Stadium gets bigger big screens

Let's be honest — having the largest big screen in the neighbourhood is quite a coup. With the installation of two new HD LED video screens at Sydney's ANZ Stadium, sports fans at the grounds have bragging rights to 232 square metres of big screen glory that almost threatens to overshadow the live action on the field.

Ten meters high and 23 meters wide, the screens are the biggest in Australia.
(Credit: Pam Carroll/CNET Australia)

The new screens at opposite ends of the stadium replace the original screens installed 10 years ago for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The screens are not only the largest LED screens in Australia, they are the largest Panasonic has set up anywhere in the world — in fact they are a whopping 53 per cent larger than the screens the company installed in the Bird's Nest Stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

With a 145-degree horizontal viewing angle and a new-generation LED chip for better outdoor brightness and contrast, site lines are improved for all seating sections.

The four-storey high screens are built from a 21:9 widescreen grid of 1,800 individual LED panels. This allows the display to be segmented and customised, so instant replays, player stats, venue information and sponsored messages can all be played simultaneously. The screens are networked to be controlled from either the stadium's broadcast centre or a remote browser, if necessary. While the screens can accept 1080i HD signals, so far the video cameras supplying the feeds have not been upgraded to high definition.

1,800 individual LED panels are connected via a grid suspended from the stadium's roof.
(Credit: Pam Carroll/CNET Australia)