Famous the world over for the 24-hour endurance race that defines its global identity, the city of Le Mans (France) pairs that motorsport prestige with a beautifully preserved medieval centre and a proud tradition of large-scale events. Central to this culture is the city’s Marie-Marvingt Stadium, a 25,000-seat arena that hosts more than 100 events a year, from football and rugby to concerts and more. When the stadium’s ageing LED screens began to fall short of the standards expected at a venue like this, management enlisted French integrator AUVISYS to plan and deliver a modern replacement. The result was a pair of INFiLED MV Series LED displays.
The brief from the stadium was direct: Replace the existing screens with a brighter, more dynamic LED technology that would also be capable of delivering a significantly better image. The new displays needed to hold attention and enhance engagement for every kind of event on the calendar, including live sport footage, instant replays, concert performances and more. They also needed to perform consistently across the full range of lighting conditions a busy outdoor stadium encounters, like bright afternoon sun or the artificial illumination of floodlights in the evening. Before specifying any new hardware, AUVISYS had to confront a more immediate obstacle. The mounting brackets supporting the old screens had corroded over time, leaving the existing infrastructure in need of attention. The team sandblasted, repainted and modified the brackets to bring them back up to standard, a process made more straightforward by the fact that the INFiLED MV Series panels are considerably lighter than what had previously been installed. “The existing mounting infrastructure had deteriorated over the years, and that was the first challenge we had to resolve,” confirms Christophe Vallee, general director of AUVISYS. “Because the MV Series panels are so much lighter than the previous installation, we were able to work with the existing brackets rather than replace them entirely. It was a practical approach that kept the project on track.”
The INFiLED MV Series was chosen for its combination of great outdoor performance and practical installation advantages. Each of the two screens measures 9 x 5 metres and delivers 8,000 nits of brightness, providing vivid visuals under any lighting conditions. The aluminium profile frame system is slimmer and lighter than conventional die-cast or sheet metal cabinet designs, yet rated to IP65 front and rear, offering reliable protection against dust, moisture, UV exposure and the temperature fluctuations inherent in an outdoor stadium environment. Wide viewing angles also ensure consistent image quality for spectators across every part of the arena, while the high bit-depth processing supports smooth gradients and accurate colour reproduction. That’s essential for broadcast-quality content and the kind of visual detail that keeps an audience engaged. “The stadium needed screens that could perform reliably in all conditions and deliver image quality worthy of the events hosted here,” says Christophe Vallee. “The MV Series gave us the confidence to meet every requirement in the brief.”
For a venue running more than 100 events a year, long-term reliability is as important as opening-night performance. The MV Series is designed with ongoing maintenance in mind. Modules are interchangeable, making service and repair straightforward and keeping both downtime and long-term costs to a minimum. The aluminium profile frame is also more durable than conventional magnesium panels, with greater resilience against the vibrations and environmental stress that a busy, year-round venue will inevitably place on its infrastructure too. Since installation, the screens have performed across the full breadth of the stadium’s busy programme, and the response has been positive across the board. “The new screens give any attendee a more immersive experience, whether it’s football fans or concertgoers,” says Christophe Vallee. “We are really proud of the installation, and we’re appreciative of the support from the INFiLED team throughout.”
