Featured image credit: Houston Rockets
NBA franchise the Houston Rockets are set to debut one of the largest and most advanced centre-hung scoreboards in the league, including ‘Rocket booster’ effects.
Toyota Center will unveil the completion of what has been a two-year venue-wide digital signage upgrade at the Rockets’ annual preseason Fan Fest this weekend. Developed in partnership with AV technology design and integration company ANC, and consulting firm WJHW, the new LED displays build on last season’s completion of the first phase of digital signage renovation with 5,000 square feet of additional signage upgrades.
The highlight of the project is ANC’s installation of the new 6,200-square-foot centre-hung scoreboard. This display boasts 84% more LED surface area than its predecessor and offers a 4mm resolution for 50% more visual impact. The 1,500 square feet of fine-pitch 2.5mm underbelly screens provide viewing angles for courtside and lower-bowl seats.
The seamless, curved design – dubbed by ANC and the team as the Galactic Rings – allows content to wrap continuously around the entire scoreboard, including the underbelly, enabling dynamic, 360-degree configurations across 10 million pixels, ensuring continuous, immersive visuals.
In an effort to elevate live event experiences further, the centre-hung scoreboard also features brand-new audio speakers, digital LED lighting elements, and smoke effects via Rocket boosters. The latter, intended to replicate a rocket launch, will be used during pre-game introductions along with helping to celebrate Rockets victories.
“As innovation surges throughout our industry, we are thrilled to partner with Toyota Center to elevate their gameday,” said Jerry Cifarelli Jr., CEO of ANC. “Toyota Center’s investment in cutting-edge display technologies, including the scoreboard’s impressive size and seamless design, will build on the momentum of the thriving franchise and elevate the venue experience to new heights this season.”
The new scoreboard is part of $30m (£22.95m/€27.42m) worth of renovations the Rockets have embarked on in recent years. Toyota Center stages its opening game of the 2024-25 NBA regular season on October 23, when the Rockets take on the Charlotte Hornets.
For the new season, the PNC Club, which is located behind the team benches on the east side of Toyota Center, will also offer fans an enhanced experience with a new interior design. Guests will enjoy new food and beverage selections and more convenient access. Fans will be able to enter the renovated PNC Club via tunnels in sections 119 and 121.
“These technology transformations emphasise our commitment to creating a more exciting and immersive environment for all of our new and returning Rockets fans and live events attendees,” said Rockets president of business operations, Gretchen Sheirr.
“The sheer size and intricate resolution of our Centre Hung, its innovative underbelly displays and new smoke effects via Rocket boosters, plus last year’s in-bowl upgrades all add up to a completely new experience for so many of our fans, providing larger-than-life views from every seat in the house.”
It was also announced last month that Kaseya Center, the home of Miami Heat, will debut a “one-of-a-kind” scoreboard display for the new NBA season.
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