L-Acoustics has introduced the Soundvision Venue Database, which will allow Sound Engineers to download venue data from the L-Acoustics website and immediately incorporate their given speaker configuration in the pre-modeled venue. The database consists of Soundvision.SVS room data files that have been organized according to venue name, city and country. The goal is to be able to share information among sound designers and L-Acoustics touring sound engineers. This will save time and give more accurate, predictable results with a higher level of overall system performance than was previously possible.

System design can then be optimized according to the specific venue geometry, allowing the sound designer to fine tune system coverage, stereo imaging and SPL distribution throughout the audience. Physical installation parameters are also determined in advance, allowing for more efficient

UK - Fog Screen, the first walk-through projection screen is to be displayed at PLASA for the first time. FogScreen is the only way to project sharp images into the air. The company will also present its newest sensation, FogScreen Interative, which allows users to employ their bare hands as a mouse, with air as the touchscreen. This new product was released in Infocomm in June and has received much attention from the broader media such as The Discovery Channel, Nature -magazine, Popular Science and The New York Times.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - Arcstream AV recently introduced the poolSystem for which it has secured exclusive distribution in the UK, Ireland, and the Middle East. The poolSystem is an interactive floor projection system, which creates visual surprises in a 'pool' - of water, leaves, grass or anything else you care to name. As people walk through the pool of water it ripples, complete with realistic sound and if there are fish in the water, the shoal will turn and swim away. Other effects include being able to kick a pile of fallen leaves to reveal the grass underneath - or a company logo etc.

The poolSystem software offers a combination of movement registration and image presentation in real time. Special programming generates simultaneous changes in the projection in direct relationship to the movements recorded. Content, effects and interaction can be programmed to suit the occasion, and it offers

Denmark - Martin Professional's line of popular, award-winning MAC moving heads is expanding with the launch of the new MAC 700 Profile which squeezes as much into the fixture as possible, while maintaining the same fixture size as the MAC 550. In fact it is designed to fill the gap between Martin's 575W MAC 550 and the 1200W MAC 2000 Profile, although this 700W profile spot is packed with more features than either.

The combination of efficient 700W double-ended lamp and new glass reflector technology produces a remarkable light output. A full CMY color mixing system and eight-position colour wheel are included. All colors on the wheel are replaceable and the CMY color mixing system, animation wheel and a 'Quiet Mode' option make the MAC 700 ideally suited to the theatre market.

A gobo animation system is included, that which was pioneered by Martin in the MAC 2000 Performance

New Zealand - Historically, theatre lighting designers have been unable to produce crisp shutter cuts or pattern projection in very long-throw situations. The problem being, the only luminaires available to date either utilize plastic lenses which cannot maintain the desired light output and beam quality or they have beam angles which are just too wide. This issue has been addressed by Selecon, the company claims, by a new lighting tool. The Pacific 5° High Efficiency Fixed Beam has been designed as a no-compromise long-throw lens tube for the Selecon Pacific range.

Featuring a dual glass lens design using a 300mm front lens, this luminaire delivers more light than the Pacific 5.5°-13° Very Narrow Zoomspot (200mm front lens) with an unmatched beam quality. Shutter cuts are knife-edged (or with a well controlled soft cut - adjustable using the rear lens); high contrast pattern

UK - Denon Professional's best-selling DN-V300 DVD players have advanced with new features and control functionality following a collaborative venture between D&M Europe and software specialists Designer Systems. Based in Cornwall, Designer Systems has created a range of controllers and interfaces, implemented on the DN-V300, which expand the unit's control capabilities in media presentation and EPOS applications.

Designer Systems' new range of control interfaces connect to the DN-V300 via the unit's serial RS232 port. Initially four products have been announced: DVD-DSPRX proximity detector. Typically used in a kiosk environment, where a DVD player system is used to provide POS and EPOS advertising, the DSPRX will detect the motion of a passer-by via infrared sensor, and control the playback of media accordingly.

DVD-D9 interface box. Typically used in a kiosk e

Belgium - Barco has launched a mobile, self-contained outdoor LED solution, which incorporates a rotatable 9sq.m LED display mounted on a trailer. The new B-10 is a cost-effective mobile LED solution incorporating Barco's SLite 10 outdoor LED screen modules. As a fully self-contained unit with display, image processor and internal power supply, the B-10 can be set up by one person and can be ready to operate in less than 15 minutes, say the company. With its 360° rotatable screen, the B-10 can also easily be positioned or repositioned throughout an event to face the audience, regardless the setting. In addition, the B-10 has an adjustable tow-bar, which allows it to be used with any car or truck with a towing capacity of 3,5 ton and above.

As a cost efficient, self-contained mobile LED display solution, Barco's B-10 offers all companies - large or small - the opportunity to own

The Netherlands - Luxeon LEDs from Lumileds Lighting claim to have conquered one of the major challenges to the use of LEDs in general lighting - the wide variation in the colour of white light emitted from a given LED - with a proprietary conformal coating process that delivers the market's only uniformly white solid state light source.

The Luxeon-exclusive coating process ensures that a uniform layer of phosphor is applied to every facet of the Luxeon LED die, eliminating the varying phosphor thicknesses that cause colour inconsistencies within the beam pattern of white LEDs from other vendors, say the company.

"We wanted to use high-power LEDs in some of our flashlight products to give our customers the maximum light output along with the ruggedness and longevity of solid state lighting, but we rejected most white LEDs because of their poor colour quality," said R

Belgium - ADB's Warp, the fully automated zoom profile spotlight, picked up the Showtech Product Award 2005 in the category Lighting & Projection Technology, at the recent Showtech exhibition in Berlin. The award is presented every two years by the Showtech organizers in conjunction with the German Association of Theatre Professionals (DTHG). It is intended to reward innovation, functionality and design, among other criteria. The Jury decision for Warp was unanimous, say the company.

Besides its silent operation and accurate repositioning, the sophisticated remote control capabilities of the fixture were particularly praised. After successful demonstrations and comparative tests by professional users, a number of prestigious venues have recently installed motorized Warp units, including Glyndebourne Opera House, UK; Munich Staats Oper, Germany; Paul Klee Cultural Centre, Switzer

USA - American Audio recently announced that sound contractors and pro audio installers can choose from four distinct size options with its new PXI Series of powered speakers.

Designed to match any application, the PXI series includes 8", 10", 12" and 15" versions. All four of the new models - the PXI 8P, PXI 10P, PXI 12P and PXI 15P - include a high-powered bi-amplifier system with electronic crossover for sonic clarity, presence and punch, say the company.

"With such a wide array of models to choose from in our new PXI Series, you don't have to try to make the wrong size speaker work for the job," said Tom Freret, national sales manager for American Audio. "Until now, there hasn't been a lot of variety in that market. There are plenty of 10s and 15s on the market, but not many 8s and 12s. Now, with the PXI series you can find a speaker that

Canada - Cast Software has announced the release of Vivien 1.1 - an easy-to-use design software product for event and meeting professionals who service corporate and special events, incentive meetings, tradeshows, expositions, weddings, and parties alike, say the company.

"Event production professionals are telling us they are winning more proposals and being awarded larger contracts with huge applause from clients. This second release meets the demands of our customers and will most definitely attract more event professionals with its exciting new features, including a pipe and drape wizard, a tent tool for creating circus and frame tents, and improved seating, table, and truss wizards," comments Bob Mani, VP of sales and business development.

Vivien's library of items continues to expand with the addition of casino tables and a larger selection of banquet and class

USA - Color Kinetics has introduced new products and technologies designed to support greater adaptability, ease-of-use, and streamlined installation for both white and coloured light applications. The new offerings range from an architectural control interface to versatile power/data supplies, say the company.

iW Translator is a hardware interface that allows widely used architectural control systems to communicate with Color Kinetics' IntelliWhite series of white solid-state lighting systems. Conventional light sources in commercial and residential environments are commonly controlled by master control systems such as those from Lutron and Leviton. iW Translator provides a simple means of interoperability with these third-party control systems, making IntelliWhite products widely adaptable to existing environments, say CK. The compact device translates commands from third-part

Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden AB has introduced a wireless DMX 512 Outdoor solution based on the proven technology of its W-DMX Black Box indoor model. W-DMX Black Box Outdoor is IP65-rated and works in any conditions from -20 up to +50°C, say the company. The unit is available in standard black, or custom-painted in any RAL colour to fit architectural design.

Black Box is delivered with built-in AC/DC that accepts 90-250V universal power supply and delivered with standard RP-SMA to follow ETSI and FCC regulations. With a different antenna the outdoor model is able to transmit wireless in line of sight up to 20km between transmitter and receiver. It is also possible to link a transmitter and receiver together to create a 'virtual repeater' to avoid line of sight problems, say the company. A complete set of accessories with different antennas and cables is available to compl

USA - Aimed at DJs, LJs or club lighting installers who uses both intelligent lights and sound-active effects in light shows, Elation Control Systems has introduced the DMX Duo, a two-in-one DMX recorder/controller that can handle intelligent lights and sound-active effects simultaneously - all from one desk. Featuring 96 channels for DMX lights and eight channels for effects, the DMX Duo provides the ease and convenience of being able to run your entire light show from a single control station.

A compact 1U rack-mount unit, the DMX Duo can provide this dual control because it has two separate DMX outputs - one for moving intelligent lights, and the other for sound-active effects. To use sound-active effects, the user simply runs these fixtures through a DMX powerpack, such as Elation Control Systems' PP-DMX20L, and into the controller's FX output. As well as controlling the on/

UK - After positive customer feedback since extending the warranty period on its Evolution Wired range of products to 10 years, Sennheiser UK has now increased its standard warranty from one year to 10 years on all transmitters and receivers in the 3000 and 5000 Series. Products in these series include handhelds, bodypacks, receivers and in-ear monitors, which are frequently used in TV, theatre and hire companies, and have recently featured at such spectacles as Live 8, Glastonbury and Eurovision.

Sennheiser's 10-year warranty is not an optional 'add-on' or 'extended' warranty, but comes as standard and at no additional cost for products purchased from 1 August 2005 onwards. "This 10-year warranty demonstrates our confidence in the workmanship of our wireless products, and reinforces our commitment to customer satisfaction," said Sennheiser's UK marketing director John

UK - Audio-Technica has introduced two new, high quality, affordably priced stereo monitoring headphones, the ATH-T44 and ATH-T22, aimed at the project studio and recording musicians markets.

Both models utilize A-T's latest transducer technology, and provide high levels of sonic accuracy and designs that are engineered to maximize comfort during extended use say the company.

The ATH-T44 Dynamic Stereo Headphones feature a circumaural, closed back design, providing clarity and isolation for high volume listening applications. The ATH-T44 utilizes 40mm drivers with high output neodymium magnets and copper-clad aluminium wire voice coils. The ATH-T44 has an extended frequency response of 18 - 23,000Hz, and a sensitivity of 108 dB. At 6.7 ounces the headphones also feature rotating earpieces and a lightweight, self-adjusting headband.

The ATH-T22 Dynamic Stereo Headphones also

The Netherlands - After a successful launch at Frankfurt's ProLight&Sound exhibition in April, Alcons Audio is now shipping the first of its Q-series - the QR36. The Q-series scalable ribbon-array columns are described by Alcons as a "cross-over product" of a traditional point-source loudspeaker and a J-curved line-array system. The series has been designed as solution to obtain excellent coverage and ultimate intelligibility over longer distances in "acoustically challenging" environments, say the company.

Applications range from stand- or truss mounted single-unit mobile PA system, up to multiple-module flown array in reverberant halls or high ceiling theatres. But also as high power side-fill stage monitoring the QR36 offers new solutions, or as single-column main PA system in low-ceiling applications, where a J-curved line-array will not give satisfactory

UK - The innovative new PixelBrick is the latest in James Thomas Engineering's revolutionary Pixel range of LED fixtures. PixelBrick is available in two models - an indoor IP42 housing and an IP65 outdoor housing. Both utilize 3W blue and green and 1W red and amber Luxeon emitters.

The fixture's compact size makes it ideal for inaccessible places, and it's flexible enough to be used for curves, angles and corners. PixelBrick's silent, non mechanical additive colour mixing system is highly energy efficient for projecting colour, unlike the more wasteful process of filtering out white light.

It consumes just 48W at full power, easily displacing equipment running at 150W, whilst also creating up to 42 million potential colour combinations. It has a standard six degree beam and standard case colour is black. Alternative beam angles and body colours are also available.

For size-t

UK - Le Mark has committed to further develop its custom brand service following numerous dealer requests received during the 2004 PLASA show. This service provides a cost-effective and visually pleasing way to keep dealers and OEM's own corporate identity regularly 'on show' through a range of consumable items used within the industry on a 24/7 basis, according to Stuart Gibbons, managing director of Le Mark Group. The most popular product so far to see 'own branding' has been the A&E's industry stalwart Gaffer Tape, says Gibbons.

Gibbons says: "We took the opportunity to expand and modernize our 'product finishing' department during a recent factory refurbishment. This will give us greater 'in house' flexibility to handle and produce fully customized products. The real advantage to customers is that they do not have to order a large volume at one time. Clients choose the

Denmark - Because rainwater can leak into the base of a lighting fixture and damage electrical circuitry causing all types of problems, Martin has developed the new RainMAC, a simple and effective way to ensure that the show goes on by keeping rain off your MAC fixture.

The RainMAC was designed with input from rental companies who are often in a situation where full protection domes are impractical to install, yet where rain is likely during the course of an event. Its development is an example of Martin's policy of supporting users by bringing customer initiated solutions to the marketplace.

A vital tool in the struggle against the unpredictability of the weather, the robust and UV resistant RainMAC is ideal for outdoor events. Easy to install, the molded compound plastic guard fits all MAC moving head fixtures from the MAC 250 Series to the MAC 2000 Series.

Easily placed o

UK - ShowCAD will launch Artist 2005 at the forthcoming PLASA Show at Earls Court (11-14 September). The system incorporates many advances over the original Artist show control system, say the company, with features including video to DMX mapping as well as matrixing and macro features which are "extremely useful for LED programming". The system has been extended and can now control up to 32,000+ DMX channels. DMX In is also featured in the new version and MIDI, RS 232, Digital and Analogue input/output protocols are all employed. SMPTE and all types of timecode files from CD, DVD, avi, mp3 and mgp files can be read and synchronized to Artist cues and events. The system features setup wizards, powerful automatic scene generation functions, multi-media interfacing, WYSIWYG options and more, say ShowCAD.

Avalon New York City, Avalon Hollywood, Guru Valencia, Fabric Londo

USA - CITC has introduced a new haze machine - the Starhazer II DMX. The award-winning company, which has recently celebrated its 15th year, is best known for its unique special effects equipment, including the Little Blizzard snow machine. The Starhazer II, the company says, has double the output of the previous StarHazer - plus DMX on-board, superior insulation for whisper-quiet operation, cycle/direct/ remote operation, a seven-filter system, and a dual opening for wide coverage.

The DMX 512 allows control from a lighting desk, using just one channel. It also has a convenient 5-pin XLR 'In' and 'Send' feature for setting up other units on the same DMX line. Also included is the remote control featuring buttons which allow either manual 'on' and 'off' operation, or 'timed' operation of 0-60 seconds 'on' or 0-4 minutes 'off'. StarHazer II DMX also comes with a control switch th

UK - Cadac Electronics plc is emphasizing its quality pedigree at PLASA 2005, showing its analogue console range alongside the M16 Remote Controlled Microphone Amplifier and the D16 Digital Mix Matrix. The M16 is gaining widespread recognition as a top quality, highly versatile remote mic amp, capable of operating seamlessly with all types and marques of console. Cadac's M16 is featuring on the Broadway musical Sweet Charity, with sound designer Peter Hylenski citing its "unbelievable sound in a small, remotely controllable box".

In the Far East, a number of M16s are earning their credits at the Yonsei Baptist Church in Korea, after selection for their "clearly superior audio performance." Cadac also reports a growing user base for its D16, with applications ranging from use as a standalone digital console, to providing extra inputs alongside J-Types o

UK - Audio-Technica has uprated its 3000 Series UHF True Diversity Wireless Systems with the addition of Automatic Frequency Scanning functionality, as found on its flagship 4000 and 5000 Series systems.

The new 3000A 200 frequency agile, UHF wireless system, represents a high performance, professionally spec'd, mid-budget wireless solution, for AV rental, sound touring, theatre sound, sound installation, and broadcast production applications, say the company. The inclusion of A-T's Automatic Frequency Scanning technology greatly enhances operation, automatically searching and setting the best available frequency in the spectrum, avoiding interference and intermodulation problems.

In particular, when operating multi-channel systems, the function provides for interference free frequency configuration of each receiver at the touch of a button. Up to 16 simultaneous systems per f

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