Churchill Downs Installs World’s Largest 4K Videoboard With Panasonic
Story Highlights
Panasonic Corp. of North America and Churchill Downs Racetrack, the legendary home of the Kentucky Derby, have announced installation of the new 4K “Big Board,” the only videoboard in an outdoor stadium or arena capable of displaying 4K. As the largest 4K videoboard in the world, the 171-ft.-wide by 90-ft.-tall display will sit 80 ft. above the ground and will top out at 170 ft. in height so that fans throughout the racetrack will be able to view crystal-clear racing content.
Installation on the Big Board began in December and will be completed by mid March. Current plans are to unveil it to the public at Opening Night of Kentucky Derby Week on Saturday April 26 in a dazzling nighttime display of the Big Board’s technological capabilities.
Panasonic will be providing a product that will display more than 2,160 vertical lines with more than 4,000 horizontal lines of resolution. In total, the board will be capable of displaying more than 9 million lines of resolution, enabling a wide variety of capabilities including image magnification, replays, betting odds and race results, advertising, brand messaging, split-screen and ticker displays, public-service announcements, and many other creative elements. The LED systems are provided by Panasonic premium manufacturing partner Lighthouse Technologies, a recognized leader in high-quality LED display systems worldwide.
“We are thrilled to announce that the world’s largest 4K videoboard will have a home at Churchill Downs, and, the fact that it will have 4K resolution truly solidifies our claim to fame as the best venue for thoroughbred racing in the world,” says Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “We are eager to debut this new videoboard to fans and believe they will be truly excited about the clarity in which races will be broadcast.”
Adds Jim Doyle, president of Panasonic Eco Solutions North America, “We’re very pleased to have the opportunity to work with Churchill Downs and deliver a 15,224-sq.-ft. board to an icon of the sports world. 4K content is truly the wave of the future, and we are excited to bring avid racing fans this technology that gives them the ability to view content on a big screen as if they were up close and personal with the racetrack.”