including score, game time, quarter, timeouts remaining and possession arrows. A custom audio control system was included with the installation to add to the functionality of the entire audiovisual system.
