Fenway Park to Debut Three New High-Definition Video Display
ANC Sports, Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision and the Boston Red Sox were at Fenway Park on Friday, April 8th, for the unveiling of the new high-definition video system prior to the first pitch of the 2011 Red Sox home opener.
The video system is a highlight of the work done in the 2010-11 off-season at America's Most Beloved Ballpark. The 2011 effort fulfilled a pledge made by Red Sox ownership upon acquisition of the club, and reaffirmed in 2005, to improve every facet of the ballpark, while preserving and protecting it for future generations. The improvements completed at Fenway Park over the past 10 years have been designed to ensure that the park will remain the active home of the Boston Red Sox, for the decades to come.
The Year X improvement, as the installation was titled, was easily the most dramatic and noticeable improvement to the ballpark. The beginning of the 2011 season will feature the most visual change to the home of the Red Sox as ANC Sports and Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision will unveil three new high-definition video displays, which are a significant upgrade over the previous signage.
"They will be spectacular," Lucchino said. "They will change the experience for the better, to be sure, in this ballpark. There will be more video, more information, large canvasses upon which we will be able to paint and supply information to our fans."
The installation began during the fall of 2010 with the removal of the old center-field scoreboard structure. Once the new steel structure was built, electricians and welders worked to secure the I-beams in place and run the necessary cabling to control and power the three displays. Concurrently, ANC Sports prepared the new control room for the installation of the company’s patent-pending VisionSOFT™ program.
The HD video screens arrived from the Mitsubishi Electric manufacturing plant in Japan on February 9th with installation of the LED modules beginning promptly on the 10th. At the same time, the installation of VisionSOFT was finalized in the control room. In addition to VisionSOFT, ANC installed the latest version of ScorePAD which the company purchased in November. Integrating ScorePAD with VisionSOFT will deliver the most comprehensive scores and statistics packages available to Fenway Park’s video screens, matrixes, ribbon systems, ballpark marquees and concourse signage applications.
While the control room was finalized, ANC began to meet with the Red Sox broadcast team to generate creative for the video display system. Multiple 
game scripts were tested to ensure a seamless and entertaining visual experience for the knowledgeable fan base of the community. Leading up to Opening Day, ANC designers and programmers will continue to tweak the operating system and run simulated game day presentations which will guarantee each game of the 2011 season features a captivating and informative visual experience.
game scripts were tested to ensure a seamless and entertaining visual experience for the knowledgeable fan base of the community. Leading up to Opening Day, ANC designers and programmers will continue to tweak the operating system and run simulated game day presentations which will guarantee each game of the 2011 season features a captivating and informative visual experience.The new displays will officially be unveiled a few days before the home opener against the New York Yankees on Friday, April 8th. Prior to unveiling the signage, during the next few weeks ANC and the Red Sox will tweak the module alignment on all three displays to ensure the screen presents seamless imagery.
While the displays will feature more content than ever before at the ballpark, driven by ANC’s patent-pending VisionSOFT operating system, the new main video screen will be able to mimic the look of the old rotational sponsor signs. Providing unparalleled flexibility, VisionSOFT will enable the signage to dissolve in to various formats such as full-screen live video, game action accompanied by real-time statistics, sponsor graphics partnered with the box scores or any combination of visuals and game information.
“We have a specific philosophy and knowledgeable fan base that isn’t necessarily concerned about ‘dynamic animations and full motion graphics’, but would rather see in-depth analysis, real-time statistics and other game data,” said Sam Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Boston Red Sox. “Through ANC’s out-of-town display at Safeco Field, the company demonstrated VisionSOFT was the only platform capable of delivering the most information through state-of-the-art displays while providing a traditional baseball visual.”
The largest of the three screens, measuring approximately 38 feet high by 100 feet wide, will be the main video board in centerfield and replace the former structure, which was originally constructed prior to the 1976 season. The main scoreboard structure previously included a 23 feet high by 30 feet wide video screen installed after the 1999 season, the black and white statistical display, 60 feet of LED ribbon and the static rotational sponsor signs.
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FENWAY PARK COVERAGE
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Two additional Diamond Vision displays were also installed on either side of the main screen. The previous Bank of America hitters and pitchers board in left center field turned into a 17 foot high by 100 foot wide video screen with a new illuminated Bank of America sign atop the board. The third video screen, which measures 16 feet high by 30 feet wide, connects the Ford and Dunkin Donuts sponsor signs above the bleachers in right field. These Diamond Vision video systems prominently feature real-time information such as batter and pitcher stats, pitch speed and type, box scores, promotions, announcements, upcoming schedules and other messaging.
“We are excited to partner with the Red Sox to enhance the fan experience at Fenway Park through our state-of-the-art signage technology,” said Jerry Cifarelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of ANC Sports Enterprises. “ANC’s revolutionary software system combined with Mitsubishi Electric’s Diamond Vision LED displays will entertain Red Sox fans with visuals as clear as their HD televisions at home while providing comprehensive and informative game information.”
All three signage positions feature the Diamond Vision X8 Outdoor Video Screen which includes state-of-the-art HD Dot Mode Processing©. This state-of-the-art display features vibrant images through Mitsubishi Electric’s dynamic pixel processing which creates 8mm lines of resolution.
When the project was officially announced in October 2010, there were tremendous amounts of media coverage on the installation. The news quickly spread across more than 50 television stations and over 100 print and online media outlets. ANC Sports capitalized on this coverage and assisted the Red Sox with their social media initiatives in disseminating status updates to fans, which included an ANC blog detailing weekly happenings of the installation and a special official Red Sox micro-site titled “Fenway Park Improvements” page which featured exclusive photos.