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The thundering launch of the Vari*Lite VL500 by PRG Europe at last year's show (£1m in orders before the show closed) continues to resound with continued sales.

The enhanced X Box, now titled X Box Extreme, has the long-awaited Pixel Mapping function, improved 'transition' functions and lots of new tiling effects, as well as some slick new keystone, 3D generator, and masking functions.

Added to the 'for sale' product range is the Sea Changer from Ocean Optics, an easy add-on in-line colour changer for ETC Source Four profiles. Built to insert between lamp house and lens tube on any model, this dichroic colour mixer comes in two versions: 'Extreme' includes green as well as the usual CMY; beside greatly enhanced greens it also extends to blues, ambers and golds. The

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Australian DMX tools specialist Enttec Pty Ltdshowcased its latest product, the E-streamer. An Ethernet show recorder, it is capable of recording up to 64 universes of DMX per show. It can record or play multiple shows at once, featuring a built-in scheduler, which allows programming of every conceivable schedule spread over days, months or years. The product Supports ArtNet and ESP protocols, allows simultaneous show recording and playback of up to 1,000 shows.

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Legendary reverb manufacturer Lexicon (Harman Pro) presented two new products, seen for the first time in Europe. The MX400 and MX400XL are both four-in four-out hardware reverb units for studio and live use. The 1U rack-mounted units have an independent processor on each channel, with the only difference between the units being the connectors on the XL sporting XLRs while the 400 is fitted with quarter-inch TRS jacks. The four inputs and outputs also allow for surround processing and effects are included, making the units an affordable way to enter the surround sound processing arena.
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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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Roland Systems Group and its Digital Snake system has been gaining market share since its relatively recent launch. On display at the show was a new interface for the unit, an AES/EBU module with internal and external sync' options and word clock. Also on display for the RSS was a REAC (Roland's Ethernet data transfer technology) ASIO driver, allowing 40 channels of audio to be connected directly into a PC and into a multi-track recording system - in this case Cakewalk's SONAR 5 or 6.

Nestling unassumingly in a nearby rack were the AR-3000R and AR200R audio announcement system. The AR-3000R will record, playback and edit samples for announcements and voice alarms, while the AR-200 is a half-rack playback-only version.

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Smoke connoisseurs were impressed by Swefog's latest high-power T26 smoke machine which offers very smooth output between 1 and 100% in 1% increments. Very compact in size, the machine includes an integrated fan outlet and DMX fan control, so it can be ramped up to impressively mega levels of 1800 cubic metres per minute for outdoor applications.

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ShowTex's see-through mirror is a mirror film that acts a mirror surface when in standard mode, becoming transparent when illuminated from behind. It comes complete with a frame, in lengths of up to 24m wide by 12m high, and is popular in theatre, film and television markets. They also showed their Chain Track scenery moving system.

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The judges also felt that there were three other products which deserved a special mention. These were:

Adam Hall's SM707 adjustable top-hat louspeaker mount - to adjust the cabinet angle, simply lift it slightly and lower again at the desired angle; an internal sprung-notch system uses the cabinet's weight to hold it in place.

Sennheiserpicked up two commendations, for its A5000 Antenna(for more on this, see this month's Technical Focus feature, beginning on page 124) and its TourGuide 2020D system - the first visitor guidance system with digital wireless transmission in the licence-free band.

No Environmental Award was presented this year, leaving the field open for new products that fit that criteria in 2007 . . .

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Mackie proudly displayed its new flagship subwoofer at PLASA. The SWA2801z 18" Active is said to provide greater performance than mere 'powered' loudspeakers. Mackie's Active electronics are customised for each new product, providing monitoring and real-time control over critical functions such as crossover and equalisation. The SWA2801z can be stacked or pole-mounted and can be easily integrated with other full-range Mackie products.

For the club scene, Mackie previewed its new four-channel mixer, the d.4 Pro. Due for launch in early 2007, the mixer features Onyx mic preamps, VCA and analogue filter effects and 3-band EQ.

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Zap Technology from Paris, France were in exceptionally good humour and demonstrated a prototype of their new Littlebig 3.0 3kW automated Xenon searchlight fixture - the latest in the BigLight range and the little brother of their flagship BigLite 4.5. The Littlebig 3.0 offers designers real-time CMY colour-mixing, diffusion with electronic strobe and many other customisable effects. With the current design style penchant for high-powered searchlight effects incorporated in larger stage shows, this should attract plenty of interest.

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ShowMagic highlighted their new Version 11.0 PC show control software, complete with new-look graphics, surround sound and "live" mode, allowing operators to work on the fly as well as in a pro-programmed domain.

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It was the first PLASA and indeed the first European trade show for Moving LED, a new US-based company with a manufacturing base in Hungary. They launched two new LED products for the European market - the MovingLED and the MicroStrip 48, both utilising Luxeon LEDs. Other new items included hinged C-Clamps that can live 'inside' their lighting fixtures - and will never get lost or separated!

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UK - Duncan Payne has been appointed client development manager for Charter Broadcast, reporting directly to managing director Michael Breen. Payne joins Charter from Mitcorp, where he spent over six years, and was responsible for selling top end broadcast equipment in to the rental and outside broadcast markets. Having joined Mitcorp as a sales executive, and progressing to become sales manager, Payne brings a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise, the company says.

At Charter, Payne will focus on developing its already successful dry hire business further by broadening the market it currently services. He will be overseeing Charter's disposals policy, ensuring that Charter reinforces its reputation as a quality supplier of quality equipment. He comments: "I am delighted to be joining Charter Broadcast at such an exciting time. I have worked with Charter many times ov

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The Netherlands - The Ampco / Flashlight Group (AFG) has announced the appointment of Dick van Berkum as its managing director from October 1 2006, succeeding industry pioneer Eric de Bruijn.

Van Berkum, a chartered accountant and a well-known figure in the industry, began working for AFG in February 2006 as financial director with a growing involvement in the group's management. His remit is to continue the strategy and policy developed over recent years, while bringing his considerable corporate, financial and organisational experience to help the Group achieve its ambitions.

The group's strategy encompasses both regional growth and diversification of services to meet the demands of the evolving entertainment market. AFG's activities already include sales, rentals, distribution, R&D and manufacturing of sound, lighting, video and rigging.Karel de Piere says: "AFG has a

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The new C-180 confetti cannon was among the new offerings from MBN Event Products - compact, keenly priced and with a constant output. MBN also had some new ProLED RGB LED bars available in one-and-a-half metre lengths.

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Lee Filters launched their new brochure, alongside the latest additions to the 700 series. Seven new colours have been added to the range, created by top lighting designers working in theatre, television, events and architectural lighting. Dane Henrik Hambro is the latest designer invited to create his own unique colours, which include: 706 King Fals Lavender; 710 Spir Special Blue; 740 Aurora Borealis Green; 741 Mustard Yellow; 773 Cardox Amber; 787 Marius Red; and 799 Special K.H. Lavender. Word on the street was that Mustard Yellow was proving a big hit . . .

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InfoTrace uses RDM for the control and management of DMX-controlled lighting devices. Consisting of InfoGate software, the system works on a combination of the following: 'IT' products from Wybron or RDM-compatible equipment from any manufacturer; Non-RDM-compatible devices equipped with an InfoChip (manufactured by Wybron); and an InfoStore web-based information aggregator. 'IT' products are equipped with sensors to detect light, temperature, voltage, current, fan speed and gel-string information - so an entire rig can, therefore, be identified, addressed and tested from a laptop or PDA.

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Martin Professional's focus was brand new products - 10 in all were launched at the show, and the stand this year was devoted entirely to them. First in line was the 1.2k TW1 tungsten washlight, which offers full spectrum colour mixing - impressive across the whole colour gamut from saturated through pastels and impressively into colour correction. The TW1 produces an even light distribution across a projected surface, light output is cool, plus fan cooling is controllable from the console and very quiet. It's the first and only tungsten fixture to feature internal and external dimming, thus maintaining colour temperature over a fade. The other recent moving head addition was the MAC 700 Wash, which offers soft-edge beam, quiet operation, full CMY colour-mixing and an indexable and rotatable beam-shaper.

Martin also launched two new LED products, which have already caused quite

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Media server specialists Green Hippo previewed its latest Hippotizer V3. Fusing the Green Hippo design team's video and lighting backgrounds, the company says it aims to make convergence a reality! The system offers multi-discipline operation. Key features include: timeline functionality, HippoNet advanced networking capability, media management and efficiency-focused features. Hippotizer can work autonomously, control other devices or be controlled externally.

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Chinese manufacturer PR Lighting illustrated their range of moving lights, the newest of which is their Professional series - with 1200 and 700W Spot and Wash fixtures and a 575 Spot. Coming soon as a 1200W unit with framing shutters.

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Belgium-based Laser Systems Europe highlighted their new 2 -10W Flash multicolour laser systems and their new Stage Blitz green laser, mounted on a moving light base.

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Cable ramps are the wallflowers of the temporary install, often neglected in the planning stage; they can be troublesome to fit after the cables are laid. Lewden has a solution - FastLane, a drop-over cable protector that fulfils all requirements of strength and stability in a pedestrian area.

Help is also at hand for those times when you've been fastidious and laid out your ramps properly, only to have additional wiring appear; CrossLink is a drop-in trough providing two extra cableways between adjacent existing ramp runs. A lock-on lid provides a five-ton rated bridge between the two existing ramp lids.

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