Daktronics was part of a team that had its goal to make Levi’s Stadium “the most technologically advanced stadium” in the NFL. Because the stadium was also set to be home of a Super Bowl, Daktronics staffers have been talking about the logistics of handling such a major event with NFL and team officials since signing on to install the video displays, says Ellerbruch.
“The vision for Levi’s Stadium has always been to create the ultimate fan experience through the use of innovative technology,” said San Francisco 49ers President Gideon Yu in an announcement in 2013 of Daktronics’ involvement with the installation. The stadium features “ground-breaking visual elements, setting its in-stadium experience apart from all other outdoor sports and entertainment venues and rivaling the home viewing option,” said Yu.
Daktronics will have nine technicians at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl 50, but they’ll serve as support for 49ers and NFL officials, including field engineers and control experts planning and staging by placing spare parts at each display for increased game-day response time, pre-event system checks and running a fully simulated game on the primary and back-up systems to ensure everything is ready for the Big Game.
Super Bowl 50 marks the 12th consecutive Super Bowl in which the host stadium has a Daktronics display, but “we don’t take any of them for granted,” says Ellerbruch. Asked who he’d like to see hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the night, Ellerbruch was diplomatic. That’s no surprise since both the Broncos and Panthers are clients, as are the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals, who lost to the Broncos and Panthers in their respective league championship games this year.
Ellerbruch wouldn’t say if the Daktronics displays would feature any extra-special content for Super Bowl 50, but he did hint that fans should keep their eyes on those displays if they’re lucky enough to have tickets for the game.
By coincidence, Daktronics also helped both 2015 World Series combatants, the winning Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets, with their AV needs.
Levi’s Stadium has also earned kudos for its robust Wi-Fi network, its distributed antenna system and the integrated Levi’s Stadium app, which takes advantage of a large network of beacons to provide wayfinding and other location-based features.
The in-stadium app allows fans to watch replays, order food and figure out which bathrooms have the shortest line, while other environmentally friendly features such as 20,000 square feet of solar panels help the stadium achieve zero net energy use on game days and become the first NFL stadium to earn LEED certification U.S. Green Building Council.
“Almost everybody at the Super Bowl will be using some sort of mobile device,” said Al Guido, chief operating officer for the 49ers. “They’re going to be looking at game statistics, their social networks, sharing photos and other content. We have the high-tech infrastructure to handle it.”
The stadium has 400 miles of fiber and copper cable to handle data and 1,200 Wi-Fi access points, Guido said, meaning the stadium has 10 times more bandwidth than the NFL mandates at other stadiums.
“We’re going to put the technology in the fans’ hands,” said Aidan Lyons, the NFL’s vice president of fan-centric marketing. “If you give them the technology, whether it’s information [or] scheduling, it will enhance their experience, whether they are from San Francisco or from New Jersey.”
AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are adding more cell phone coverage in and around Levi’s Stadium in time for Super Bowl 50, although many fans might be sad to learn selfie sticks aren’t allowed inside the building.
CBS is using 70 cameras for Super Bowl 50, almost double the 40 NBC used at Super Bowl XLIV in Arizona. In addition to the normal broadcasting coverage in 5K, CBS is utilizing the updated SkyCam, pylon cameras and for the first NFL game ever—Eye Vision 360.
Eye Vision 360 uses 36 different cameras on the top deck of Levi’s Stadium to produce a 360-degree view of every play. It will only be used for replays.
Virtual reality has been on display at Super Bowl City and the NFL Experience, including at SAP’s Quarterback Challenge, which puts participants in the cleats of a QB facing a fierce pass rush. Mini-drones have occupied air space at Intel’s Drone Zone at Super Bowl City within an enclosed area with netting. Fans can learn to fly 5-inch drones around and about field goal posts and Autodesk is 3-D printing Super Bowl rings.
Check out last year’s Super Bowl tech upgrade at University of Phoenix Stadium.
