SVG SportsTech Journal — Fall 2021

Page 72

VENUE SPOTLIGHT > KAUFFMAN STADIUM

Kansas City Royals Unveil New HDR Videoboard at Kauffman Stadium

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auffmann Stadium — home of the Kansas City Royals — has seen its fair share of offseason projects and renovations. The previous videoboard, built prior to the 2008 home opener vs. the New York Yankees, debuted the recognizable crown atop the structure’s highest point. Thirteen years later, the crown-adorned videoboard is trading in its LED panels for ones with HDR capability. In a project beginning last November, the Daktronics videoboard was carefully installed during the cold winter months in the Midwest. After four months, the physical construction was complete. Measuring 105 x 85 ft. and featuring Daktronics’ 15-mm SMD technology, the league’s fourth main HDR videoboard (after the Texas Rangers’ and Cincinnati Reds’ in 2020 and Colorado Rockies’ in 2018) has a pixel increase of 138% and eclipses a handful of in-venue achievements in the professional ranks, including the tallest videoboard in Major League Baseball. “From a fan’s standpoint, there’s going to be a lot more opportunities to take in the in-stadium experience,” said Steven Funke, director, event presentation and production, Kansas City Royals. “[This videoboard] is going to be quite an improvement from where we were before.” In addition to the main videoboard, the Royals have upgraded other

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LED displays in the venue. The Hall of Fame display, an area located behind the left-center-field fence where retired numbers are prominently shown, also has an HDR-capable board. This 20.5- x 108-ft. videoboard features 2,200 sq. ft. of LED real estate and 900,000 pixels and spans fivetimes larger than the ribbon board that it replaces. In addition, two 7- x 127-ft. ribbon boards occupy the outfield wall running from left center field to center field and right center field to center field, respectively.

Along with the new HDR main videoboard, the Royals installed an HDR-capable Hall of Fame display and two LED screens on the outfield wall.


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