biology

Jumbotron

Jumbotron is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jumbotron rather than just read about it. In short: A jumbotron, sometimes referred to as jumbovision or a jumbo screen, is a video display using large-screen television technology (video wall). The original technology was developed in the early 1980s by Mitsubishi Electric (using the name Diamond Vision) and Sony, which registered JumboTron as a trademark in 1985.

Key takeaways

Jumbotron belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jumbotron to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jumbotron from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A jumbotron, sometimes referred to as jumbovision or a jumbo screen, is a video display using large-screen television technology (video wall). The original technology was developed in the early 1980s by Mitsubishi Electric (using the name Diamond Vision) and Sony, which registered JumboTron as a trademark in 1985. It is typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show team statistics, close-up shots of an event or even other sporting events occurring simultaneously. The same jumbotron technology is used in outdoor public places, often for advertising purposes (such as Times Square, for example).

History and development

The jumbotron was invented in Japan during the early 1980s, but there is a dispute between two rival Japanese companies, Mitsubishi Electric and Sony, over its invention. In 1980, Mitsubishi introduced the first large-scale video board, the Diamond Vision, which was a large screen using cathode-ray tube technology similar to traditional tube televisions. The first demonstration of the technology was during the 1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. The first Jumbotrons used cathode-ray tube based technology, in which several sub-pixels were integrated into a module made of glass with a vacuum inside, with the shape of a block, in which each subpixel was individually controllable (addressable) with each subpixel acting as a flood beam cathode-ray tube Eventually this technology was replaced with LED technology. Panasonic introduced Astro Vision, which was based on fluorescent discharge tube technology, and together with the other two companies, these were the only players in the large-screen industry. In 1985, the term "JumboTron" was coined by Sony for its large-scale video board. The JumboTron was the brand name for the large-scale video boards originally manufactured by Sony and is recognized as one of the largest non-projection video displays ever manufactured. Sony creative director Yasuo Kuroki, who previously helped create the Walkman, is credited with the development of the JumboTron. It was introduced at the Expo '85 held in May 1985 at Tsukuba, Ibaraki. It had a display resolution of 450,000 pixels, using a new proprietary Sony technology called the Trini-lite. It was a microprocessor-based light bulb developed by one of Kuroki's colleagues, chief Betamax engineer Yuji Watanabe. Trini-lite technology allowed screen clarity and computer control, laying the foundation for the first Sony Jumbotrons. In December 1986, the San Antonio Spurs unveiled the first indoor arena JumboTron scoreboard at the now-demolished HemisFair Arena.

While the JumboTron and similar large-screen displays are physically large, they ranged from low to medium display resolutions. While the original Sony JumboTron in 1985 had a 450,000-pixel resolution, comparable to standard-definition televisions of that era, certain later models had lower resolutions. The JumboTron at the now-demolished Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, measured 30 feet (9.1 m) diagonally, with a resolution of only 240x192 pixels, below VHS resolution. Screen size since then varies depending on the venue. The display introduced in 1985 was 40 by 25 metres (131 ft × 82 ft). Newer, LED-based large screens have resolutions that are an order of magnitude greater than the early JumboTron resolution at a fraction of the cost. For example, the much publicized center-hung video board in the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium is 72 by 160 feet (22 m × 49 m), displaying HDTV at 1920 x 1080 resolution, 45 times more pixels. The largest JumboTron in use was located at SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) in Toronto, Ontario, and measured 10 by 35 metres (33 ft × 115 ft), with a resolution of 672 × 200 pixels, or 134,400 pixels. Its cost was US$17 million; by comparison, a similar-sized LED system sold today would cost around $3 million. The Rogers Centre JumboTron was replaced in 2005 by a Daktronics ProStar as part of a stadium revitalization project.

Purpose Originally, JumboTrons solely displayed the scores of the games via numerical displays. This later evolved into instant replays being shown for the benefit of fans within the stadiums or arena, and in modern day, social media is heavily integrated, with fans being urged to post on various social media platforms to then have their content appear on the JumboTron screen. Sony JumboTron's were the world's first mobile screens and concert screens. Big Mo was the first portable video screen and Genesis used the first portable video screens for concert tours in the mid-1990s.

Specifications of production and design

Originally, the JumboTron was not an LED display, since blue LEDs were unavailable at the time, and the only green LEDs available were of the traditional yellow-green variety, which were unsuitable for an RGB display. Each display consisted of multiple modules composed of 16 or more small flood-beam cathode-ray tubes (CRTs), each of which included from 2 to 16 pixels composed of red, green, and blue phosphors. Sony displayed one of the earliest versions at the Expo '85 World's Fair in Tsukuba. Eventually, JumboTron systems adopted LED technology as blue and pure green LEDs were developed. LED-based systems have about ten times the lifespan of CRT-based systems, a key reason for the change.

Genericized trademark Although JumboTron was a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, Sony stopped manufacturing the devices under that name in 2001 and the word Jumbotron has since become a genericized trademark. An Illinois-based company called Watchfire Signs filed for the US trademark on February 17, 2023. They did not get the trademark as the United States Patent and Trademark Office marked the filing as abandoned.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jumbotron

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jumbotron claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jumbotron before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jumbotron ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jumbotron

In research: Jumbotron appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jumbotron in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jumbotron is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1985 introductions, Audiovisual introductions in 1985, Brands that became generic, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jumbotron outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jumbotron in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jumbotron means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jumbotron out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jumbotron in simple terms?

Why does Jumbotron matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jumbotron?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jumbotron.