China's first LED display system installed at Olympic basketball venue

The high-definition LED display system (Photo credit: Xinhua)

(BEIJING, December 26) -- China's first high-definition LED display system has been installed in the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, which will be used as a sport venue during the Olympic Games. Xinhua reports that the system, set up on Wednesday, is currently being checked for possible bugs.

According to Beijing Urban Construction Group representative Wang Zhiming, the display system's specialty lies in its ability to capture intense, unique moments to be played-back on the big screen. With real-time synchronization, live information broadcasts, and space for advertising, the new system is able to meet the needs of Olympic basketball and NBA competitions.

The system is made up of three parts: a ring screen, a points control system, and a "funnel screen," so called due to the 22 ton weight attributed to the center of the display.

The "funnel screen" is divided into five layers, with the longest diameter at 11 meters long. From the bottom up, the first layer ring screen has a pixel spacing of 20 mm, which can thus display all sorts of fonts for text and pictures.

The next layer from the bottom is composed of pixels spaced 10 mm apart, and is used to display video information on all four of the screen's sides, whether the information be provided with the same signal or not. The screen colors used are realistic, strong, rich, give a strong sense of dimensionality, and most importantly, highly visible.

The third level is used for advertisement and print ads. The fourth layer's pixels are 20 mm apart, allowing the screen to display high-definition video feeds from different signals. The uppermost layer is made up of backlit billboards for advertising purposes.

The "funnel screen" is computer operated in order to shift and move to achieve the best visual affects. The real-time capabilities of the display system can be used to accurately and fairly provide information regarding competition scores and times.

The LED display system now installed at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium is the first set of comprehensive displays in China that is able to meet the demands of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Not only are the standards met for basketball games, the LED system is also capable of being used for theatrical performances, real-time broadcasts, and background imagery.