How Canadians built and designed the screens for the ‘mind-blowing’ Las Vegas Sphere
Global News
One of the Canadians involved says the Sphere project pushed the limits of LED video technology — on both the inside and outside of the structure.
It’s not something they’re accustomed to, but when U2 took the stage in Las Vegas last week, they were arguably overshadowed by the venue itself.
The band kicked off a 25-show residency with the first performance at the MGM Sphere, a $3.1-billion music and entertainment facility that’s already a major part of the skyline in Sin City, but includes some significant Canadian content.
Montreal’s Saco Technologies designed and built the LED screens on both the inside and outside of the building. A team from the company was in Las Vegas for the U2 show.
Jonathan Labbee, Saco’s co-CEO, says the company worked on the project for five years and knew what to expect, but he was still shocked.
“I’ve never experienced anything like it in my career,” he says. “And we do this for a living!”
Labbe says the “mind-blowing” Sphere project pushed the limits of LED video technology — on both the inside and outside of the structure.
Saco designed and installed 1.2 million LED pucks spaced 22.5 centimetres apart on the outside, called the Exosphere. Each is made up of 48 individual LED diodes capable of displaying 256 million different colours.
The exterior is used as a billboard promoting events and videogames, but it’s also added some flair to the Las Vegas skyline, appearing at times as a basketball, a globe, an eyeball or a smiling yellow emoji.