LED displays to form marquees on Broadway

Broadway in New York is home to one of the world's most famous theatre districts and now one of its establishments is getting some next generation LED signage, to replace the outgoing technology which has passed its usable life.

The New Amsterdam Theatre, home to Disney's hit musical The Lion King and currently contracted to the famous movie firm, is being overhauled with so-called LED marquees, created by D3 LED LLC.

The theatre building itself was built over a century ago, which makes it one of Broadway's most venerable venues which is still standing and in use.

Of course, with so many historic features to preserve, it has been necessary for the LED designers to work in tandem with the local authorities, to ensure that the new installation does not damage or compromise the integrity of the building itself.

The LED displays from D3 were chosen because Disney has previously worked with the company at its flagship store, located not far away, in New York's Times Square.

The LED marquee which greets visitors as they enter the theatre is comprised of 98 separate modules which, in total, deliver a resolution of 192x1760.

A variety of full motion, full colour content will be able to be displayed in high definition on the screen, giving passersby details about the next performances for a number of Disney musicals, which are currently running on Broadway.

The intelligent control system which is used to manipulate the LED display will also allow Disney to tie in some advertising, in order to cover the costs of actually running the screen.

Various venues across New York have been endowed with D3's LED technology in recent months and it is clearly making a name for itself in the world of the theatrical arts.