ARLINGTON, Texas—Chris DeRuyscher, senior director for ballpark entertainment, production and promotions had to deal with some unusual circumstances when COVID-19 delayed the opening of Globe Life Field, Major League Baseball’s newest stadium, home of the Texas Rangers.

In his case, the stoppage meant postponing the debut of the park’s Daktronics HDR 1080p video displays, its control room and MLB’s first IP-based router; so the usual hustle to have a new system operational for an MLB park by Opening Day wasn’t as necessary, as 2020’s truncated 60-game season was held up until late July.

But today, DeRuyscher and his staff are getting the chance to enjoy their new toys. “We knew we wanted the next generation of technology in the new setup,” he said, “so we looked at 4K and 8K options before going with the HDR 1080p,” which operates at 60 fps.

The design of Globe Life Field and its retractable roof had much to do with the size and shape of the displays, as well as the somewhat unusual decision to include two main boards in a baseball park.

To work around the retractable roof, the Rangers built the giant 57x157-foot videoboard that hangs from the right field roof and installed a 39x110-foot videoboard in left. “I’m a big fan of two large boards in any stadium,” DeRuyscher said. “If there’s just one, one-third of the fans have to turn around to see it, if they can see it at all.”

The Rangers also added ribbon boards to the mix. The main install is 2x196 feet and spans from foul pole to foul pole, in foul territory; beneath it is a first in MLB: a digital LED 2x108-foot home plate board “where the user doesn’t have to rotate signage,” said DeRuyscher, who added that the brightness “is turned down to just 10 percent” during the action to avoid distracting the pitchers.

Also on hand is a similar ribbon board along the upper deck in right field and the one component that was moved in from the old ballpark, the 80x21-foot, left-field videoboard, which will serve as Globe Life Field’s centerfield out-of-town scoreboard.

The install encompasses an all-new control room—which was designed by WJHW and integrated by Diversified—with a Ross Acuity switcher and Xpressions CG; two EVS servers (one six channels in, two out, the other eight channels in, four out); Daktronics Show Control and Live Clips playback; Sony cameras, including four HDC-3100Ls (on tripods), two HDC-3500Ls, four FS5s and one FS7 with Canon UJ90X9B, P01-DSS and CJ24ex7.5BIRSES lenses; a Riedel Communications Bolero wireless intercom, Quantum storage servers and MAM services from CatDV.

But what’s most notable about the room is the Lawo IP routing system, which DeRuyscher said makes Globe Life Field “the first sports facility to use it for video routing, as opposed to just audio.

“It’s the future,” he said. “It’s versatile and enhances options for distributing video. The possibilities with it seem endless.”

The Rangers decided to use Daktronics’ Show Control system to tie together their LED ribbon and video boards and are the first to use their newly-unveiled Camino system. “It allows us to tie in various content by pushing one button; it’s seamless, tight and well-coordinated, so our staff doesn’t have to do countdowns and all push our respective buttons at once,” said DeRuyscher. “We’re very excited about our show going forward.”

That heightened ease of use has come in handy during COVID-19, especially with the normal crew of about 21 reduced to 13. But with this MLB season almost seeming like a tune-up for 2021, DeRuyscher is looking forward to having everyone working in sync next year.

BROOKINGS, S.D.—When the first pitch is thrown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas— the new stadium being built for the Texas Rangers—the fan experience will be boosted by nine LED displays and approximately 1,400 LCD for an IPTV system from Daktronics. The eight Surface-Mount Device LED displays, the 15HD display in centerfield and all LCDs will be fully integrated using Daktronics’ Show Control System.

The largest display to be installed at the stadium is a 58x150-foot screen in right field. Left field will feature a display that measures 40x111 feet. Both displays feature 15mm line spacing using SMD three-in-one LED technology and have a combined 5.2 million pixels for high-resolution images.

The outfield displays are capable of variable content zoning that allows them to either display one large image or be divided into multiple zones for a combination of live video, instant replays, stats, graphics and sponsorship messages.

“This system will feature a main video display that is beyond HD resolution using the latest SMD technology that is increasingly becoming standard in these large displays,” said Reece Kurtenback, president and CEO of Daktronics. “Another eight displays in the bowl and an IPTV network of displays throughout the stadium creates a comprehensive solution of displays around the stadium to deliver an immersive experience for the fans.”

Two ribbon displays will be part of the stadium: a 2.5x925-foot display along the seating fascia from foul pole to foul pole, and a 3.5x211-foot display on the suite level fascia. Featuring 15mm line spacing and SMD technology, the displays provide supplemental information.

Additional displays will include a pair on the field-level suite fascia using 6mm line spacing; a 15HD pixel display layout in centerfield measuring 80x20 feet; the Texas Sky Porch will feature a 3.9mm video wall; and the interview room will have a 2.5mm narrow pixel patch display as a press conference backdrop.

Globe Life Field is expected to open in March 2020.