Eric Richardson []

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — When Kings fans enter Staples Center tonight for their pre-season game against the Phoenix Coyotes, the first thing they'll notice is a brand new, eight-sided high-definition scoreboard that even includes underside LED screens for those with premium seats to keep up on the action.

At Wednesday's unveiling, the Lakers' Sasha Vujacic, the Clippers' Craig Smith, and the Kings' Matt Greene were on hand to press the Staples "easy button," activating a presentation on the panoramic displays in broadcast quality 720p HD.

Lee Zeidman, General Manager of Staples Center, said that in 1999 the previous scoreboard was state of the art, but in 12 years it had become outdated. He boasted that the new screen is "the best you'll see in any venue in any arena anywhere."

The scoreboard is made of four 22' x 14' HD screens with 720p displays, a number of smaller boards in the corner gaps, two LED "halos" circling the top and bottom of the screens, and the four underside screens — an extra perk for anyone with seats alongside Jack Nicholson.

"These boards underneath will allow the fans who are close to the rink or court to see replays, scoring, and things they havent seen before," Zeidman explained.

Panasonic, which became a partner with the L.A. Live complex in 2009, custom designed the scoreboard for Staples Center.

Due to the arena's busy schedule, preliminary construction began at the Convention Center next door. Installation shifted to the arena immediately after the Sparks' WNBA season ended, giving the venue a tight 50-day schedule in order to have it ready for tonight's NHL pre-season game.

While Panasonic and AEG looked at arena screens around the world for ideas on the board's features, they then had to make them work within the confines of the arena. Because the existing hoist system was being reused, the scoreboard's weight couldn't change, and the final design needed to fit into the existing nesting position so that the board could be tucked away for concerts.

Still, Zeidman doesn't think that led to any compromises.

"I don't think there's any other place on the planet that has this," he said. "Fan excitement is gonna be amazing."