Oct. 5, 2004

New Scoreboards to Sparkle in Smith Center

By Greg Licamele

The Smith Center took a technological step forward when a new center scoreboard was assembled to adorn the arena featuring high-quality video and graphical capabilities, as well as instant replay options to enhance a fan’s viewing experience.

The scoreboard directly over the court will be smaller than the former scoreboard, yet it will pack a mightier technological punch. Tony Vecchione, assistant athletic director for facilities, said the scoreboard is a 10mm LED display compared to 12mm LED displays found at most arenas today, resulting in better quality.

“We’re really into the next generation of video scoreboards,” Vecchione said.

The end zone scoreboards at the Smith Center also are being replaced with 22mm LED display boards that will allow greater use of graphics and video in support of marketing and advertising needs, as well as out-of-town scoreboards and other athletic functions. The end zone boards at Smith Center will be similar to the scoreboard that surrounds the MCI Center.

To support these new video capabilities for Colonials athletics and other special events, a video production booth will be constructed in the Smith Center to direct five cameras that will capture the on-court action. For basketball, Vecchione said, one camera will hang at center court, two cameras will operate under each basket and two cameras will be fixed behind each basket at rim-level to capture and replay big plays.

Vecchione said the old scoreboard served its purpose, but finding parts for the 15-year-old technology has become difficult.

A company called Barco has helped GW throughout the process of selecting the new video scoreboard and Vecchione said the company plans to highlight the University’s new system as a prototype for the next generation of scoreboard technologies.

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