UK - The Production, Operations and Artistic teams of Cirque du Soleil are currently looking for passionate individuals of all levels of experience to fill upcoming positions in a wide range of theatre-related technical fields, including automation, rigging, sound, lighting, carpentry, props, wardrobe, video/projection, stage management, artistic direction, technical direction and project/production management.

In an effort to attract the right people to fill these many roles, the company is hosting a recruitment event in London on Tuesday, 3 February 2009. This 'Red Curtain Recruitme

UK - dnp has announced the release of a new Ceiling Cassette for discreet installation of the retractable dnp Supernova Flex Screen. This will be available in the UK through distributors, Paradigm AV.

"Eight out of 10 installations with retractable front projection screens are currently ceiling-mounted, so we anticipate a dramatic increase in sales as a result of the introduction of the Ceiling Cassette for the Supernova Flex. This new installation option will undoubtedly drive new business for installers who work with the Supernova Flex Screens," says general manager of dnp

Spain - Design consultants Equipo 63 from Madrid approached Czech-based trussing manufacturers Milos to custom build a large stand for their client at London's World Travel Market exhibition, staged at the ExCel Centre.

Equipo 63 are known for their innovative approach to design and build projects of all types, and are always keen to incorporate cutting edge technology in the process.

They have worked with Milos and used their products on many previous projects. On this occasion, the Equipo 63 team designed the stand, which included a 12 x 12sq.m 'crown' flown above, holding a 10m d

Norway -projectiondesign will use Integrated Systems Europe 2009 to showcase a completely updated range of professional projectors, as well as the range of high-end home theatre products, and the latest in 3D stereographic projection systems.

Anders L°kke, international marketing and communications manager, notes the irony of projectiondesign this year choosing to showcase its products inside a 'blackbox'. "Given that many of our projectors are used in research applications which, for political, scientific, or commercial reasons are top-secret, it seems rather appropriate for

Belgium - Arkaos has released its latest media server software, Media Master. First announced at the PLASA show in London, the software is now, after months of final development and testing, shipping with immediate effect. Media Master has been designed specifically with show and lighting market in mind.

Built on ArKaos' latest generation of technology, Media Master runs perfectly and reliably on standard laptops or can play up to eight full frames-per-second HD movies on an octo-core server, says the company.

Media Master's new interface has been designed to give lighting designers

UK - Following the launch of Animotion Live, AV solutions company PSP has introduced another new concept to the market - 3D-holocube. PSP is working closely with the UK distributor, activ8-3D, which also delivers the 3D projection platform for the Animotion Live system.

3D-holocube provides an alternative advertising medium and offers a new way of enhancing brand experience. Ideal for point of sale applications within the retail market, product launches and live events and exhibitions, 3D-Holocube is a fully integrated, mini 3D holographic system that creates 3D video holograms to del

Norway - Succeeding the F30 series of DLP projectors, the new F32 series from projectiondesign is now shipping in SXGA+, 1080p and WUXGA image resolutions.

Like all of the company's new wave of product platforms, the F32 features Philips' latest VIDI lamp technology, along with completely revised colour management and configuration options. To these, the F32 adds active cooling, which enhances reliability and prolongs useful product life for a lower total cost of ownership, says the company.

The F32 offers projectiondesign's DuArch dual illumination architecture with 'hot swappable'

UK - Live event and audiovisual hire specialist First Network is the first UK company to add the new Panasonic PT-DZ12000 projectors to its product portfolio.

Dennis Georgiou of First Network reports: "We have been very pleased with the performance and popularity of the Panasonic range of projectors and have maintained a good stock, so investing in the PT-DZ 12000 was a natural progression. The features guaranteed from Panasonic, such as high resolution, clarity and brightness, along with Panasonic's sales and technical support, have often convinced our purchasing decisions their

UK - Exhibiting at The ARC Show for the first time, G-LEC UK will be showing its newest architectural LED lighting product, Chimera. Suitable for museums, interior design, themed spaces and hotel and corporate reception areas, the first installation is in the BMW Museum in Munich, where 700m² form an impressive media façade for BMW Square, the heart of the museum.

Combining two existing products - LEDs and printed circuit boards - G-LEC's Chimera is one of the first products to offer absolute flexibility of shape without compromising control over individual LEDs, offering designers

UK - Plasma wall manufacturer Orion is launching a UK based website www.infiniteplasma.co.uk for integrators and end users of the Infinite Plasmas, to offer a comprehensive technical resource for the current range of screens.

The Orion Infinite Plasma range, which launched in summer 2008 features both installation and rental version of the bezel-less plasma screens, which are joined together to create video walls or any size or shape. This technology is at the forefront of corporate and commercial installation projects in the UK and Europe, with a flagship 240 screen Infinite Plasma d

Europe - D&M Installation (DMi) and Hawking Technology have signed an exclusive agreement for the distribution of the US manufacturer's CI networking products in Europe by DMi, with immediate effect. With the agreement, DMi now offers a professional range of network products to partner the new generation of AV signal source components from Denon, Marantz and Escient.

The Californian based company's product range includes Wireless Access Points, Gigabit switches and wireless security cameras. With the addition of selected Hawking Technology products and systems to the DMi portfolio, D&

Poland - Eight F30 sx+ DLP projectors from projectiondesign were used to create two high-resolution animated panoramic displays directly on to the historic walls of Sanguszko Fortress in Poland's capital Warsaw for the 10th birthday event of Polish company, AT Media.

Polish live events specialist Moov More Video used the eight F30 sx+ projectors which were combined with Dataton WATCHOUT4 software to geometrically blend and correct images on to two 24m diameter cylindrical 120-degree panoramic surfaces. Each panoramic display produced a resolution of more than 5 Megapixels and formed p

UK - Peacocks feathers, the twisted branches of trees and other non-traditional Christmas images have been projected onto the Grand Theatre in Blackpool over the past fourteen weeks by EMF Technology.

Stuart Roberts, of EMF confirms that it was a challenging brief, including the installation of a fully automated 7kw Hardware Xenon projector with slide changing system. The client, Blackpool City Council, required the projection to run for six hours per night, automatically switch on and off and reset without a live operator being present.

Drawings were completed for a custom made cab

UK - Maurice Brill Lighting Design called upon Artistic Licence to provide the control solution for the permanent lighting installation and for the Opening Night ceremony of Ballymore Properties' landmark residential building, the Pan Peninsula, at Mill Harbour near London's Canary Wharf.

One of Europe's tallest residential buildings at 509ft, this 50-storey building consists of two towers, the top of which are illuminated by external LED feature lighting. The LEDs form a series of asymmetrical patterns of intersecting horizontal and vertical strips across the top 5 storeys of each to

UK - Glasgow City Chambers became a giant 75m wide by 25m high projection surface for Burns Illuminated, a show specially created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's most famous poet.

E/T/C London supplied projection equipment and expertise for the event, which was staged by Glasgow City Council. The artwork was produced by Ross Ashton, whose work was already known to the Council.

Burns Illuminated's project manager, John Toffolo, commissioned Ashton to create a projection show for the George Square site telling the story and mas

Snow Business - Heavy snowfall caused several West End theatres to cancel their Monday evening performances. The newly-opened Oliver!, Avenue Q, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia! and Jersey Boys were all called off. The Royal Opera House performance of Die tote Stadt was also cancelled. Promoters said the weather meant that they could not guarantee the performers and crew would be able to make it into central London.

Eurovision Countdown - Jade Ewen has been chosen to sing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Eurovision Song

UK - The festive period saw AV solutions specialist PSP service two very different Christmas events in Birmingham. Despite being very different in content, however, they were united in the large scale, high production values that PSP were required to deliver.

Hall 3 at Birmingham's International Convention Centre saw large format print business SP Group hold its annual Christmas party, with 800 attendees enjoying an event featuring a performance by classical girl band Escala, followed by after-dinner entertainment comprising a set by psychological illusionist Derren Brown and a game s

Norway - With the release of the F22 sx+ , projectiondesign has completed the rollout of its new platform DLP projectors for professional applications. Like the other models in the new line-up, the F22 sx+ is already shipping, in advance of its public debut at the Integrated Systems Europe 2009.

Anders L°kke, international marketing & communications manager, projectiondesign, comments, "The F22 is a compact single-chip DLP projector platform that continues to offer the installation flexibility and performance options of its predecessor, the F20 sx+. The F22, however, benefits

UK - XL Video UK is supplying MiTrix screens, 290 HD VersaTUBES, cameras/PPU, Catalyst digital media servers and crew to the Kings of Leon Only By The Night tour.

The show features an inventive and original IMAG mix directed by Phil Woodhead, who is working closely with Catalyst operator Phil Haynes, lighting co-designer Ali Bale and creative director Paul Normandale on the show's visual big picture.

It follows XL's work with the band throughout 2006 and 2007, and is project managed for XL by Des Fallon. He comments, "Once again the Kings of Leon's show pushes all the cr

USA - Furman, a world-leading provider of power management solutions, have announced the launch of the P-1400 AR E rack-mount voltage regulator/power conditioner. The P-1400 AR E provides stable voltage protection and line noise filtration for any A/V installation where reliable and comprehensive protection is needed.

The P-1400 AR E accepts input voltages between 188V-270V and converts to a steady, stable output, user selectable to 230V or 240V (±10V). Voltages approximately ±10% beyond that range may be converted to usable levels, depending on the requirements of the equipment. Th

The Netherlands - At ISE 09 in Amsterdam, Christie unveiled the Christie Vista URS-1608, a universal routing switcher. Offering total flexibility with "virtually limitless input and output formats", the Christie Vista URS-1608 eliminates the need for most or all front-end and back-end boxes providing one point of control with just one piece of equipment, says the company.

"Most routing switchers require all sources and destinations to be the same format. If your input source doesn't match your output display, you need peripheral hardware to process and convert it before

UK - AV hire and special effects company Arcstream AV has secured a distribution partnership with Ray Technologies to sell and hire for events, the newly developed Arx Series laser system.

In a time when lasers are firmly back in fashion, appearing on tour with TakeThat and in new super-clubs throughout the world, Arcstream AV are working with the creme of laser development specialists to bring a new range of compact, state-of-the-art lasers to the British market, says the company.

Neil Dickinson, managing director of Arcstream AV explains: "Lasers have moved on so much from th

UK - The PLASA Technical Resources Office invites PLASA and STLD members to forget the worries of the credit crunch for a day by blasting around the Silverstone race track.

The event is organised by PLASA's Technical Resources manager Ron Bonner: "If you have ever wanted to drive your own car above the legal 70 MPH limit to see what it is capable of without being snapped by a Gatso - then this may be your big chance. The PLASA Technical Resources Office has reserved Silverstone for a day to hold a day of fun on the track. Included in the day is lunch and if you need it, tuition o

Italy / Venezuela - AVCom, CA has been appointed as the new distribution partner for Powersoft products in Venezuela.

AVCOM is a well-established organisation, founded in 1999, and specialises in pro audio solutions. The company has a strong reputation in the marketplace both for the broad range of products available in its portfolio and for the high quality of service it provides for its customers, say Powersoft.

"We are very excited about our new relationship with Powersoft," said Alberto Dillon, director of AVCom. "We pride ourselves of selling the best products, t

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