The new Yankee Stadium in New York City, which will open in April 2009, will come with some rather fancy high-tech updates. Cisco Systems is planning to implement networked High Definition (HD) screens which will show the game play live, and will afterwards give exit direction and traffic information to spectators.

The screens on Yankee Stadium will be the first application of a technology and product that Cisco announced in Manhattan on Thursday, called Cisco StadiumVision. They’re also the fronted of a larger system planned, which will use networking to better the audience experience at the stadium. Cisco’s Chairman and CEO John Chambers and the Yankees’ Co-Chairman Hal Steinbrenner revealed the products at a press conference in Cisco’s New York offices.

StadiumVision is designed for stadiums and other such venues specifically, and takes advantage of digital signage technology. The concept utilizes flat-screen displays and either wired or wireless networks to provide signs whose information changes depending on time, situation and location.

The ones in Yankee Stadium will display live games throughout the stadium, and afterwards the screens will show useful information pertinent to each location, or emergency evacuation procedures should they be needed.

Digital signage technology has been eyed by large and small enterprises, according to analyst Tom Mainelly. He says that unfortunately they sometimes overlook the need for dynamic fresh content to keep visitors from getting bored.

Internet Protocol (IP) phones will also be installed in luxury suites at the stadium, and fans will be able to use them to order concessions and merchandise directly to the suite.

Unfortunately one of the most important features that Cisco has announced for the stadium – the possibility for non-suite spectators to order the same concessions wirelessly with their mobile devices – will not be implemented since day one, but will be supported in the future.