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UK - Avolites has released Prism Player, a new software application for media previewing and encoding. This is the first release under the Prism product range and can work as an auxiliary tool to the Avolites Ai video software platform.
Earlier this year, Avolites launched the Q Series Media Servers, a range of four media servers designed to power every performance. The company is now looking to expand its user base and introduce the discipline to new users with Prism.
The Prism platform is designed with an intuitive and clear user interface to give newer video designers and operators a stepping stone into the discipline. “With Prism, we wanted to create a set of complementary tools that would help designers start to integrate video into their projects as well as impr

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Italy - Situated at the foot of Mount Rocchetta near Italy’s Lake Garda, the Bastione is a fortress built in the early XVI century. It is one of the symbols of Riva del Garda and overlooks both the city and the lake itself.
A project run by the municipality of Riva del Garda, aiming to make the bastion even more attractive and accessible to all was recently completed. A new panoramic glass lift that starts from the centre of Riva del Garda travels 200m to the foot of the bastion, where a new restaurant has opened its doors.
The breath-taking panoramic view that can be enjoyed from the lift is even more extraordinary from the terrace of the Bastione Lounge & Restaurant itself; the elegant venue is open from morning to night for lunch, dinner, happy hour and musical entertainment.
To create the appropriate atmosphere for this exceptional location, manager Alf

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USA - 5 Words Media (5WM) is a US systems integrator based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2011, principally as a design/build company for houses of worship, its team also designs and installs audio, lighting and AVL systems regionally across the entertainment, education and corporate sectors
In recent months, 5WM has been working through a programme of audio installations in houses of worship using Coda Audio loudspeakers. Whilst the challenges of the Coronavirus have impacted the audio industry as never before, owner and design principal, Daniel Gourley and his team have worked tirelessly within regulatory constraints to install the systems whilst churches have been temporarily closed.
A recent initiative by 5WM was its #FreeChurchAV contest which invited churches across the US to pitch for a new AV system by telling their story and highlighting the benefits that upg
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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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Japan - When LD&K purchased a former theatre with the intention of converting it into a live music venue, there was no question about the fixtures that would make up its lighting rig. The company, which operates ‘live houses’ throughout Japan, had almost always used halogen fixtures, and it was set to do the same at its newest venue, the 1000 Club, located just three blocks from the bustling Yokohama train station.
That was until its management sat down and talked to the team at Hibino Lighting. Surveying the 1000-capacity room, Hibino recommended that, given the limited power supply available, it would make more sense to install Chauvet Professional LED fixtures. LD&K was hesitant, but trusting its vendor it agreed.
As a result, when the club opened (as a livestream venue) in August, it featured a powerful and versatile lighting rig comprised of 56 COLORad

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Poland - When the new $1.9m Koenigsegg Gemera supercar was officially launched to the Polish market last month, the VIP event included a lighting rig created using more than 50 ADJ fixtures. Providing mood lighting while the VIP guests arrived, the rig was then used - together with low-lying fog from an ADJ Entour Ice - to create a high-impact reveal for the star of the show.
The Gemera is marketed by the Swedish high-performance sports car manufacturer as the world’s first ‘Mega-GT’ (grand tourer). The limited production car is a four-seater with a hybrid engine and spacious interior, but offers sports car performance. Capable of going from 0-100km/h (62mph) in just 1.9 seconds, and with a top speed of 400 km/h (249mph), if offers the true sports car experience to the driver and up to three passengers.
Since it was first announced at the beginning of the year, t

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Austria - The Vienna State Opera has replaced its 20-year-old Amptown Washlights with 70 SolaWash 1000 High CRI from High End Systems.
The upgrade was a challenge, as the new LED spotlights must be able to reproduce the characteristic old-fashioned light qualities of their predecessors and illuminate new productions in a contemporary way. The State Opera House has almost 200 repertoire pieces in its programme and the spotlights are in use for almost every piece.
Robert Eisenstein, vice-director of lighting at the Vienna State Opera, comments: "We had the pleasure of getting our hands on the first SolaWash 1000 in Austria. Together with Preworks and ETC, we were able to realise this project professionally, by implementing our own programme. Many companies presented us with a spotlight and offered to make the necessary changes by hand. With almost 200 performances and n

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Europe - Prolyte has appointed Sound light and system (SLS), a sales partner for the company since 2014, as its new distributor in Portugal.
Established in 2014, SLS provides complete solutions for the professional audio and lighting market in Portugal.
“With the development of the market during these uncertain times, it is reassuring to have a strong trustable partner to further deliver high-end quality products and structural solutions that are in increasing demand in Portugal,” says Prolyte manager William Voskuil.
Rui Nunes, SLS CEO, comments: "We’ve worked with Prolyte for years now and we firmly believe that Prolyte is in fact the best truss solution for the Portuguese market. Being a well-recognised and known brand, Prolyte is ahead of its game in the market, as it is not only used and trusted by everyone but also recognized for its potential to lea

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Canada - Solotech has announced the appointment of Omar Prashad as sales director, Ontario.
Prashad will be responsible of the leadership of the sales teams (Toronto and Ottawa offices), with the objective of establishing Solotech’s business position and growing revenue and market share in the province. He will oversee the development of key existing accounts in the live performance and entertainment sectors, while ensuring a strong diversification strategy to penetrate high-promising market segments such as corporate and education.
With over 15 years of experience in the systems integration business, namely at Westbury National, Advanced Presentation Solutions and DuoCom Canada, Omar Prashad has a strong background in managing and motivating sales teams, financial management and strategic planning initiatives.
“Omar’s proven vision and sales development c

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UK - iMAG Displays has added a Brompton Technology Hydra to its inventory.
The Hydra is an advanced measurement system custom-designed for LED panels fitted with a Tessera R2 receiver card. Panels must be measured with Hydra to benefit from Dynamic Calibration, the technology that enables Brompton HDR.
iMAG has invested in a Hydra not just to recalibrate its own stock of LED panels, but also to make it available for hire to other UK rental houses so they can update their own panel inventory.
The decision to purchase Hydra was made before the pandemic but was put on hold whilst the company – previously focused on servicing live events – realigned its focus and looked at new business opportunities. Such an investment may seem like a bold move in the current climate, but the decision was based on seeing first-hand the benefits of Dynamic Calibration and Brompto

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UK - Shure supports Kings Daughters, an all-female British band, merging rock guitars and powerhouse vocals into epic anthems. Shure supplied the new SLX-D wireless system sporting a Beta58 microphone, alongside PSM300 In-Ear monitors and a selection of Beta-series wired microphones. The kit provided helped to ensure production values on the launch of their first live streamed gig to celebrate their second single, Dancing in the Rain, produced by Brian May, to honour those lost during the UK national lockdown.
The girl band joined the movement - Keep New Bands Alive and Gigging- supporting emerging bands to take the stage and perform gigs, live streamed to the world from new venue, Warehouse V. The aim is to entertain the public at home who are missing out on gigs and to encourage the viewers to donate whatever they can to help new bands on their musical journey.

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UK - Following the sudden death of its legendary landlord Louis Hayle – more commonly known as Dutty Ken – the future of reggae venue, the Star & Garter in Montpelier, Bristol, was cast into uncertainty.
The pub had already been saved from the hands of the tax man a few short years ago thanks to a vociferous crowdfunding campaign, and in the months after Dutty Ken’s death, fears surfaced that it would be sold and converted into flats.
This threat, which could be seen as indicative of a wider phenomenon that has swallowed a number of the UK’s most well-loved venues in recent years, was enough to call the local community to action once more.
With this new campaign succeeding in saving the Star & Garter for a second time, another stalwart of the Bristol music and events scene, Malcolm Haynes, stepped in to take ownership of the situation.
With

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South Africa - Heartfelt Arena, a 4,500-seater venue in Pretoria, and technical supplier AJR Audio have stood together in protest by hosting events, without making a profit, to prove how shows can safely continue during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In July, Eugene Pienaar from Heartfelt Arena and Altus Janse van Rensburg, owner of AJR and the venue’s in-house technical supplier, hosted a drive-in church service which saw 210 cars attending the event.
In August, the team took it further. They applied tape on the venue’s floor to mark out blocks and walkways. A table with chairs was placed within each block. Each block would host a family. They then held five sold-out shows for Neverland Circus, a circus that combines the traditional Brazilian, South African and a few international circus acts, also known for reaching out to less privileged communities and charities across

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USA - When professional basketball resumed in the US during the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA protected its players by establishing a ‘bubble’ isolation zone at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida. Although the general public was not permitted in the stands at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex where the games were held, fans were glad to be able to watch the season’s televised final games and the playoffs once again.
Fuse Technical Group, which supplied all the court video systems, provided four programmers with an arsenal of grandMA hardware to play back and trigger various assets and effects during the games: five grandMA3 full-size units with one MA NPU (Network Processing Unit) plus two grandMA2 full-size and one grandMA2 light consoles, the latter as backup systems and the tech desk.
Three basketball courts were created in the sports complex with gi

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USA - Symetrix has launched its newly designed, mobile-friendly website complete with a new community forum.
Visitors to the website will find a visually enhanced, user-friendly format with improved navigation, functionality, and responsiveness on all screens and device types. The site features redesigned vertical focus pages, images and testimonials from real Symetrix projects, along with an online warranty claim form, and more robust support pages.
“It’s important to us that the Symetrix universe of users can easily find what they need from our website, whether it’s technical information, product documentation, or project inspiration, and be able to do it all from a phone or iPad if they’re not in front of a computer,” explains Symetrix owner and CEO, Mark Graham. “The new website provides that functionality, along with a cool new forum to give us a pla

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USA - Tom Sutherland was back on the set of Dancing with the Stars recently, lighting his second season of the American reality dance competition for the ABC network. Lead designer at DX7 Design, Sutherland, who used Elation lighting on last season’s show, again turned to Elation fixtures to light the myriad of dances while finding a visual solution to fill empty audience space.
“There were some challenges this year as there was no audience, which usually plays a big role in the show. Nobody, especially in television, likes black holes,” said Sutherland. “When you have an expensive set that looks like a million dollars, you don’t want to sacrifice that by a few dodgy shots. With HD cameras and 360-degree looks we have to make sure we have all our bases covered.”
Dead space on the set was something Sutherland was especially wary of when lighting this

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Sweden - Visual design studio PXLFLD recently deployed Hippotizer Media Servers from Green Hippo to provide the visual backdrop for a secret party and live performance by singer-songwriter Veronica Maggio.
Conceived by Red Bull, the exclusive event, staged at the Nobis Hotel in central Stockholm, was available only to fans who completed a treasure-hunt-like series of tasks.
Nikolaj Brink, Maggio’s lighting designer and a recent addition to the PXLFLD team, was responsible for the event’s show design, and called in his colleagues to deliver the show’s visual playback elements. But with the limitations imposed by Covid-19, this was a show with a difference.
PXLFLD’s Anders Granström explains, “The stage was built in the hotel’s grand lobby. To maintain social distancing, the audience enjoyed the concert from their hotel rooms, looking down at the perfo

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UK - Highlite UK has embarked on a UK roadshow during October and early November to present some of its new latest products.
After hosting the first session at its office in Calne, the company is heading to Future Technical Solutions in Torquay on 15 October; Subfrantic in Bromley on 20 October; Vector Lighting in Milton Keynes on 22 October; MRL Productions in Clacton on Sea on the 27th; Stage Management Company in Leeds on the 29th, and Musicmann in Walsall on 3 November. Those who wish to attend should register via Eventbrite. 
“We will be taking the roadtrip to seven venues,” says Highlite. “There will be two sessions at each venue, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The first session will take place from 10am until 12:30pm and

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UK - PLASA Online 2020, a five-day programme of business, technical and product sessions, kicked off yesterday and will run daily until 16 October. The week-long programme includes live key notes, panel discussions and training sessions designed to provide education, guidance and inspiration during these challenging times.
In light of challenges that have emerged in the COVID era, chartered safety practitioner and production manager Tom Goode will discuss event production in the new COVID environment. Joining him will be Karl Raw, Health and Safety Inspector for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Dominique Perrissin-Fabert, Health and Safety Manager for the Royal Opera House, and Ben Stephen, Head of Operations & Production for the Albany. Together they will share how they have adapted workplaces and practices and will answer questions from the virtual audience. In

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UK - PLASA’s Managing Director Peter Heath spoke to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee on Employment and COVID-19 on 6 October.
Alongside Horace Trubridge from Musicians' Union, Abigail Pogson from SAGE Gateshead and Julian Bird from UK Theatre, Heath gave evidence of the live events and entertainment sector is suffering and why the sector needs further government support. The session was broadcast on Parliament TV and is available in full here: //parliamentlive.tv.
During the introduction, Heath commented: “The events industry has been absolutely devastated, but the question is, can it survive? This is subject to how soon we can return to work and what support

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Mixed Reactions - Venues and organisations including The Cavern Club in Liverpool and the London Symphony Orchestra are to receive a share of £257m government arts funding. The Cavern, which hosted early gigs from The Beatles, has been given £525,000 to fund the recording of performances from local musicians. More than 1,300 organisations are set to benefit, including the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Bristol Old Vic. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden described the move as "a vital boost".
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention music festival has been awarded £200,000 under the scheme. Gareth Williams, Cropredy’s festival organiser, said: “We have all seen how hard this Covid pandemic has hit the festival industry; 2020 has basically been a write-off. This most welcome grant from the CRF secures the future of our festival for 2021 and will help us cover any additional costs

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UK - Sound, Light & Laser FX has been known as SLLFX by much of the industry for most of its existence. Now, as part of a larger rebranding and investment initiative, the Birmingham-based AV rental company has officially taken SLLFX as its name.
The new name and logo is just one element of a full brand refresh and investment process that has helped to transform the equipment rental company. The investment process started ahead of the UK’s national lockdown with the addition of Unilumin HD LED screens to the company’s hire stock.
Following this, during lockdown the company launched two streaming services. First, a streaming studio complete with full DJ setup and LED walls for DJs to deliver the professional look they are used to at clubs. Joining this is the mobile media centre, a fully mobile virtual venue for corporate clients looking to overcome Zoom fatigue
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