UK - Chris Rigden has joined Dynalite as UK sales director responsible for UK sales in the commercial, residential and custom install markets. Rigden joined Dynalite from Crestron where he worked on the residential AV business and lighting controls systems.

"This is an exciting time for lighting controls and being a key part of Dynalite's growth will be very rewarding, I'm looking forward to the challenges of the future with this great company," says Rigden.

Paul Wilmshurst, Dynalite's general manager, adds: "It's fantastic to get Chris on board at this time of growth for Dynalite Europe. His sales experience and knowledge of the lighting controls market will be a great asset as we continue to grow."

(Jim Evans)

USA - When the monster is shocked to life in the current Broadway production of Young Frankenstein, no effect is spared in Peter Kaczorowski's lighting design. The stage visuals are achieved by a creative combination of projection, conventional and moving lights, with the elaborate automated rig controlled by an ETC Eos system.

Young Frankenstein's extensive light plot is based around a mix of 120 Mac 2000s - including performances, profiles and some washes. "Eos is great for handling a large rig like this," says Josh Weitzman, moving light programmer for the production. "It has new tools that help you manage that size of rig and work really quickly."

The opening scene features dramatic flashes of lightning, which involve the use of both projection and lighting. "With projection," explains Weitzman, "you can't change the colour

Germany - To complement the VisualDMX lighting control software product, Dutch manufacturing company Visual Productions will be introducing the new series of DIN Rail articles, including GPI (General Purpose Input), GPO (General Purpose Output) and the DMX splitter. There will also be a new version of the VisualTouch screen-user interface.

The newly available Frontier will be on display further demonstrating the commitment Visual Productions has taken towards designing products for fixed installations. This 19" rack-mountable interface was specially designed for fixed installations that require a standalone replay unit for pre-programmed lighting sequences.

One year on from its launch during the last ProLight&Sound, the Canvix dedicated matrix controller will be shown with a wide variety of new features. Visitors will see how this powerful lighting tool can enable them to

USA - High End Systems will introduce DL.3, the newest addition to - and the next generation of - its line of digital lighting products.

The DL.3 digital automated lighting fixture, featuring an integrated media server, takes projection possibilities to the next level with a number of new features, says the company.

DL.3 is equipped with a 6500 lumen 3-chip LCD projector. A high 2000:1 contrast ratio results in a dark 'video black'. The projection possibilities on DL.3 are expanded with new lens options for longer throw projection applications. Also new in the DL.3 is an SDI input/output for professional AV applications.

A new projection feature includes an innovative DMX-controlled vertical lens shift function. This allows the user to set the lens shift function by DMX cue and thus reduce the amount of keystone correction required to produce a normalised image.

Says HES c

Ireland - Over 80 Robe moving lights proved they were real winners in an eye-catching design by LD Tom Kenny for the 2008 Meteor Irish Music Awards, staged at the RDS in Dublin last weekend, produced by Caroline Downey and Louis Harte for MCD and broadcast on national TV channel RTE in a special programme directed by Niamh White. All lighting for the celebrity clad event honouring the very best in contemporary Irish music, was supplied by Dublin rental company Just Lite.

The show was presented by comedian Dara O' Briain, and featured performances by 11 leading artists including Westlife, Shane Ward, the newly reformed Boyzone, Sinead O'Connor, Scouting For Girls, Tom Baxter, Cathy Davey and others.

Robe fixtures took centre stage for the Awards, a mix of ColorSpot and ColorWash 1200E ATs and 700E ATs which were arranged across four trusses and operated by Darragh McAuliffe usi

USA - Bandit Lites recently lit the University of Tennessee 16th Annual Lead-off Banquet, which was held at the Knoxville Convention Center in front of a sold-out crowd.UT honored former UT athlete, Todd Helton, by making him the first baseball player in school history to have his jersey number retired.

Lighting designer Chris Lisle chose to use Martin MAC 600s, 500s and 300s and Color Kinetics iColor Accent 4ft tubes to light the event. Lighting was controlled by two High End Systems Whole Hog IIs.

"It was truly a pleasure to be involved with the UT Baseball Lead-Off Banquet," commented Lisle. "One of the key purposes of this event was to honor Todd as they were retiring his UT jersey at this ceremony. I used Mac 500s with custom gobos to project onto the walls with both [Helton's] UT and Colorado Rockies jersey numbers."

Lisle used Mac 600s to spread so

Germany - LDR will introduce three new versions of the well known Xpress colour scroller at ProLight & Sound.

These new models (designed around the well-known Xpress 13,18 and 25 versions) are billed as a "perfect balance between design and technology, capable of offering more than consumers expected from a colour scroller".

The Xpress MK2 differentiates from other products by its technological superiority, unique customer-driven designs and the capability to offer innovative features with a user friendly interface, say the company.

The Xpress Mk2 colour scroller claims to be the most silent scroller available on the market - producing less than 28Db when in operation - and also includes RDM industry-leading technology to provide consumers with the best possible and latest state of the art technology, the company adds.

"We plan to become one of the top colou

Germany - Avolites takes its new Pearl Tiger lighting console to ProLight & Sound Frankfurt for the first time. The Pearl Tiger will be the main product highlighted on the stand of German Distributor Trendco, along with a new version the Avolites Art2000 Series touring dimmer with 3 pin mains patching connectors developed specifically for the German market.

Avolites' will also introduce Aziz Adilkhodjaev a new member of the technical sales team. A fluent Russian speaker with a background in engineering, mobile telecoms and business administration, Adilkhodjaev's presence at the show underlines Avolites commitment to Eastern European markets, says the company.

Many of the technical support documents have been translated into Russian and Adilkhodjaev is also a media server specialist, offering integration support for the constant stream of emerging video technologies.

(Jim Eva

Italy - Italian electro-rock cult band Subsonica are currently touring with a powerful PixelRange showcase - designed by lighting and stage designer Mamo Pozzoli. The rig features 18 PixelLine 110s, 21 PixelLine 1044s and 18 PixelPar 90s.

Pozzoli reports: "I imagined the show as a metropolitan jungle: music, lighting, sound, visuals, all fighting at maximum level. I needed the best LED lighting fixtures on the market - so no doubt in my choice. I first used PixelRange products in 2005, each one for their own specific characteristics. Now they are a fundamental element in all my plots."

The 110s are aligned to the two main trusses providing key lighting for the band, whilst the 1044s are rigged behind the band in seven horizontal groups creating a distinctive graphic sign. The PixelPars are positioned under the stage focusing on the musicians - all running synchronize

Germany - After a construction period of four years, the automobile delivery centre BMW Welt in Munich has opened its doors. Approximately 850,000 visitors are expected annually to the 500 million Euro building designed by Austrian architects Coop Himmelb(l)au.

At BMW Welt visitors not only experience the finest BMW automobiles first hand, they can also receive delivery of their newly purchased vehicle - a staged event worthy of music and lighting. BMW Welt also serves as an event forum and conference centre.

Since 2005, the various construction phases of BMW Welt were supervised by eventa AG in co-operation with NAT AG (Dachau) and K+B E Tech GmbH (Cham). The technical specifications of lighting designers AG Licht (Bonn), the electrical planning company Pro Elektroplan (Ottobrunn), as well as the formative specifications of Coop Himmeb(l)au (Vienna) and investor BMW AG (Munic

UK - For the sixth consecutive year, XL Video supplied all screens and video playback PPU for The Brits 2008 last night at London's Earls Court. They also provided additional video 'specials' kit for three of the performing artists - Kylie, Mark Ronson and Rihanna.

XL's project managers were again Chris Saunders and Paul Wood. Saunders co-ordinated the cameras and control side, while Paul Wood managed the screen elements and specials. Both worked closely with the event's technical production manager Mick Kluczynski and his team from MJK Productions, lighting designer Al Gurdon, set designer Nicoline Refsing from Stufish and The Brits TV production.

The central screen measured 8.4m high and 6m wide, and the Punk Stage screen on stage left was 18m wide by 4.6m high, both screens were made from Lighthouse R16 16mm resolution LED panels.

XL also supplied two flown 20ft by 11ft r

UK - The decision by Boy George to set out on the road for the first time in many years was greeted with delight by an army of loyal fans. Lighting specialists LXCo were asked to provide the visual look for the former Culture Club frontman, DJ and style icon, having worked previously with promoter Stars + Angels and provided lighting for the singer's warm up shows at the Shaw Theatre in London.

The tour of mid-sized venues such as The Sage, Gateshead, The Lowry Centre, Salford and The Colston Hall in Bristol, saw the star "dipping his toes" back into live performing, so the emphasis was very much on a lightshow which complimented the music rather than an "all guns blazing" spectacular.

"The brief from Boy George was, 'There is no brief'," says LXCo's Mark Wheatley. "We used in-house lights at most venues, supplemented by a small number of mo

Australia - Robe moving lights and Anolis architectural LED fixtures have been installed into Cocktails & Dreams, an iconic club/pub venue in Surfer's Paradise, Queensland, Australia.

The installation - carried out by JVG Sound, Lighting & Visual - is part of a lighting upgrade being undertaken at the popular nightclub. The fixtures were all supplied to JVG by Robe's Australian distributor ULA, whose HQ is nearby on the Gold Coast.

The Cocktails & Dreams dancefloor has been completely revamped lighting wise, and now features 17 Robe ColorSpot 250E ATs, two ColorWash 250E ATs and six ColorSpot 170 ATs.

The venue was challenged for ceiling height, particularly over the raised dancefloor area explains JVG's general manager Jade Golar, so he was looking for compact and neatly sized fixtures that would not take up much space or intrude. In terms of aesthetics, he also wanted to o

UK - Richard Martin Lighting has recently increased its range of Alphas with the investment of the Alpha Spot HPE 300 and Alpha Wash 300.

The Alpha Spot HPE 300 is compact and with 16,000 lumens at just 5m's it is an exceptionally bright fixture. This light also has 15°-40° zoom, morphing effects, rotating prism and 0-100% dimmer.

The brother to the HPE Spot 300 is the Alpha Wash 300, this light also has an impressive 20,500 lumens and with equally impressive features of full CMY with 8+1 colour wheel and 2 levels of frost to provide diffusion of colour. This fixture also has a 0-100% dimmer on a dedicated channel and stop/strobe effect.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Flightcase manufacturer 5 Star Cases has recently supplied Leicestershire based Hawthorns with 17 specialist trunks to house its new Clay Paky Alpha Spot 1200 moving light fixtures.

The 'Split Body' twin trunks feature a new design by 5 Star, complete with integral cradles which secure the lighting fixture when packed head down in the case, keeping them completely steady during transit. Hawthorns' 17 'Super Tour' trunks were finished in their corporate navy blue laminate together with HTH screen printed identification.

Hawthorns supplied full lighting production including 140 CP Alpha Spots and their new trunks for the recent Liverpool, the Musical event, marking the official opening of the city's new venue, the Echo Arena Liverpool.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Gerald Heise has joined the team at Robe Lighting as sales support manager. Heise has nearly 20 years experience in the professional lighting industry and is known for his technical expertise and innovative management style.

Robe MD Josef Valchar states: "We are exceptionally lucky to have someone of Gerald's calibre and enthusiasm onboard. He has the same ethics, drive and commitment as us, and we are all looking forward to working with him immensely."

Heise will become a link between Robe's clients, end users and distributors and the Robe R 'n' D and sales and marketing teams. He will be responsible for monitoring market trends and feedback, analysing customer's needs and cross-referencing and comparing markets and products - essentially a two-way conduit between clients and the company.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Hawthorns celebrated its 21st birthday in style when they transformed its Leicester premises into a large party venue for their annual birthday bash.

Over 400 clients, suppliers and staff joined the company to celebrate in Hawthorns' recently acquired third warehouse, which had been transformed into a nightclub party venue for the evening. Following the acquisition of this new unit, Hawthorns' Leicester head office now exceeds 100,000sq.ft, with further mezzanines planned for the spring.

MD Martin Hawthorn commented: "I wanted to take the opportunity to thank our customers and 110 full-time staff for helping to keep the business going over the years by making it our best party yet. It was also a fantastic opportunity for staff from all three of the Hawthorn offices to meet up and put a face to a name. I'm not sure where the last 21 years have gone, but I'm already lo

USA - The ESTA Foundation reports that Rosco will donate the proceeds from the sales of Roscolux #359 Medium Violet to Behind the Scenes. While the colour name remains the same, the Behind the Scenes logo will be added to the Roscolux swatch book slip sheet and marketing materials, making it easy to identify. Rosco will present a check to Behind the Scenes each year at the LDI Show.

Ame Strong, Rosco's colour filter product manager says, "I am impressed at how easy it is to apply for a grant by simply downloading an Application from the website and also how quickly the grant applications are reviewed. It is wonderful that our industry is helping colleagues with doctor bills, health insurance payments, saving homes, and putting food on the table, as well as helping widows when they are suddenly alone. And I'm proud that Rosco's commitment is a gift that will continue far int

Hong Kong - Long-term LED screen user JM Rental has invested in 1,000 additional panels of R16 LED screen from Lighthouse Technologies. Equivalent to an area of 770sq.m - which would cover much of an average-sized football pitch - the investment by Hong Kong-based JM Rental demonstrates the company's total commitment to servicing the Asian event market's ever-increasing demand for large-scale LED screens, says the company.

Such is the demand for the R16 that the new panels were immediately put to work on the national annual celebration in Singapore, the Chingay Parade, which took place in February. JM Rental was appointed as the official LED Screen Partner for the iconic event, supplying a turnkey solution from technical support through media production. The key elements were the two 12.24m (W) x 9.12m (H) screens where the 30 Chingay Parade sponsors broadcast their bran

USA - The new MR16 3W LED lamp from Acclaim Lighting is billed as "an effective way for commercial lighting users to pull the plug on skyrocketing energy costs". A high-efficiency LED-powered lamp, the MR16 3W was designed as an energy-saving replacement for halogen bulbs in standard, low-voltage MR16 fixtures.

The MR16 3W can fit into most standard MR16 12V fixtures with a GU5.3 base, like those commonly found in buildings, hotels, restaurants, retail stores and displays.

"There are an enormous number of MR16 12V fixtures out there - in everything from elevators to cruise ships. Retrofitting them with our new MR16 3W LED lamp can save building owners and commercial establishments a ton of money on their energy costs," said Eric Loader, director of sales for Acclaim Lighting.

"LED technology has advanced to the point where it's now a viable replaceme

USA - LEDtronics has announced its latest generation of PAR 30-style LED spotlight bulbs. The PAR 30 LED bulb is made up of five three-Watt high-power LEDs. PAR 30 LED bulbs are direct incandescent PAR 30 replacements, combining advanced Light Emitting Diode (LED) technologies, standard 25mm Edison screw-in bases, and light optimizing designs producing 480 to 544 lumens of vivid light depending on the bulb model.

PAR 30 LED bulbs are available in a 40° light-emitting viewing angle, running on 80V to 260V AC current. Other voltages like 12Volt AC or DC are optionally available for qualifying customers. The LEDtronics PAR 30-style lamp replaces a 50W to 75W PAR 30 incandescent bulb but has a maximum power draw of only 15.8W.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Bandit Lites recently donated $100,000 worth of lighting for the 23rd annual Knoxville Heart Gala. The black tie fundraiser took place on 9 February at the Knoxville Convention Center. The event raised over $600,000, of which all proceeds benefited the American Heart Association.

This year's theme was Wild at Heart. Bandit CEO, Michael T. Strickland and wife, Nicole Strickland co-chaired the event, which included silent and live auctions, and dancing to live music.

Lighting designer Steve Hoover chose to use Martin MAC 2000 Washes, Profiles and Performances, MAC 600s, MAC 300s, Vari*Lite 3500 Washes, Vari*Lite 3000 Spots,Coemar LED PARs, Color Kinetics 4 ft. iColor Accents and Bliss lights to light the event. Lighting was controlled by a Whole Hog II.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Ballast and lighting control manufacturer, Helvar, will be showcasing both its new Digidim Router and 458 Dimmer at Light and Building, Frankfurt.

The eight-channel inductive 458 Dimmer, complete with LCD display and intuitive cursor control, comes in a compact, pre-wired, wall-mountable unit for maximum convenience and versatility. It is suitable for architectural and residential use, as well as a variety of commercial applications, says the company.

Compatible with Helvar's existing Imagine and Digidim routers, multiple 458 dimmers can be networked through both DALI and SDIM ports. The 458 can accommodate a range of user interfaces, including push button, rotary, sensors and touch panel controllers.

This Digidim Router, the new central element in Helvar's Digidim system links up single DALI networks to form a scalable lighting control system for all types of commercia

UK - Located between Trent Bridge ground, home to Nottinghamshire's county cricket team, and the City Ground, home to Nottingham Forest FC, is the Southbank Bar. When there's a big match in progress, football or cricket, the venue fills to capacity.

Nottingham-based design and installation company OneBigStar has rejuvenated the venue for its owners Great Northern Inns.

Although OneBigStar has subsequently provided AV and lighting systems to other venues in the Great Northern Inns portfolio, the Southbank Bar was their first collaboration. An extensive refurbishment at the end of last year has produced an impressive video network of 12 HD plasma screens plus two large drop-down projection screens.

The screens are complemented by 12 Electro-Voice ZX1 full-range loudspeakers. "On a match day, this venue is absolutely packed with people," explains Simon Taylor of OneBi

Latest Issue. . .

Save
Cookies user preferences
We use cookies to ensure you to get the best experience on our website. If you decline the use of cookies, this website may not function as expected.
Accept all
Decline all
Analytics
Tools used to analyze the data to measure the effectiveness of a website and to understand how it works.
Google Analytics
Accept
Decline
Advertisement
If you accept, the ads on the page will be adapted to your preferences.
Google Ad
Accept
Decline