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USA - J.R. Clancy has been selected to supply the automated rigging for Hempstead Hall, the new auditorium and conference centre at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope. The hall is scheduled to open in fall 2011.

J.R. Clancy is the rigging equipment manufacturer for the project. Pook, Diemont & Ohl is managing the project and performing the installation of all of the rigging equipment.

The 50,000sq.ft facility will feature a 1,600-seat auditorium, a convention area and an expandable exterior amphitheatre. Completion of the construction project is scheduled for January 2012.

J. R. Clancy will provide six PowerLift automated hoists, each with a 2000-pound capacity and a fixed speed of 20ft per minute. The PowerLifts will be used for the cyclorama, electrics and

Details
Italy - RCF reports that there are now 5,000 units of the TTL33 line array in use worldwide. Since its introduction, the TTL33 has been used in lots of applications from local live events to touring and fixed installations.

With the technical features, the design and flexibility of the product, the TTL33 is popular and has a demand from the end-users, and this has given the product its own award, namely the unit No 5000 is supplied, and this is a milestone for this model.

"Having 5000 units working in professional applications worldwide is a great step for our TT+ line. We listened to views of the industry when we designed the 'mini array', and it looks like the we have targeted the TTL33 at the right sectors," says Alessandro Manini, director of research and development.

(Jim Evans)

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Denmark - The latest software release for Martin's Maxedia media server brings the Maxedia feature set to a higher level, says the company. Aligning simplicity of use with complexity of execution, Maxedia 4.40 shows how the most powerful media server on the market can also be a user-friendly one.

Similar to lighting consoles, Maxedia now features a cuelist for automation. From simple drag and drop of cues through an intuitive user interface, cuelists are quickly built and ready to play back.

Complementary to the cuelist is new timecode input. MIDI and SMPTE timecode can be used to synchronize one or multiple Maxedia systems together.

The Maxedia engine now supports up to 8 HD SDI inputs simultaneously. Using the newly added MCC capture card, latency is kept as low as two frames per second, turning Maxedia into a super powerful video switcher. In addition to the high speed ca

featured content

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

Details
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

Details
Germany - As its year as the Culture Capital of Europe came to a close, the Ruhr region in Germany celebrated on 18 December with a massive multi-media show broadcast live on Germany's national WDR TV from three separate locations.

The main event was staged at the disused Nordsternplatz coal mine in Gelsenkirchen which, using the latest video technology, was transformed into a life-size paddle steamer, the MS Ruhrtopia, on which a cast of artists and musicians took a journey through 2010.

With a series of video screens formed of over 500 m2 of G-LEC Phantom Frames and supplied by Videotechnics Bär, the event made a big impression on the 30,000 strong audience.

"The build-up happened under the worst meteorological conditions" says Philip Bär, owner of Videotechnics Bär. "Heavy snowfalls and winds, kindly brought to us by Cyclone Petra, were a big problem. Th

Details
USA - Barco is supplying integrated creative lighting and projection solutions for multiple live stage and cinematic shows presented on Allure of the Seas. The cornerstone of the deployment is a 3D digital cinema theatre - the first installation on a new cruise ship - leveraging Royal Caribbean's pioneering alliance with DreamWorks Animation to showcase first-run movies produced by the company.

Barco's DP2K 20-C digital cinema projector marked the occasion by showing a video of the Princess Fiona character, from the Shrek animated movie series, christening the ship. The projector, featuring Texas Instruments' DLP Cinema technology, will present 2D and 3D movies in the ship's 1,400-seat main theatre.

"By partnering with the best manufacturers and service providers, we've been able to offer our guests the ultimate entertainment cruise experience. Barco's help

Details
UK / USA - FocusTrack, the production lighting documentation system, and its sister software SpotTrack, for documenting followspot cues, both enjoyed a successful 2010, helping to transfer existing shows to new productions and documenting many new shows for their successful runs and future productions.

In New York, FocusTrack provided show lighting documentation for Neil Austin's Tony Award and Drama Desk award-winning lighting for Red and his Tony-award and Drama desk nominated lighting for Hamlet, as well as for Natasha Katz's Drama Desk award nominated design for The Addams Family.

FocusTrack is currently assisting with a number of productions moving to a life beyond Broadway - the transfer of Donald Holder's lighting of Come Fly Away to Las Vegas, and the US tours featuring Kevin Adams' designs for Hair, Next to Normal and Sprin

Details
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

Details
USA - Blue Microphones has released Yeti Pro, claimed to be the world's first USB microphone combining 24 bit/192 kHz digital recording resolution with an analogue XLR output. Yeti Pro offers XLR recording with Blue's custom condenser capsules set in a proprietary triple array, providing the flexibility of four recording patterns (cardioid, omni, stereo, bi-directional) for studio or desktop recording.

"We are excited to extend our triple capsule array and four recording patterns from computer-only and into the studio with Yeti Pro," said John Maier, CEO of Blue Microphones. "We recognize the need for truly professional recording quality in a high resolution USB microphone with the versatility to take the mic's distinct recording capabilities into the studio, thanks to its analogue output."

(Jim Evans)

Details
USA / The Netherlands - In 2008, Technomad introduced the Schedulon mp3 playback and recording system to give PA system operators the freedom of scheduling automatic playback of audio files down to the minute while maintaining a high level of manual control. In February, Technomad will introduce Schedulon v3.0 at the ISE show in Amsterdam.

Schedulon 3.0 retains the flexible options for instant, manual playback of user-loaded audio from a front-panel screen and push-button knob, while improving the automatic playback functionality through down-to-the-second scheduling, says the company. This gives operators the flexibility to create tighter user-defined playback schedules based on an internal clock or synchronized network time server.

A nearly 200 percent increase in data transfer speeds considerably improves file upload times - especially appropriate for operators recording fi

Details
USA - Loud Technologies has announced the appointment of Studio Sound International (SSI) as the new independent sales rep firm for the company's Ampeg, Blackheart, Crate and Mackie brands in Latin America.

"I have always admired Mackie for their value and sound. Ampeg is as legendary a bass amp name as one can get, and having US and overseas-built solutions is key for the Latin-American market. Crate offers real price-point value and a name young users can trust. Blackheart has great boutique guitar amp solutions at an amazing price point, even for the most demanding players," says SSI president, Chris Adams.

"Armed with the most sought-after brands in the business, and a wide range of gear perfectly suited to the Latin American market, Loud is poised for an aggressive cycle of growth in the region," said Henri Cohen, director of sales for Loud. "SSI'

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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

Details
UK - DB Systems has become the UK's largest stockist of the NEC MultiSync 46" LCD video wall modules, following increased demand from its clients. DB currently has 60 units and associated accessories.

Oliver Richardson, DB's sales and marketing director, comments, "This product is our flagship video wall system because of what it can offer our clients. It is a display system that, when combined with the right content, ensures an exhibition stand has that elusive 'wow' factor, which gets noticed by event attendees.

"Design agencies, exhibitors and event organizers are increasingly demanding such a high quality display system, which is why we are happy to invest large sums of money to cater for the demands."

Simon Jackson, vice president of NEC Display Solutions Northern Europe adds, "DB needs the very best technology to maintain its standing amongst i

Details
USA - AVnu Alliance has confirmed Bosch Security Systems Communications Systems Division as a new promoter member.

"Bosch Communications Systems is a strong supporter of open media networking standards," says Bill Scott, vice president of engineering and technology. "We believe that a goal of media networking development should be universal interoperability. For this to happen, the industry needs to educate the marketplace, and it needs a widely accepted compliance certification process. Bosch Communications Systems is pleased to have joined the AVnu Alliance in order to promote these principles."

"We welcome Bosch Communications Systems to the AVnu Alliance," states Lee Minich, AVnu Alliance marketing work group chairman, "and in joining our shared vision for interoperable AV networking via Audio Video Bridging (AVB) technologies."

(J

Details
USA - At the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), sound artist Bill Fontana has added another dimension to the turret-skylight atrium atop the building by enveloping the space in a dynamic, interactive auditory experience. Entitled Sonic Shadows, Fontana's work employs eight Meyer Sound MM-4XP miniature self-powered loudspeakers - working in conjunction with four moving ultrasonic emitters - to reproduce sounds generated organically by vibrations inside the building.

"What Bill Fontana has achieved is a truly hybrid and reactive sculpture of sound in time," says Rudolf Frieling, SFMOMA curator of media arts. "Crossing the bridge on the fifth floor activates a complex work in which the invisible structures of the architecture play as large a role as the random movements of visitors. It is a unique SFMOMA sound."

Nearly invisible, the MM-4XP lo

Details
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

Details
USA / Belgium - Production Resource Group (PRG) has announced its acquisition of First Events BVBA - a major Europe-based entertainment technology company whose holdings include EML Productions NV in Belgium, EML Productions Holland BV in The Netherlands and Sound and Light Productions S.L. in Spain.

PRG Chairman & CEO Jeremiah 'Jere' Harris and EML director Jan Van Malder made the joint announcement of the acquisition through MEL Holding BVBA, a subsidiary of PRG.

This acquisition will extend PRG's European presence into new territories, including the Netherlands and Spain, as well as significantly reinforcing its existing activities in Belgium.

"Today, PRG's local presence in mainland Europe gets even stronger," noted Harris. "With EML joining PRG, we will continue to provide our services globally with an emphasis on local support."

Founded in 1979, E

Details
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

Details
USA / Europe - Grammy-award winning singer Shakira asked Paul Normandale to create the lighting design for her current The Sun Comes Out World Tour and he was happy to oblige. Touring in support of her two most recent albums, in addition to performing a string of older hits, the tour hit the US in the fall with a European leg running through December.

The European shows feature a rig full of Martin moving lights, including MAC III Profiles, MAC 2000 Wash XBs, MAC 700 Profiles, MAC 250 Beams and Atomic 3000 strobes with Atomic Colors scrollers.

"We did a six week run in the States with no major issues, and thus far in Europe they are fine too," Normandale states. Lighting vendor for the US leg was Upstaging with Lite Alternative, Normandales's UK based lighting production company, handling the European leg.

Normandale, who field-tested the MAC III Profile ove

Details
UK - Stage Electrics is opening its doors to the pro audio industry at the end of January, hosting Yamaha Commercial Audio for a pair of open days at the company's London branch.

Taking place on Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 January, from 10am to 5pm each day, the events will provide a series of demonstrations on a selection of Yamaha Commercial Audio products, including the M7CL and LS9 digital mixing consoles, the SB168-ES stage box, Ethersound and Dante networking protocols.

"The open days are designed to give both prospective and existing users a focused overview of the key functions and applications of the products and the advantages of using Ethersound and Dante," says Naomi Wilkinson of Yamaha Commercial Audio sales and marketing support.

"Each demo will be followed by practical hands-on time with the equipment, with Yamaha staff available to give advice

Details
UK - The Cinematic Orchestra performed a large-scale concert at London's Royal Albert Hall with the London Metropolitan Orchestra that required the use of Soundcraft Vi6 and Vi1 consoles at front of house and a Soundcraft Vi4 for the monitor mix.

The Cinematic Orchestra is a British jazz and electronic group whose music, as its name indicates, is expansive in scope, employing live electric and acoustic instruments, turntables, samples and electronic elements. The group has scored a number of films and released several albums.

"This event presented us with some extremely challenging logistics," noted Mark Hornsby, owner of London sound contractor Hark, which supplied the Soundcraft consoles for the concert. "Because we needed to mic a full orchestra, three backup singers and a number of guest vocalists in addition to the band members, we needed more than 100 inpu

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