Diamond Vision

Tack on another million for the Marriott Center.

The wise investment built for a fraction of what it is now worth has accommodated millions of fans and now over a million LED (light emitting diodes) have been installed since September in a remodeled Mitsubishi Diamond Vision scoreboard.

In layman's terms, this means there are no more overhead shots of teams during timeouts, because the TV monitors on the scoreboard give enough high definition that opposing coaches could see plays diagramed on the clipboard in the middle of huddles.

That high definition capability makes it possible for scripture and text passages to be better displayed during devotionals, Church meetings, forums and graduations.

Grid lines from the old monitors have disappeared as have 2,800 pounds from the old scoreboard which was sold for spare parts. Around the nation last year there were 20 scoreboard video screens like the new one in the Marriott Center. Other indoor sites around the country that have similar Diamond Vision scoreboards are at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., and at Iowa State, Missouri, and Nebraska.

The new screens are tailor-made for indoor arenas and warm up instantly, whereas the outdoor scoreboard at Cougar Stadium takes an hour to warm up and 30 minutes to cool down.

"This scoreboard is much easier than the old one because you don't have to worry about the lines," says Cecil Harrison, who directs the shots from a command center in a room off the west tunnel of the Marriott Center. "Since the screens are brighter, they can now be seen better on the upper concourse. as well as the lowest rows of our arena."

There are 26 TV monitors, a laser disk, and new replay machines which don't need rewinding to replace VCRs in that control room where Harrison directs six cameras, including a drivable sky cam and one under each basket. Harrison coordinates cameras, replays, alignments and advertising on the new scoreboard.

Each of the four walls of the new scoreboard weighs 2,000 pounds.