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If you’re planning to be in Shanghai next week for PLASA 2001 at the Intex Exhibition Centre, take some time out from the show to attend the DTI-funded seminar by DHA Lighting on the use of theatrical lighting effects in architectural environments on Wednesday 4th April. As a DTI-sponsored activity, the seminar will deal with only UK-manufactured products, and PLASA stipulates that it is a seminar rather than a product briefing. DHA Lighting will be represented by Julie Harper, sales manager for Asia, who will address a wide audience through a translator. She will be using DHA products and a number of recent Asian projects - the installation of a silver DHA Gecko Image Projector in a high-tech show apartment and number of white DHA animation effects in a Hong Kong shopping mall - to

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From opposite corners of the globe, two well-known companies have joined together to meet the growing needs of the entertainment industry. GE Lighting, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and Koto Electric Co Ltd, based in Tokyo, Japan, will collaborate to distribute and develop new products in entertainment metal halide discharge lamps. Under the terms of the agreement, GE will distribute metal halide discharge lamps manufactured by Koto Electric. The lamps - built to GE Lighting’s specifications and branded with the GE name - will be distributed by GE Lighting worldwide, except in Japan and the People’s Republic of China. In addition, both companies have committed to expand their discharge product offerings in the future. "We are constantly looking for ways to improve not only our distribution capabilities, but also our commitment to our customers," said Gerry Schuh,

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The Gilbert Collection is an outstanding collection of decorative art bequeathed to the British nation by Sir Arthur Gilbert and currently on display in the new Museum of Decorative Art in central London’s Somerset House. A major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has financed the museum as part of the restoration of Somerset House, an 18th century architectural masterpiece by Sir William Chambers. Asked by the director of the Gilbert Collection to resolve the design problems faced with the lighting in the main galleries Rupert Little, technical director of LVS took on the job and specified the new Aureol Beam Shaper from Selecon. Poor positioning of tracks in the original installation were overcome by the flexibility and adaptability of the Aureols, allowing often difficult ‘shots’ to be achieved. From a design point of view, the performance of the fixtures, coupled
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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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Well known industry figure, Linton Smeeton, one of the founders of RCF UK, has been appointed commercial sales manager of Paso UK Ltd, the corporate office of Paso Spa (Italy). Linton joins up with fellow industry stalwart, Bill Mackie, to strengthen Paso's rapidly developing presence in the public address, voice evacuation and conference markets in the UK and Ireland.

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Italian loudspeaker manufacturer B&C has appointed London-based Proel as its official UK distributor. B&C speakers can be found inside many ‘big name’ manufacturers’ enclosures, but this is the first time the company will have had an active distributor and stockist in the UK. The appointment of Proel coincides with two new high-power woofers being added to B&C’s main speaker series, plus the launch of a completely new range of lightweight drivers. The two newcomers are the 18 TBX 46 and 15 TBX 40. The 18" driver will handle 1,000W AES and features a ventilated magnet assembly for higher power handling and lower power compression. The 15" TBX 40 will also handle 1000W AES and shares a similar design approach. The new B&C range is the company’s HPL (High Power Lightweight) series, which features neodymium magnets and high pressure aluminium chassis w

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Italian spotlight manufacturer LDR will be launching two completely new ranges at ABTT in London on 4th April. LDR’s popular budget-priced 650W Tempo and 1000W Aria ranges have been completely redesigned to create the new style ‘Tempo plus’ and ‘Aria plus’ to improve performance, quality, availability, and compatibility with other manufacturers’ accessories. Tempo plus - simple 500/650W Fresnel and PC spotlights for smaller venues - are now fitted with a quality glass reflector to improve the light output, an improved focus mechanism, 150mm DIN standards accessories and added safety attachment points for barndoors and other colour wheels. The higher-power 1kW Aria plus range has a new body to accommodate 185mm DIN accessories and other detail upgrades. The new products will replace their predecessors immediately, and will be on show at the Lightfactor

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PLASA Media has learned that Home nightclub in Leicester Square, London, has been closed after an undercover police investigation showed there was open and serious Class A drug dealing and usage at the venue. Westminster Council made the decision to revoke the club’s entertainment licence with immediate effect, at an emergency meeting following police advice. Chief Inspector Chris Bradford, of the Metropolitan Police Clubs and Vice Unit, said: "We felt it was necessary to take the unusual course of action in a bid to try and eradicate this serious and open problem from the premises.

"A full investigation has been carried out by my officers and we have explored many other courses of action to avoid having to make this application. Our actions in this case should act as a warning to other premises where there is a serious drug problem that we are prepared to take every st

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PLASA Media has just learnt that Decoupe, the Tottenham-based distributor of theatrical products, has gone into voluntary liquidation. The company, founded in 1993 by Tom Mannings, specialised in supplying high performance lighting equipment to the entertainment industry, and was until recently the distributor for the range of followspots, luminaires and digital products from Robert Juliat. The company was also the UK agent for the MDG updated range of fog generators and the Sajem Copernik dichroic Par cans. The UK distribution of Robert Juliat product has now been taken over by White Light.

The liquidators are The Thompson Partnership, based in Halsall.

More details in the April issue of L&SI.

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The ABTT Show is proving to be one of the best networking events for the theatre industry. L&SI was at London’s Horticultural Halls . . .

The show consolidated its core theatre roots, firstly by changing its name to the ABTT Theatre Show 2001, and secondly by widening its appeal to complementary sectors and actively targeting architects, consultants and specifiers of front-of-house services. This inevitably led to a broader range of products on the show floor and alongside the lighting, audio, AV and staging equipment, came front of house goods and services - principally seating, but also training, recruitment and licensing. This, in turn, led to more visitors and first indications are that the visitor figure was up a massive 72% over last year’s registered numbers . . .

The talk on the AC stand was of the company’s new HQ, the finishing touches to which, are being

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The first meeting of PLASA’s newly established Education and Training Steering Group took place in March.

Chaired by Dave Ward of the Gateway School of Recording, members of the Group include some of the key training providers in the industry, together with representatives of the trade press and the PLASA head office team.

The intention is that the Group will make recommendations to the PLASA committee on the way forward for training and education initiatives for this industry. Part of its remit will be to review ways in which PLASA can create a coherent and sustainable training structure which addresses not only those coming into the industry, but also those already in it. Issues such as accreditation, new technologies, health & safety and good training practice will all be addressed as part of PLASA’s training strategy.

In the first instance, PLASA is looking to ident

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I’m not going to write much about Craig David; not that there isn’t much to write about, but because I expect to be writing much more in the future.

While Westlife are a well-voiced, but ultimately plastic facsimile of pop stardom (see feature this issue), Craig David has it all. Last time I made such an assertion was for Baby Bird, who promptly migrated South, so I’ll temper my predictions for David. He is a skilled songwriter - consecutive hits have established that - and he has a rich, round voice, but it was seeing him live that convinced me. He prowls the stage with the leonine grace of a caged animal. He’s compelling, urging the crowd like a Gladiator holding his sword to the neck of his vanquished foe: Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Who cares, this man is dangerous. He may not be playing as many arena shows as Westlife, but they’re sell-outs, and get this

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The countdown to the PLASA Show 2001 has begun! The entertainment technology industry’s leading event will run from 9-12 September at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London.

With over 89% of the available stand space already sold and all the leading manufacturers booked into the show, PLASA 2001 promises to live up to its reputation as the showcase event that launches the entertainment technology year. Venue improvements have continued, with over £500,000 invested in the last 12 months to improve comfort cooling at the Show. Furthermore, an overall investment of £6million will ensure that Earls Court is a fully air-conditioned exhibition centre by 2002.

Over 400 exhibitors and 14,000 UK and international visitors are expected to attend. Manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of professional lighting, sound and AV equipment will descend upon Earls Court to unveil their lates

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Neutrik has launched the NYS225-S commercial quarter-inch phone plug for the live sound industry. The latest in the two-pole mono plug series designed with a larger shell to accommodate wider diameter speaker cable, the 225-S features a silent switch that eliminates the popping distortion when inserted into a jack. "The NYS 225-S was created in response to the needs of musicians, technicians and engineers in the live sound marketplace," says James Cowan, vice-president of Neutrik USA. "The silent switch automatically depresses upon insertion and acts like a ground lift to eliminate the pop when a cable is plugged into an instrument or amplifier."

With a rugged and durable design, the NYS 225-S is built to take the wear and tear of the road with a machined brass shell and a product life of 5,000 insertions. The plug also features a larger cable clamp and large metal

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Live video production specialists Nocturne Europe are changing their trading name to XL Video with immediate effect. The move will offer a more consolidated approach to international markets and associate the company directly with XL Video in Belgium, the USA & Japan - outdoor screen suppliers with extensive stocks of Barco, Delite, Saco & Lighthouse LED screens.

In California, an even closer association is taking place with the opening of a new XL Video office in LA, also specializing in live video production. The US operation is headed up by Bob Higgins and Barbara Riedling, both of whom have a long-standing history in, and vast knowledge of, the US concert touring market. This name-change and US office launch follows a successful 12 months for the St Albans-based company. Over the past year it has worked with artists such as Oasis, Madonna, Eric Clapton, Craig David, the Corrs, Robb

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Laser Magic has opened an office in Bahrain, offering a full rental package which includes a wide range of laser systems, water screens, xenon projection and other special effects. The company has also invested in lighting from Martin Professional (MAC 500), Coemar (1200W washlights) as well as a range of smaller 250W and 300W intelligent fixtures from Coef. The company has also purchased new Sanyo XF10 projectors, the latest NEC plasma screens and high-quality active sound systems, making Laser Magic one of the best-stocked hire companies in the area. As one of the first projects undertaken from the new office, Laser Magic supplied equipment for the Amir's special concert in Bahrain on the 22 March.

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B&H Production Services has completed a sound system upgrade in the 150-year old St Saviours Parish Church in Sidcup, Kent - using Turbosound loudspeakers for the main PA. Four TCS-59 cabinets - two flown at the front of the knave and two flown at the mid-point - to provide the time-aligned delay. The installation replaces an old column system. B&H won the tender for the contract with a shoot-out against other loudspeaker manufacturers, and won due to the quality of the Turbosound boxes, which managed to contain the church’s internal reverberation problems to the greatest degree. John Ellis, who designed the system on behalf of B&H, commented: "The requirements were for a sound reinforcement system that would handle both speech and music. The church has held several large events since the installation was completed, and they’re over the moon with the results."

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The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers has announced a programme of technical seminars for 2001. These include a tutorial on AFILS on 1 May, a two-day course on 'Basic Acoustic for Sound System Professionals' on 15 and 22 May and a one-day practical seminar on 'Measuring Loudspeakers' on 5 June. These courses are open to all, and full details with relevant fees are available from Cathy Mackenzie.

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Dublin-based Sound Communications & Electrical Ltd have installed a full TOA public address and background music system in the new luxury, 259-room Four Seasons Hotel Dublin. Although no paging system was required, Sound Communications supplied electrical contractors, Patrick Lynch Ltd, with three, fully-loaded 42U TOA glass-doored racks. These contain CD/cassette/microphones and processing, and are respectively sited in the lounge, café/restaurant and fitness/aerobics areas, to connect up to the general wiring and interfacewith the fire alarm system. The design was based on the option of centralised CD/cassette-based background system and independent sources, with localised volume control and CD selector at the rack.

The two main function rooms can each be divided into four separate areas, with their own mic inputs, each of which may select either the central CD or a rack-based CD sp

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Pan-european AV equipment rental company Heuvelman Ltd, has opened its first UK branch, situated in London. The company is a specialist in the supply of AV equipment to a range of clients including hotels, broadcasters, corporate clients, conference and event venues and can supply anything from a single projector to a full state-of-the-art installation. Voting systems, teleconferencing and IT rental are also supplied by the company.

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London-based Staging specialist Maltbury has supplied Ambideck staging systems to the Combined Services Entertainment (CSE), the organisation which provides entertainment for British Soldiers serving around the world. The CSE stages more than 125 live shows in foreign locations every year. Four tours were recently undertaken to Bosnia and Kosovo at the tail-end of 2000, and it was for these shows that the Ambideck was specified. CSE technical coordinator Dave South had previously used Maltbury’s Steeldeck system, but opted this time for Ambideck, saying: "The reason we bought Ambideck this time was the superior design. Ambideck is simply stronger and better, and meets our needs perfectly."

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Today, Bytecraft Entertainment and Jands Production Services, jointly announced that they have entered into a Heads of Agreement which will see Bytecraft Entertainment Pty Ltd purchase the lighting assets of Jands Production Services Pty Ltd. This includes all Vari-Lite, rigging, dimming and associated lighting equipment. The sale will be completed before the end of April.

In announcing the agreement, Stephen Found, managing director of Bytecraft Entertainment told PLASA Media: "This is an important milestone in the development of the Bytecraft Entertainment lighting division. For the first time ever in the World, we will see the four major brands of intelligent lighting - High End System, LSD/Fourth Phase, Martin Professional and Vari-Lite, offered under one roof. The Jands inventory will be integrated with Bytecraft’s own extensive inventory which will enable Bytecraft to

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