Finally Those Subway Tunnel Walls Get Used for Something

Imagine sitting on the northbound Metro Red Line between Hollywood/Highland and Universal, reading whatever's in your lap, when all of a sudden a Speed Racer trailer starts playing just outside your window.

"WTF," you might say. "Even underground, LA's infested with movies."

The LED-based video platform lines subway tunnel walls. When a train passes at 70mph, its digital strips light up at timed intervals to create the illusion of a smooth picture. The system is controlled remotely and ads can be rotated based on time of day or destination.

This is part of a two-year pilot will raise the Metro $240,000 a year in ad revenue. (No small change for a public transportation system.)

We've seen this kind of technology before, but this is allegedly the first time it's been used in the US.