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UK - XL Video has made another major investment - in the latest Lighthouse R16 indoor/outdoor LED screen, from Lighthouse Technologies Ltd. This next generation of LED screen combines high brightness, wide viewing angles and a uniform, superior picture quality, with custom rigging hardware and packaging which is lightweight and quick to rig. The purchase is part of XL's ongoing policy to ensure the most appropriate technology is always available from hire stock.

One hundred square metres of R16 went straight out on the Michael Flatley's Celtic Tiger tour (video director "Moose" Ray Shaw) in North America, and comes to Europe in April. The majority of this tour is back-to-back shows, where the quick and easy rigging of the screens is essential. The R16 will be a ma

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UK - They may have been around for over three decades, but Simple Minds is still on many a 'must go to' gig list. And now the band that scored over twenty Top 20 hits is currently undertaking a major world tour. It kicked off in Dublin at the end of January, marks the release of their album, Black & White 050505, and is reported as 'an astounding return to form'.

Still best known for their 1985 number one Don't You Forget About Me from the film The Breakfast Club, Simple Minds is playing all manner of venues, from the most intimate to the vast. The tour is predominantly one-niters, so the tight turn arounds and diversity in size of venues demand a flexible and easily programmed sound system.

Sub-hired from rental company Concert Sound to main supplier EML for the UK leg of the tour, it comprises an Adamson Y10 line array, half of which is flown and half ground st

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USA - Having made a splash on the R&B and Urban charts, Motown recording artist Kem has been taking his soulful jazzy sound and upbeat lyrics to the streets, touring the U.S. in support of his second album, KEM Album II. The Detroit native's fans are hearing every word of Kem's sultry voice through a Meyer Sound Milo system provided by Thunder Audio.

"He's got such a great voice, it's really refreshing," remarks Tony Villarreal, president of Detroit-based Thunder. The system traveling with Kem consists of 20 Milo high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers, with four UPJ-1P compact VariO loudspeakers for frontfill. System drive processing was courtesy of a Meyer Sound LD-3 compensating line driver. A Soundcraft Series Five console handles the main mix, with a Yamaha PM4000 covering the monitor mix.

"The fidelity of the MILOs really shines on his music,"

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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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UK - Birmingham-based AV and PA specialists, Complete Light & Sound Services, supplied and installed the audio system for Thorpe Park's latest attraction, the Stealth launch coaster, selecting Allen & Heath's iDR DSP system to manage interactive sound distribution on the ride.

Opened in March ready for the 2006 season, Stealth is Europe's tallest, fastest Rocket Coaster, travelling 0-80mph in 2.3 seconds, and reaching 205ft. The coaster is designed with 1950's styling, including a period DJ booth playing music from the era.

Complete Light & Sound - working along side Bose special projects division - specified an iDR-8 mixing processor, plus iDR-in and iDR-out expanders, giving a full 16 x 16 matrix, with an iDR-switch control expander, all connected with CAT5 cable.

The racked system is installed in an offsite control room and there are control panels located in the ride ope

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UK - Metropolis AV has completed its latest, fully integrated sound, lighting and AV design and installation for the Sports Café brand - in Newcastle. It's Metropolis's fifth complete Sports Café project and is proving one of the busiest venues.

Once again Metropolis has chosen hard wearing good quality brands including HK and JBL audio, Robe moving lights, LightProcessor lighting control and Alcon McBride and Kramer video switching. Project manager Shane Winterbourne says: "Although there are specific elements common to all Sorts Cafes, each building and installation is completely different, and each has its own set of challenges"

Metropolis's Sports Café projects are always technology driven. Immediately guests walk in the entrance doors, eyes are drawn to the wall of twelve 15 inch TFT screens behind the reception desk. Two HK Audio IL 8.2 ful

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Belgium - At the event and entertainment exhibition SIB in Rimini (Italy) Philips has introduced FastFit, a new lamp concept for Philips MSR Gold 700 SA/SE, Philips MSR Gold 1200 SA/SE and Philips Hi-Brite 1200Watt. The rear load lamp base system, developed by Philips and Bender & Wirth, enables easy lamp replacement and adjustments in seconds in difficult stage conditions and reduces the overall lamp considerably.

Philips FastFit for both halogen and HID: Fast replacement and adjustment aren't the only benefits, the overall lamp length, including the lamp holder, can be reduced by more than 25%. This makes more compact and lighter fixture designs possible. Furthermore, the FastFit technology will be used for both HID and Halogen lamps that brings about multi-usage of the fixture.

In close partnership, several leading manufacturers are introducing fixtures suitable for

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Hong Kong - Telegatti is one of the most important awards events in the Italian performing arts calendar. Organised by Sorrisi e Canzoni TV magazine, with votes cast by its readers, the 2006 event took place on 22 January in the Auditorio di Via della Conciliazione, Rome - the Vatican auditorium. Being organised by a television magazine, the visuals for the awards event are all-important, and Lighthouse LED screens were chosen to provide the look that the organisers required.

In total, five Lighthouse screens were deployed. One - formed of 21x2 R6 6mm panels - was arranged in a circle, hung from the lighting grid, while two more were positioned either side of the stage, each comprising 4x13 panels of R6 screen.

Providing a memorable backdrop to the stage itself were two large Lighthouse R10 screens, formed from 103 panels each and curving in an arc from the centre of the stage

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USA - Bandit Lites have again been named as the number one entertainment lighting company in the world. On 15 February at the Mandalay Bay Theater in Las Vegas, the music industry recognized its own for excellence in 2005, and Bandit Lites was the unanimous choice as the Pollstar Awards lighting company of the year.

CEO Michael T. Strickland says: "The entire Bandit global team is very proud of the Pollstar Award and considers the award as the voice of the industry. We wish to thank Pollstar, the people in our industry that have allowed us to work with them, and our wonderful clients that made it all possible."

As 2006 unfolds Bandit is involved in a variety of projects globally. The Queen Reunion Tour continues with the US leg starting in March and it carries on into the year as it travels around the world with full service and support from Bandit Lites. The

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UK - Lighting technicians from across the industry are invited to attend a unique training and social event to be held on the 6 May at the Edge venue in Solihull, near Birmingham.

The hosts (Solihull Society of Arts) and organisers (UKSLC.ORG - UK Sound and Lighting Community) have assembled a top team of leading UK console manufacturers to deliver training on the latest lighting desks and entertainment technology throughout the day.

Brand names like Compulite, MA, Chamsys, ETC, Zero 88 and Robe are providing a wide variety of lighting control equipment for attendees to use, and their staff will be on hand to answer questions for console operators at all levels of experience.

The training sessions are designed to cater for everyone from drama pupils wishing to learn about 'real world' performance technology, to freelancers who want to practice on new consoles and seasoned LX

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UK - As the UK distributor of HME's range of advanced wireless intercom products audio experts Orbital Sound is delighted to announce that it has been awarded HME's European Distributor of the Year.

Scooping the Award over 11 other distributors in Europe, Orbital has fused its expertise and experience over the past year to deliver the DX wireless intercom series, which comprises the DX 200 and DX 100, to the UK's broadcast, live performance and installed sound markets.

The DX 200 was Awarded The ABTT Theatre Show's 'Best New Sound and Comms Product' in 2005. Boasting a 2.4 Ghz license free operation, its advanced digital design offers crystal-clear interference free two-way communications.

Its potential and ease of use has proved invaluable across a variety of applications. The DX200 has been embraced by organisations as diverse as Rose Bruford College, Ramber

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Germany - Annett Louisan is one of the fastest-rising stars in Germany, following up the early success of her second album with a national tour. PA is provided by Sound Linear GmbH, a Nexo Geo S tangent-array system with PS Series monitoring, entirely powered by Camco Vortex amps.

Louisan's debut album spent nearly a year in the German charts, turning double platinum just as she released her second CD of songs that take their musical influences from samba, tango, waltz, chansons and jazz. She has now embarked on her second tour of Germany, with an all-acoustic band (plus electric organ) and, on both occasions, has carried a Camco/Nexo PA production system.

Concept and realisation of the sound reinforcement set-up for both tours was in the hands of Sound Linear GmbH from Paderborn under the management of Kalle Hogrefe.

In most venues, the systems was designed with left and ri

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USA - At the NSCA Expo, D&M Professional, the parent company of Denon Professional, has announced it is now shipping its flagship DN-V755 Network Audio Visual Player. The new DN-V755 provides system integrators and contractors with a complete visual messaging solution and was developed based on direct feedback from leading end-users and consultants in the field, say the company.

Designed to meet the increasing demand for digital signage multimedia solutions the DN-V755 offers extensive playback capabilities through its built-in 40 GB hard drive and extended range of compatible formats. The DN-V755 also features true drag-and-drop content uploads and an RS-232 port for integrated onsite system control.

Media Transfer has never been easier than with the DN-V755. The user is able to upload MPEG video, still pictures, WAV and other media directly from a computer. In addition to ea

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India - Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has long been one of Asia's most beloved and colorful spiritual leaders. A larger-than-life figure for decades, his legions of devotees have included movie celebrities, sports stars, politicians and followers from India and all corners of the world.

Needless to say, Sai Baba's 80th birthday celebration was a highly anticipated event for some time. The city of Puttaparthi, home to Baba's residence, the ashram Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of Peace), saw a massive influx of visitors, with an estimated million or more treated to meals and accommodation at the ashram.

The multi-day festivities concluded with a celebration held at Puttaparthi's sports stadium, a massive venue seating several hundred thousand. The ceremony was attended by several prominent politicians, as well as a number of India's top cricket stars. Performances from an internationa

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Taiwan - Visualization leader Barco has announced that it has won its first digital cinema project in Taiwan continuing a string of successes in digital cinema in the Far East.

Barco in partnership with Linfair Engineering & Trading Ltd. won the order to supply its leading DP100 2K digital cinema projectors. In choosing Barco, Ambassador Theatres Company were able to successfully complete their project in a relatively short time frame.

Barco has achieved over 85% market share within the digital cinema sector in mainland China and Hong Kong over the last 3 years, hence Barco is widely considered the region's leading digital cinema centre of competence.

Mr. Duncan Zhang, Chairman of Linfair says: "We are delighted to work with Barco because their excellent technology, quality support, and operational excellence. We are very impressed by Barco's determination and commitmen

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UK - Leading entertainment lighting specialist White Light continues to enjoy growth in the corporate event lighting field, its success being demonstrated by the company now being an approved supplier to over thirty leading event venues in London and beyond.

Amongst those who welcome and recommend White Light for those looking to light their event are: Kensington Palace, the Science Museum, Shakespeare's Globe, Somerset House, the Imperial War Museum, Kew Gardens, BA London Eye, Guildhall, the Museum of London, the Twickenham Experience and the Theatre Museum, as well as all of the venues in the unique venues of London collection, and the diverse portfolio of English Heritage properties. All of the venues to which White Light is an approved supplier can be found on the newly re-designed White Light website.

"White Light clients receive strong, personal support from our ex

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USA - U.S distributor of professional audio and lighting products, Group One Ltd., has announced at NSCA Expo, Las Vegas, new additions to it team of manufacturer's representatives.

Jack Kelly, Group One Ltd. president, remarked that the new appointments position Group One for ongoing expansion, while assisting the company to provide the highest level of service and support for the distinguished brands it represents.

Hudson Marketing is now responsible for the territory of Upstate New York as well as the New York Metro area, and Michael Chafee Associates has been appointed as the Florida representative for the XTA and MC2 product lines. Warman Marketing's coverage area for XTA products has been expanded to include Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada, in addition to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. The Mac West Group will now represent XTA and MC2 in Southern California

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UK- The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) has lent its name to a lobbying campaign intended to encourage the Government to rethink its proposals to introduce a 10% tax on all UK hotel bills. The proposal - part of a wider Government tax review conducted by the Lyons Inquiry - recommends that a 10% tax per night is added to the current 17.5% VAT - which means that the UK would effectively become the highest taxed destination in Europe.

PLASA believes that the proposed tourist tax (dubbed the 'bed' tax) will hit this industry from both sides: not only will it put yet another financial burden on businesses in the entertainment, event and installation sectors where business-related travel accounts for a large part of their ongoing overheads, but it will almost certainly affect tourism revenues, which directly influence the financial performance of this industry.

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Italy - At SIB 2006, Rimini - the international reference point for technology, audio, video and lighting for shows and new entertainment - the company showed the new iSpot Extreme. The Coemar stand will also hosted heats of 2006 Bologna Music Festival, a European contest for emerging artists from all over Italy and various other European countries, presented by Guido Mandreoli and Federica Calabrò. Participants fought it out note by note, beneath Coemar's light show and in front of a jury made up of expert musicians, record label executives and members of the national radio and TV broadcast industry. TV coverage by Milan's Cinevideostudio.

The iSpot Extreme is Coemar's ultimate moving yoke projector and was expressly designed for 2006 Winter Olympics' opening ceremony in the Stadium of Turin, where both the iSpot Extreme and other Coemar luminaries played at their best.

It p

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Germany - A.C. Lighting has appointed cast C.Adolph & RST Distribution as its distributor for the Jands Vista lighting console range in Germany. Under the arrangement, the distributor will fulfil all service aspects, including stock supply, demonstration, training, technical support and backup.

Cast C.Adolph & RST Distribution is a leading supplier of professional stage and lighting equipment to theatres, rental companies, TV studios and fair building companies in Germany. The company is a combination of C.Adolph and RST Distribution, who merged last year to strengthen their market position and together share over 120 years industry experience.

A.C. Lighting's international sales director, Cally Bacchus, commented: "We wanted to work with cast C.Adolph & RST Distribution because we felt that the Jands Vista console would be a natural fit with the rest of their high qualit

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UK - Event supplier Pearce Hire has moved its entire operation, of power, distro, sound and lighting equipment, to a new office and warehouse premises to accommodate the company's expansion.

The move keeps Pearce Hire in Peterborough, its home of 15 years, but has taken the company to a newly built facility with improved infrastructure. The Pearce Hire management team have spent over a year planning the move, to find premises suited to their specific growth requirements, in order to improve the levels of service offered to clients and become more efficient.

The new site incorporates carefully organised storage bays, an equipment testing and preparation area all with good access for improved loading ability.

Pearce Hire has expanded steadily over recent years, consolidating relationships with clients ranging from organisers of corporate events, festivals, tours, exhibitions,

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UK - Bosch Security Systems has obtained approval from the independent and internationally recognized TÜV Product Service GmbH testing authority in Germany for its Plena Voice Alarm System.

The Plena Voice Alarm System has been independently TÜV tested to EN/IEC60849 certification for 'Sound Systems for Emergency Purposes'. This means Bosch can assure not just installers but also fire departments, consultants/specifiers and end-users that the voice evacuation systems they are using comply with the strictest requirements of the EN/IEC60849 standard for public buildings - such as hotels, schools, entertainment venues, sport centres, railway stations and termini, retail stores, shopping centers and exhibition centers.

TÜV approval for the Plena Voice Alarm System follows that of Bosch's Praesideo Public Address and Emergency Sound System, which obtained TÜV approval in 2003.<

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