Yoyogi National Gymnasium replaced the wooden floor with 400sqm of SEfl LED Video-flooring from Glux. (via rentGlux)
The B. League basketball games in Tokyo have kicked off with the first beginning with Alvark Tokyo against the Ryukyu Golden Kings at Tokyo’s Yoyogi National Gymnasium. The game itself is just like any pro basketball game, however the MVP in this case isn’t the best player but rather the court itself as the traditional wood planks have been replaced by LED display panels.
All of the sections of the court, including the center circle and free-throw lines are prominently displayed just like any regulation court but that is where the similarities end as graphics and animations are projected on the floor when something significant happens in the game.
For example- during the tip-off both team names encircle the center circle and explodes away during the jump. A successful 3-pointer will result in number 3 graphic and dunking results in an explosion and/or the player’s bio displayed on the court. What’s more, players can be tracked with tracer lines and circles that follow them as they traverse up and down the court.
The court itself is made up of 1,680 individual displays that are about 20-inches from edge to edge, measuring out at 400sqm. The panels are actually a product of China-based Glux who are known for their creative LED displays, which were prevalent for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics.
For the Yoyogi Gymnasium, Glux used their SEfl LED Video-flooring, which has a pixel density of up to 36,864 (dots/m2), a refresh rate of 1MHz and a contrast ratio of 2000: 1. Each panel is covered by a transparent PC ABS protective mask and is made using a strong waterproof carbon fiber frame, making it incredibly durable and able to withstand over 1,000 pounds and great for playing basketball on.
Workers installing the SEfl LED flooring, which is done in the same fashion as some anti-static tile floors found in server rooms.
The LED flooring is installed in almost a similar fashion as some modular anti-static floor tiles found in server rooms, which uses aluminum floor beams to connect each panel while metal latches lock them in place, making it easy to switch out panels if problems arise. Each LCD panel also has its own power supply built in as well as a CAT6 port to interlock the panels together for use as massive single display or a ton of smaller ones, all of which can be controlled using a single laptop or PC.
As the video shows, the end result of putting together a bunch of LED floor panels is certainly impressive but I have to wonder if it interferes with the players. Blinding isn’t a problem as each LED display has a film over the ABS protective mask to subdue its brightness and glare but I can’t help wondering if they get motion sickness during animations.
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