My scoreboard's the biggest

The Arizona Diamondbacks say they'll have the largest HD scoreboard in pro sports, according to the Canadian Press:

The board, estimated to cost US$10 million to $12 million, will be 47 metres wide and 16 metres high, and it is expected to be ready for next season's opener. It would be 900 square feet larger than the biggest existing board, at Atlanta's Turner Field.

"This is an important addition to an already fan-friendly ballpark," Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said. "Fans will have a difficult time taking their eyes off of the crystal-clear picture before them."

Hall said the board would be paid for by Maricopa County, which owns the building.

Chase Field opened in 1998 as Bank One Ballpark. The new Jumbotron is part of an upgrade in the stadium's sound system and other amenities.

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., the Verizon Centre is set to install the first "true" HD indoor LED scoreboard. From LEDs Magazine:

Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. is set to score the ultimate arena experience by installing the first indoor high-definition (HD) LED display scoreboard. The 4-screen center-hung scoreboard will be created, installed and operated by ANC Sports Enterprises and Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision Systems...

The four HD screens making up the scoreboard will measure 14 feet, 5 inches high by 25 feet, 2 inches wide, with a total area of 365 square feet. The displays have a pitch of 6 mm, and the resolution is 736 x 1280 physical pixels.

The displays are described as "true" or "pure" HD because they have the requisite number of individual pixels to make up the HD image. Other HD technologies use fewer pixels, but by sharing pixels they are able to achieve the necessary resolution (number of dots). Side by side, the superior performance of the true HD display would be obvious.

In addition to the high-definition boards, the new center-hung scoreboard will also feature four 10mm 5-foot, 3-inch high by 25-foot 6-inch wide LED video matrixes and two 20mm LED rings.

A renovation of the current LED boards and static fascia signage will also take place and involve the replacement of the existing signage with Mitsubishi’s new 20mm Diamond Vision® indoor fascia display. Over a 1,000 feet of linear LED fascia will bring to life the entire upper level of the arena bowl, while 400 feet of full motion signage will continue to animate the lower level of the arena bowl.

Four additional LED displays will also light the top corners of the arena bowl with statistics, 3D graphics and advertisements, thus completing the entire digital display system.

The new scoreboard is set to debut this fall at a yet to be determined date.