UK - Event LED Signs took their sign system to Earls Court earlier this month to work backstage at the British Military Tournament (formerly known as the Royal Tournament). The networked signs provided a cue light system to marshal the troops backstage and indicate when they should move into the arena.

The LED signs were placed at strategic points backstage, using text and colours to call specific performers to get into formation; to proceed to a waiting position; then to enter the arena. The signs were updated from a single control point under the direction of the deputy stage manager.

Karen Mayne, Event LED Signs director said: "Participating in the Tournament was a fantastic experience, as it such an iconic show. I was providing the cues for the bands and troops to enter the arena. There were two entrances to the arena and with more than 500 people and 150 horses invol

UK - 5 Star Cases has designed and manufactured a bespoke flightcase for Paragon Projection, to house their new fleet of Christie MicroTiles.

Paragon Projection, in Hednesford, Staffordshire is a trade-only rental specialist in professional display equipment for exhibitions, and training seminars, as well as being one of Europe's leading trade-only plasma screen rental company.

The company has been a long time customer of 5 Star, which has supplied them with a numerous cases for plasma and LCD screens, projectors, lenses and numerous accessories over the years.

New to Paragon's hire inventory is the Christie Micro Tile, and as soon as they'd taken delivery of the first batch of 60 Tiles, Paragon's Mark Davies again contacted 5 Star to create a case solution.

The brief was to house six Tiles, the associated mounting hardware, accompanying ECU control unit and the front disp

UK / USA - Big screen and videowall specialist PSCo is launching an exciting new LED technology from US manufacturer NanoLumens, which is not only flexible, but also thin, lightweight and extremely efficient in its power consumption.

NanoLumens is a display technology innovator that has designed and manufactured a flexible digital LED display that can be curved in convex or concave formations, flexed around walls and wrapped around large columns. The screen is lightweight and thin, which means it can be hung simply from ceilings, with very little infrastructure. Incredibly, they can be used in locations where large, heavy and fragile flat panelled displays are impractical to install or projection systems are unlikely to work.

PSCo is currently offering the technology as a 112" screen, designed for both indoor and outdoor use. In the longer term the products will be able t

The Netherlands - Orion has announced it will be taking a booth at this year's Integrated Systems Europe exhibition (1-3 February 2011, Amsterdam), using the opportunity to preview the seventh generation of its Infinite Plasma range at the show for the first time.

Orion is the world's leading independent videowall manufacturer, with a successful range of bezel-less plasma technology in the UK and European market. The company says that this year's ISE will feature a preview of the new seventh generation of the technology, offering increased brightness and contrast, an even smaller seam gap and high quality colour reproduction. The stand will showcase the whole range including models to suit both rental and permanent installation applications.

Stuart Holmes of UK distributor PSCo explains: "This will be the first time that Ori

Denmark - Martin Professional has announced the release of V2 software for the P3-100 System Controller, which the company says "puts this award-winning LED video screen processor even further ahead of the competition".

Martin says it has added a host of new and advanced features, including an improved user interface. The V2 software will run on any P3-100, with no need for any hardware upgrades, the company says.

Highlights of the V2 software include: LED video screens with different pixel pitches (resolutions) can now be combined on one P3-100 System Controller - the P3-100 (V2) does all the scaling for you; Easily adjustable colour temperature (white balance) of screens; Undo and redo buttons; rotation of content on any video panel or group of panels to any angle; Easy-to-select groups of panels; Layout and quick-addressing wizards; additional video-presets; and a

Hong Kong - Lighthouse screens was chosen to be one of the focal points at MAHA2010, one of Malaysia's biggest public events, held between 26 November and 5 December.

The Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Show (MAHA) is claimed to be the largest event of its kind in the region. Taking place every two years at the Malaysian Agro Exposition Park in Serdang, it showcases the best of the country's food growing and production industry.

The 6 x 5 panel (6.12m wide x 3.8m high) screens were supplied by Selangor-based Nova Spectra Sdn Bhd and had signals simultaneously routed wirelessly to them from a central server, displaying information about the wide range of demonstrations, seminars, tasting sessions, promotions, product launches and performances which took place each day.

"As the largest and most comprehensive show of its kind in the region, if not all o

UK - A.C. Special Projects were approached by London's Southbank Centre to specify and supply a high power outdoor gobo projector to provide a visually impactful logo above the entrance to the Hayward Gallery's trendy Concrete cafe and late night bar, which takes its name from the building's striking 1960s architecture.

Based on the available throw distance to achieve a 6m wide projection of the logo, the company specified a Griven GoboStorm IP65 rated outdoor gobo projector with a powerful 575W metal halide lamp and high precision zoom optics to achieve the required image size, brightness level and clarity.

A.C. Special Projects were also contracted to specify and supply outdoor LED lighting to highlight an area under a railway bridge leading from the Royal Festival Hall to a restaurant and other visitor attractions along the South Bank area.

To overcome planning restrictio

Italy - Italian fashion designer Valentino SpA recently commissioned a Lighthouse screen installation in Milan.

The 5 x 2 panel (6.4m x 0.97m) P10 i/o SMD screen has been installed in the company's Milan showroom. While not open to the public, the venue is where all the company's Italian resellers can see the latest products, so it has to present the garments in the best possible way.

The screen was installed by Lighthouse technicians, along with a TV One scaler and LIP-HDI processor, in a space specifically designed around the P10 panel dimensions.

Content is created and edited by a collaboration of video companies Lab8 and Eltec, both based close to Milan. When approved by Valentino, videos are uploaded via the internet to the company showrooms in Milan, Rome, Paris and New York, as well as retail outlets across the globe, maintaining a consistent company presence.

"

Egypt - UK-based projection specialists The Projection Studio were commissioned by Cairo production company PromoSign to create a large format projection show for the Opening of the 16th Cairo Arab Media Awards staged at Media City in Cairo.

The Awards were aired live across 18 countries. The 13-minute piece was part of a visual spectacular including fireworks, that was projected onto a full-size scenic replica of the old Cairo Stock Exchange building (also known as the 'Bourse') which is part of one of the current film sets being utilised at the studio.

Ashton became involved in the project via Egyptian producer Ashraf Haridy, who was aware of The Projection Studio's previous work and recommended him to the show producers, who wanted to up the production values at this year's Awards.

Once everything was confirmed, they had just two weeks to create and compile the artwork fo

The Netherlands - Lighthouse LED screens are at the centre of a new trend in the Netherlands for art installations, which is taking the concept of large exterior screens and making them interactive.

With the majority of large exterior screens used for advertising and public information, there is a sense of disconnection - an almost Big Brother-esque omnipresence that the viewer has no influence over. These new installations are trying to redress that balance, making the viewer an integral part of the screen's output.

One such installation is Between You & Me, located outside Factorium, a new school of dance and music in Tilburg. Designed by visual artists Martin and Inge Riebeek, a 5 x 4 panel Lighthouse Pi16 screen was supplied and installed by Hengelo-based Hecla Professional Audio & Video Systems.

Using technology developed by KITT Engineering of Enschede, a movabl

UK - Black Light's hire team has helped a video production company achieve a dark and compelling look for its latest piece of work - a video for up-coming Scottish band Kid Adrift.

The video, which was made by Edinburgh-based Cagoule Productions, is for the band's latest single A4 in Ecstasy. It features two boxers battling it out in a down-at-heel ring.

Black Light supplied all the lighting for the video production. "The Lighting designer has worked closely with us in the past and knew he could rely on us to deliver the right equipment in a quick and efficient manner, at the high standard expected by video production companies," says Black Light's head of events, Stephen Reid. "The video is well worth a look, as it is lit with real imagination and shows that you can be creative using a relatively simple approach."

The video's lighting director, Ma

USA / Australia - Intelix has partnered with Ness Corporation to better serve the Australian audio-visual market. Effective immediately, Ness is stocking and supplying Intelix hardware, including their HDMI, digital signage, security and audio/video over twisted pair solutions.

"Ness is an ideal partner in Australia," says Steve Cohan, Intelix CEO. "Their exceptional support, extensive product offerings, and numerous stocking locations cover over 95% of Australia's population, making them a leader in the datacom, security, and commercial and residential AV markets."

"Ness partners with quality suppliers from North America, Asia and Europe, allowing us to bring leading edge technology to our customers in all areas of the industry," says Greg Kingsley, Ness national integrated solutions manager. "We are always looking to expand our range and co

UK - Worcestershire-based communications and events management firm drpgroup reports that it is creating 12 new roles within the business.

The drpvideo team is looking for new video producers and directors keen to get started in the industry as well as both Midlands and London based editors. The drpdigitalmedia team is looking for a senior web developer, graphic designers and a presentation designer/operator to join the busy team. drpevents is looking for senior level event management staff to help deliver projects for new clients and the drptechnicalservices team is looking for production manager, senior show technician, show technician, warehouse servicing assistant and assistant stage and set carpenter.

The positions, apart from one London-based video editor role, will be at the group's Hartlebury base and are in addition to the 19 full-time and 17 part-time staff members t

UK - High-brightness F32 series DLP projectors from Norway's projectiondesign can be found at the heart of a new training facility at the Cobham, UK offices of control and automation manufacturer, Crestron.

"Education is a huge part of our market. Our own business is no different and we've invested in the best communications technology throughout our new training and education offices," says Jamie Blakemore, UK sales manager at Crestron UK. "These are used throughout the year to train and educate our staff, partners, consultants, architects, technology suppliers and customers. We have about 1.000 people coming through our doors for training purposes alone annually. For the display of information, we're using nothing less than the 8,000 lumens high-brightness models of the F32 series.

"The projectors are certainly being put through their paces and able to ha

UK - PEL Services has recently completed one of its most sophisticated audio visual installations for Syngenta International Research Centre in Berkshire.

Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies with more than 25,000 employees in over 90 countries. 800 staff are employed at the Centre in Berkshire, which is the company's largest site for agrochemical R&D.

As part of an efficiency drive to increase productivity and site usage, Syngenta put into place a three part programme, which included improving communications, the main focus of which was on making The Elements Building a central hub of the site. Already home to the dining room and refreshments areas, as well as some little used meeting rooms, the Elements Building underwent a complete refurbishment incorporating eight meeting facilities plus informal meeting areas, all run by an on-site dedicated concierge.

For S

USA - Hitachi America Digital Media Division Division has announced the appointment of Debra Beckman as western regional sales manager. Beckman will be responsible for overseeing sales of Hitachi 3LCD projectors in the Western United States.

Debra Beckman has an extensive background in sales management. Previously, she worked as sales manager at Lumens Integration, where she was responsible for the company's higher education document camera business. She has also worked at SMK-Link Electronics and Incline Corporation, and she has led her own advertising and consulting firm.

"Debra brings a diverse range of talents to Hitachi, with a proven ability to create and implement successful sales programs," said Ray Soltys, director of sales, Hitachi America, Digital Media Division, Business Solutions Group. "With the addition of Debra to our team, we are in a stronger p

UK / USA - The New Year sees the launch of the enlarged PLASA trade association, following the formal merger between industry trade bodies ESTA and PLASA on 1 January.

The merger has created one of the largest networks serving the industry worldwide. Operating from regional offices in Europe and North America, PLASA now has a membership of 1100 businesses, organizations and individuals working across the entertainment, events and installation industries, giving it a substantial worldwide industry voice.

The move also greatly strengthens PLASA's position of leadership in the development of industry standards, best practices and skills.

The formal merger represents the first phase of the two associations coming together, and the months ahead will be focused on the further unification of the wider range of projects and initiatives that now sit under the PLASA banner.

In the m

UK / The Netherlands - TV One will be demonstrating the C2-8000 Series, a new range of dual channel processors with universal inputs and three internal scaling engines at ISE 2011. Using TV One's CORIO 2 Technology, these smart units provide bi-directional conversion of up to 12 inputs of digital and/or analogue video and also include features such as seamless switching, dual picture-in-picture windowing, chroma and luma keying, logo insertion, Tri/Bi-level sync Genlock input, scalable background and more.

The C2-8000 System features multiple DVI-U input modules that accept DVI, RGB, Composite Video, S-Video, YUV and YPbPr Component Video. 3G-SDI input and output modules can also be factory fitted if required as well as audio in and out.

The two high resolution DVI-U outputs are selectable as virtually any PC or HDTV resolution. The available SDI modules also add a further two

UK - Media Powerhouse, one of the UK's leading AV rental services companies, has announced that Special Project Solutions (Special Projects) has joined the Group. Special Projects is a problem solving company whose services span the entertainment and industrial sectors, covering technical project management, design translation, bespoke fabrication and mechanical and lifting solutions. Being a part of Media Powerhouse Group will strengthen the specialist technical management and system integration expertise in both companies, say Media Powerhouse.

Special Projects was formed in 2007 by directors Tim Roffey and David Green. Prior to forming the company, Roffey, one of the country's top experts in entertainment rigging and installation, spent 10 years at Unusual Rigging where he managed the worldwide tour of Mamma Mia! and engineering projects such as Old Trafford's Quadrant

UK / Australia - The Prototype Tour, Top Gear Live's most ambitious and complex stage show to date, is about to export its delights to Australia, the culmination of a tour that is playing to over 300,000 spectators across seven cities around the world. London video and projection services specialists Bluman Associates has used advanced projection mapping techniques to create virtual stage sets for the event.

Produced by Brand Events, Top Gear Live is the live arena show for the award-winning TV programme Top Gear. Featuring stunts, special effects and blockbusting driving sequences, the show packs in pyro, noise and spectacle.

This touring show features its most complex stage set to date, using 3D projection mapping to generate exotic backdrops on a 36m wide screen. Content created by Bruce Ferguson from The Darkroom has been programmed by Bluman As

USA - Liberty AV Solutions has appointed Alan Richards as the company's new Eastern director of sales.

Now responsible for overseeing all aspects of sales activity conducted throughout the region, Richards comes to his new post with over 20 years of experience within the AV industry. Formerly with Jerusalem, Israel-based Kramer Electronics, where he served as VP of sales for the US market, Richards will make New Jersey his home base of operations on behalf of Liberty.

Richards effectively replaces Liberty's former Eastern director of sales Dan Reich, who has taken on new responsibilities within the company as its sales operations manager. In this capacity, Reich will assume day-to-day management of all zone managers throughout the US, order entry, and be working closely with internal sales operations revolving around purchasing, marketing, and finance.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Systems integrator IVC Media has today announced it has been awarded the £1m contract to design and build the AV infrastructure for the new facility at The University of Exeter Business School.

Working closely with the university's consultants and main building contractors BAM, IVC Media will bring together the traditional AV and IT world to provide an integrated solution which has the capacity to grow with the future requirements of the university's students and its business clients across the globe.

IVC Media will equip all the teaching rooms, boardrooms and theatres with a high-end AV system from interactive white boards, video projection right through to large screens and Crestron control system plus all audio, including PA system, induction loops and radio microphones.

"IVC senior team members come from backgrounds within telecoms, audio visual, broadcas

Qatar - The State of Qatar has recently celebrated achieving a production capacity of 77m tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas and Stage One were invited by Tim Elliott from the Qatar office of international production company WRG, to provide their technical expertise for the official celebrations.

Stage One were asked to create an in-the-round performance environment for the 45-minute celebratory show, which included a 360º seating block, 360º projection screen (160m x 10m) to the rear of this, a central pool that was used as a performance area and 20 different Qmotion controlled elements.

Steve Dolan, account director for Stage One, said, "The scale of this job was huge, with on-site assembly requiring over 1000 man days. However, a close working relationship with our client, along with extensive experience of working in Qatar, meant we were able to facilitate a

France - 80s rock group Indochine wrapped up their Meteor Tour at the Palais Omnisport de Bercy in Paris on 14 and 15 September, 2010. For the two final shows at the Palais Omnisport de Paris-Bercy, no fewer than 10 Christie projectors were installed by the technical services company, Alabama, so that every one of Indochine's 34,000 fans could simultaneously enjoy a show embellished with animations, archive footage and live video on two lateral screens.

The whole system was run by the light console using a Catalyst media server synchronised to the show's timecodes. The media server stored all of the various video displayed on the screens, while simultaneously managing the live cameras used for both recording the show and providing live video to the concert-goers.

This final show of the tour opened with a 25m wide Kabuki screen which appeared above the stage as the lights went

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