Wrigley Field Revamp: Chicago Cubs Upgrade LED Videoboards To Match New 1080p Control Room

An offseason project enhanced eight video displays around the venue in time for Opening Day

Wrigley Field in Chicago is on every baseball fan's bucket list, and, in its every version or incarnation, those that get a chance to see it are mesmerized by its beauty. Over the offseason, the Chicago Cubs enhanced this beauty by transitioning the LED technology on eight video displays around the ballpark from a 13HD pixel layout to 10mm pixel spacing and adding 5 million pixels to the displays.

This project was all about keeping our technology fresh, says Chris Simonson, director, live production and entertainment, Chicago Cubs. Our videoboards were 11 years old, so it was time for us to increase their resolution.

Rush to Opening Day: Research Trips, Diversified Keep Project on Track

In recent years, Wrigley Field has had numerous renovations in a multi-phased approach. One of the biggest technological alterations was a 1080p-powered control room, launched in time for the start of last season. The project added new Ross Video Tessera channels for display control, XPression servers as the graphics engine, an Acuity production switcher, and updates to the existing Evertz DreamCatcher replay system.

Prior to the 2025 season, the Chicago Cubs spent their offseason converting their control room to 1080p.With the control-room upgrade completed, the next chapter of renovations was greenlighted. Spearheaded by Chicago Cubs EVP/COO David Cromwell, and VP, Content and Production, Matt Romito as project leads, the project began with a request for proposal and the choice of Diversified, the systems integrator at the center of the control-room project, to usher in this substantial change.

Through June 2025, Simonson and a handful of his colleagues went on several trips to check out recently renovated videoboards at such venues as the Indianapolis Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium and the Denver Broncos' Empower Field at Mile High.

The upgraded control room is driving a new chapter of in-venue productions at Wrigley Field.At more than 8,300 sq. ft. of LED real estate, eight video displays - a videoboard in left field, one in right field, two ribbon boards, two upper-deck displays, two outfield-wall displays - were renovated. This hefty lift required the project team to get started as quickly as possible: in this case, at the conclusion of the 2025 Chicago Cubs season and after the second of two Northwestern University football games on Nov. 22.

With the help of Diversified Senior Project Manager, Sports and Live Events, Donald Niehoff and Senior Design Engineer Kevin Johnson and Chicago Cubs Senior Director, Facilities, Ryan Egan and Manager, Construction and Planning, Courtney Snyder, the renovation was kept on track to complete the job by Opening Day, the Cubs vs. the Washington Nationals on March 26.

A total of eight video displays were enhanced prior to Opening Day on March 26. (Photo: Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs) We were simultaneously tearing out all of the old Tesseras and replacing them with the new ones, says Simonson. Everything was on schedule despite the freezing cold winter. [Diversified] built in some extra time, expecting days when they wouldn't be able to work because of the cold or the snow, but everything was finished by early to mid March.

Sticking With SDR: Graphics Redesign Reflects New LEDs

Many sports venues have opted for high dynamic range (HDR) for their videoboards, but the Chicago Cubs decided to stick with standard dynamic range (SDR) to complement the shows in 1080p. In a long-standing tradition, the club plays the most home games of any MLB team. Given that, SDR was the best course of action.

We were looking to see how the product performed in sunlight since we have so many day games, Simonson explains. It was important for us to try to go as bright as possible. On our trip to see the Broncos, they mentioned how they lose some of the contrast and brightness by flipping on the HDR feature. That solidified our decision to stick with SDR.

The left-field videoboard and LED display are two main fixtures within The Friendly Confines. (Photo: Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs)Creatively, the Cubs had to adapt their expansive graphics package to match the new LED technology. Led by Manager, Motion Graphics, Shane English, the refresh reflects both the new videoboard resolution and the franchise's brand guidelines.

Our color motif, fonts, styles stayed the same, notes Simonson. Some people might not even notice this redesign that was done from scratch. With the move from 1080i to 1080p, some of our trigger animations are much more expressive now.

Like the one in left field, a videoboard and LED display is positioned behind the wall in right field. (Photo: Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs)Aided by the expertise of Chicago Cubs Senior Manager, Broadcast Engineering, Ken Jespersen, the interoperability of the new control room and the LED refresh has been as seamless as possible. The production team needed to adapt to the addition of five Tessera channels: one designated to the left side of the stadium, one to the right side, one to other video displays inside the stadium, one to the famous marquee on the building's exterior and a multiview of all interior displays, and one critical to the ability to test content before it's displayed to the crowd.

The fifth Tessera is set in bypass mode, says Simonson. We can cover all our video displays with the content that is normally rotating while we're testing elements during rehearsal. We also use it between homestands for sponsorship takeovers during private events.

Go, Cubs, Go: Internal Team Brings New Boards to Life

Every season is important for the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, but the LED upgrade is coming at the perfect time: the building will host the 2027 MLB All-Star Game. In the near term, the ent

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/07/08/wrigley-field-revamp-chicago-cu...
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