Dragons adding Giant HD Video Board

Dayton, Ohio-The Dayton Dragons today announced the purchase of a 2,050 square foot, high-definition video board for installation at Fifth Third Field. The video board, will be installed and operational prior to the Dragons opening day game on April 12, will feature the newest and latest high definition technology, and will provide the clearest picture quality of any board ever utilized in a Minor League Baseball venue. 

The new addition will be one of the first "13HD" video boards in a Minor League ballpark. Notably, only three of the 30 Major League Baseball stadiums have 13HD video boards: Cubs, Mets, and Athletics. Only eight National Football League stadiums feature 13HD video boards: Cardinals, Panthers, Broncos, Jaguars, Steelers, 49ers, Raiders, plus one not yet announced. No Minor League ballpark featured a 13HD video board in 2014 or beforehand.

The video board will be 35 feet high by 65 feet wide, making it the tallest and widest in all of Single-A baseball and among the top five tallest and widest in any Minor League stadium. It will have five times more display area than the previous video board at Fifth Third Field. It will be twice the height and two and one-half times the width as the previous board.

The new video board will also be three times brighter than the previous video board to cut through the sunlight and bring a noticeable enhancement to day games. This video board will feature 16 times as many LEDs as the previous video board.

The new video board will include variable content zoning, which will allow it to show one large image encompassing the entire screen, or be segmented into multiple zones for the flexibility to highlight any combination of live video, instant replays, scoring information, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsor messaging. It will also incorporate industry-leading environmental protection and wide angle visibility to appeal to every seat in the stadium.

"The video board at Fifth Third Field is so very critical to the Dayton Dragons entertainment experience," noted Dragons team president, Robert Murphy. "To be able to enhance and improve the experience for our fans is very exciting."

The new video board will mark a significant investment in the facility by the Dragons new ownership group, and a major investment in the community. The entire video board project will exceed one million dollars. The new video board also marks the second straight year that the Dragons have made a substantial improvement to Fifth Third Field. In 2014, the Dragons invested over $1.2M on a significant upgrade of the entertainment control room while adding HD cameras throughout the facility.

The new video board is manufactured and installed by Daktronics, by far the industry leader in video board installations with 30 percent worldwide market share as reported by independent research firm HIS iSuppli. More than two-thirds of all NFL (26 of 31) and MLB (25 of 30) stadiums feature Daktronics systems.

From Daktronics: "This installation will build on a partnership that spans more than a decade and we're honored the Dayton Dragons have turned to Daktronics once again for their video display needs," said Daktronics National Sales Manager Will Ellerbruch. "As one of the first of its kind at the minor league level, this display will have a major impact as it enhances the fan experience at every game. We're excited to see the display up and running for their first game in 2015."

The Dragons open their 16th season in the Midwest League on April 9 at West Michigan and open the home season at Fifth Third Field on April 12 vs. South Bend.