Video and AV

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26 September 2024

USA - Martin Castañon’s design for the lighting rig at the 27th annual Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival called for 12 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorised strobe-washes and 12 blinders. But instead, he got zero blinders and 18 Color Strike M fixtures.

“The rig was originally supposed to have the Color Strike Ms on the up and mid truss for a total of 12 – blinders were specced out for the downstage,” recalled Castañon. “Somehow when the rig was built, we accidentally got the extra six Strikes instead of the blinders. In the end it worked out beautifully as it tied the whole rig together. It was great having the horsepower to punch things up for the crowd, especially in colour, not to mention when riding the beams on them. It looked like the night turned to day. I didn’t miss the blinders at all.

“I used the Strikes mos

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25 September 2024

France - Marseillais comedian Redouane Bougheraba’s On m'appelle Bercy tour, produced by Gilbert Coullier Productions, included sold-out performances at the Accor Hotel Arena in Paris, the Velodrome Marseille, and other large venues.

Supporting Bougheraba’s performance on his tour is an Andreas Monschauer lighting design that, like the popular comedian himself, is versatile, free-flowing and always engaging.

Monschauer is powering his shows with ChamSys consoles: a MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console with a wing at Marseille, and a MagicQ MQ250M at the Accor Hotel Arena. Working with a scenic design by Vincent Rautureau (G the Imagineers), Bougheraba uses lighting and video to set a tone that is “at once dramatic and inviting”. He uses up to 80 universes of lighting. Supplied by MPM (which also furnished the sound), the lighting is run thr

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24 September 2024

Spain - The initial phase of Gran Canaria Studios, one of Europe’s largest virtual production stages to date, has been completed, offering an environment for international content producers looking to “leverage Gran Canaria’s film location incentives”.

Located on the 1,200sq.m stage 1 of the Gran Canaria Platos studio lot, the virtual production infrastructure has been designed and delivered by ARRI Solutions, integrator Video Cine Import (VCI), and ROE Visual. The Economic Promotion Agency of Gran Canaria (SPEGC) commissioned the studio to accommodate both independent and high-end national and international productions.

“The film industry is one of the region’s economic pillars; we are very committed to the development of this industry on the island and Gran Canaria is spearheading efforts to become a leading hub for TV and film,” stat

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24 September 2024

Canada - CAST Group of Companies reports that it has been certified by Great Place To Work. The award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at CAST. This year, 85% of employees said it’s a great place to work.

"Great Place To Work certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience," says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the vice-president of global recognition at Great Place To Work. She emphasises that certification is the sole official recognition earned by the real-time feedback of employees regarding their company culture. “By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that CAST stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees."

“We are thrilled to become Great Pl

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18 September 2024

Germany - Diversified, a leading global technology solutions provider, has announced the appointment of Johannes Stehr as vice-president of Enterprise EMEA. This strategic hire underscores Diversified's commitment to developing world-class enterprise offerings and addressing the growing demand for consistent global technology standards with robust local support.

In this newly created role, Stehr will lead Diversified's expansion of Workplace and Media operational capabilities across Europe, with an initial focus on Germany. His appointment marks a significant step in Diversified's global strategy to enhance its ability to serve multinational enterprises with a harmonised approach to technology deployment and support.

"As organisations increasingly seek standardised technology experiences across their global footprint, they also require deep local exp

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17 September 2024

UK - Celebrating its “best show for many years”, PLASA Show once again took residence in the Grand Hall of Olympia London from 1-3 September, demonstrating continuous growth - occupying 10% more floor space, welcoming a steady 5% increase in visitors and showcasing over 30 new exhibitors.

Despite an unexpected heatwave in the city and the extended summer festival season, visitor figures for Sunday - the event’s opening day - saw a 9.5% increase compared to 2023, while day two’s footfall also exceeded previous years, according to the show’s organisers.

The show floor welcomed a healthy cross-section of industry visitors, from entry-level professionals to senior leadership, with 15% more students visiting compared to 2023 and 79% of attendees declaring “influential purchasing power”. Key job roles of those in attendance included directors

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17 September 2024

USA - Sphere Entertainment Co has announced a ‘one-of-a-kind cinematic experience’ to be shown exclusively at Sphere. V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas, directed by Morleigh Steinberg and The Edge, showcases the history-making and future-defining U2:UV show directed by Willie Williams, which played to over 700,000 fans from 100+ countries across 40 sold-out dates from September 2023 through March 2024.

Sphere celebrated the film’s opening with an impressive drone show. Hundreds of drones displayed the V-U2 logo against the Vegas skyline, making the Exosphere ‘come to life’.

V-U2 is the first film ever to be shot entirely with Big Sky, the ultra-high-resolution camera system developed by Sphere Entertainment. V-U2 does not just capture U2’s epic run at Sphere, it allows audiences to feel

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17 September 2024

Namibia - Founded in 1919, Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group is one of the largest privately owned companies in Namibia, operating across various sectors including food and beverages, fishing, retail, property development, hospitality, and leisure. The group is known for its commitment to innovation and sustainability and for contributing to Namibia's economic development.

Stage Audio Works (SAW) Namibia recently completed the integration of a modern AV system in the group’s executive boardroom at the O&L Centre in Windhoek. This upgrade aimed to update both the boardroom's aesthetics and technological capabilities, ensuring effortless virtual communication and an enhanced meeting experience for both in-person and hybrid delegates.

“We were approached by the client directly, as we have a long-standing relationship built upon past projects,

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17 September 2024

USA - Brompton Technology has announced its new Q-SYS plugin integration, the Brompton Tessera LED Controller Plugin. As part of the Q-SYS Ecosystem, software and hardware manufacturers collaborate with Q-SYS to create market-ready solutions that integrate seamlessly with its cloud-manageable audio, video and control platform.

Brompton Technology worked closely with Q-SYS, who has fully vetted and endorsed the plugin integration with a Q-SYS Certified (developed with Q-SYS and supported by Brompton and Q-SYS) badge.

The plugin introduces advanced reporting and control features, creating a comprehensive solution for high-specification LED video installations. With simple configuration and setup, this powerful combination brings together Brompton's world-class quality, reliability and extensive feature-set with the capabilities of Q-SYS to meet the nee

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12 September 2024

USA - Rob Koenig and his team are working with Metallica on the second North American leg of the band’s M72 World Tour.

Elevating the show on this tour “to a new, and even higher level of engagement” is an innovative production design by Dan Braun, supported by an equally original lighting design by Koenig that features 144 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorised strobe washes supplied by Premier Global Production.

The design’s 360-degree stage brings the band closer to the crowd and affords clear views from anywhere in the big stadium. Those views are also bold, as Koenig pours volumes of bright light on the stage, impressively without having any truss-mounted fixtures, except for a small number around the drum riser.

“This kind of stage was all part of Dan Braun’s vision for the tour from the start,” said Koenig

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12 September 2024

China - Brompton Technology joined INFiLED’s 15th anniversary celebration on 9 September at the InterContinental Dameisha Resort in Shenzhen. The event highlighted INFiLED’s role as one of the leading providers of LED display solutions and celebrated the long-standing partnerships, including the one with Brompton Technology, that have propelled advancements in the LED industry.

The anniversary featured a variety of activities, including speeches from INFiLED’s CEO and vice-president, along with testimonials from key business partners such as Brompton Technology, LANG AG, and RM Multimedia, highlighting their successful collaboration with INFiLED. The event also included an awards ceremony to honour suppliers, a showcase of notable projects from the past five years, and engaging performances prepared by INFiLED employees.

Elijah Ebo, Brompton’

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11 September 2024

UK - Audio specialist tube uk helped design sound, as well as specify and implement an innovative system to deliver Where to Begin, the opening event of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), working closely with creative agency Pinwheel under the artistic direction of Katy Fuller and composer Roma Yagnik.

Yagnik created the musical highlight for an immersive pre-show experience followed by a large projection spectacular, with video content produced by Yeast Culture, which was mapped and beamed by Graymatter Video onto the north façade of George Heriot School, founded in 1628, which is overlooked by Edinburgh Castle.

The ticketed event kicked off the 2024 EIF with great flair. It ran over three evenings and was enjoyed by 3,000 people each night, celebrating the energy, vibrance and spirit of the city and the alchemy of invention

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11 September 2024

UK - Former One Direction star Niall Horan’s The Show: Live on Tour wrapped up its European leg in front of a capacity crowd at The O2 last week.

On the road since February, the Irish singer/songwriter’s third outing as a solo artist is to a music hall design, made arena size by 11 separate screens, 150sq.m of Universal Pixels’ LED, fed by four 35k projectors.

With Universal Pixels (UP) having run tests on a custom Austrian drape to determine its real-world brightness ahead of rehearsals late last year, the theatre curtain at The O2 is splashed with projected cinematic slogans and graphics, Welcome To The Show, Starring Niall Horan. And when it lifts to reveal Horan and a six-piece band playing Nice to Meet Ya, the thrill, the whoops and the songs sung back by fans carry right through the set.

Univers

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11 September 2024

Portugal – Alfalite has announced a major installation at Nestlé Portugal, which has installed an art LED screen from the brand at its Lisbon headquarters. This project marks a milestone in the integration of technology into the corporate spaces of the multinational.

In the Multipurpose Room of Nestlé's offices, a total of 72 Alfalite UHD FinePix AlfaCOB 1.8 panels have been installed, forming an impressive 7.20 x 2m screen. This advanced LED solution offers advanced image quality, providing sharp and precise visualisation, suitable for presentations as well as the projection of informational content during corporate events. The screen integrates seamlessly into the modern design of the facilities, adding significant value to Nestlé’s work environment.

The project was made possible through collaboration with GTC – Sistemas Digitais de Video,

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11 September 2024

France - Brompton Technology has announced the appointment of Laurent Theurin as technical sales manager for France. Theurin brings over two decades of experience in the audiovisual industry, with more than 10 years specialising in image processing.

Starting his career in the late 90s, Theurin held various positions, ranging from technical support to software workflow creation and UX design, as well as project management and customer training. His past experience includes working with prestigious companies such as INSEAD, UTRAM, and Barco.

“Image quality, reliability, and innovation are what I love about my job,” says Theurin. “For these reasons, I’m thrilled to join the motivated and professional team at Brompton Technology. I know their LED processors reach all my expectations, and I’m proud to present and support their products for profe

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10 September 2024

UK - Australian manufacturer LSC Control Systems enjoyed a successful PLASA Show in London this year. The company showed its renowned solutions alongside its UK distributor, A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET), and also on the stand of its new owner (and headline PLASA Show sponsor) Robe lighting s.r.o.

“PLASA this year was a really positive experience,” said LSC’s founder and managing director, Gary Pritchard. “Being in two such high-profile locations allowed us to get the full benefit of the show’s top-quality visitor base. The level of interest in our products, and the awareness of their advantages, was very satisfying.”

As a leading specialist in data distribution, power and lighting control, LSC’s increasingly popular solutions offer advanced protections and monitoring capabilities, giving the benefits of safety, reliability an

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10 September 2024

Europe - Follow-Me has announced the appointment of Thijs Bruins as global sales manager. Bruins will oversee the Follow-Me global sales network, aligning existing partners, expanding the network to improve customer experience and providing a strong base for the company’s future growth.

“We are really happy Thijs is joining Follow-Me,” Marc van der Wel, managing director says. “He brings lots of technical and commercial knowledge, industry experience and enthusiasm to our growing company.”

Bruins has a wealth of technical expertise. Starting out at a young age as a lighting technician and continuing to juggle this freelance work and training, his early experience underpins his deep understanding of the live events, theatrical and AV industries.

After years of freelancing, Bruins moved on to the role of manager of special projects at

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06 September 2024

Europe - Bridge Technologies has announced its partnership with fellow Norwegian company Pixotope, a leading provider of graphic enhancements for broadcast productions. The partnership will focus on leveraging Bridge’s expertise in the field of IP broadcast to assist Pixotope in a full ST 2110 transition, the initial results of which will be on display at IBC 2024 (Booth 1.A71).

The Pixotope platform streamlines workflows by combining camera tracking, talent tracking, virtual sets, AR and XR functionalities. Through the use of a single, intuitive application, the need for multiple programmes and complex integrations is eliminated, thus minimising disruption and hardware requirements. The net result is the ability to easily create immersive and striking experiences for viewers, adding context through data visualisations, clarity through action tracking, and

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05 September 2024

UK - Specialists in AV and IT integration, Tateside, has announced the opening of an updated showroom space at its London-based headquarters. The space will showcase a wide array of advanced technologies for collaboration and meeting rooms, providing clients with a real-world environment in which to explore and experience the solutions offered by Tateside.  

"Our investment in this new demo space underscores our commitment to building trust and credibility," says Jack Cornish, technical director at Tateside. "The showroom allows our clients to witness, firsthand, the capabilities of different technologies in various configurations and use cases, and also acts as a functioning workspace for our team to test and experiment with these technologies themselves." 

The demo space features a mix of technologies from leading brands, set up in multiple conf

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04 September 2024

South Africa - Production designer Wilhelm Disbergen has completed an array of video-focused shows across his home country, utilising tvONE's Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Media Servers to transform the look and feel of each piece.

Disbergen – who has served as video and production designer for dance and ballet, musicals, opera, theatre and corporate projects – focused on two of Johannesburg’s National School of the Arts (NSA) productions recently, using Hippotizer Media Servers on both to raise the bar on visual design.

One of these was Project 24, which invited audiences to experience a new generation of emerging choreographers from the school to showcase new choreography. During the production, the students gave shape and form to abstract concepts and ideas as they offered a unique perspective and window into the mindset of young

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03 September 2024

UK - The winners of the 2024 PLASA Awards for Innovation were announced last night at PLASA Show, currently running at Olympia London. The awards, run in association with LSi, are respected industry-wide for celebrating future-focussed technology that improves safety, efficiency and performance through new methods and materials.

44 products were entered this year, with the judges ultimately awarding eight products. And, for the first time in a number of years, the judges were delighted to also award the sustainability award. This year’s judging team comprised 13 independent technical specialists from a wide array of backgrounds, chaired once again by chartered engineer and LSi columnist, James Eade.

The winning products and judges’ comments are listed below:
Glensound for GTM Mobile  
The judges felt that this f

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03 September 2024

Portugal - Europalco leveraged the power of Kuka robot to create a memorable experience at the 36th Deloitte IRGAwards 2024. Held at the Carlos Lopes Pavilion in Lisbon, the event, organised by Desafio Global, welcomed 270 guests.

This year, the IRGAwards focused on technology and artificial intelligence, creating an atmosphere that showcased the harmony between humans and machines. Europalco’s Kuka robot played a prominent role in this narrative. The evening began with a performance where a Kuka robot played the piano alongside a pianist. A highlight of the event was the captivating dance performed by a Kuka robot and a professional dancer. These demonstrations showcased the impressive capabilities of modern robotics.

The IRGAwards 2024 stood out for its innovative use of visual and scenic elements. Of particular note was the 360-degree immersive

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03 September 2024

Singapore - LEA Professional has announced the appointment of Jon Han as business development manager for the APAC region.

Han brings over 18 years of experience in Pro AV solution sales to LEA. Throughout his career, he has enhanced sales through strategic strategies and brand-building for numerous companies. To effectively represent the company in the APAC region, Han will collaborate closely with Generation AV, LEA’s authorised sales partner.

“I’m thrilled to join the LEA team. It’s always a pleasure to represent a company with outstanding technology and company values,” said Han. “I’m ready to hit the ground running and work closely with the whole team at LEA and Generation AV to bring LEA to more APAC customers.”

“Our goal is to bring only the best technology to our customers, and the addition of Jon to the LEA team wil

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02 September 2024

Mexico - Based in Mexico City, Simplemente is one of the country’s pioneering virtual production studios. The company was founded by Mónica Reina and Rune Hansen in 2000 and has always operated on the forefront of technological innovation, embracing digital film, live streaming, VR, and virtual production early.

Simplemente’s clients range from independent artists and creatives to production houses and film schools to major television networks across Mexico and Latin America. The studio also offers production services, integration, training, and rentals.

Simplemente just celebrated the one-year anniversary of its LED stage located at the historic Estudios Churubusco. The volume features 200sq.m of high-density LED panels arranged in a 270-degree immersive screen. There are 782 AOTO RM 2.3mm LED panels for a total resolution of 14252 x 2582, prov