Sony and Daktronics installed this 38x137-foot LED screen in left field of the new Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds.
The 2009 Major League Baseball season got underway this week and some ballparks are sporting HD-centric new or renovated imaging screens and scoreboards, including Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Sony and Daktronics have completed work for the Reds franchise on the first stage of enhancements made possible by a joint agreement between both firms. The agreement targets the design and installation of new audio/video systems and services to both pro and college athletic teams in the United States.
The Cincinnati facility's new HD control room includes Sony HDC-1450 studio cameras, XDCAM HD camcorders (PDW-F355), a MVS-8000G production switcher and several Luma 24-inch LCD monitors. Most of the equipment will be used for instant (or during-game) replays of highlights on a Daktronics-installed 38-by-137 foot primary LED screen in left field, as well as dozens of smaller Sony HD monitors situated throughout the ballpark.
For those who can afford luxury boxes, each of the Reds park's 64 luxury suites includes a Sony 46-inch Bravia LCD monitor connected to a Sony-made Vaio computer running the firm's proprietary baseball software ("StadiumView")—which includes touchscreen choices of various camera angles during the game.
