UK - E//T//C UK brought its large format projection magic to the ancient ruins of Caldicot Castle in Monmouthshire recently, for a three-weekend son et lumière production, called Footprints On The Sands of Time, part of the 2004 Chepstow Festival. Projection, lighting, sound, pyrotechnics and over 100 actors combined in a highly memorable show directed by Nick Bamford, and produced by Ned Heywood and Anne Rainsbury.

Three PIGI 6kW projectors with double rotating scrollers were used, located on a specially-built platform at the rear of the seating stands - a throw distance of over 100m. Two PIGIs shone onto a special arched screen to the left, and the other beamed onto the castle keep on the right. The show maximized the dynamic effects of the projectors, which scrolled and rotated constantly in all directions throughout the 90-minute show. E/T/C's Ross Ashton comments: &

UK - Barco has announced that its outdoor LED display solutions have been chosen by Arena Leisure to improve the race day experience for customers at its racecourse locations throughout the UK. The chosen Barco display solutions combine a 40sq.m SLite 10 mobile outdoor LED screen together with a secondary 22sq.m SLite 10 outdoor LED display. Arena Leisure Plc is the UK's largest independent racecourse owner in terms of fixtures, hosting over 2,000 races and approximately 23% of all British horseracing fixtures.

Says Ted Taylor, chief operating officer of Arena Leisure's Racecourse Division: "The screens will mean that Folkestone, Lingfield Park and Royal Windsor racecourses will have at least one big screen at every meeting throughout the year. These are state-of-the-art products and mark the dawn of a new era in entertainment and information distribution at our racecourse

UK - London's Hammersmith Odeon played host to the first gig of The Corrs' European tour in June, showcasing the songs from the band's new album, Borrowed Heaven. Absent from the touring scene since 2001, the band has spent 18 months recording the new album in Dublin and Los Angeles, and will tour British arenas in November, taking in Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester and London's Wembley Arena, following a month visiting European destinations.

The band has used live sound specialist Canegreen since its first set of UK dates in 1998, as tour manager Henry McGroggan explained: "The Corrs have grown with Canegreen; tonight we have 80 channels of audio running from the stage and the Canegreen boys can manage it. The technology has moved on significantly over the years and Canegreen keep right up to date in terms of offering us new equipment that will make the ban

UK - Following our coverage last month of the Thunderbirds themed Ford stand at the 2004 Motor Show, more details have emerged of the involvement of Creative Technology with the 7,400sq.m exhibit.

Designed by Imagination, with visual presentation by Creative Technology, the feature relied heavily on illusion and Creative Technology used theatrical trickery, positioning 16 x 9 minicams to simulate images, looking inside and outside the 'cockpit'. In addition to the minicams, CT provided all screens, cameras and PPU. The main display comprised 91 panels of Barco iLite 10 (measuring 5.8m x 3.1m), supported by two iLite 8 repeater screens (each measuring 3.1m x 1.8m).

The main screen took playback from a Doremi VI-D recorder (used for play-ins and segments), as well as two CCTV cameras. The two repeaters carried pictures from the two-camera PPU, with signals mixed on a Sony DFS-700 dig

UK - CT Screenco fielded a large array of screens for the 7th 95.8 Capital FM Party In The Park for the Prince's Trust. With over 100,000 people attending, CT Screenco had a huge responsibility to relay live pictures of the artists to all areas of Hyde Park. On stage, the centrepiece 50sq.m Barco DLite 7 LED display was divided into three sections, flanked by 16 4.8m high x 800mm columns of 25mm LED display, which tracked up and downstage (as well as moving vertically). On either side of the stage a pair of 60sq.m Lighthouse 1950 (19mm pixel pitch) LED displays provided large scale Imag, plus a continuous crawling text and information service, providing both public safety information and an interactive audience participation medium .

For those positioned behind the mix riser, 30sq.m of Barco DLite 7 engaged the crowds with the stage, while the company's two new 44sq.m Masted Mob

UK - Projected Image Digital is a 'one-stop' solutions-based company providing digital media server hardware and software, digital content, training and programming services. At PLASA 2004, the company is showcasing several new products from the increasingly convergent worlds of show lighting and video.

From IRAD, developers of the RADlite digital media server, PID will show myRAD software, an entry-level introduction to the RADlite family and a low-cost alternative for creating visual effects via DMX controllers. myRAD is ideal for use in clubs, theatres, smaller venues, studio and arts spaces and site-specific environments wanting to incorporate video-based graphics and imagery into their design projects.

PixelMAD is an Apple MAC-based system enabling video playback to be input to DMX devices (e.g. lighting fixtures), dramatically reducing programming time for producing high

UK - Sound Leisure, a name traditionally associated with jukeboxes, will show an array of futuristic digital AV products at this year's PLASA Show. As well as offering audio and flat screen video technology, Sound Leisure has harnessed the technological possibilities of touchscreens and transducers to create interactive displays utilizing existing materials such as glass windows, walls, or wooden panels.

The Versatile Video System (VVS) can be used simply to play music, but by attaching a number of screens, the system allows you to simultaneously play different music and video sources in different areas.

Bubbles are eye-catching acrylic spheres, available in a number of acid colours and in various screen sizes (6.8" to 30" diameter). They can house either speakers (Boutique Bubbles) or TFT display screens. Bubbles are cost-effective, easy-to-fit and look great hangi

USA - Club V20 is getting incredible reactions from crowds with their recent installation of four High End Systems DL1 digital light fixtures (equipped with Digital Eye Technology) and a Catalyst Pro v3.0 Media Server. Digital Eye Technology is an optional feature for DL1. Having a Digital Eye inside DL1's moving yoke allows the user to capture action from different and unusual angles where conventional cameras plus the cameraman cannot operate, or where a camera setup would normally be obtrusive to the view.

Tony Mirador is the LD of the light show and senior designer of the sound and video system for the night spot, located at Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, CA. He's also president of Akroz Professional, AKA The DJ Store Inc., the company responsible for the install. Says Mirador, "The DL1s are situated over the dance floor on the outer perimeter. The DL1s are also mounted

UK - Projecta, a leading manufacturer of professional projection screens and presentation equipment, is introducing a new range of stands designed to accommodate plasma screens. The new stands position the plasma screens at perfect viewing height, and also help to protect the screens. The range consists of three models: SolidStand, ClassicStand and Plasma Wallbracket, all designed for this typical purpose.

Projecta SolidStand is an elegantly designed stand equipped with a universal mounting plate, allowing quick and easy placement or removal of plasma screens. It is built around a stable wheeled frame and can accommodate screens measuring up to 42" (107cm) diagonally. The centre of the plasma screen is located at 150cm height and the screen can be tilted some 10°. It features a hidden cable through the stand and a socket that is accessible from the back of the frame which

Italy - Studio Due has announced that its new Photowall projection system is now in full production, offering high quality film-based scenographic projection. Using an 1200W HMI lamp, it reproduces photographs (minimum 10, maximum 90, 6x7 size), exposed on a special film.

There are two available options for film scrolling: by index (feed from image to image with no intermediate position) or in free mode - by moving the corresponding DMX channel. Scrolling is bi-directional and the speed is fully adjustable. The design of the spools, combined with the highly efficient ventilating system, protect the film from heat damage, even during prolonged use, say the company, while shutter and mechanical dimmer are also included. Furthermore, Photowall is designed to automatically adjust the power of the light beam in case of dark images, in order to protect the film from damage.

Furtherm

UK - AVC, the audio-visual equipment hire company with its HQ based in Dublin, Ireland, has become the latest European rental operator to invest in the NEXO GEO S Series tangent array system.

Having taken the decision to buy a line array, John Magann and his team at AVC have opted for the NEXO GEO S series "because of the technology and because of the compactness of the system." Already a NEXO PS Series user, AVC has now made the strategic decision to concentrate its hire stock entirely around the NEXO designs. "It's a perfect fit," says Magann. The GEO S elements are ideal for the concert and cabaret work that we do as well as being perfectly suited to our corporate clients and the events market. The NEXO PS Series can be used as a monitor system with GEO S, or in its own right for the smaller jobs."

AVC made its decision after discussion with local d

USA - Utah's Salt Lake City Olympic Legacy Theatre uses a pair of Jem Glaciator heavy foggers to create a special cloud effect during the opening and closing scenes of a feature movie that is presented several times each day.

Supplied by Las Vegas-based atmospheric and effects specialists Water FX, the Glaciators are used to create a three-dimensional cloud at the beginning of the film, a curved 37ft (11.3m) fog barrier that covers the projection screen. The fog creates a curtain onto which three projectors cast images of blue clouds. The fog curtain is controlled via fans and manifolds, and at one point a hole is blown through the cloud to create for the audience the effect of flying through the clouds.

At the end of the movie, viewers journey back through the clouds. Some 150ft (45.7m) of ducting, plus 120ft (36.6m) of manifold and 100ft (30.5m) of tubing with a large diver

UK - The Product Excellence Awards at the PLASA Show has been a popular feature of the event for many years, highlighting the significance of the show as a focus for new developments for the industry. To reinforce this role, the PLASA Awards have undergone an important change for the 2004 event (12-15 September), in order to focus on genuine innovation.

For the re-branded PLASA Awards for Innovation, the judges will be looking for products which advance the industry, demonstrate a new style of thinking, represent a key step forward in safety terms, or improve technical practices. There will be eight Awards for Innovation at the judges' disposal and currently over 60 nominations have been received, with just three weeks before the deadline of Friday 3 September. Exhibitors who still wish to nominate a product are urged to submit their applications as soon as possible. Nominees w

Greece - The 2004 Olympics are being broadcast to thousands of fans and spectators at the event at numerous locations in and around the historic city of Athens, using state-of-the-art Barco equipment, the company reports. Other regions, such as ancient Olympia, Thessalonica, Volos, Heraklion and Patras, as well as municipalities around Greece, are also involved in the franchised Olympic Celebration sites program. With expected ticketed visitor numbers reaching well over 5.3 million, the Barco LED display and projection solutions used in the various sporting venues and entertainment locations around the country have their work cut out.

Over the last months of the preparation for the games, Telmaco, the main system designer and integrator, in cooperation with Barco, has installed two SLite 22 LED displays at the Karaiskaki Stadium in Faliro Piraeus and the Kaftatzoglio Stadium in

Hong Kong - To meet growing demand in the rental market for high-quality and durable video screens, Lighthouse Technologies has introduced the LVP1950F 19mm LED pixel pitch video display panels. The first screens are already in use at the Amsterdam Arena, home of Ajax FC, and debuted at the Singapore National Day festivities on 9 August.

Ideal for large-size outdoor applications, the LVP1950F provides excellent color reproduction, 14-bit technology and M4 uniformity control. The screen is packaged in sleek, lightweight panels that make it easy for quick installation and break down. Other features of the LVP1950F include 5,000 nits brightness; 140° horizontal viewing angle; 51° vertical viewing angle; 2,757 per square meter pixel density; 4.4 trillion colour capability; 14-bit processing depth; 60-frame-per-second frame rate; Data input for NTSC, PAL, XGA, RGB HV, RGB S, YUV,

UK - DHA Lighting Services, the leading manufacturer of gobos and optical effects, will again be exhibiting at the PLASA Show this year. DHA will have a 'conversational' stand, focusing on their customers not their products, and ensuring visitors are as up-to-date as possible with the extensive range of products and services that the company offers, including its full-colour glass gobo service which, through improved production processes, will soon be available on a reduced turnaround and at a lower price. Examples of these gobos will be on show on the stand.

The improvement to the full-colour glass gobo service follows on the heels of the price reduction to spot colour glass gobos announced earlier in the year as a result of new production processes, systems and suppliers. Diane Grant, managing director of DHA commented: "Although we are the biggest and most experienced go

UK CT Screenco's association with the V Festivals extends back to the event's inception in 1996. This year, the big screen specialist began a new three-year contract with the promoters and were again in action at both Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park in Staffordshire, where they fielded identical 32sq.m 25mm daylight displays at left and right of the main stage.

With Stuart Young project managing the event for CT Screenco, feeds were taken from the respective content providers and at Hylands Park this included some creative messaging from Blink TV. In addition, Barco DLite 7 high resolution displays were provided independently to Basement Jaxx, whom CT Screenco have been supporting on tour and to Red Bull's Kingsize II skateboard ramp in Weston Park, which is also midway through a national tour, with CT Screenco again providing visual reinforcement.

Artists appearing

UK - Rock Solid Ethernet is a new book by Artistic Licence managing director, Wayne Howell. Ethernet technology is becoming commonplace in entertainment technology. This means that end users, specifiers, designers and engineers need to know the rules: What can you do? What can't you do? So what can you get away with?Rock Solid Ethernet is split into three sections, discussing the technology from the perspective of end users and specifiers, system installers and manufacturers and designers. Subjects covered range from making an RJ45 cable through network topology to the use of radio links. This book is laid out in a style that allows the reader to quickly find the answers to their questions.

Howell commented: "Over the past few years I have looked for a concise reference on the subject of Ethernet. Somewhat to my surprise I was unable to find what I wanted! There are many go

Greece - Creative Technology London were contracted by Jack Morton Worldwide to provide a turnkey video solution for the spectacular Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Andrew Hawker, CT's technical director, worked on the project for a year, and was responsible for designing and installing the projection system. Using eight Barco XLM25HD video projectors, images were projected onto eight floating 'rock fragments' during the 'Allegory' section of the opening ceremony, played out to a narrative and soundtrack of Mahler's 3rd Symphony.

'Allegory' was the most technically-challenging part of the ceremony, and took the audience on a journey through landmark periods of Greek history - spanning thousands of years - using sculpture as a metaphor.

When the galaxy of floating rocks surrounding the central feature of a cube rose into the air, the faces of the rock fragmen

UK - Creative Technology has commissioned its first digital portable production unit. Managing director Mark Elliott says that while this is the first to be developed, the company's intention is to build up to half a dozen of the units over the next 12 months. "We are taking our lead from the broadcast world," he stated. "Although our analogue PPUs still work extremely well, the new system will give us greater functionality in a smaller package, and added portability."

After extensive evaluation, CT decided on the Grass Valley Kayak from Thomson as the hub of the new system. The Kayak DD 1ME (mix/effects) digital vision mixer, he says is proving very popular in the rental staging environment in the US. "Although it has the added whistles and bells, the ergonomics will be familiar to traditionalists - it's a very approachable desk."

Alongside thi

UK XL Video's busy Corporate division continues to expand with the acquisition of event AV specialists' Event Technical Services. Event Technical Services' former directors John Hooker and Malcolm Whittall have now joined XL Video's proactive account handling team, which recently expanded with the addition of Phil Goddard and Greg Rice.

"We're delighted to have John and Malcolm onboard" says XL's Lee Spencer. "Their collective experience, industry knowledge and contacts are a great asset to our busy and growing Corporate department, and their energy and enthusiasm fits perfectly with XL's future plans."

Together, the pair bring over 40 years of combined industry experience to XL. They will be responsible for designing, and project-managing the supply of complete corporate AV systems for XL's diverse range of events and shows. Whittall's broadcast live even

UK - Massive Attack's summer festival tour was a high impact combination of electronics and visual expression, with James Thomas Pixelline fixtures and United Visual Artists' Dragonfly II software amalgamated into arguably the brightest show of the summer season. For those unable to prize their shades from their craniums after dark - this was the gig to be at!

The band wanted a visual departure from last year's LED wall, which featured low-resolution imagery. They favoured a less technical stage look, but also wanted to continue with digital technology: this provided the starting point for lighting designers Andy Hurst and Vince Foster and the UVA team, who came up with the concept of a super low-res horizontal wall of Pixelline - 151 pixels wide by 161 high - with gaps in between the units.

Highlighting the band in silhouette, the Pixelline wall served as a dynamic (and very bright)

UK - Leading digital media specialist Scene Change today announces the arrival of the next generation of the acclaimed Hippotizer digital media server family by Green Hippo. The current Hippotizer range has proved enormously popular since its launch at PLASA 2003, with applications ranging from nightclubs and events around the world to stage shows such as the new musical Mary Poppins, opening soon in London's West End.

The new Hippotizer family builds on that success, offering new functionality and increased power to meet the expectations of even the most demanding designer, and further stretching the possibilities of digital media. At the same time, the Hippotizer remains rugged, reliable and easy to use.

The new Hippotizer family consists of three members all built around the same Generation 2 technology. All three offer a fully hardware-accelerated graphics engine

UK - London-based 3D imaging specialists Inition, on their PLASA debut, scored a show first by unveiling new large-scale autostereoscopic plasma screens which show 3D images without requiring the viewer to wear 3D glasses. Early generations of autostereoscopic screens had a very narrow viewing angle whereas the new types can be viewed from virtually any angle.

The company, which sells 3D video creation and imaging systems and is itself a specialist 3D content creator for a host of blue-chip clients, is showing LCD monitors which display stereoscopic video via a special interlaced video signal format. Each screen is retro-fitted with a filter which creates the illusion of a 3D image that appears to leap out of the screen.

The screens join the company's existing range of stereoscopic imaging devices, which includes a Sharp laptop - the first laptop available off the shelf with

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