Germany - As part of its Fine Pixel Generation campaign, Absen will give centre stage to its headline touring product - the Aries Series - at Prolight + Sound 2019.
The tradeshow will also allow the company to exhibit the capabilities of its award-winning Polaris Series. These products, and more, can be found on Absen’s stand in Hall 4.0, E35.
Absen recently celebrated its 10th straight year as the #1 Chinese export brand for LED displays - a feat that was thanks in no small part to the strength of its rental products - and intends to retain this title with the help of the Fine Pixel Generation’s newest members.
Absen’s new Aries Series is the company’s first NPP range that has been specially designed to meet the growing demand for sub-2mm fine pitch LED in rental staging applications such as auto shows, high-end conferences and live broadcasts. Support

UK - Pearce Hire has claimed the Best Power Supplier Award at the recent Event Production Awards (EPAs), held at Novotel London West on 19 March.
The company provides production services and dry hire to over 2,000 events each year and is set to work on projects including Lovebox, Forest Live series, Classic Ibiza, Detonate Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival and Equifest in 2019.
“It is a huge accolade to have even been shortlisted for an Event Production Award, as we have also been a finalist for a TPI Award and a Festival Supplier Award this season. But to actually win the EPA for Best Power Supplier was really the icing on the cake,” says Shaun Pearce, managing director, Pearce Hire.
“I am extremely proud of the hard work and commitment our dedicated staff and crew put into our projects throughout the year, and a big thank you goes to every one of them.

Belgium - Fisheye, Painting with Light, PRG Belgium and WIcreations - four of the technical partners involved in the 40-45 Spektakel Musical production - have been featured in a behind-the-scenes film.
40-45 Spektakel Musical is being staged at the Pop-Up Theatre in Puurs by Studio 100.
The short film, available for free on YouTube, was shot during the set up and first weeks of the production and features clips from the show as well as exclusive interviews with director Frank van Laecke, technical director Bart Caels from B-Art Production Design, creative lighting expert and video designer Luc Peumans, innovative entertainment engineering specialist Hans Willems, Fish

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) hosted a Seeing is Believing event featuring leading video brands NovaStar, Prolights and Green Hippo, with nearly 80 delegates attending the training and demonstration day on 6 March.
Held at Production Park in Wakefield, the day provided specialist training for professional video users on NovaStar's award-winning LED display processing solutions, to get the optimum picture results out of video screens.
The products were demonstrated using Prolights' flagship OmegaPIX LED displays, which feature NovaStar's A8s card to deliver stunning image quality. Content was fed from a Green Hippo Hippotizer V4+ Boreal media server.
The event was geared for all levels of video user, from novices through to highly experienced professionals, and attended by rental companies, designers and AV installers from a wide range of se

Germany - Malte Polli-Holstein, key account manager for maritime projects at Hamburg-based system integrator Amptown System Company (ASC), and his team have recently finished integrating media technology into the entertainment surfaces on the AIDAnova, the first cruise ship in AIDA Cruises’ Helios class.
The ship was put into service in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in December 2018. It has more than 2,600 cabins, and is the first cruise ship to be run entirely on liquefied natural gas (LNG) in keeping with the concept of green cruising.
“In the highly competitive cruise market, it’s important for a shipping company to set itself apart from its competitors. A great deal has been done with the entertainment offerings and the restaurants on the AIDAnova to wow the guests even more,” explains Polli-Holstein. “We and the shipping company literally started with a blan

China - LED video processors manufacturer Brompton Technology has opened a new China office.
Based in High Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan, in Shenzhen, the new office was opened in response to customer requests.
“At the first few meetings I had with potential customers in China, there were two immediate comments made,” explains Elijah Ebo, Brompton’s general manager (China). “I was told, ‘It’s nice to meet you, but we don’t speak English, so you’ll struggle to deal with us,’ and ‘London [where Brompton’s head office is located] is a long way away and the time difference is considerable. But if you had an office here . . .’”
In response, Brompton had employed two Chinese speaking field application engineers (FAEs) to help its customers with system design and technical support, whilst Elijah, who is also learning Mandarin, started to travel

UK - Hundreds of television buyers from across the globe headed to ACC Liverpool for BBC Studios Showcase 2019. Taking place on 17-20 February, the event brought together producers, talent and BBC executives as well as Britain’s most successful creatives. For the 13th year running, creative technical event production company Hawthorn supported BBC Studios to showcase its premium programmes, delivering two hotly-anticipated evening events.
Previously known as BBC Worldwide Showcase, the 2019 event marked a new chapter for Showcase, the first year under the Studios banner. Celebrating British creativity, the exclusive events previewed some of the BBC’s new programmes including Top Gear, The Planets and One Planet: Seven Worlds. Led by the BBC Studios team, Hawthorn’s group creative director Peter Harding helped to produce and deliver a production des

Europe - ROE Visual Europe has appointed Erik Baum to lead business development in the DACH region.
“Having worked in the AV market for several notable partners in various sales roles, Baum is the perfect candidate to further grow our brand in the German speaking region” comments Roelof Bouwman, “We’re delighted to have him joining our team.”
Operating from the Munich area, Baum is close to the market and able to react swift whenever product or sales support is needed.
“Combining his likeable personality with great commercial skills, Baum offers the perfect support for our German speaking clientele, catering for their commercial needs as well as growing our business in the region,” continues Bouwman.
“Working with ROE Visual products for a long time, I have experienced what a great product it is. I’m very pleased to join the professional t

Europe - AVIXA reports that there are now 1,000 AV professionals with a Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) certification in Europe.
“This marks a significant milestone in AVIXA’s development in the European market,” said Chris Lavelle, senior director of development Europe, AVIXA. “The AV market is flourishing in the region, and we are thrilled that many industry members are committing to professional development. CTS holders across Europe are reaping the benefits of their hard work, with the programme allowing dedicated AV professionals to stand out from the crowd and prove their expertise.
“We would like to congratulate all our CTS holders for achieving this hard-earned credential, and we look forward to seeing them utilize their knowledge to deliver outstanding integrated experiences.”
(Jim Evans)

Germany - The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) has upgraded the highly specialised audio setup at its Ilmenau headquarters with the installation of Powersoft’s Ottocanali 4K4 DSP+D amplifier platforms.
Fraunhofer IDMT - which focuses on applied research in the field of audiovisual media - is widely known for developing technologies for the digital media industry.
The institute has made the decision to invest in a new range of Powersoft Ottocanali 4k4 DSP+D amplifier platforms, further strengthening its long-standing relationship with the manufacturer.
René Rodigast, business manager in the acoustics department at Fraunhofer IDMT, commented: “We have a long story with Powersoft and have developed a good understanding of their systems over the years. Back when we installed our first Powersoft amplifiers here, we had direct contact to

France - The Fête des Lumières in Lyon is a regular event in the French city’s calendar, taking place annually in early December.
Having first participated in the festival in 2017 with the show Guignol Sur La Colline presented on the facade of the Collège Jean Moulin, Portuguese creative studio and multimedia company OCUBO returned in 2018 to work on a projection on the façade of the Saint-Jean Cathedral. Pigments de Lumière was the recipient of the Trophée des Partenaires awarded each year by the festival’s partners to the best artistic showcase.
Inspired by a quote from author Goethe, who says "colours are actions from light”, Pigments de Lumière was conceived as an abstract tribute to and celebration of all the colours that make up light, represented one by one through an exciting succession of different effects.
Nuno Maya, C

The Netherlands - Creative design practice Painting with Light was behind the delivery of the live performance show on the Panasonic stand at the 2019 Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) expo in Amsterdam.
Under the creative direction of Luc Peumans, for the third consecutive year, the Painting with Light team presented a specially-choreographed five-minute dance show, complete with bespoke video content and a special soundtrack for which they commissioned Frank de Wulf to direct - and sourced two dancers from the Véronique Lenaers school of ballet.
This showcased some of Panasonic’s latest technologies, including the new ET-D3LEF70 high resolution fisheye lenses for immersive projection applications and a new technical collaboration between Panasonic and AV Stumpfl, which has resulted in the development of their Pixera media server.
The fast-paced, colourful and

Poland - Intel Extreme Masters - one of the largest e-sports events in the world - features a multimedia stage that has become synonymous with the event.
The structure of the stage with its distinctive scaffolding was originally introduced in 2015, and the look has since become a signature feature of IEM Katowice.
For the 2019 edition, the design features large automated LED screens on the central part of main stage, from which pro gamers enter the stage. The catwalk where the IEM trophy is located, has been completely reworked and combined with the rest of the stage.
Despite set changes the lighting design has been completely renewed, featuring new lighting fixtures and LED bar frames built around the screens behind the teams. Almost 400sq.m of LED screens were used and 650 lighting units.
“Every year we are trying to introduce something new to the stage

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has launched a new website to showcase its portfolio of technologies.
Created to deliver a better overall user experience, www.ac-et.com features a cleaner design, improved menu functionality with faster navigation, and is now fully responsive, adapting to the best layout for viewing on mobile, tablet and desktop.
The website also reflects AC-ET's position as a one-stop supplier of lighting, rigging, video, audio and related technologies.
AC-ET's UK sales and purchasing director, Jonathan Walters comments: "We are delighted to share our new website with you. The team have been working tirelessly to create a high-quality website, which reflects our (AC-ET’s) world-class products and services. We are confident that the smarter, slicker design will enable easier and quicker browsing to ensure you find the right products

Australia - DirectOut is establishing a cooperation with tm stagetec systems as their new distributor. The two companies will be offering the entire DirectOut product portfolio to the Australian market.
Based in Sydney, tm stagetec systems specialises in high-end audio, video, PA and intercom solutions for institutions and enterprises and is also invested in product research, development and manufacturing.
Treva Head, managing director of tm stagetec systems, comments: “DirectOut is a perfect fit for us. Both the philosophy of the products and the diverse range they cover will help tm stagetec systems better serve our customers in both broadcast and pro audio markets. With the suite of audio over IP solutions and the intuitive globcon software, DirectOut provides tools to solve many customers’ problems. We are excited to represent DirectOut and further build thei

UK - Green Hippo has announced the appointment of David March as head of sales and marketing. March will report directly to Green Hippo’s business unit director, Emma Marlow. He will take responsibility for Green Hippo’s sales and marketing strategy in EMEA and Asia.
March comes to Green Hippo from VER where he most recently served as head of VER Lighting Europe & Aurora Lighting. He began his career as a rental assistant at Vari-Lite Europe ultimately becoming general manager at Vari-Lite Production Services. Since then he has held a number of leadership positions in the lighting and live events sector, including roles at Philips Entertainment, PRG Distribution and AED Distribution UK Limited.
"I am thrilled to be joining the most exciting and innovative brand in its sector. Hippotizer continues to go from strength to strength, and I look forward to helping th

The Netherlands - Absen has appointed Van Domburg Partners as its official distributor in Benelux.
The announcement follows the earlier appointment of Kern & Stelly as Absen’s Germany and Austria distributor and is expected to further strengthen the Chinese LED display manufacturer’s presence on the continent.
Based in the Netherlands, Van Domburg Partners is part of the Midwich Group and distributes a range of AV solutions.
Emma Liu, regional director for Absen in Benelux, comments: “We are excited to have Van Domburg Partners as our distribution partner and are looking forward to working closely with them on opportunities in the Benelux region. They are a forward-thinking company with an excellent reputation for quality and service, helping to strengthen Ab

Europe - ArKaos has released a performance boost to its flagship MediaMaster 5 realtime video control software platform.
The new software version (v5.4) will boost rendering and performance of this powerful and flexible control system by 33% utilising the same hardware. This had been extensively tested on ArKaos’ current media server range.
Part of this boost will be delivered by the utilisation of a GPU accelerated codec, HAP, which dramatically speeds up the decoding elements of the process.
This technology is in line with the latest existing 4K media servers, including those coming to the market.
The new MediaMaster 5 with optimised decoding also offers enhanced surface control and superior rendering, which was recently demonstrated working in conjunction with nine ArKaos 4K media servers on the latest series of Dancing on Ice in Germany.

Poland/UK - LED display manufacturer Unilumin has announced a new stock centre relationship with Poland’s Visualsupport to service the Eastern Europe AV market. Kraków-based Visualsupport will now hold increased Unilumin stock, supplying equipment and support for corporate events, festivals, exhibitions and concerts.
The Eastern Europe stock centre operator Visualsupport boasts an experienced team of producers and multimedia technicians and supplies a range of leading technology solutions. With the agreement, Visualsupport now stocks over 500m² of the Unilumin UpdadIII 2.6 LED panel, which benefits from a modular design and quick assembly.
"The Unilumin Upad III P2.6 is well designed and very reliable product that Visualsupport has been using for over three years for a range of projects,” comments Michał Płocienniak, CEO of Visualsupport. “We are delighted

USA - Business development specialist Jeff Meyer has joined AV solutions integrator OSA International (OSA). An industry veteran, Meyer has 35 years of experience in live sound and video for corporate events. Based at OSA’s Las Vegas office, he will be responsible for developing new business relationships and expanding sales of LED technology.
Meyer joins from Video Equipment Rentals (VER), where he worked business development and account management since 2010. Prior to that, he spent over 23 years at Creative Technology (formerly Media Control). Meyer joined Media Control as a sound engineer and warehouse technician in 1987. He then became a project manager in 1990 and went on to take up the roles of operations manager and subsequently, general manager. 
(Jim Evans)

UAE - In January 2019, The AFC Asian Cup returned to the UAE for the second time since 1996 and - for the first time - the month-long tournament saw 24 teams take part. It is the largest sporting tournament the UAE has ever hosted and took place over eight stadia across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and Sharjah.
Over 5,000 volunteers were on hand to ensure the event ran smoothly, taking on various roles from operations and logistics to media management and hospitality.
Creative Technology (CT) supplied perimeter LED for five of the eight stadiums that were dotted around the UAE on behalf of client, Sports Logistics. Each stadium had 252m of S10 perimeter LED around the ground which was used to display advertising and sponsorship content throughout the games.
CT’s project manager, Darko Rosenberg explains: “The team has been travelling up and down the country mo

Germany - LED display manufacturer Absen has appointed Kern & Stelly Medientechnik as its official distributor for Germany and Austria. The agreement was announced at ISE 2019 in Amsterdam.
Kern & Stelly, part of the Midwich Group, is a large AV solutions distributor based in Hamburg. Leon Ye, regional director DACH at Absen, comments: "With Kern & Stelly, we have found a dynamic partner with whom we share a common strategic alignment in the LED market. Together with the team of experts from Kern & Stelly, we can provide individual advice and personal support for the specialist trade partners. We are looking forward to the cooperation."
As well as signalling the next step in Absen’s European expansion, the partnership is also in line with Kern & Stelly’s ambitions to diversify its own product range to include flexible LED walls and a greater ran

Italy - Claypaky has announced its commitment to ArKaos’s Kling-Net protocol, which will now be embedded in its newest HY B-EYE product line.
Giovanni Zucchinali, Claypaky’s product portfolio manager, explains: “As the current and future requirements of lighting and visual design are so dynamic and fast-moving, lighting designers, programmers and operators need the most flexible and creative tools at their fingertips. We see a strong trend for one of those future developments being moving heads and pixel fixtures increasingly working in conjunction with video content.”
The new Claypaky HY B-EYE K25 and HY B-EYE K15 recently introduced to the market, are supplied with ArKaos Kling-Net as standard and already included in the firmware.
“This new and interesting feature greatly expands the already rich effects of the HY B-EYE range, making it an even more

UK - Notch, the visual creation tool for interactive motion graphics, is set to incorporate ray tracing into the software's realtime workflow as part of an upcoming March release (0.9.22). The news was announced at NotchCon, the inaugural Notch conference held in London in January.
Ray tracing, an advanced graphics rendering technique that has long been used for non-realtime rendering, provides realistic lighting by simulating the physical behaviour of light. It is the foundation of visual effects used in movies and TV and will provide a ‘significant jump’ in visual precision directly inside Notch, says the company.
Matt Swoboda, founder of Notch, comments: “At Notch, we’re committed to making software for content creators that is flexible and scalable. We enable people to realize their creative ideas and improve their workflow, through the power of rendering i

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