River Cats unveil new jumbo HD video board

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Conversations can grow into big visions, such as one that has literally become 800 square-feet of high-definition television technology at West Sacramento's Triple-A baseball park, Raley Field, home of the River Cats.

But that one conversation between three future business partners taking in a River Cats ball game last summer turned into far more than the brand new giant HD Cat Vision screen freshly installed above Raley Field. It also delivered employment opportunities for people with disabilities. At the same time, a local company with a global business found its own opportunity to deliver for the hometown team. And Raley Field can now deliver River Cats baseball fans a visual opportunity that rivals - if not exceeds - anything found in major league ballparks.

The partnership that followed that chance conversation involved River Cats President Alan Ledford, PRIDE Industries Senior Business Development Executive, Jerry Clark and George Pappas, managing partner of D3 LED. Based in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova, D3 LED manufactures HD screens for marquees from New York City's Times Square and Los Angeles' Sunset Strip to entertainment destinations in Tokyo, Dubai and Hong Kong; but until now, only small signs have been installed in the Sacramento area.

At the same time, Raley Field, home of the River Cats, needed a new video board to replace an aging, smaller screen for contests, promotions, score displays and game action. Meanwhile, enter PRIDE Industries, also based in the Sacramento area, a nonprofit and among the nation's leading employers of people with disabilities. High-tech assembly is one of PRIDE's many specialty areas. D3 had the perfect solution, while Clark quickly identified an ideal way to strengthen PRIDE's job base. And everyone shared a vision to give River Cats fans the ultimate in high-quality HD big screen action.

Raley Field's new 800 square-foot HD Cat Vision screen is 60 percent larger than the one it's replacing and clearly visible on the brightest of days. Weighing approximately 21,000 pounds, D3 LED's Raley Field display features 480 x 992 resolution through nearly a half million pixels, delivering the same HD experience as a 44-inch diagonal living room HD TV - but over a 44-foot display area. Most importantly, its HD quality is literally world class, backed by D3 LED's international reputation

"Our goal is to provide the best solution to the customer's display requirements - not just sell them a video board. We're very excited to partner with the River Cats to provide the finest display in minor league baseball, and a display that likely rivals major league displays as well," Pappas said.

PRIDE's role in the project was to build and test 500 printed circuit boards used to power the control modules inside the new Cat Vision HD video board, dovetailing into the company's close working relationship with the River Cat's since the team's 2000 inaugural season.

"This partnership showcases our region's rich technical resources and the ability to provide world-class solutions at a local level," said Jerry Clark, senior business development executive at PRIDE Industries. "We're excited to showcase our electronics manufacturing capabilities through this highly visible project while supporting the local economy and creating jobs for people with disabilities."

Lighting up for fans the first time during the April 16 season opener, Cat Vision highlights a variety of major capital improvements for Raley Field, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary.

"It's well worth the investment," Ledford said. "We've enjoyed phenomenal support over the years as a family destination. Cat Vision - big as it is - represents just one of countless ways we're working to show appreciation to River Cats fans and to deliver an extraordinary experience to every guest at Raley Field."

About the River Cats The River Cats franchise is the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Since their arrival in Sacramento in 2000, the River Cats have had unparalleled success on the baseball field - winning four Pacific Coast League Championships. Nestled along the Sacramento River in West Sacramento, the privately financed ballpark is the crown jewel of Minor League Baseball.

The River Cats open their 2010 home schedule on Friday, April 16th at, 7:05 p.m. against the Reno Aces (Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks). Individual tickets for Opening Day, and every game during the 2010 season, are on sale now at www.rivercats.com or at the Raley Field Ticket Office.

2010 River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans and group outings can be purchased by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the 2010 River Cats season, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.

About PRIDE Industries

PRIDE Industries is a not-for-profit organization providing a variety of business solutions to meet the manufacturing and service needs of public and private organizations nationwide. PRIDE is dedicated to creating jobs for people with disabilities, employing more than 4,300 individuals across ten states and in the nation's capital, including more than 2,700 people with disabilities. For more information, visit www.prideindustries.com.

About D3 LED

From Times Square in New York City, Atlantic City in New Jersey, and Sunset Strip in Los Angeles to Hong Kong, Dubai and Tokyo, D3 LED is engineering the world's most sophisticated and innovative LED signs, digital displays, video walls, spectaculars, tickers, marquee systems, reader boards, jumbotrons, video displays and programmable signs. Collectively, the D3 managing partners have amassed more than 50 years of experience in the design, manufacture and installation of the most complex LED signs, displays and associated control systems in the world. More information about D3 LED is available online at www.d3led.com.

It's Big: The new HD screen is 60 percent larger than the screen it replaces and, at 800 square-feet, is the size of a small home.

If your Living Room has a 44-inch diagonal high definition TV, by comparison, Cat Vision is a 44-FOOT diagonal HD display.

The new HD screen weighs more than 10 tons, or about the weight of 10,200 baseball bats.

It's Better: Cat Vision's 480 x 992 HD quality will make it bright enough to see scores, replays games and promotions on the brightest of days.

The display it replaces was 18-by-28 feet. The Cat Vision screen is 20-by-40 feet in size.

There are nearly a half million pixels in the display, and data send to all the display's LEDs would max out the capacity of an average iPod every two minutes.

It's Local: The HD Cat Vision video display was designed and manufactured by D3 LED, based in Rancho Cordova. The company's marquee signs light up well-know destinations such as New York City's Time Square. This is the company's first video display in the Sacramento area of this magnitude.

Locally-based PRIDE Industries' Electronics Manufacturing Division built and tested the screens' 500 printed circuit boards. PRIDE is dedicated to creating jobs for people with disabilities and operates nation-wide.

River Cats President Alan Ledford, PRIDE Industries Senior Business Development Executive, Jerry Clark and George Pappas, managing partner of D3 LED, were watching a River Cats game last summer and started talking about the need for a new sign. From that conversation, a partnership between three Sacramento area businesses formed to design a new video display, employ local residents and further enhance the Raley Field experience for fans and event attendees.