UK - On August 24 and 25, at a hangar at Berlin's Tempelhof airport, Volkswagen unveiled its IROC concept car to the world's media. Such a major press event, with film crews from television and internet companies, as well as business and motoring press from around the globe, required production values that would match the buzz surrounding the launch.

Responsible for meeting this challenge was eventlabs, a German event agency. Together with technical management company 360GRAD and award winning lighting designer Jerry Appelt, they did indeed create a spectacular event. Jerry Appelt knew the size of the venue required something outstanding, and decided that the G-LEC PhantomFrame would be perfect as the central element of the set.

To produce the reveal of the IROC (so named because the production model may revive the Scirrocco name), Jerry Appelt and 360GRAD designed a massive d

UK - D-Tools Inc, the system integration software specialist, has announced that it will team up with former D-Tools product designer and president of designecentral Inc, Bill Battaglia, to add resource allocation and procurement functionality to the next version of its award-winning System Integrator software.

designecentral's software, an internet-based solution that will add functionality to System Integrator 5, comes in three editions: the Management Edition allows systems integrators to upload D-Tools project information, manage the project hours and assign resources to the project automatically; the Resource Edition allows the user to see tasks assigned to them through the project information, mark them as completed and enter actual hours; and the Procurement Edition, which will be released in the first quarter of 2007, allows the warehouse processing agent to look at the

UK - Over the past two years, Birmingham-based Dolphin Media has systematically been upgrading the news studios of all 13 regions in the ITV network, using rear-projected 160in dnp optical screens from Paradigm Audio Visual. But they were forced to break from their standard model when it came to equipping the three ITV Meridian studios near Southampton.

Covering the East, South and West services of the Meridian region, the station wanted to replace the Perspex prints in their three news studios on the Solent Business Park with widescreen projection - but only had the minimum of rear projection space behind the existing set in which to work.

The challenge was to mount a rig that would enable projection onto the TV Studio version of dnp's Giant Wide Angle Studio screen. While the images are shot in 4:3 aspect ratio, the custom-cut screen (trimmed to 3209mm x 1309mm) would be des

UK - Live event company Show Presentation Services (SPS) has been awarded the contract to deliver exciting new audio-visual services to customers at the NEC, in Birmingham. The company is the NEC's first ever in-house service provider that can offer everything from simple AV technology to fully-crafted and supported production.

Paul Thandi, recently announced CEO of the NEC Group, said: "Service is at the core of our business, and improving our customer offer to provide and deliver first class audio visual services is part of the vision shared at the NEC. This initiative underlies our continual focus on putting our customers first and leading the marketplace. Ultimately we want to ensure that every live event has tomorrow's technology, wrapped up in excellent service and delivery focus. We are delighted to have SPS on board to help achieve this."

Robin Coles, managin

Spain - The third edition of AFIAL's Convention looks set to be a success, according to the Spanish trade association, with a strong level of participation already confirmed. AFIAL began to contract space in July, and has now sold more than 70 % of the total floorspace of the exhibition.

This reflects the interest of Spanish companies in this exhibition, which has become the prime market focus for Spain's national entertainment technology industry. Contracted exhibitors to date include Adagio, Ben-Ri, D.A.S. Audio, Equipson, Gemini, Guil, Pinanson, Seesound, Stonex and Yamaha, among others.

Further information on the exhibition is available from the AFIAL website provided below.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Now that the dust has settled on this year's PLASA Show, the organisers of next year's show - the newly-formed PLASA Events Ltd - are looking forward to building on this week's hugely successful 2006 event - the last to be organised on PLASA's behalf by Clarion Events.

Exact visitor figures will be released in due course, following the independent ABC Audit of the figures. However, early indications are that PLASA '06 may even have surpassed last year's PLASA Show (which was memorable for its frenetic business activity) with a notable increase in visitor numbers, and a very strong international attendance.

Many of the exhibitors that the PLASA Media team spoke to across during the four days of the show praised both the quality of the customers they had been seeing, and the large numbers of international visitors from all around of the world. Despite a relatively 'quiet' S

UK - As the originator of transparent imagery in LED lighting and effects, G-LEC remained one step ahead at this year's PLASA show, introducing its new fibre optic based data transfer technology, 100 times faster than existing copper wire cabling.

This new technology, plus upgraded software, has been integrated into the company's PhantomFrame system, the new system being called G-LEC Phantom II.

The technology gives such fine control over the graphics that images are rendered pixel-by-pixel, enabling curves to appear as true curves, instead of being pixellated. For most occasions such accuracy is not necessary, but it is vital for many corporate identities. Graphics such as circular logos - VW, BMW - are represented with crystal clear precision.

The high speed data transfer technology also opens up the way to build much larger systems and special constructions.

Flexibility

USA - Imagination (USA) Inc worked in cooperation with the Ford Lincoln and Mercury brands of Ford Motor Company to produce the 2007 New Model Introduction Meeting in Las Vegas recently. An event spanning nearly two weeks and hosting several thousand people, the meeting represents Imagination's latest effort in strategic communications, and involves all facets of Imagination's services, including insight, strategy, design and production. This year's effort marks the first occasion on which Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers have been brought together on a single occasion.

Designed to provide a forum for those issues affecting the automotive retail business, the 2007 New Model Introduction meeting gathers Ford Lincoln and Mercury executives with the nationwide network of independent franchise dealers. Through a series of highly engaging business meetings, dealers have the opportuni

UK - At the autumn conference of the The Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SNBS), High Definition videoconferencing systems were used in a ground-breaking way to deliver a trainee surgeons' workshop based on a live operation. It demonstrated new techniques for endoscopic transnasal transphenoidal surgery for the treatment of a brain tumour. The systems were also used to deliver presentations to the conference by neurological experts from remote locations.

Hosted by the Preston unit of the SBNS and held in Windermere, the conference is a high profile and well attended conference that is designed to enable specialists in this field to jointly develop best practice for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of neurological conditions.

Supplied by Questmark the systems selected were the LifeSize Room, connected over the internet between the conference centre, Questmark's o

USA - On the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium Tour, the innovative video and lighting design is controlled by a pair of grandMAs.

Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith, bassist Flea, guitarist John Frusciante and singer Anthony Kiedis are backed by four Barco D7 screens on trolleys and an 80ft wide VersaTube wall which extends to the venue's roof then out over the floor via fingers stretching to the front of house. The 760 VersaTubes display a changing palette of lighting treatments and an array of video content, including animation, flickering CG imagery, IMAG and band footage.

"With the grandMA, we can adjust IMAG on the fly with the buttons on the desk," says Scott Holthaus, along with Grier Govorko, the show's designers from 40wattlabs. "We can distort images for an effect or go black and white from a rescan camera or supplement the performance with odd v

UK - For the second year running, Pharos Architectural Controls received an Award for Innovation from the PLASA judges. The 2005 award for the Lighting Playback Controller (LPC) was followed this year with an Innovation award for the Audio Visual Controller (AVC) which debuted at the 2006 show.

A compact, solid state device, the AVC offers functionality equivalent to two DVD players and a vision mixer, with additional live input, all under integrated show control. AV clips, transitions and effects are programmed quickly and easily via the Pharos Designer software. An internal realtime and astronomical clock along with a bi-directional RS232/RS485 serial port provide triggering options for standalone operation.

The AVC combines seamlessly with the Pharos LPC as the second half of a complete control solution providing lighting, audio, video and show control for architectural ins

Europe - Mediaedge:cia (MEC), the global communications planning and implementation agency, enlisted the help of Paradigm Audio Visual when planning an inventive 13-week pan-European roadshow aimed at promoting the K800i, Sony Ericsson's new Cyber-shot phone.

Tasked with creating an engaging brand experience to dramatise the phone's new and unique BestPic feature - which allows users to press the shutter button once and instantly get nine full quality pictures to choose from - they called on the rear projection display specialists to help bring the concept to life via a series of outdoor installations. These were set across ten countries over 15 weeks, starting at London's Victoria Station.

Potential participants are encouraged to the 'Body in Motion' installation by promotional staff and asked to strike a pose for a nine-shot action photo sequence, triggered by an adapted K80

The Netherlands - PSL's Exhibition team reports that at this year's International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) its new Panasonic 42" HD screens were in high demand, as leading players in the television industry gathered at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam.

PSL is one of the Official AV suppliers to the IBC, and maintains a full team of project managers and technicians on site for the duration of the show. This year's Convention was judged to be the largest ever, as the industry makes preparations for the advent of high-definition television.

For the event, PSL invested in a substantial number of Panasonic's new HD plasmas, as well as additional HD-ready 45" screens. PSL project manager, Charlie Hill, says: "Our clients in this industry expect a very high standard from us, and they're very specific about the kit they want. For them, it's not just a matter of displayi

UK - On 25 July, the government launched the final consultation on implementing the 'producer responsibility' aspects of the WEEE Directive - the EU-led initiative that affects all manufacturers by making them responsible for paying for the treatment and recycling of products at the end of their life.

PLASA - the main body representing the manufacturers in the sector - has been active in the consultation process and is now rallying members for the final time to feedback on the draft regulations before their full implementation in July next year.

Detailed consultation notes have been sent to all PLASA manufacturing members affected, together with guidance on how to participate in the process; PLASA is now urging members to act and feedback before the final deadline of October 17th, warning that this is the last chance to get the detail right. Further notes will be issued to mem

UK - Large format projection specialists ETC UK supplied five 6Kw PIGI film projectors with double rotating scrollers and four Barco R18 video projectors for Music On Fire, a spectacular three-day mixed-media extravaganza and Firework Prom staged at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Surrey.

ETC UK amalgamated its new OnlyView video control system with the Pigi large format film projection and control platform, OnlyCue, to bring the projections alive on the 150 metre wide by 10 metre high, cream painted, Old Academy building. This provided the graphic and pictorial backdrop to the two-hour event, which featured a two-act narrative and music from an amalgamation of several different military orchestras and bands, plus special guests, and pyrotechnics from Pyro Vision.

Music On Fire was devised and produced by Major Sir Michael Parker for the Army Benevo

USA - Arup has announced the appointment of David Taylor, an internationally known consultant for theatres, concert halls and other performing arts venues, to lead Arup's performing arts sector work in the Americas. Taylor, an associate principal based in New York, will be the primary point of contact in the Americas for performing arts clients and the linchpin for Arup's overall work in the sector.

"It's an excellent fit for both Arup and David," said Neill Woodger, principal and leader of the Arup Acoustics practice in the Americas. "He has worked with Arup for more than 20 years on key arts projects around the world. His expertise in theatre planning and design brings an important skill set to our practice, augmenting our existing acoustics, lighting, simulation, venue consulting and engineering disciplines and allowing us to provide a complete and integrated p

Norway - 3M Optical Systems reports that its Vikuiti rear projection display screens have played a successful role in the €200,000 Ladies European Tour, SAS Masters Golf tournament, which took place in Oslo.

According to Pål Berg, CEO of Norwegian integrators, Gobex, rear projection offered the most robust display solution to present the scores to spectators at several locations on the course. "We needed a display capable of producing bright and crisp images under challenging conditions, including long viewing distances, wide viewing angles, and high ambient light levels. The Vikuiti screen was also the only one of its kind with an integrated anti-glare surface, which has proved absolutely essential for the success of the GolfScore system," said Berg.

Gobex developed the GolfScore system for golf courses everywhere to collate scores directly using 3G mobile and Int

UK - XL Video is supplying video playback, camera systems and crew for the current hi-energy McFly arena tour. Britain's most popular young nu-pop band continue riding the rollercoaster of success on the cusp of their third 'Motion In The Ocean' album - due for release in November.

XL has worked on previous McFly tours and the account is handled for them by Phil Mercer, who says: "We had a very specific brief in terms of the design and configuration of the upstage video element. With an extensive inventory of the latest LED technology, XL made this a tourable reality."

Peter Barnes was brought in by Production North as artistic director. He's created an innovative video design based around a large onstage screen amalgamating Barco S-Lite 10XP high resolution LED screen panels and Barco O-Lite low-res modules, arranged in a jagged edged chequerboard effect.

This is

UK - Integrated Systems Europe has announced that registration is now open for ISE 2007, which will take place 30th January - 1st February 2007 at the Amsterdam RAI, with the support of the three associations; CEDIA, InfoComm International and NSCA.

An innovation at ISE 2007 will be the multimedia conferencing pavilion, which will feature the latest products and technologies in video, audio and web conferencing. Integrated Systems Europe managing director, Mike Blackman comments, "While we can boast an unprecedented number of exhibitors signed up for the show, occupying the largest floor space in the history of ISE, we want visitors to come away with a feeling of a total systems integration experience that will motivate, inspire and excite. The support from our sponsoring organisations as well as our exhibitors, has been instrumental in being able to achieve these magnifice

UK - Formerly with Reuters, Matt Hassock has established Pixellent Display Systems, a company designed to provide complete solutions for a wide range of public display projects. "Buying a display isn't just about purchasing the hardware," explains Hassock. "The end result needs to be carefully planned so that there's a maximum return on investment for the customer.

"The traditional buying pattern is to purchase the display first and then work out how to get the required content onto it. My experience allows me to look at things in a different way. My approach is to find out exactly what the client needs the end result to be, and then source and engineer the best products available to do the job."

Hassock spent twenty years with Reuters news agency, where he oversaw its trading room displays and video systems and was the instigator of analogue systems f

Belgium - Unit 4 - the specialist outside broadcast truck built around a DiGiCo D5 Live console by Belgian company DB Videoproductions - was enlisted to provide a live to air audio mix for Flemish radio station Q-Music's promotional tour.

Taking place in mid-August, the tour took in five Belgian cities in five days, visiting Sint-Truiden, Brugge, Gent, Mechelen and St. Niklaas. Featuring performances by a range of artists - including Level 42, Sister Sledge, ABC and heavy metallers Udo - each show was a free outdoor event and broadcast live on Q-Music.

DB Videoproductions and Unit 4 were brought in to provide a live mix for the live radio transmission, as well as making a multitrack recording. The show's live audio production utilised another pair of DiGiCo D5s on FOH and monitors, supplied by hire company Soundfield, with two stage racks and three local racks. Fibre optic mul

The Netherlands - Pixlvision, the Netherlands' new centre for professional video distribution, sales, solutions, support and training, has opened for business with office and warehouse facilities located in Utrecht.

The new company, headed by video industry specialist Hans Denekamp, will focus primarily on the importing and distribution of high-end professional video systems. It also has a fully-equipped solutions and support department that can help integrators, designers and end users find solutions for every video application, from installation to rental. Clients include AV system integrators, broadcast facilities, rental companies and cinemas.

The first product lines to be confirmed are Analog Way, Doremi, Smart-AVI and JL Cooper, making Pixlvision the country's leading supplier of hard disk recorders, video matrix switchers, decoders and accessories.

Alongside its siste

UK - Demonstrated for the first time in the UK at PLASA 2006, the Mbox Extreme media server from PRG is billed as being one of the simplest and easiest media servers around. It offers a full editing suite and streamlined programming with crossfades between clips being created on a single layer.

Since its introduction at LDI 2005, the Mbox Extreme has built up a strong following, having been used on Broadway shows, opera and corporate events. During 2006 Lestat - a short-lived but technically acclaimed Broadway production - saw eight Mbox Extreme media servers being used to synchronise and edge-blend multiple projections to form the large images that had been conceived for the show.

For corporate events, where ideas about the presentation can change from minute to minute, Mbox Extreme gives "absolute control" over the video output, allowing the operator to make

UK - XL Video is supplying three of its newly purchased Christie S20 Roadster projectors as part of the complete video package being provided to the current Will Young Keep On Live UK tour.

The show features both high definition playback and IMAG video directed by Phil Woodhead, and the account is being project managed for XL by Phil Mercer.

Mercer says: "Over and above the standard IMAG requirements for a tour of this scale, XL is providing state-of-the-art hi-def playback, projection and control equipment, giving maximum impact to the specific sections of the show utilising pre-recorded video."

Material is projected onto an 11m wide by 5m electric roller screen that comes in centre stage, and also onto two 16 by 19 ft side screens. The compact, very bright Christie's - part of several new additions to the XL projection fleet - are rigged on a front truss,

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