Imagine hacking into that to play GTA4 or COD from a half a mile away.

TerryinSt.Paul

Now remember Junior, don't sit too close to the screen or your vision will deteriorate. One-half mile should be close enough!

siville

Its their money, let them spend it how they want.
(I would think it would be better invested in hookers and booze, but the Islamextremists wont allow that, so build mega-buildings, who cares.) And my camel is bigger than yours.

Curves

To paraphrase Dolly Parton, it takes a lot of money to make a building look that cheap.

jimothy

Given the screen size, proper viewing distance for watching "Iron Man" will be roughly geosynchronous orbit. Or, from atop Dubai Tower.

scarbrtj

Of course it's only 640x480 resolution so each pixel is the size of a house.

So why all the biggest water fountains and buildings? Where's the most efficient solar cells or the longest carbon nanotubes or the fastest cure for cancer? Come on Dubai, stop over-compensation for a small 'something' and do something useful for the world.

madcow3417

Can I play Spy Hunter on that?

Y2KGTP

Obligatory "The Haev LOTSA Oilz & Theyre Prolly TERRORISTS who HATE US 4 Our FREEDOMS 9-11 9-11 9-11" Comment

OMG! Ponies!

Practicality? Please.
Awesome? Yes.

tommo

The question is, will it blend?

Inception

Western civilization is in an economic deflationary downturn and these guys are just building all types of ridiculously awesome buildings :). Time to move!

Joseph

@Justapspfan: The previous contender in Montreal was running OSX. Just sayin'

OMG! Ponies!

Shouldn't it be a widescreen, instead of a tall screen... How are you supposed to watch blue-ray on that, or better yet play Call of Duty.

crabbygeek

What do you get when you have the world's largest screen, the world's largest BSOD!!!

Justapspfan

@OMG! Ponies!: That's actually Toronto, Montreal would have done it right.

Bailen

I can see into the future and I predict this - the next time giz writes about something like this it will say this: (for example) "The biggest space rocket ever built is... Well you know where the heck it is unless your a total dumb ass! Damn... we are envious! Again..."

DaSmith

OK, so these people are going to be broke soon, right?

Glare

Although the cost would be a huge roadblock for this in the US, I think an even bigger issue with this in most US cities would be getting the zoning to have a billboard that large.

Could be quite the eye-sore depending on its content and how often it changes.

Keebler

@Bailen: Sorry. I live in New York City. As far as I'm concerned, there are only three cities in the world -

New York, Brooklyn*, and everywhere else. Both Montreal and Toronto are "everywhere else".

Brooklyn is not part of New York City. It's why when we talk about going to Manhattan, we say were "going into The City"

OMG! Ponies!

@scarbrtj: they're actually the same point. when it's done, the top of the tower will be in geosynchronous orbit.

stre

Unfortunately it was only built to tell all those construction guys to keep working or die.

strider_mt2k

I would imagine the proper viewing distance would be from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Palace

greysky

@Curves:
Oh no. Then we're all "Hey, my camel's toe is bigger than your camel's toe" and actually that might be a contest I'd like to let them win.

scarbrtj

well taking in consideration that am living in Dubai here.. i don't really quite expect to see megan fox in underwear on that screen... unfortunatly..

zixyon

Keep it up Dubai! Break all the records! I imagine in the future this place will be completely abandoned. Don't know why but I can see it.

RE-L

I remember watching Blade Runner and chuckling at the idea of building-high "neon" displays... *sigh*

MyquiH

So I presume "The Screen" will have a gift shop?

bpapa9013

@Glare: Yes, but only if you start listening to the hippies.
Hippies Win = Dubai Loses

bpapa9013

They could make the building seem to disapear if they put the view from the other side of the building on it

greysky

@scarbrtj: Read my mind.

bpapa9013

"...maintaining visibility up to a mile away"

I call BS. As anyone who has been to (or lives in) Dubai can tell you, visibility *sucks* 90% of the time.

Unless they meant "..visibility up to a mile away, occasionally."

Hanzo

@TerryinSt.Paul: Woz will go over to play Tetris on it.

Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->

Word on the share'a(Arab word for street) is it will run on infant's tears and kitten blood.

D.E.P.C.

It's a sign of the times...

Stem_Sell

I've got to give a plug for Sheldon Comics, which is currently running a Dubai related arc that meshes so perfectly well with the Giz's front page today.

Keighvin

Biggest screen + worst program choices = Who cares?

EricAlder

so that means someone should hax it and post up some nice quality playboy centerfolds.

krystar

I give it 3 months before someone awesome puts 2G1C on the screen at rush hour.

Phenostar

"It's not built quite yet"
just like almost anything in Dubai... the whole city its a huge WIP

Erzengel

@madcow3417: Uh, they have obscene amounts of money. By law (someone's I'm sure) they have to spend it on obscene wastes of money. If they were actually trying to benefit mankind they would drop the price of a barrel of oil to something reasonable.

dukemang

Geez, is Dubai out Japaning Japan?

sansovino

As soon as it's built and the first mega infomercial hits the screen, another "world's tallest building" will be next to it covering it from view... DOH - foiled again!

zarchitect

I think that's dumb.

izzaboo

@OMG! Ponies!:

marc_wtih_a_c

@RE-L: Seriously, how much longer can a place like Dubai exist. Vegas is on its last legs and oil is running out. Where do you get all the money it takes to maintain Dubai once oil is gone.

RoboChop

GAAAAADDDD DAAAMMIITTTT

vgart

Is everybody rich in Dubai? Who are these ad walls for? Are they all ads for Ferrari and Gulfstream? I don't get it.

RoboChop

@Inception:

Or will it have "the hundred floors"???????????????

braddanick

@RoboChop: I was just thinking about that today...how strange it will be when the desert reclaims it after the Saudis are bankrupt, and how it would look to walk up and find the remnants of their oil money...

Con Seannery

@DaSmith: The Burj is really a missile...

Con Seannery

@bpapa9013: Hard call...I hate both of 'em

Con Seannery

@Inception: Tread lightly, I'm not sure if that's still bannable...

Con Seannery

@stre: And then you can use it's express to the top as a space elevator...

Con Seannery

@OMG! Ponies!: Obligatory "looks like a reverse 9-11 target" comment

Con Seannery

man, wont it be great to watch bikini ads on a 100 floor building.

medopal

@ViperBorg: Woah... comments code screwed that up. What's @madcow3417 was directed @scarbrtj.

ViperBorg

@madcow3417: And you'd have to be sideways.

@dukemang: QFT

ViperBorg

At least you'll have something to look at while riding up the Space elevator.

Justapspfan

In a country where the entry level salary for a college graduate hoovers at around $100,000 USD, I'm not surprised with what they are spending all that cash on.

It's strange too see the American economy falling and the UAE economy flourishing.

lstar28

@TerryinSt.Paul:

It's funny that you mentioned both those games, because both those games are banned in Dubai. GTAIV for violence and sex and COD4 for being able to shoot arabs in the game. Though it's not hard to get either if you know the right sources.

digital_addict

they should hold a tetris tournament on that bad boy ^^,

karmakid

@dukemang:
How about they know that petrol will not last forever, thus they must invest their billions in something else? They're building cities of the future over there right now, with all the amenities to transit over to a diversified economy.

crsh1976