Jumbotron
Encyclopedia
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology
developed by Sony
, typically used in sports stadium
s and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a genericized trademark
. Sony JumboTrons ceased being sold in 2001, when the company decided to exit the business.
) display — each display consisted of multiple modules composed of 16 or more small flood-gate CRTs (cathode ray tube
s), each of which included two to 16 pixels composed of green, red, and blue phosphors. Sony displayed one of the earliest versions at the Expo '85
World's Fair
in Tsukuba
. Sony creative director Yasuo Kuroki is credited with the development of the JumboTron. Eventually, JumboTron systems adopted LED technology. LED-based systems have about 10 times the lifespan of CRT-based systems, a key reason for the change.
, Texas
, USA at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The largest non-octagonal JumboTron is located at the Atlanta Braves
Turner Field
and the largest one for a high school in the USA is located at Lassiter High School
in Marietta, Georgia. While the JumboTron and similar large-screen displays are physically large, they were often low in display resolution
. The JumboTron at the now-demolished Tampa Stadium in Tampa
, Florida
, USA, measured 30 ft (9 m) diagonally with a resolution of only 240×192 pixels. Screen size since then varied depending on the venue. The display introduced in 1985 was 40 meters wide by 25 meters tall. Newer, LED-based large screens have two or three times this early JumboTron resolution at a fraction of the cost.
The largest JumboTron in use was located at the Rogers Centre
(then called SkyDome) in Toronto
, Ontario
, and measured 10 m tall by 33.5 m wide (33 ft. × 110 ft.) at a cost of US$17 million. By comparison, a similar sized LED system sold today would cost around $3.0M. The Rogers Centre JumboTron was replaced in 2005 by a Daktronics
ProStar as a part of a stadium revitalization project.
WWE
makes frequent use of a JumboTron, which has been coined the "TitanTron", named after WWE's former parent group Titan Sports.
Large-screen television technology
Large-screen television technology developed rapidly in the late 1990s and 2000s. Various thin screen technologies are being developed, but only the liquid crystal display , plasma display and Digital Light Processing were released on the public market...
developed by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, typically used in sports stadium
Sports Stadium
Sports Stadium was an Irish television sport programme on Raidió Teilifís Éireann . Broadcast between 1973 and 1997, it was RTÉ's flagship sports programme and one of its longest-running shows....
s and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a genericized trademark
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
. Sony JumboTrons ceased being sold in 2001, when the company decided to exit the business.
Design
Manufactured by Sony, the JumboTron is recognized as one of the largest non-projection video displays ever manufactured. Originally, it was not an LED (light-emitting diodeLight-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
) display — each display consisted of multiple modules composed of 16 or more small flood-gate CRTs (cathode ray tube
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
s), each of which included two to 16 pixels composed of green, red, and blue phosphors. Sony displayed one of the earliest versions at the Expo '85
Expo '85
Expo '85, officially called , was a world's fair held in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan between Sunday, March 17 and Monday, September 16, 1985. The theme of the fair was "Dwellings and Surroundings - Science and Technology for Man at Home"...
World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
in Tsukuba
Tsukuba, Ibaraki
is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is known as the location of the , a planned city developed in the 1960s.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 207,394 and a population density of 730 persons per km². Its total area is 284.07 km².Mount Tsukuba, particularly well-known...
. Sony creative director Yasuo Kuroki is credited with the development of the JumboTron. Eventually, JumboTron systems adopted LED technology. LED-based systems have about 10 times the lifespan of CRT-based systems, a key reason for the change.
Deployments
One of the largest octagonal JumboTrons in the world is in ArlingtonArlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The largest non-octagonal JumboTron is located at the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
Turner Field
Turner Field
Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...
and the largest one for a high school in the USA is located at Lassiter High School
Lassiter High School
Lassiter High School is a public high school located north of Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia, United States.- History :Lassiter High School was established in 1981. It was awarded the Georgia Public School of Excellence in 1992, 1999, 2008, and 2010. Lassiter's principal was Chris Shaw in 2008 and...
in Marietta, Georgia. While the JumboTron and similar large-screen displays are physically large, they were often low in display resolution
Display resolution
The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
. The JumboTron at the now-demolished Tampa Stadium in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, USA, measured 30 ft (9 m) diagonally with a resolution of only 240×192 pixels. Screen size since then varied depending on the venue. The display introduced in 1985 was 40 meters wide by 25 meters tall. Newer, LED-based large screens have two or three times this early JumboTron resolution at a fraction of the cost.
The largest JumboTron in use was located at the Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
(then called SkyDome) in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and measured 10 m tall by 33.5 m wide (33 ft. × 110 ft.) at a cost of US$17 million. By comparison, a similar sized LED system sold today would cost around $3.0M. The Rogers Centre JumboTron was replaced in 2005 by a Daktronics
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...
ProStar as a part of a stadium revitalization project.
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
makes frequent use of a JumboTron, which has been coined the "TitanTron", named after WWE's former parent group Titan Sports.
Similar devices
Displays similar to the JumboTron include:- Akami Super Vision LISA
- BarcoBarcoBarco N.V. is a display hardware manufacturer specialising in video projectors, LCD projectors, DLP projectors, LCoS projectors, LED displays, video walls, flat panel displays, automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls....
LED Screens - D3 LEDD3 LEDD3 LED LLC. , an American company based in New Jersey, engineers and manufactures LED signs, Digital Displays, Marquee Systems, Tickers, and related products...
's Dynamic Digital Displays - DaktronicsDaktronicsDaktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...
ProStar - MitsubishiMitsubishiThe Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
DiamondVision - PanasonicPanasonicPanasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
AstroVision - PhilipsPhilipsKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
Vidiwall - ToshibaToshibais a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
TechnoRainbow