February 15, 2026
Big screen, bigger comments
Sony Jumbotron Image Control System (1998) [pdf]
When giant screens ran on tiny TV tubes, the comments got louder than the stadium
TLDR: A 1998 Sony manual reveals JumboTrons ran on countless tiny CRT “Trinilite” pixels, with some setups just 640 dots wide. Commenters split between awe at the retro tech, a random flame war over brand-owned web domains, and a DIY claim that you can mimic it at home—nostalgia meets noise.
A dusty 1998 Sony manual just dropped, and the comments are roaring louder than a playoff crowd. The headline revelation: before LED walls took over, Sony’s JumboTron used “Trinilite”—tiny Cathode Ray Tubes, basically little TV sets—one per pixel. User xattt’s breakdown had everyone gawking, especially at the throwback math: a “max” setup for old-school NTSC (the U.S. TV standard) meant 40 units across, just 640 dots wide. Translation: those massive screens were powered by an army of baby tubes.
But this is the internet, so of course someone made it weird. zdimension hijacked the thread with a full-on rant about brand-owned web addresses (those fancy .sony domains), insisting companies should stick to .com or Japan’s .jp. Suddenly, we’re debating pixels and domain purity like it’s the World Cup of Pedantry.
Meanwhile, the DIY crowd popped confetti: avidiax dropped a YouTube link boasting you can get something similar at home. Commenters started meme-ing the manual’s heat and rack warnings—“elevated operating temperature” became “stadium sauna mode”—while imagining living rooms lit by a thousand pixel-sized CRTs. The mood? Part museum tour, part tech trivia night, part neighborhood committee meeting. And yes, everyone’s right and wrong at the same time—just how the internet likes it.
Key Points
- •The manual covers Sony’s JumboTron Image Control System and its modules: JTC-C200 controller, JTC-P200 Image Control Unit, and JTA-LS200 ABC sensor unit.
- •It states FCC Part 15 Class A compliance for U.S. commercial environments and warns of likely interference in residential areas.
- •Safety warnings include avoiding moisture exposure and restricting servicing to qualified personnel.
- •Rack installation guidance addresses ambient temperature (0–45°C), airflow, mechanical loading, circuit overloading, and reliable earthing.
- •Contents include system overview, features, parts/functions, connections (including controller ID setting), and basic operation for displaying images.