Godzillatron at the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (photo by Kenn Stearns)

When the University of Texas at Austin decided to invest $160+ million in a new stadium it seemed only fitting the $8 million allocated for “audiovisual improvements” should include the largest high-definition video screen in the world. After all, this is Texas. Advertising on the screen at times fills more than 50% of the viewable area leading some to refer to it as “Adzillatron.” Non-stop audio from the device frequently drowns out the school’s popular band which was coincidentally repositioned to temporary bleachers directly below the display.

The “scoreboard” is 55-feet high by 134-feet wide totaling 7,370 square feet. With a pixel resolution of 2064 x 848, the screen delivers 4.4 trillion color capability. It weighs 52 tons and was assembled from 36 large pieces that were transported on flatbed trucks to Austin from the manufacturer Daktronics in South Dakota. The screen is no longer the largest in the world but remains among the loudest and can be “enjoyed” by virtually everyone in the stadium, except the band.