K-State to Install New Video Boards
Nov 22, 2005 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. Kansas State football fans will hardly believe their eyes on opening day of the 2006 football season.
In addition to the expanded and renovated Vanier Football Complex scheduled for completion next summer, athletics officials announced today that K-State will install new video and message displays in Bill Snyder Family Stadium prior to next football season.
Daktronics, Inc., was selected to provide and install the equipment, which will include a 23-foot high by 61-foot wide fully integrated ProStar VideoPlus display at the south end of the stadium. Daktronics, of Brookings, S.D., is one of the world’s largest suppliers of electronic scoreboards, computer-programmable displays, large-screen video displays and control systems.
"Combined with the Vanier Complex construction project, the addition of the new videoboards will practically reshape the look of the stadium," said Tim Weiser, Director of Athletics. "This new equipment will undoubtedly enhance our fans’ experience during a game."
It will cost approximately $1.7 million to purchase and install the new equipment, according to Casey Scott, Associate Athletics Director for Operations. In addition to the new video system at the south end, Daktronics will install an LED ProStar videoboard at the north end in place of the existing 10-year-old Sony Jumbotron, replace the southeast and southwest scoreboards with ProAd LED message displays, and provide a new LED display for the marquee on Kimball Avenue. Construction will begin in December and is scheduled for completion at the end of June.
Scott said the crown jewel of the project is the south videoboard, which will feature one of the larger active video display areas in college football as well as two ProAD LED message displays attached to the bottom of the board. The videoboard will be constructed between the two existing statistics scoreboards.
"All of the equipment will feature the latest technology, which will not only greatly enhance the clarity and quality of the picture the fans see in the stadium but also allow us great flexibility on what we display," Scott said.
As an example of that flexibility, Scott said the entire display area of the south videoboard could be used to show game action or video highlights, or it could be "zoned" to display a scoreboard, a picture of player, other scores, etc., while still showing game action.
"During live action, we will most likely always have game video and a scoreboard displayed," Scott said. "But at other times we’ll have the opportunity to be much more creative in what we present."
Scott said an important addition to the north video display, which will be built into the existing structure atop the Vanier Football Complex and measure approximately 13-feet high by 23-feet wide, will be a custom LED scoring section projecting full game information. It will replace the current scoreboard, which only displays time of game and score.
The ProAd LED displays at the southeast and southwest corners of the stadium will be approximately 6-feet high by 42-feet wide, while the two panels under the south videoboard will measure nearly 5-feet high by 28-feet in length. These displays will be capable of showing game-in-progress information, team and player stats, full-color animation and cropped video clips, as well as providing unique sponsorship recognition opportunities.
"This is an exciting and important project in that it significantly upgrades the stadium and the quality of the entertainment product we present to our fans," Scott said.
Daktronics has manufactured more than 75,000 scoring/display systems for more than 37,000 customers. Daktronics began manufacturing large screen, full-color, LED video displays in 1997. Since then, over 1,500 ProStar displays have been sold and installed in commercial and sporting facilities around the world.
