Design
The LA Clippers's 'Halo Board' is a digital display the size of 3,600 TVs
3,592
The number of 60-inch TVs theoretically needed to create a scoreboard for the Intuit Dome
Back in September, 2021 the Los Angeles Clippers broke ground on a new arena that signaled a shift in the franchise’s direction — it would no longer be sharing a home with crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Intuit Dome — a new home for the team — is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of the 2024-25 NBA season and some early rendering of the site’s double-sided scoreboard have begun to hit the internet.
The first thing that leaps out about the renderings is the massive, digital ring that sits atop the arena like a crown, or more aptly, a halo. Appropriately dubbed the Halo Board, Intuit’s future scoreboard will be more of a display than a traditional jumbotron.
Situated at what appears to be the upper level of the arena, the Halo Board stretches out for around 38,375 square-feet. It’s the equivalent of over 3,592 60-inch TVs combined and over 233 million LEDs. The whole thing is double-sided, meaning that fans who are seated above the action will be able to rely on the outer display. Graphically, the halo board will be in 4k and offer “a tight 3.9 millimeter pixel layout.”
Accommodating the Halo Board— The Intuit Dome’s roof was designed specifically with the Halo Board in mind, so that visibility was maximized across all sections of the arena. Although, it is worth pointing out that upper-bowl seats were prioritized.
The inner display will stand at 32 feet and measure 623 feet in circumference, while the outer display stands at 28 feet and measures 661 feet in circumference. Accordingly, the entire structure will be proportionally balanced, which is a far cry from how modern basketball arenas operate.
Overall, the Clippers’ priority seems to be on digitizing the fan experience — displays will be “located inside and outside” the arena, with “a giant 23-foot-high by 190-foot-wide screen,” overlooking the outdoor court.
The Halo Board is the result of a partnership between the Clippers and Daktronics, a South Dakota-based company, that manufactures LED displays. Personally, I can stand by the idea of a more immersive scoreboard, so hopefully innovations like this continue as opposed to large-scale NFT implementations.
