NovaStar Confirmed as Control System Supplier for China's Giant LED Sphere
2026-08-19 · via AV Magazine
NovaStar has confirmed it supplied the display control system for Tiangong Nova, a giant LED sphere venue in Qianjiang, Hubei province, China, that opened this summer. The company says its NovaStar Cloud control system manages both the sphere's exterior and interior displays, a job that matters because spherical venues put unusual demands on control hardware: curved surfaces, huge pixel counts, and the need to keep image quality consistent across a shape with no flat reference plane.
The numbers involved are large even by LED sphere standards. The exterior display covers 7,500 square metres at P5.5 pixel pitch and is described as "conformal," meaning it follows the sphere's curvature rather than being built from flat tiles. The interior display covers 3,200 square metres at 3.9mm pitch, is acoustically transparent, and supports 16K content. The structure itself is 54.7 metres in diameter and 46.5 metres tall, roughly the height of a 15-storey building.
NovaStar is the second named AV technology supplier on the project. Leyard Vteam was previously reported as the display manufacturer, meaning NovaStar's role sits specifically at the control layer rather than the panel hardware itself.
According to information NovaStar shared via the Chinese trade site PJTime, the company positions its Cloud system around low-latency, high-precision control aimed at keeping visuals stable and accurate across the sphere's complex curved geometry. NovaStar says this is what allows the venue to run city light shows and glasses-free 3D content. The announcement does not disclose technical detail on how the system handles the geometric mapping required for a spherical surface, nor does it name other subcontractors involved in installation, calibration, or content production.
For operators and integrators, the project is another data point in the ongoing build-out of giant sphere venues as a category, following the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas. Tiangong Nova is billed as the world's second such sphere and Asia's largest. It is being positioned less as a pure entertainment venue and more as a civic tourism asset: Qianjiang, previously known mainly as a crayfish-producing region and a stopover for food tourism, is promoting the sphere alongside its food scene under a "crayfish by day, spherical screen show by evening" pitch.
The announcement does not specify pricing, project timeline, or the specific NovaStar product models used beyond the Cloud platform name. It also does not address maintenance arrangements or long-term content management plans for the venue.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from AV Magazine for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
By Guy Campos in APAC , Displays , Venues August 18, 2026 0
NovaStar’s display control system handles complex curves on the 7,500 sq metre external and 3,200 sq metre interior 16K display at Asia’s largest LED sphere.
NovaStar has revealed that it is a supplier to Tiangong Nova, the giant LED sphere in China which opened this summer.
A NovaStar display control system has been deployed at what is being described as the world’s second and Asia’s largest giant LED sphere.
NovaStar is the second of the LED sphere’s AV technology suppliers to be named.
AV Magazine previously reported that the sphere’s display manufacturer is Leyard Vteam .
The Tiangong Nova has a 7,500 sq metre exterior P5.5 “conformal” LED display. It also has a 3,200 sq metre, 3.9mm-pitch, acoustically transparent interior LED display supporting 16K content.
Its diameter is 54.7 metres, and its total height is 46.5 metres, roughly equivalent to a 15-storey building.
According to information posted on the Chinese website PJTime, the stability and precision of the NovaStar Cloud display control system are critical. NovaStar’s technology is designed to provide highly reliable, low-latency, high-image-quality control. This ensures seamless, smooth and striking visual effects across complex curved surfaces.
This makes it possible for Tiangong Nova to support creative expression in city light shows and “glasses-free 3D content”.
The Tiangong Nova is located in the city of Qianjiang in Hubei province. This city is known for its crayfish but it is aiming to become a cultural tourism destination, and the Tiangong Nova development will support this transformation.
The city is promoting a tourism experience consisting of “crayfish by day and spherical screen show by evening” in place of its previous role as a “food stopover”.