• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Video

Colossus Video Board Makes Battle at Bristol an Epic Experience for 160,000 Fans

Virginia Tech and Tennessee played before college football’s biggest crowd ever – and under the world’s largest free-standing center-hung display.

September 13, 2016 D. Craig MacCormack Leave a Comment

Featured Video Play Icon

Every weekend in college football is a big deal, especially in the southern half of the U.S., but this weekend featured the undisputed biggest game in the history of the sport.

Not only did the Battle at Bristol pit two of college football’s most successful teams—Virginia Tech and Tennessee—against one another, but it did so in prime time at the reconfigured Bristol Motor Speedway, with the largest crowd in the sport’s history AND under the world’s largest free-standing center-hung display, the world-famous Colossus TV.

Colossus TV weighs more than 67 tons and features four separate 63-foot-wide-by-29.5-foot-high Panasonic LED video displays. It is comprised of 8,694 square-feet of digiLED Toura 6mm LED panels.

Panasonic was at the heart of the action for about 160,000 hyped fans, directing the game-day production and manage the content that’s displayed on the boards throughout the historic matchup. GoVision managed, operated and maintained the screen since it was unveiled a few months ago after helping with design, engineering and proof of concept.

“The Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol is a highly-visible and premiere event for us,” says Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “We’re inviting new guests into our home and, we need to ensure that all of our high-end production equipment and displays operate at peak performance for the best fan experience.”

Each of Colossus’ four custom-built screens is approximately 30 feet tall by 63 feet wide. In total, the system features almost 54 million LEDs and 18 million pixels. The Toura 6 product was custom designed by digiLED to meet GoVision, Panasonic and BMS specifications and has a 6mm pixel pitch, meaning that the pixels are grouped tighter than any other large-scale, permanent outdoor display.

The result: a glimmering visual experience capable of offering 281 trillion different colors and that is 23 times brighter and 25 percent sharper than the typical home HD TV.

The display hangs from a halo-shaped truss and features an additional circular LED display beneath the screens measuring nearly 6 feet high. Between the screens and the LED ring, that’s more than 10,500 square feet of high-resolution, active viewing area.

“This is truly a one-of-a-kind, first-of-its-kind installation and I’m proud that our organization is the one with the capabilities to pull it off,” says Chris Curtis, CEO and founder of GoVision.

Panasonic consulted on all technical aspects leading up to the game, including content production for the Colossus TV, placement of video cameras, booking of crews and engineering services. Panasonic also acted as liaison between Bristol and ABC/ESPN, overseeing the time clock and statistical data paths and ensuring that all broadcast requirements were met.

The company also created game-day scripts and timelines and specialty content designed to more fully immerse fans in the action.

On game day, Panasonic directed a 35-person production crew as it aired on-field, video, bands and fan engagement activities.

“The largest college football game deserves the best technology to create the ultimate fan and player experience,” says Michael Rocha, Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company. “Bristol is the perfect place for this, as they are pioneers in the sporting world, boasting some of the most incredible technology around.”

Panasonic has been the technology provider for some of the world’s most iconic sports and entertainment venues, including Churchill Downs, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NASDAQ Market Site Tower and Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The company’s largest installation, “Big Hoss TV” at the Texas Motor Speedway, earned a Guinness World Record in 2014 as the largest High Definition LED video display in the world—larger than a typical 12-story building.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Tagged With: Display, Higher Ed, Stadium, Video Wall

Related Content:

  • ADI SnapOne logos Snap One, ADI Expands Conferencing Solutions with Yealink…
  • AV/IT Integration trends, Big Data Technology for Business Finance Analytic Concept. , 2020 Enterprise IT trends, Top AV/IT Integration Trends Shaping Enterprise Operations in…
  • Students (6-7, 8-9, 10-11) video chatting with another class How I’m Utilizing Technology to Help Transform Education…
  • NETGREA M4350 series ST 2110-capable switch now integrates with Panasonic Connect for KAIROS NETGEAR, Panasonic Partner for KAIROS IT/IP Production Platform

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Practical Design Guide for Office SpacesPractical Design Guide for Office Spaces

    Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-face time with co-workers. When designing the office spaces — and meeting spaces in particular — enabling that connection between co-workers is crucial. But introducing the right collaboration technology in meeting spaces can […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.