Cowboys Stadium Integrates Incredible LED Technology

By: Kuljit Grewal  |   June 25th, 2012   |   Sports

During the 1990’s, the Dallas Cowboys had built a dynasty around Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith, otherwise known as the triplets. Along the way the Cowboys won the Superbowl in 1992, 1993, and 1995. With their dominance over the National Football League during this time America’s Team was reborn. With all their newfound success something remained amiss. All they needed was a stadium that could match their persona.

 

For 3 decades the Cowboys had played at Texas Stadium, but there was a problem with the size of the stadium. It appears that Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner, truly believes that everything is bigger in Texas. As the 90’s progressed so did Jones’ idea of building a new stadium that would stand alone as the best in the business. The plan developed steadily and construction began in Arlington, Texas. The football loving city’s citizens agreed to increase their taxes and raised $325 million while the NFL contributed $150 million. The Dallas Cowboys covered the remaining cost and in 2009 the $1.15 billion stadium opened to the public.

 

It is true that Cowboys stadium can seat over 100,000 people while also possessing the largest retractable ceiling in the world. The real show stopper however are the four flat screens that are 90 feet above the football field. The estimated cost of the four screens was $40 million and was constructed by Mitsubishi Diamond Vision Systems. Creating this masterpiece was no mere task as the size of the two larger flat screens are 160 feet long and 71 feet high, with the two smaller screens measuring 29 feet high and 51 feet wide. This set is so large that it runs from one 25 yard line to the other 25 yard line.

 

What makes the world’s largest video display even more impressive is that all four screens are in high definition. The two larger screens are 2100-inch 1080p LED’s and the two smaller screens are 700-inch video displays. There were two main problems for Diamond Vision when creating these four screens. One problem was just the sheer size of the construction as something like this had never been done. The other issue was creating a clear image as there are no processors big enough for the set. So 6 processors were put together for the two bigger screens and are synced to show a clear flowing image. This visual wonder, along with the stadium itself, now has become one of the bench marks for modern day technology.

 

Since the stadium opened on June 9 2009, it has hosted its first game, Dallas Cowboys versus the New York Giants on September 20, 2009, the Cotton Bowl and the 2011 Superbowl among other marque events. Now Jerry Jones has a state-of-the-art stadium that matches the popularity of the Dallas Cowboys and the state of Texas. With that being said all that remains to see is America’s team coming back to their new home as Superbowl champions.