University of Maryland Debuts Giant Football Videoboard, Christens Three Control Rooms in Program-Wide Video Upgrade

20/10/2021

University of Maryland Debuts Giant Football Videoboard, Christens Three Control Rooms in Program-Wide Video Upgrade Daktronics, RCI Systems, multiple vendors are critical to the major facility upgrade By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Wednesday, October 20, 2021 - 3:05 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Surreal. It's the only way to describe when, on that clear Oct. 1 night, TerpVision, the University of Maryland athletic department's broadcast and production unit, first fired up its brand-new videoboards and sound system at a packed Capital One Field.

The University of Maryland football team was hosting Iowa in a nationally televised game on a Friday night, and fans were getting their first look at the largest videoboard in the Big Ten Conference.

Introduced this month, the University of Maryland's HDR videoboard at Capital One Field is 6,532 sq. ft., the ninth-largest videoboard in college football and the largest in the Big Ten Conference. (All photos: University of Maryland Athletics)

It was surreal, says Josh Clayton, Assistant AD, TerpVision and Video Operations for the University of Maryland. We started this project more than four years ago and [Athletic Director] Damon [Evans] made it clear that he wanted us to be the best.

A significant upgrade over its predecessor in both size and image quality, the 120- x 54-ft. (3,600 1,620 pixels) display towers over the west end zone by a whopping 6,532 sq. ft. and projects images in 1080p and high dynamic range (HDR).

In terms of being the best, the Terps are certainly putting their money where their mouth is. The two new videoboards at Capital One Field are just the latest stroke in a multi-year effort to elevate the Maryland Athletics brand.

Over a seven-year stretch, the Terps have redone the centerhung videoboard at XFINITY Center (the school's basketball arena, which is also used for gymnastics and other major university events), put in connectivity infrastructure at their Field Hockey/Lacrosse Complex and Ludwig Field (men's and women's soccer), and are putting the finishing touches on a broadcast-operations center featuring three new control rooms to support in-venue videoboard and live-broadcast operations.

It is here Enjoy #TerpFam pic.twitter.com/luWtV0KC0e

Damon Evans (@Evans_TerpsAD) October 1, 2021

Although that big, bright behemoth behind the end zone might be the current conversation-starter, the Terps have set themselves up technologically for the future.

We took this as, How big can we be? How bright can we get? says Clayton. What can we do to instill Maryland Pride in what we're doing?

Videoboard Joins a Short List of College Screens With HDR The big videoboard at Capital One Field takes its place as one of only a handful of college football stadiums to feature videoboards with high dynamic range (HDR). Autzen Stadium at University of Oregon, Ross-Ade Stadium at Purdue, and Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama come to mind. Maryland's also is the ninth-largest in all of college football.

A second new videoboard at Capital One Field is 34 x 18 ft. and replaces a 20-year-old screen.

And it's also not the only new big screen in the building. At the east end of the stadium, TerpVision made a like-for-like swap in size of the videoboard, while upgrading to 1080p HDR. The screen is 34- x 18-ft. and replaces a screen that was nearly 20 years old. Both boards were designed and built by Daktronics and feature a 10-mm pitch and 8,000-nits brightness.

The decision to go HDR wasn't one that the TerpVision team originally expected to pursue. In fact, four or five years ago, the initial plans considered going 4K. However, with no 4K endpoint deliveries anywhere on the horizon and the steep cost of building a facility of that nature, the group determined that HDR offered a substantial upgrade over current in-venue screens and contributed the flexibility to boost live-broadcast production as well.

It wasn't without its challenges, however. Not many schools have gone through the process of integrating HDR screens, and there's a lot of figure it out as you go to adopting the format. Clayton notes that locking in the ideal settings was a lengthy process, adding that it took more than 30 hours to perfect the colors on the videoboards prior to their public debut.

As my dad would say I'm his deep New York accent It's YUUUUUUUGE! #GoTerps pic.twitter.com/lLnmGxWtDU

Jason Yellin (@JasonYellin) October 1, 2021

In addition to the visuals, the school also gave a much-needed upgrade to its audio system, which Clayton acknowledged had drawn the ire of many fans. Crews installed 107 additional speakers in the stadium, including 42 in an array above the big new videoboard. That array includes 16 Fulcrum Acoustic Sub218L direct-radiating subwoofers, 22 JBL VLA301Hi-WRX loudspeakers, three Fulcrum AH463 coaxial horn loudspeakers, and a Fulcrum AH96 coaxial horn loudspeaker.

According to Clayton, the boards and the sound system received rave reviews following that first game on Oct. 1.

To hear back all of the positive news from the fans was great, he said following the game. It really hits you what you just built. It works, and it looks amazing.

The Mothership: Three Control Rooms Anchor Campus-Wide Effort The new videoboards may be the eye candy, but they're only a small piece of the TerpVision program-wide upgrade, which includes the opening of a broadcast-operations center featuring three control rooms within the XFINITY Center.

One of two mirrored primary control rooms, which are mostly tasked with supporting in-venue videoboard shows. The control rooms are fibered to five venues on campus, including Capital One Field and the XFINITY Center. Note: At the time of this photo, the room was not yet complet

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/10/20/university-of-maryland-debuts-g...
	See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026