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Sandy • The spectator experience inside Rio Tinto Stadium will receive a significant boost in 2015. On Thursday, Real Salt Lake and its him venue announced plans to construct a 4,200 square-foot full-high definition LED Daktronics video board on the south end of Rio Tinto Stadium.

In an agreement with Daktronics, RSL and Rio Tinto will soon showcase the largest video board in a Major League Soccer-specific stadium — one that will triple in size the north-end video board currently in Rio Tinto in Sandy.

"The genesis of this came through how we could improve the customer experience," said Rio Tinto general manager Craig Martin, who estimated the entire cost of the project rolling in at roughly $3 million.

In July, Martin, team owner Dell Loy Hansen and other RSL officials traveled to the Bay Area to take a tour of Levi's Stadium, the new home of the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif. The primary goal of the visit was to study Levi's Stadium's enormous video board, which was also implemented by Daktronics. Martin said the board thoroughly impressed the group, leading officials toward the decision to choose Daktronics as the partner to build Rio Tinto's newest video board.

"We've always utilized the south end for concerts, and now that we're not doing concerts anymore, it's important for us to give the rest of the stadium a good video board shot that they don't have now," Martin said. 'That's why we're utilizing that space."

The 4,200 square-foot board features 2,871 individual modules on the screen and each module features 2,352 LED lights. In its entirety, the board will have 6.75 million LEDs. The weight of the entire above-ground structure, Martin estimates, is 300,000 pounds with the spread footing weighing in at approximately three-million pounds, which gives the structure vertical and lateral stability.

Martin said Rio Tinto has already obtained the building permit and approval from the city of Sandy. Crews are expected to mobilize on site on Sept. 22 and break concrete on Sept. 29, "and we won't stop until it's done," Martin explained.

The anticipated timing of the new video board being fully operational is Dec. 5, Martin said. With the off chance RSL hosts the 2014 MLS Cup final in early December, the board could be fully functional by then.

The board will be supported by three massive concrete pillar posts along the south side of Rio Tinto. Construction crews are expected to go as far as six feet deep into the ground in front of the south-side parking lot. The board will be powered by the south-side concert power supply, which will save the club and stadium hundreds of thousands of dollars, Martin said.

"What would normally cost some venues $100,00 to run power from the road, we have the concert power and it's just being re-purposed to power the sign," he said.

When asked how construction over the next four months could affect seating in the south side of the stadium, Martins said game-day staffs will have to re-route fans around the southeast and southwest tunnels, but doesn't anticipate it being a headache.

"We're going to leave it as a construction area," Martins said. "We're not going to dress it up and make it look pretty. We want people to see what's happening to generate some buzz and excitement."

The 13HD pixel-resolution display will be the largest board in MLS. The San Jose Earthquakes will feature a 2,880 square-foot board in their new stadium in 2015. Sporting Kansas City's video board measures in at 2,040 square feet. In a release from the team and Rio Tinto, Hansen said the impression the Daktronics board at Levi's Stadium left on him was immense.

"As I've toured various stadiums during my time as an owner, I've made a lit of things I want to provide our fans at Rio Tinto Stadium," Hansen said in the release. "I know that this giant video board — in full HD — will enhance the experience that everyone who visits Rio Tinto Stadium enjoys."

Added Reece Kurtenbach, president and CEO of Daktronics in the release: "The addition to the display system at Rio Tinto Stadium will greatly enhance the venue, cementing its status as an incredible destination in Major League Soccer."

-Chris Kamrani

Twitter: @chriskamrani