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The two-minute guide to lighting the World Cup

Seven of the 12 stadiums at the World Cup in Brazil have been illuminated by Osram. Here, the company tells TFA how it achieved top performance in pitch lighting.

Seven of the 12 stadiums at the World Cup in Brazil have been illuminated by Osram. Here, the company tells TFA how it achieved top performance in pitch lighting.

As the world’s best football teams (and England) battle it out in steamy Brazil, it’s not only the likes of Van Persie and Neymar giving it everything they have. LED technology is playing its part in providing a rich spectacle, from pitch floodlighting through to video walls for replays of the action. With seven of the 12 stadiums featuring products and solutions from Osram Opto Semiconductors, LEDs’ performance, coupled with highly compact dimensions, make sure that spectators out in Brazil or in front of television sets at home don’t miss a second.

Keeping an eye on the result

Stadiums feature several videowalls that replay particular match scenes or display information about the state of the game. How many goals have been scored should be clearly legible from all seats, both in sun and rain. This is why such displays require LEDs, as these are not only robust but also highly colour-intensive and illuminate brightly. So-called multi-chip LEDs from Osram, such as the Displix or Multiled, combine high-performance chips in red, green and blue colours within a single LED casing, and millions of different colour tones can be created thanks to individual control of the chips.

If in addition the LED has a black housing, then light rays are particularly noticeable, and a further advantage compared to bright housings is that these dark housings absorb any sunlight falling onto the display panel instead of reflecting it. Even on a bright sunny day in Rio de Janeiro, the number of goals scored or the current time of play remains sharp and clearly legible.

Never miss a goal

Large stadiums provide unique sports atmospheres, although the distance from the pitch to upper spectator levels is considerable. Video displays transfer playing action up into outer rear seats. High resolutions, meaning a high density of image points or pixels is needed to enjoy an optimal match experience, and for each pixel on a display, an RGB cluster is required from three LEDs in the primary colours of red, green and blue. With Multiled or Displix LEDs, single chips with these three colours are already integrated together in a single housing. This saves space – a Multi ChipLED has dimensions of merely 2.5 mm². This in turn means that LEDs can be packaged in close density. Because one Multiled corresponds to one pixel, a very fine image matrix is achieved that is able to ideally render the exceedingly fine, technical skills of players on the grass.

Perimeter advertising that delivers its promises

Perimeter advertising is just as much a part of soccer as balls and goalposts. State-of-the-art LED technology is now standard in premier league or world championship stadiums. The compact power packages offer a host of benefits: Multi-chip LEDs render the brand logos of sponsors with high colour fidelity on perimeter advertising systems. The light emitting diodes are also highly robust, and just like the players on the field can take a high level of punishment: UV radiation from the sun, driving rain, large temperature deviations or smog. The reason for this is that these long-life LEDs feature reflectors encased with silicone, which is highly temperature-resistant and subject to significantly slower ageing. This in turn gives highly durable displays without quality losses, and advertising messages are reliably delivered to spectators even after many matches.

“LEDs are now found in all areas of a modern stadium,” says Volker Mertens from Osram Opto Semiconductors. “They not only give very crisp image quality with video walls and peripheral advertising, but also make sure of correct illumination with the projectors as well. Playing fields have to be illuminated without any shadows especially with HD TV broadcasting. Even those watching the game in their living rooms benefit from our technical developments in the sector of light emitting diodes – products from Osram Opto Semiconductors supply high resolution images in LED television sets as well.”

Picture credits: Copa2014.gov.br via Wikimedia Commons

www.osram.com