Super Bowl at Superdome Featured Super Lights…On the Outside

 By Mark Wright, Technical Content Specialist, Mouser Electronics

Super Bowl XLVII will be remembered for its lights. The ones inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will go down as a super dud. A brownout inside the stadium resulted in a 34-minute delay during the second half of Baltimore’s 34-31 victory against San Francisco.

 At least the lights on the outside didn’t disappoint. The exterior of the Superdome is designed to dazzle, thanks to a massive optoelectronic display. The exterior panels of the stadium feature a full-color LED display that covers the entire 360 degrees of the building. This LED lighting system comprises more than 26,000 LED lights in 288 fixtures mounted on 96 concave panels. The award-winning $1.6 million LED lighting system, which was installed a little more than a year ago, was described at its unveiling as providing “a spectrum of animated colors and images.”  

Perhaps more impressive than its size and scope is the lighting system’s energy efficiency. When displaying in a single color, the LEDs consume just 10kW of power. And under moderate levels of use, none of the LEDs should need to be replaced until 2057. The lighting system includes coordinated illumination with Champions Square and the Hyatt Hotel.

Visit Mouser’s Lighting Applications site, http://www.mouser.com/applications/lighting, to learn more about LEDs and other high-performance and energy-efficient optoelectronic devices.

Covering all the angles
Portable technology offered the Super Bowl's computer and tablet viewers an enhanced watching experience. A variety of camera angles of the game broadcast were available to users of CBS's new second-screen app for desktops, laptops, and tablets. The app offered four alternate camera angles not shown on the TV broadcast:

The All-22 Camera angle offered a high, full-field view. The Fan Choice Camera was a fixed-position camera that changed to different locations during the game. The Sideline Camera offered field-level views from a camera mounted on a cart. And the Cable Camera provided an aerial view of the field positioned behind the play.

Verizon customers also had the option to view the game on their smartphones for $5. Here’s hoping most folks used that crisp Lincoln instead on hot wings or a responsibly-consumed beverage.