Drab and dreary old Times Square is finally going to get some razzle dazzle starting tonight when a massive 17,000-square-foot, three-sided diagonal LED sign is turned on at 1 Times Square, right where the New Year's ball drops. Designed by D3 LED to promote the Walgreen's flagship location—not to mention other publicity-deprived corporations like Kraft, Johnson & Johnson, and Colgate—the "spectacular" display runs off almost 30 computers and uses 12 million energy efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Within the sign are 13 big plasma screens displaying "coordinated, dynamic content." You are powerless to resist!
There are also smaller plasma screens inside the store that will be coordinated with the outside displays for a grand total of 29 synergistic surfaces, adding up to an anticipated 1.6 million impressions a day. And according to the Times, you may want to wear sunglasses when gazing upon its glory, because the sign will produce 8,000 "nits" of brightness. That's quite a bit of nits; a typical LCD display creates about 200. The average power used is 250KW, and could soar up to one megawatt depending on the imagery being created.
"We created a display that virtually reaches out and grabs the attention of consumers—from those 15 feet away to those halfway across the world," said Jason Barak of D3 LED, in a statement that tactfully edited out his maniacal laughter.
