Video and AV

grand iMAge from grandMA

Details: 14 March 2016

Germany - From an artistic point of view, the use of video and image manipulation is becoming more and more a central element in a wide range of different productions; at the same time, "digital lighting" is also becoming increasingly widespread with the expanding number of inexpensive and significantly brighter LCD and DLP projectors available.

grandMA video has been designed to provide an optimal solution to meet these requirements. As a result, grandMA video is capable of controlling, by means of the grandMA consoles, any commercially available pc server hardware and the video projector plugged into this server.

In cooperation with Publitec, MA Lighting also offer an integrated system solution consisting of special 19" server hardware (publitec proVideor) and moving video lights (beaMovers), which are based on a modular design. The grandMA consoles are at the

Sanremo with Lighthouse

Details: 14 March 2016

Italy - Now in its 55th year, the Festival di Sanremo is Italy's own, and longer running, version of Eurovision. As usual, it took place in the Teatro Ariston di Sanremo from 1-5 March. It is always a visually spectacular affair and this year was no exception.

This year saw a whole new format to the show, which was broadcast across Italy on national TV station RAI. Hosts were Paolo Bonolis, director of the show, and popular TV personality, Antonella Clerici. Guest Stars included Mike Tyson, Vasco Rossi, Gwen Stefani, Michael Buble, Wil Smith and Argentinian singer Lola Ponce. The competition resembled Pop Idol, with two members of each group voted out and the remaining artists merged into one group, this continued until the winner was decided.

AV rental company Eurovideo developed a new concept in set design by placing Lighthouse LED modules in the risers of stairs at the rear

Hawthorn supplies for RSVP

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Hawthorn was appointed as technical production contractors for the 2005 RSVP party at Olympia, supplying lighting, sound, AV, rigging and drapes.

With a low ceiling height and no provision for rigging Hawthorn decided to make a bold feature of the truss and created a ground support structure with lots of long spokes covering both the stage and the rest of the room. As UK dealers, Hawthorn used Prolyte's X30V truss due to its lightweight but superior strength, allowing large spans of truss with the minimum number of truss legs.

With only a 3m clearance, Hawthorn specified Mac 250's and Mac 300's - due to their small size, uplit with Thomas PIXELline battens. Working in conjunction with Mask Event Design and Production, Hawthorn sponsored the Event Talks area. Hawthorn draped the room in its white Expo Cloth, a fabric it imports for its light reflective abilities. These dra

E//T//C UK illuminates Somerset House

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Large format projection specialist E//T//C UK added Somerset House to the list of famous London landmarks to receive its unique creative stamp, when Ross Ashton was commissioned to design and create a projection show by Dunhill for presentation to the Russian Economic Forum. The event saw 12.5 minutes of large-scale projections filling the entire Courthold Institute end of Somerset House's famous courtyard as part of the show set to a sound track.

E//T//C was initially approached by Event Lighting from Bermondsey to undertake the project, which needed a great deal of artwork produced with just 10 days of lead time. The show was an enjoyed by 350 guests after dinner, located in a translucent-fronted marquee in the middle of the courtyard. The guest list included businessmen, film directors, actors, musicians, designers and writers both Russian and English. "We wanted to

Celebrity and Cirque use FogScreen

Details: 14 March 2016

Finland - Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, is using FogScreen in its new central attraction, The Bar at the Edge of the Earth, created exclusively for Celebrity by Cirque du Soleil. Every evening, in the top deck lounges of Constellation and Summit, guests are invited to pass through a mystical gateway - created with FogScreens - and enter a world bathed in luminescent light, pulsating sounds and mesmerizing visual effects. This whole unique entertainment experience is currently available on select Caribbean sailings aboard Constellation and Summit with additional ships in the planning stages.

The installations of FogScreens on the ships is a first for the Finnish start-up company. "We are delighted to be able to work with these entertainment industry leaders, and welcome them as our appreciated clients", says CEO Mika Herpiö. FogScreen

Casino gets lucky with Versa Tile X2

Details: 14 March 2016

USA - Design firm Visual Terrain wanted a high impact, cost-effective way to brighten up the Morongo Casino and Resort, having seen the visual capabilities of the Versa TILE and after consulting with Element Labs and learning more about the product, they created a concept video to show to the Morongo Casino.

Dawn Hollingsworth, managing design principal of Visual Terrain, commented: "Visual Terrain was presented with a challenging design opportunity by the architect at Morongo Casino. The architect's desire for a visual experience to draw visitors from a distance as they approached the property meant we had to think of an extraordinary approach. Element Labs' Versa TILE was the perfect blend of light and image. We were able to create a solution that literally stopped traffic on Interstate 10 (without accidents) and presented the property with a unique identity. Element Labs

LED Screen Hire at the Urban Music Festival

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Hampshire-based LED screen specialists LED Screen Hire supplied large LED screens to the 2005 Nokia Urban Music Festival with the Princes Trust, via the event's production company, Nine Yards Productions. The two Barco D-Lite 7 screens - measuring 35 and 25 square metres respectively - were both onstage, upstage of the performance area, making a large asymmetric impact. Other video and broadcast hardware was supplied by CTV, and the event was broadcast on Channel 4.

LED Screen Hire also supplied 12 42 inch plasma screens around the arena , used for broadcast monitors. The project was handled for them by Nick Pask. Sound was supplied by SSE Hire and lighting by Siyan.

Princes Trust Event organiser Matt Donegan said: "It was a pleasure working with the professional team at LED Screen Hire - their ability to adapt with the minimum amount of fuss was much appreciated. Th

SPS Vision flies with Barco at London Air Show

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - SPS Vision provided a 5.4m x 4.1m Barco LED screen to organisers Clarion Events for another spectacular London Air Show at Earls Court on April 8 to 10.

The screen was flown in the centre of the main exhibition hall. Underneath it, 30 computer pods with flight simulator games were in place for the public to test their skills. As well as relaying giant images of the flight simulator games, the screen carried key information such as the seminar programme and promotional material for exhibitors. SPS's Bryan Leathem comments: "It was a great example of making the technology work hard to earn its keep."

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

PSL commits to Sanyo

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Event service company PSL has underlined its relationship with projector specialists Sanyo by placing a significant order for products at the compact, portable end of the market. The move forms part of an ongoing review of its rental fleet, and is designed to give its clients access to the latest technology in its inventory.

"This equipment will be spread across our depots in Potters Bar, Birmingham, ExCeL, PSL Central and The Brewery, and will support our activities nationwide," said PSL managing director Gary Davis. "Sanyo products have an excellent feature set and offer great value for money, while we know we can always depend on good support."

The order consists of large quantities of PLC-XU47 2000 ANSI lumens Ultra Portable Compacts; PLC-XC10 3000 ANSI lumen Compacts; and PLC XP56 5000 ANSI lumens Portable Networkable Projectors.Said Sanyo's Crisp

Verona goes to Vienna after Austrian shootout

Details: 14 March 2016

Austria - Midas' Austrian distributor Audiosales has sold a 40-channel Verona console to VTR (Veranstaltungstechnik Rieder), a Viennese multimedia rental company offering high level video solutions to high calibre clients from across the country. VTR has invested heavily in video equipment over the past years, and wished to upgrade its audio quality, a move which included replacing the main audio mixing desk which had been in residence for some time. Criteria included much-improved sonic performance, better signal to noise ratio - especially when placed near dimmer or amp racks - a small frame size and a reasonable price point.

After a shootout between four British-manufactured consoles, VTR chose the Midas Verona. "Although VCAs are a nice feature to have, we don't need them very so much, so we focused more on the audio quality," says Mischa Volavsek, technical direct

Vanishing Points for XL Video

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - XL Video and video artist/designer Sven Ortel of Mesmer have been working together again on their latest project - Vanishing Points - staged at the Gymnasium (also known as 'The German Gym'), sandwiched between Kings Cross and St Pancras Stations.

An promenade performance pushing the boundaries of technology and imagination in a site specific collaboration between writer John Berger, poet and novelist Anne Michaels and theatre-maker Simon McBurney. Performed by Complicité, the event was production managed by John Farquhar-Smith.

McBurney asked Ortel onboard to produce special visuals that played a major role in the show's narrative. The potent and emotional work explores themes of immigration, displacement, deportation and conflict, taking the audience on the fast track from industrial to the metaphysical via the memories and hidden histories of 'arrivals' and 'de

'BBC' con-man warning

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - PLASA Media has received a warning about a con-man operating in the London area who has stolen several thousand pounds worth of equipment from a London-based AV hire company. The culprit gave his name as David Jones from BBC Worldwide, and presents convincing paperwork - and an internal answerphone message at the BBC itself - to back up the claim. He then collected, via courier, a range of equipment including laptop computers and plasma screens, and disappeared.

The BBC is aware of the problem, we are told. If anything suspicious arises, please contact Simon Brown at the BBC's investigations department on 0208 752 5094.

(Lee Baldock)

Holographic screens for British Council

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - The British Council's Pall Mall offices in London now allow visitors to take a tour of the world while waiting in the reception area. The council has installed a visual communications system from Visual Planet which uses Holographic screens incorporated into a glass partition to create a dynamic 'information wall' which displays - via film and moving graphics - the work of the Council. The purpose of the British Council is to build mutually beneficial relationships between people in the UK and other countries and to increase appreciation of the UK's creative ideas and achievements.

This ethos was a major driver behind the refurbishment of the reception area which, as facilities manager Steve Ellis explains, is multi-functional: "The work of the British Council is better known overseas, so the reception area has a role in explaining and promoting its activities, not jus

EQ Audio's Red Bull install

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Pictured is an unusual installation by EQ Audio & Events of Dublin. The company was contracted to specify, design and build a promotions vehicle for Red Bull - based around a 1944 US Military Police Dodge Vehicle. The original vehicle was stripped out and the rear canopy roof was cut off (vehicle modification was by Par Fit Dublin) and replaced by a hinged steel canopy mounted on hydraulic rams. A 2.6kW Dometic TEC29 generator with separate fuel tank was mounted beneath the vehicle, allowing approximately four hours of independent operation from a full fill.

Sound engineer Kevin Madigan installed the audio and visual equipment. The system was specified to be used as a DJ setup - d&b audiotechnik speakers and amplification were chosen, using two of their Ci90s mounted left and right and a single E12 subwoofer power by D12 amplifiers. DJ equipment included an Allen & Heath Xo

ECT screens elected by BBC

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - The BBC has chosen ECT projection screens to be used during the election broadcasts on national TV, while BBC Scotland will also use ECT screens, for similar presentations on the election night itself. The two main screens will be employed for interviews, analysis and diagnosis by the news and political broadcaster teams. The 26ft x 26ft Repro HS rear screen was manufactured in the UK, and then customised with eyelets and stretched across a truss frame. Repro HS projection material is favoured by broadcast cameras, as it does not suffer from hot spots. The company says that the BBC producers wanted the wide viewing angles offered by the Repro HS screen material, which is exclusively available from ECT.

(Lee Baldock)

Smart AV wins Australian Design Award

Details: 14 March 2016

Australia - Critical acclaim for the Smart Console continues following its recent debuts at NAB2005 and Frankfurt MusikMesse, as Smart AV announced that it received the Australian Design Award for Business and Technology. Open to products designed in Australia or by nationals working abroad, the Australian Design Award was given to 20 winners - out of more than 200 entries - judged to have added significant value to the country's cultural and design identity.

"It's a great honour to be recognized by your own countrymen, and this Australian Design Award is more than just another feather in our cap," said Joe Narai, Smart AV's CEO. "This recognition of the Smart Console is a testament to its groundbreaking design and the value it provides in delivering improved efficiency to engineers mixing large numbers of audio sources in high-pressure situations."

The Sma

Mark Brown (left) with Richard Wright, in front of their V5 screen.

New owners for Unitek Displays

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Mark Brown and Richard Wright have acquired the big screen interests of Unitek Displays Ltd and Unitek Holdings Ltd from previous owners, Richard and Graham Nye. The two men - both veterans of the display and entertainment technology industries - say that the switch will enable them to capitalize on £1.9m worth of new product investment carried out by the Nye brothers prior to their departure.

They add that Unitek Displays will continue to honour all existing maintenance contracts, while implementing a videowall and LED development programme of bespoke engineering, based on their new chip and processor technology. "We wanted to consolidate the distribution of video product - including LED and cube wall manufacture - into one entity, providing customers with a full range of product and expertise," said Mark Brown.

"We realize we may be fighting from behind

Barco LED solution for Tennis Masters Cup

Details: 14 March 2016

Belgium - Barco recently announced that it has been selected to supply LED display walls for the Tennis Masters Cup 2005-2007 in Shanghai, which will take place in mid November 2005.

The Tennis Masters Cup will be staged at the new, architecturally unique Qi Zhong (pronounced Chee-Jong) Tennis Centre. The Barco LED solution for Qi Zhong consists of multiple SLite 14 outdoor LED displays, supplied in a rental configuration, which will allow the customer to re-locate its LED displays to other venues within Shanghai. With its ultra-high light output, the SLite 14 displays offer unequalled brightness and contrast levels, making them ideal for use in very bright outdoor locations - even in direct sunlight, say the company.

Due for completion in August 2005, the Qi Zhong Centre will become the largest tennis facility in Asia. Covering over 80 acres and featuring a total of 40 indoor

Switchcraft expands in Benelux

Details: 14 March 2016

The Netherlands / Belgium - Switchcraft has strengthened its international representation by appointing Amsterdam based Audiopro Distribution to stock and supply its connectors, audio and video patchbays and cable assemblies to the broadcast and professional audio markets in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Stephen Waldron, Switchcraft's director of international sales, said: "Audiopro Distribution is a well established supplier within its market place and we are very pleased to enter this new relationship that will increase the availability of our products and introduce the Switchcraft range to new customers."

(Lee Baldock)

The V5 LED display, sits above the V9 stadium banner.

Unitek upgrades V-Series LED screens

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Now under new ownership, Unitek Displays has announced the release of its upgraded V Series LED screens - suitable for large-scale applications from concert touring to stadium banners.

The modular high-resolution LED screens - including the V5 (10mm pixel pitch), V9 (17.5mm) and V12 (25mm) - have been optimized by the introduction of Unitek's ONE processor, which can drive up to 768 x 576 pixel screens operating in native PAL, NTSC or SECAM. One features an infinitely variable Aspect Ratio Converter and programmable colour control, with unique motion/definition image enhancement feature.

"The beauty of this processor is that all the scan and aspect ratio conversion takes place in a single box," says electronics engineer, Alan Drake. Because the signal is only being processed once, the delay time from camera to screen is reduced to a single frame, or 40 milliseco

Virtual Cook a reality with Trigger

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - With four days notice, medical supplies company Cook turned to Trigger Concepts to design and install an inventive audio and visual solution for their exhibition stand and hospitality suite at the Charing Cross International Symposium 2005, creating a virtual representative to man their stand. With up to date technology including a holographic screen, and two of the world's largest plasma screens, with a viewing size of 84" a piece - sourced from trade AV rental specialist PSCo - virtual Cook led the way in exhibition technology.

The Symposium was held at Imperial College, London, with companies showcasing the latest in medical equipment. From the holographic screen, Cook was able to interact with guests in the exhibition on the ground floor, providing product information and inviting visitors to join them, from their hospitality suite on the fifth floor. The holograph

Projecting down under for Royal Mail

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Specialist trade AV hire company, Steljes Hire, supported the launch of the Royal Mail's World Heritage special stamp issue, with a visually inspiring stunt organized by Steljes' client, Eulogy. The Royal Mail and Australia Post celebrated the special relationship between the two countries with the launch of eight stamps of their countries' World Heritage Sites, issued in four pairs, featuring four UK sites matched with four Australian sites, these included Stonehenge - the UK image chosen for the 1st class stamp. To launch the range, an image of the stamp was projected onto the stones at sunrise using a Sanyo XF45 10,000 lumen projector and photographed by renowned landscape photographer Charlie Waite.

Andy Horn, sales manager, commented: "We build our reputation by supporting the trade with the best audio-visual equipment and support. We strive to ensure that no matt

From L-R: Martin Featherstone, Alison Reynolds, Adam Bright and Andrew Skadorwa.

AV team appointments at CIE-Group

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - As part of its growth strategy into the AV market, CIE-Group (UK representative for many of the UK's leading AV, CCTV, lighting and electronics brands) has announced the appointment of four new field sales advisors to its team.

Martin Featherstone joins CIE-Group's Audio Division, having moved from LiteStructures, Alison Reynolds (previously from Gardiner Security) joins the Visual and CCTV Division, Adam Bright joins the Specialist Cable Assembly and Connector Division and Andrew Skadorwa also joins Visual & CCTV.

This boost to CIE-Group's sales team forms part of the Company's investment for growth across all divisions into the AV, presentation, retail and education sectors. A number of new product developments from Inter-M, Chiayo, EverFocus, Chauvet and Switchcraft and the addition of brands including Armstrong i-ceilings, ELMO cameras, B-52 Pro and Euromet brings a n

PSL's low-entry event solution

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Presentation specialists PSL has devised a portfolio of low-entry packages to enable event producers to take advantage of a tailored staging solution. PSL's scalable audio visual options incorporate projection, mics, speakers and lighting. Each can be customised to individual requirements (including client branding) and come with full technical support.

Remarked PSL managing director, Gary Davis: "These have been created as a flexible and cost-effective alternative to custom design and build, or off-the-shelf display and set systems. Whatever the presentation needs, these packages provide outstanding value - including everything required to stage an event at a fixed price."

The six separate alternatives - which range from simple wall-flats to more striking and multi-textured set designs - can be mixed and matched to suit client requirements and venue limitations

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