UK - The Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers (ISCVE) and the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) has announced the launch of a new ECS AV Engineer card for existing and newly accredited ISCVE members.
This recent introduction of the ECS AV Engineer card is in addition to the existing ECS card for sound engineers which is available exclusively through the ISCVE.
Administered by the Joint Industry Board (JIB) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, ECS is the sole ID and competence card scheme for electrotechnical related occupations which is recognised and endorsed by the industry. ECS is a partner of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), issuing cards for those working in an electrotechnical related occupation.
The term ‘electrotechnical’ covers many occupations including electricians, sound engineers, network infras

UK - FIX8Group’s virtual events, broadcast and connectivity centre The Hub was recently transformed into an advertising shoot film studio for extreme sports outfitter, Ruroc.
Music video production company Swords and Eagles, and music video director KC Locke, worked closed with FIX8Group to develop The Hub to reflect the narrative of the promo film.
Within The Hub, the studio space's 12m x 4m, 2.6mm pixel pitch LED screen was used as the main visuals backdrop for the shoot, offering more than 4K resolution. FIX8group’s tech team showcased the screen’s agility and flexibility as scenes were changed instantly to promote Ruroc’s range of motorsport and snow sports headgear.
Special effects including pyrotechnics and innovative lighting techniques were used to create an optimum environment for the story to unfold. As part of the shoot, ‘intruders’ dressed

France - Released on New Year’s Eve, Jean Michel Jarre’s virtual reality show, Welcome To The Other Side, is ‘a mind-expanding experience’ that garnered 900,000 views on YouTube within a week of its release and, according to Sony Music International, over 75m views on all outlets (Facebook, VRC, Weibo, Tik Tok). The work mixes high-tech sights and sounds around a reimagined (and virtual) nine-centuries-old Notre Dame cathedral.
During its 55-minute run time, conceived to celebrate the arrival of 2021 in the French capital, animated geometric forms rise and fall within the historic church’s nave, keyboard instruments melt with colour, brilliant light patterns run up stone columns to play off stained glass windows.
Moving seamlessly with Jarre’s music in Welcome To The Other Side is a multifarious lightshow created by Jvan Morandi of Placing Sha

France - Digital Projection has hired Jérôme Cadilhac as its business development manager for the South of France, effective immediately.
Cadilhac will report to Digital Projection’s EMEA sales and marketing manager Dirk Siedle, as well as working closely with Stéphane Bourdon, Digital Projection’s historical sales manager for France, Spain, Portugal, and North Africa.
“I have been working in the audio-visual world since 2006,” says Cadilhac. “After five years at French AV wholesaler, IXAM, I spent nine years at Christie Digital Systems, where I was first in charge of projector, LED, and media server distribution in the South of France, then across the country for the company’s new ‘Enterprise’ vertical.
“These 14 years of experience in the field mean that I have an excellent grasp of the various distribution networks in France and have buil

USA - Christie has launched the new Pandoras Box V8 Software Licence for realtime video processing and show control.
Featuring a host of new features, a simplified workflow and streamlined licensing, the licence has the full Pandoras Box software family feature suite, allowing it to deliver the high-level media processing performance required for fixed installations, live events, theatres and other entertainment environments, in a budget friendly platform.
The simpler, more robust software supports NDI network streams, offers a comprehensive and deep implementation of Notch and accessibility to native Dante audio without requiring configuration. It can be paired with an existing custom setup or any Christie hardware such as the Pandoras Box Server R5, a new hardware solution with powerful components available in different specifications.
“Pandoras Box software

UK - For Spectre Studios, virtual production (VP) is not a new field. Prior to the pandemic, the company was already using real-time engines and virtual production technologies for their work on Hollywood blockbusters and, last year, set up ICVFX full-service LED VP studio in conjunction with Big Picture, part of the NEP Worldwide Network, using Brompton Tessera LED processing power to drive ROE LED panels.
The climactic moment for Spectre, however, was in November, when the company participated in Epic Games’ Unreal Build: Virtual Production event, where a small number of creative studios across the world were invited to showcase their next-generation tools and techniques which are set to transform filmmaking industry. Brompton Tessera SX40 4K LED processing was used for the video piece that Spectre showed at the event.
“Unreal Build: Virtual Production<

USA - Imaginary Labs has announced the release of their premium subscription-based DMX plugin, Carbon for Unreal. It provides “the tools and assets necessary for professional, real time productions within the powerful framework of Unreal Engine.” Producers, designers, and virtual production professionals will now have a “singularly powerful solution for design development, renderings, visualization, and XR productions”.
David S. Perkins, CEO & chief architect of Imaginary Labs states: “Trustworthiness is the most important aspect of visualization. We want users to trust that what they are seeing in Carbon is a realistic representation of what they should expect to see in the real world. We are devoted to getting this right. At Imaginary Labs, we subscribe to the scientific method, with an open mind towards constant improvement. Combined with our devotion to se

Italy - D-Tools System Integrator is a comprehensive software solution for AV system integrators that improves operating efficiencies by streamlining the entire project workflow - all through a data-driven process that leverages an extensive, integrated product library which now includes Powersoft’s product range.
Powersoft’s partnership with D-Tools provides D-Tools software users with Powersoft’s detailed specification, along with dealer-specific pricing, which minimises time users spend on building catalogues or AV proposals. The software benefits users further by managing budgets and sales, improving opportunities, accurately tracking revenue and expenses, and, due to all of this, increasing profitability, says the company.
In the webinar, Powersoft will teach users how to work with Powersoft’s products within D-Tools’ software. AV system integrators wil

USA - ClearOne, a global provider of audio and visual communications solutions has launched two new webcams with the intention of “making true-to-life video collaboration possible for everyone”.
For users who want to upgrade from the basic camera included in their laptop or PC, ClearOne has introduced its most affordable webcam to-date, UNITE 10. The small, powerful webcam supports up to 1080p video quality and offers autofocus. It can capture five-megapixel images with a field of view up to 87-degrees. UNITE 10 attaches to any PC or laptop with a simple mounting bracket, and a 1.5m USB-A cable ensures simple connection to most modern computers. UNITE 10 is also available to dealers and distributors in 20 packs for commercial sale.
Meanwhile, the new UNITE 50 4K AF webcam introduces ClearOne’s new Auto-Framing technology to maximize screen use through intelligen

Europe - BroaMan and Spiritland OB will co-host a Zoom-based webinar on 14 January, at 14.00hr GMT (15.00 CET, 9.00 EST).
BroaMan’s point-to-point fibre transport solution, based on the Repeat48WDM platform, was selected by one of the UK's leading OB trucks - Spiritland One - to provide a multi-format stagebox system to run multiple video, audio and data signals between stage and truck.
Co-hosts, Spiritland co-founder, Antony Shaw, and BroaMan technical sales manager, Maciek Janiszewski, will present a case study on this advanced system design, and how they evolved such a compact custom solution. The session will incorporate an interactive Q/A.
BroaMan itself offers customised fibre solutions as well as standard devices for every application that requires IP/SDI/HD/3G video transport or routing.
Webinar is at

UK - ON LX Limited has announced the latest release of its bespoke user interface creation tool, Ctrl for iPad. The release features a host of key time-saving and practical features taken directly from user feedback and designed to make configuration and multi-protocol support even faster.
Matt Didon, ON LX’s managing director says: “Our users are the most important part of our product, they heavily drive development and this release was a great opportunity for us to focus on feature requests and meet the changing needs of the industry.”
Alongside the new features and improvements, a new ‘Lite’ license tier has been introduced. ON LX’s James Walton adds: “The motivation behind the Lite tier is to open Ctrl for iPad up to creative applications where full commercial grade interfaces with user permissions and support for HTTP, TCP, UPD and modules simply ar

USA - Located in Nashville, Tennessee, The Belonging Co. (TBCo) is becoming one of the fastest growing in the USA: its congregation has increased from just seven at its outset to many thousands in only six years. Along with weekly worship services, the church also includes a worship collective comprising a number of well-known Nashville-based artists who call the church home, an annual conference, and even a college.
TBCo has always prioritised excellent live production. With a recent video system installation by integrator Diversified, in partnership with THOR AV, developer of LED video walls and headset microphones, TBCo now has a LED video wall to match, driven by Brompton Technology’s Tessera S8 LED processor.
TBCo has lots of experience with LED wall products from multiple manufacturers and of various quality levels, but when it was time to develop the look and

UK - In a year like no other, disguise is celebrating a number of successes, where the company saw the sudden shift to remote performance, production and events, and a new partnership with Epic Games to enhance the delivery of its Extended Reality (xR) solution on a global scale. This year alone has seen over 200 xR projects powered by disguise and in excess of 100 xR stages built around the world in 30+ countries.
In light of the continuing global health crisis that has brought the live events industry to a standstill, disguise has worked hard to provide a lifeline to its community of users. The accelerated development of its xR workflows has shifted the production journey and allowed a number of cancelled shows to resume in a virtual environment. disguise’s response to the COVID-19 impact was also recognised in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100, marking the third consecuti

UK - Creative video specialist Observatory has expanded its senior team with the addition of Simon Harris.
A well-known figure in the visual production world having previously worked for Bryte Design, Green Hippo and Avolites, Simon brings extensive technical video project management and production experience to his new role. Working closely with Observatory founder and principal designer Ben Sheppee, he will be responsible for expanding the global footprint of the business.
“Simon brings a skill set that will strengthen and drive expansion for the business,” says Sheppee. “We have been looking to provide our clients with better technical consultation and end-to-end solutions for our productions, as we continue to innovate with emerging technologies. New and existing clients can look forward to benefiting from Simon’s in-depth knowledge and vision of engaging

France - Nestled 50km southeast of Paris in Maincy, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte is famous for its beautiful gardens dating back to the 17th century and its place as the largest private estate listed as a historical monument. For the last 15 years, the estate has hosted a Christmas show, named Vaux-le-Vicomte’s illuminations, which sends guests on a festive exploration around the 100-acre grounds. In the previous two years, the estate has featured video mapping in its celebrations, and ends the event with a projection on the front of the Château.
This year, the team behind the expansive illuminations, French integrator and rental stager BS Technology, chose to rely on Digital Projection’s M-Vision Laser 21000 WU for the projection mapping of Vaux-le-Vicomte’s façade.
“Digital Projection’s recent ground-breaking technologies, like the remote laser

UK - Scientists at the University of Bath have developed a quick and easy approach for capturing 360° VR photography without using expensive specialist cameras. The system uses a commercially available 360° camera on a rotating selfie stick to capture video footage and create an immersive VR experience.
Virtual reality headsets are becoming increasingly popular for gaming, and with the global pandemic restricting our ability to travel, this system could also be a cheap and easy way to create virtual tours for tourist destinations.
Conventional 360° photography stitches together thousands of shots as you move around one spot. However, it doesn’t retain depth perception, so the scene is distorted and the images look flat.
Whilst state-of-the-art VR photography, which includes depth perception, is available to professional photographers, it requires expensive e

Australia - The National Rugby League Dally M Awards gives kudos to the top players from the premiership season in an annual awards ceremony. Whilst there was no red carpet and certainly no shimmering frocks in sight this year, the awards show amazed its viewers by transforming into a live to air broadcast xR production, brought to life by Big Picture and held at the Fox Sports studios in Sydney.
Brompton Technology’s 4K Tessera SX40 LED processor was a crucial element in the multi camera xR workflow, offering reliable timing and consistency of image at this high-profile event.
“Big Picture has a long-standing relationship with Fox Sports, providing LED and other services to its studio and broadcast projects,” says Josh Moffat, business development at Big Picture. “When their team approached us about the Dally M Awards, we were both thrilled and honoured by the


Italy - Luxury car manufacturer Maserati launched the MC20, the first super sports car of its Trident brand, in an event format powered by disguise xR.
Milan-based Feelrouge Worldwide Shows staged a two-day hybrid event held at the Autodromo di Modena race-track, and broadcast live around the world. The setting included a huge open-air, installation stage with 630 square meters of LED video screens on three different axes, which hosted a series of anamorphic visual effects and augmented and mixed reality content, powered by three disguise gx 2c media servers.
The visual narrative was complemented by a live performance, light show, sound system and original soundtrack. A fleet of 50 Maserati cars from across the years were showcased in the grandstand, creating an evocative drive-in theatre setting for over 500 live guests, accommodated in socially distanced sea

USA - When Caesars Entertainment, who operate the world-renowned Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, planned their next expansion phase - Caesars Forum, a new state-of-the-art conference centre - they needed a first-class technical infrastructure for site wide multi-signal transmission over this large facility, and opted for BroaMan, the video and data based sister company to Optocore.
Locally based design and engineering specialists, National Technology Associates (NTA) have a long track record working with the Caesars Entertainment family, including LINQ promenade, the High Roller, and many restaurants and venues. Thus they were again contracted, and as their project manager Shane Snell recognized the building was way too big to run traditional SDI cabling, he instead turned to a BroaMan fibre solution.
BroaMan offers customised fibre solutions as well as standard d

UK - With its in-person training currently on hold, Brompton Technology has set up an advanced virtual platform to continue offering its global customer base access to the LED processing manufacturer’s renowned training programme.
Brompton’s initial foray into this new venture was a set-up devised by the company’s technical support specialist, Steve Harris, to deliver training videos from his home office during the height of the pandemic. Quickly recognising that a more in-depth approach was needed, the support team adapted the training room at Brompton’s Ealing headquarters to allow the delivery of a more sophisticated training format.
Using a powerful PC, Infiled DB2.6 LED screen, and a Brompton Tessera SX40 processor, the team developed a new environment to demonstrate the Brompton user interface, using a variety of in-depth, interactive ‘explainer’ pa

UK – Luxury fashion brand Dior’s flagship London store has launched its festive Christmas display, unveiling an entirely video mapped frontage powered by a Hippotizer Nevis+ Media Server.
Motion Mapping is masterminding the technical set up, control and running of the festive projections, having been commissioned by Dior’s creative agency to deliver the project.
Motion Mapping’s creative director, Stuart Harris, specified the Nevis+ as the main show control and media player, driving two Panasonic RZ21 projectors protected by Tempest Outdoor Enclosures.
The projection and visual control and manipulation equipment is installed on the roof of Dior’s neighbour Louis Vuitton, which is situated directly opposite in London’s New Bond Street.
“The small form factor of the Nevis+ has made the setup of equipment on the top of a six-storey building, in

UK - During UK Friday night primetime television, disguise showcased its xR technology on Channel 5’s The Gadget Show, highlighting how extended reality offers virtual production and performance in immersive real-time video environments.
The Gadget Show presenter Georgie Barrat was treated to an all-encompassing xR experience, taking in the disguise London HQ and filming a series of one-to-one interviews about the origins and ambitions of xR technology with disguise’s executive leadership team, including CSO Tom Rockhill and CTO Ed Plowman.
The show was also taken across town to experience a cross-location meeting on disguise certified solutions provider White Light’s SmartStage at London’s Science Museum. White Light technical solutions director Andy Hook said, “It was fantastic to see xR and our SmartStage solution getting such a great reacti

UK - Created in conjunction with parent company Clair Global, Britannia Row Production’s Virtual Live Audience (VLA) platform represents the latest in interactional and remote entertainment experiences (watch out for a feature on the new solution in the upcoming LSi December, out next week).
Like video conferencing, music fans and TV audience members utilise a propriety browser-based video platform to experience a live performance or be part of a TV filming production – from the comfort of their home.
However, the VLA experience has been created with real time engagement in mind. The VLA system allows for the performance artist or TV host / panellists to both interact and reconnect with confidence during Covid-19 audience restrictions.
Viewers at home also benefit from multi-camera broadcast feeds and can watch the entertainment remotely while feel

UK - Technical entertainment charity Backup has announced Round 2 of applications for its Hardship Fund is now open.
The fund was launched in October with the aim to provide limited financial assistance to production crew and those working in the technical supply chain across the UK entertainment sector. Set up just ahead of the then-concluding Self-Employment Income Support and Job Retention schemes, it originally targeted those in the community who had been unable to receive any state or charitable assistance.
But Round 2 will be open to workers who have been awarded up to £5,000 in funding between 1 April and 30 November.
“The application uptake for Round 1 of the Hardship Fund reaffirmed to us how dire it is financially and that this help could not come soon enough for many or our colleagues,” comments Backup chairman John Simpson. “It has been heart

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