Video and AV

ETC will operate High End as a separate company located in its current Austin, Texas, USA facility

ETC acquires High End Systems

Details: 03 April 2017

USA - ETC and High End Systems have confirmed they are joining forces as ETC completes the acquisition of the Austin, TX based company from Barco Inc.
ETC CEO Fred Foster says, “We welcome the High End team to the ETC family. ETC will provide a supportive environment enabling High End to continue to innovate and make great products for the industry.”
Under the ETC umbrella, High End gains the oversight of an experienced lighting industry team to grow its capabilities in service, support, and product development. “Bringing High End to the family furthers our goal of growing and diversifying ETC. We plan to help High End become a market leader for live event industry products,” says David Lincecum, VP of marketing at ETC.
ETC will operate High End as a separate company located in its current Austin, Texas, USA facility. High End customers should continue

Bo Jordansen joins as head of sales and Michael Rumph as the new product manager for the company’s AV offerings

Neets aims to expand international footprint

Details: 31 March 2017

Denmark - Scandinavian supplier of AV equipment Neets has announced two new additions to the company: Bo Jordansen joins as head of sales and Michael Rumph as the new product manager for the company’s AV offerings.
Together, these new appointments will strengthen the company’s focus on placing customers at the heart of its products and expanding the company’s international footprint.
As product manager, Michael will be responsible for leading cross-functional efforts to develop innovative and customer-centric products. He will support Neets in its continued efforts to make life easier for presenters around the world and stay focused on customer needs. With over 20 years’ experience working within both sales and systems design in the AV industry, Michael is well equipped to take on this new role.
Michael said, “Neets is well-known for delivering high-qua

The 2017 SEMTA Awards event was staged in the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London

CPL provides full production for SEMTA Awards

Details: 30 March 2017

UK - CPL (Central Presentations Limited), working for producers Eclipse Communications, provided a full technical production package – video, lighting and sound - to the 2017 SEMTA Awards event staged in the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London.
The Senior Skills Council for Science, Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA) is a not-for-profit organisation specialising in engineering training in the UK. Its high profile annual Awards event recognises excellence within their various nationwide apprenticeship schemes.
The CPL team was led by Lee Gruszeckyj. It was the fourth consecutive year for CPL in this role, and as the success and visibility of the event has advanced each year, so has the commitment to increasing the production values. It was the second time the Awards has been staged at this venue where awards in nine categories were pres

AV Stumpfl global business development manager Horst Damoser - We are very happy that Wilhelm & Willhalm have chosen our Wings media server and show control solutions on many occasions

Wilhelm & Willhalm invests in AV Stumpfl servers

Details: 29 March 2017

Germany - Wilhelm & Willhalm, the German event technology and installation specialists, recently invested in two Wings Engine RAW media servers, capable of playing out uncompressed content up to and beyond 4K.
Since the founding of Wilhelm & Willhalm in 1991, the privately held company's comprehensive service portfolio and innovative AV solutions have been the foundation for their continued success.
The planning and technical realisation of the award-winning FC Bayern Munich's Erlebniswelt project established Wilhelm & Willhalm beyond the borders of Germany as one of Europe's leading service providers in the event and installation market.
AV Stumpfl global business development manager Horst Damoser commented on the long-standing business relationship, "We are very happy that Wilhelm & Willhalm have chosen our Wings media server and show control so

Creative Technology merges Mediatec UK into London operation

Details: 29 March 2017

UK - Creative Technology Ltd (CT) is pleased to announce that following the acquisition of the company by NEP in January 2017, the UK division of sister company Mediatec will be merged with and rebranded CT from 1 April 2017.
Mediatec UK has been providing LED screens and associated production services to a small portfolio of prestige clients across the sporting and corporate event sectors since 2003. The merger with CT will allow the team access to a significantly larger pool of technical and operational resources.
The business will continue to operate from its current premises in Sunbury on Thames during the busy summer period, however it is expected to relocate to CT’s Crawley headquarters during the second half of 2017, allowing the combined business to fully realise the opportunities arising from collective resources.
Dave Crump, CEO of CT Group commented:

The flagship Wings Engine Raw 8K server is claimed to be the world’s most powerful media server of its kind for uncompressed content playback

PL+S: AV Stumpfl debuts Stage server and Monoclip

Details: 28 March 2017

Germany - Austria’s AV Stumpfl returns to Frankfurt with a broad line-up of high-performance media server products and projection screens for the live entertainment space. The AV Stumpfl philosophy applied to each product is built around enabling faster set up time, lower maintenance requirements, portability and a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), the company says.
New to Prolight+sound will be the fully upgraded Wings Engine Stage media server. Technical director Fred Neulinger describes the new server, "The original Wings Engine Stage was already very robust and built from stainless steel. For the new Wings Engine Stage, we created an improved system architecture that is even more shock absorbent and is truly fantastic for all rental and staging environments.
“It has a more powerful processor and new display port outputs, in addition to framelock and genlock

Green Hippo appoints DWR Distribution in SA

Details: 28 March 2017

South Africa - Green Hippo, manufacturers of the Hippotizer Media Server range, have appointed DWR Distribution as South African distributor.
Hippotizer Media Servers have been on some of the most highly recognized events worldwide, including Eurovision, The Academy Awards and the Super Bowl half-time shows. Theatre spectaculars such as Love Never Dies in the West End and American Idiot on Broadway utilise the system due to its ﬂexibility during production periods and concert tours for artists such as Beyoncé, Jay Z, and Madonna have proven its reliability out on the road.
This May, in conjunction with Green Hippo, DWR Distribution will be heading out for the South African Hippotizer roadshow, visiting Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. This roadshow will showcase the latest developments from Hippotizer V4, including SHAPE 3D Mapping and their creativ

As well as various VR demonstrations, PRG XL Video Germany will be presenting several its own products

PL+S: PRG XL Video plans significant presence

Details: 27 March 2017

Germany - PRG XL Video will once again have a significant presence at this year's Prolight+Sound.
The action gets underway the evening before the show, with the presentation of the PRG XL sponsored Live Entertainment Awards (LEA), for which PRG is the overall technical service provider. The creative responsibility, as in previous years, will rest with Jerry Appelt and bright! As soon as the main Prolight+Sounds show opens, visitors to the Festhalle will be able to examine the stage used, including all the installations and effects, and attend regularly scheduled demo shows. This year, the music for the demo show was composed by the band FOXOS, who will also be performing live in the Festhalle.
One of the dominant themes of this year's event will be 360-degree streaming. Not only will the LEA gala be broadcast for the first time as a Full HD live stream over the Interne

Steve Pattison at FOH for Jack Whitehall’s At Large tour (photo: Shirlaine Forrest)

DiGiCo At Large with Jack Whitehall

Details: 27 March 2017

UK - Rental company Adlib continues its work with top comedians, having just supplied full production – sound, lighting and video – for Jack Whitehall’s sold out, three week At Large UK arena tour. The Liverpool based company previously supplied production for his ground-breaking 2014 arena tour, which was staged in the round.
Having appropriate production in the right proportions and places is a key to delivering comedy on a large scale. It is about presenting this very intimate and personal style of entertainment and communication in a way that ensures audiences in larger venues enjoy all the same essential experiences as a one-to-one scenario.
Steve ‘Patto’ Pattison mixed front-of-house, working with a strong team from Adlib including monitor engineer / sound crew chief Marc Peers and systems tech Tony Szabo, who was responsible for the precision and detai

At the centre of the rig t was a massive PVP X6IP video wall set behind a 21' tall by 24' wide heart-shaped truss structure

PVP panels add flexibility to CRUSH Dallas stage

Details: 24 March 2017

USA - Versatility is a key ingredient in any lighting rig that Creative Production & Design builds for a multi-artist show. This was especially evident recently when the Austin, Texas-based company created a lighting and video show for CRUSH Dallas 2017, part of a four-city Insomniac production. Their immersive, high octane rig engaged the packed house at the South Side Ballroom, while also supporting the diverse musical styles of artists on stage, thanks in part to a massive collection of PVP X6IP LED video panels from Chauvet Professional.
“My business partner Justin Jenkins and I always try to make our show designs flexible and well rounded,” said Dan Wyatt of Creative Production & Design (CPD), who served as the production manager and designer on the project. “This event was no different. Not only did we have DJs like Yellow Claw that just need a table full

Sidev managing director Mathieu Payet and Atlona general manager Ronni Guggenheim shake hands at the official signing during ISE 2017 in Amsterdam

Sidev Display Systems joins Atlona network

Details: 23 March 2017

France - Atlona has bolstered its global partner network with the appointment of Sidev Display Systems as its new distribution partner in France. Sidev will join forces with Atlona’s local sales team in France, including Christophe Gaborit and Kevin Andry, to strengthen Atlona’s presence across the nation.
In addition to distributing Atlona’s complete solutions portfolio, the Sidev team will provide technical services for systems integrators, resellers, consultants, and end users across the sales, installation and commissioning process. Sidev’s presence in France, which includes show rooms in Paris and Lyon, offers two central locations for education and training purposes related to Atlona products.
“With more than 20 years of experience in the audio-visual market, a track record for quick delivery, and a reputation for supporting many of the industry’s str

CPL’s Matthew Boyce (Max) and Sam Thomas

CPL Technical Sales is launched

Details: 20 March 2017

UK - Technical production and rental specialist Central Presentations Limited (CPL) has launched a new division – CPL Technical Sales - to focus on the sales of selected product lines, all of which CPL carries in its rental inventory.
CPL Technical Sales will be based at CPL’s facility in West Midlands, UK, headed by Sam Thomas. The aim is to cross-rent only to other professional AV / rental companies and organisations, in the process supporting the selected brands through CPL’s extensive working knowledge of them, providing fully comprehensive backup.
So far, the list includes Analog Way, Avolites, Connex, Denon Professional, DPA Microphones, ETC, Extron, Fiberfox, Interspace Industries, Kramer, Lightware, Marantz, Panasonic Business, Sennheiser, Shure and Unicol. More will be added as CPL Technical Sales develops its business.
CPL Technical Sales will als

PLASA Focus Leeds is free to attend and will return to The Royal Armouries Museum from 9 - 10 May, 2017

PLASA Focus Leeds returns with a top seminar schedule for 2017

Details: 20 March 2017

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds is back with a stellar line-up of seminar sessions and speakers for this year’s event on 9-10 May at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. The free to attend exhibition is a leading platform for the entertainment industry, offering an opportunity to discover the very latest technology including products from recent international launches.
Speakers this year include James Simpson, lighting visualiser at the Royal Opera House, who will be discussing the latest technologies in use at the Royal Opera House, with a look at how some recent projects have been technically achieved. Simpson will also be talking for the first time about an exciting new R&D project being developed at the ROH which uses Augmented Reality technology to create new opportunities for design teams to visualise their ideas – the talk will include a live demonstration.
The f

Limited Edition Event Design awarded the red carpet in London’s Leicester Square with a 36m long Kong-worthy video wall

Chauvet video wall for King Kong premier

Details: 17 March 2017

UK - Since the world’s most famous oversized gorilla first appeared on cinema screens in 1933, King Kong has become one of the most renowned movie icons, with countless comics, video games and theme park rides adding to a string of film remakes. Now the iconic ape has surfaced again with the release of the Warner Bros. film Kong: Skull Island.
For the recent UK premier of the highly anticipated film, Limited Edition Event Design awarded the red carpet in London’s Leicester Square with a 36m long Kong-worthy video wall to display graphic content and film related video, utilising 216 Chauvet Professional PVP X6IP LED video panels, supplied by Impact Production Services.
The low 6.9mm pixel pitch and the 4,500 NITS of the PVP X6IP panels provided the perfect solution to display video and King Kong graphics with exceptional visual clarity both during the

Backup’s chairman, John Simpson, welcomed guests to The Hospital Club in London’s Covent Garden (photo courtesy of Scott Willsallen)

Backup charity raises awareness at special event

Details: 17 March 2017

UK – Supporters and trustees of Backup - The Technical Entertainment Charity - gathered in London on Monday evening to help raise the profile of the charity’s new name and logo in entertainment industry. Around 80 guests attended the event, which included live entertainment from Jay Johnson.
Backup exists to provide financial support to technical professionals working in live events, theatre, TV and film, helping them to get back on their feet when their lives are disrupted by illness or injury to themselves or to family members. Previously known as Behind The Scenes UK, the charity changed its name to Backup in 2016.
Backup’s chairman, John Simpson, welcomed guests to The Hospital Club in London’s Covent Garden, which generously sponsored the event. He reiterated the purpose of the charity by highlighting some of its achievements to date. “We have helped a n

For Incoming, conceptual documentary photographer Richard Mosse worked in collaboration with composer Ben Frost and cinematographer Trevor Tweeten

Thermal images and new technology at the Barbican

Details: 16 March 2017

UK - An extraordinary new exhibition at the Barbican uses a military camera capable of detecting an individual from 30.3km distance, day or night, to make a visceral three-channel video installation about the journeys of refugees fleeing conflict.
Christie M Series 3DLP projectors were designed with features able to show the luminous footage, with remarkable detail and clarity, at a greatly enlarged size. The immersive quality of the projection not only underlines how technology is putting new tools in the hands of artists, but how those tools combine to create new art forms, content possibilities and – ultimately – new experiences to keep audiences engaged. “We’ve had a record 20,000 visitors in three weeks with over 2,400 on the opening weekend,” said Alona Pardo, curator at the Barbican.
For Incoming, conceptual documentary photographer and Deutsche Börse

Roland de Groot, technical director Eurotek; Brendan Gorman, CTO, Eurotek; Noel McMahon, technical sales, Eurotek; Tony Lanigan, technical director, AVtek Solutions; Andrew Gordon, director of business development, CAST BlackTrax.

Eurotek invests in BlackTrax

Details: 16 March 2017

Ireland - Coinciding with the company’s 50th anniversary, Irish broadcast, AV and video conferencing experts, Eurotek have taken delivery of BlackTrax real-time motion tracking system. The purchase meets the exponential requirement for clients within the broadcast technology, Audio Visual, VFX and communications industry requiring real-time motion tracking throughout Ireland.
“Eurotek has made a commitment to focus on growth, and new projects in our home country are central to this expansion. The projects we work on are getting much more complex, and systems like BlackTrax will enable us to deliver impactful and compelling presentations to clients,” said Noel McMahon, technical sales & business development at Eurotek.
“The BlackTrax system is already used by our sister company AVtek for live event projects, so we’ve invested in a further system.
“

Ken Sampei, co-founder and director of Visual System division at Mix Wave, Inc.

Mix Wave is new AV Stumpfl distributor for Japan

Details: 16 March 2017

Japan - AV Stumpfl, the Austrian AV technology manufacturer, recently announced the Japanese company Mix Wave, Inc. as their exclusive media server and show control distributor for Japan. Mix Wave is well known for professional AV product distribution and related services in Japan.
AV Stumpfl’s global business development manager Horst Damoser commented on the announcement, which was made public for the first time at this year’s ISE exhibition in Amsterdam: “Japan is without doubt a country with very discerning AV technology customers, for whom superior product quality is of great importance. We have a very successful and constructive relationship with our projection screen customers in Japan and are looking forward to growing the media server and show control side of things with the help of Mix Wave. Their great reputation and their experience with media server relate

Creative Technology working with Line Up provided their full suite of services to support the event

CT delivers for Mobile World Congress 2017

Details: 15 March 2017

Spain - Held at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress draws together leaders from the world’s largest and most influential companies in the mobile ecosystem, as well as government delegations from across the globe.
Creative Technology (CT), contracted by the Fira and working with creative communications and brand experience agency Line Up for the GSMA, provided their full suite of services to support the Mobile World Congress Conference and Ministerial Programme.
Project managed by CT’s Mick Jones and Nick Whitehead, these programmes utilised video, projection, cameras, audio, digital signage using CT’s Mercury system, PowerPoint management software using CT’s Apollo system, full networking, IT infrastructure and streaming services.
Almost 100 crew members from every CT service and department were on site for this project, for

inspHire launches new website and branding

Details: 13 March 2017

UK - inspHire has introduced its new global website. Cementing inspHire’s position as a leading promoter of hire software globally, with offices in UK, USA, Netherlands and Australia, the user-friendly site provides a hub of information about the hire management software provider; from innovative products and customer case studies to company news and values.
The new website features customer case studies, as well as inspHire’s latest software updates and product developments. Over 2200 hire companies are already utilising inspHire software, the company says.

The finals of the FIRST Lego League Challenge: Animal Allies were held at Bristol University

Evans Audio Visual accepts Lego challenge

Details: 10 March 2017

UK - Hundreds of aspiring young engineers and roboticists took part in an exciting science and technology challenge at the University of the West of England in Bristol. The finals of the FIRST Lego League Challenge: Animal Allies were held in the university’s Exhibition and Conference Centre on Sunday 26 February.
Evans Audio Visual Staging teamed up with Utopium to supply sound and lighting to the event, which was part of a global Lego-based robotics contest, and featured tens of thousands of young people. For the sound installation, working with the in-house PA system Evans supported that by installing two Yamaha QL1’s with two channels of Shure ULXD radios on a Dante network. The Evans team connected the main competition space with the studio to allow the Institute of Engineering and Technology to stream the event live on YouTube.
Helping add to the interactive

Painting with Light was commissioned by Panasonic to produce a high-impact multimedia live show for their stand

Painting With Light helps Panasonic at ISE

Details: 03 March 2017

The Netherlands - International creative design practice Painting with Light was commissioned by Panasonic to produce a high-impact multimedia live show for their stand at the 2017 ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) expo at Amsterdam RAI.
Painting with Light’s creative director Luc Peumans initiated the idea of simultaneous tracking and projecting onto multiple objects. It was a mission for which no-one could calculate a potential success rate in the confined and frenetic space of an exhibition booth.
Panasonic’s Hartmut Kulessa and Thomas Vertommen, both in charge of the Visual Systems Marketing, first asked the question which fired Luc’s love for creative risk and experimentation - setting a trail of events in motion. “Luc’s vision and determination plus the unwavering support from Hartmut and Thomas were real driving forces,” confirms Michael Al Far, Paint

The Maltese government has adventurous plans to restore the Cittadella as a World Heritage site and museum

Wings over the Maltese Cittadella

Details: 03 March 2017

Malta - The walled Cittadella on the Maltese Island of Gozo has been of strategic importance since the Phoenicians first set out in boats to trade with their neighbours more than a thousand years before the beginnings of the Roman Empire. Over the centuries, the fortifications were regularly extended and improved by whoever had taken possession of the island at the time. Ironically, 300 years without a siege has meant that it has been allowed to lapse into serious decay.
The Maltese government has adventurous plans to restore the Cittadella as a World Heritage site and museum to cater for the wave of tourists beginning to pour on to Gozo for its natural beauty. Renowned museum and attraction design and AV specialists Sarner International were engaged to design and implement an unusual experimental visitors’ centre located in the Cittadella’s abandoned water storage rese

PRG XL Video moves to larger London location

Details: 23 February 2017

UK - PRG XL Video, the UK operation of Production Resource Group (PRG), has moved to a new, larger, London location. Continuing its strategy for growth, the company has relocated within Central London.
The office, in the very heart of London’s theatreland, houses sales and support teams from four major market sectors – concert touring, theatre, television and film, and corporate and events. The location at 77 St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden includes space for PRG XL permanent staff, hot desking space for clients and creatives to visit, and multiple meeting rooms, which are not only used by PRG XL’s own teams, but are utilised by industry organisations for their regular board meetings.
PRG XL Video’s director of human resources, Alistair Todd comments: “The space has been designed not only to house our growing team, but also as a hub of creativity for client

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