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UK - K-Array's Redline Series was thoroughly put to the test during November. Featuring X-Factor winner Leona Lewis and British/Irish pop band, The Wanted, the launch of the XBox 360 Kinect was held at the Natural History Museum's temporary ice rink.

"RG Jones Sound Engineering has been supplying the system for the Natural History ice rink for a number of years now. It requires a complex mix of voice announcements and playback with the ability to override all zones for emergency announcements," says Matt Sussex, in charge of the event for RG Jones. "The tricky part is working to very strict level restrictions. The compact, efficient, portable Redline system was a great solution for the specific requirements of the day."

"Four KR200s, each with a single 18-inch KL18ma self-powered subwoofer, plus an additional pair of KL18ma subs, were distributed aroun

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China - New Robe moving-lights have been installed into Studio 6 of the Qingdao TV Station, which broadcasts six regional channels throughout the Shangdong area.

The new fixtures are part of a recent lighting upgrade, and were specified by Studio 6's lighting designer Liu Zheng Mao and his team, and supplied via Robe's Chinese distributor, Leafun (formally known as Leifull).

The 10 ColorSpot 1200E ATs, 10 ColorWash 1200E ATs and four ColorWash 575 ATs were chosen for their functionality and reliability. It's a multi-purpose studio, hosting a wide variety of shows, so all lighting has to be as flexible as possible to cater for the different requirements of anything from a documentary to a music show.

The Studio had originally invested in Robe back in 2005 when they bought some ColorSpots. These are still going strong and have been worked extremely hard over that time.

Zheng

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UK - Each year, London radio station 95.8 Captial FM hosts the Jingle Bell Ball at The O2. For the third year running, Sennheiser UK provided its support to the audio production.

Taking place over the weekend of 4 and 5 December, the event raises money for Capital's Help a London Child charity and attracted a host of the music industry's pop idols including, Kylie Minogue, Black Eyed Peas, The Saturdays, The Wanted, Tinie Tempah, Example, Alexandra Burke, Flo Rida, The Script, Akon, Taio Cruz, Nicole Sherzinger, Labrinth and Cee Lo Green, all of whom used Sennheiser equipment over the two day event.

Working directly for Production North, Adlib Audio provided a full sound system and crew for the event. Sennheiser's team of Mark Saunders, Tim Sherratt and Sam Davidson were also on hand throughout, providing help and advice on RF issues and general support for microphones and IEM

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UK - Production Resource Group has announced that all its UK rental brands (PRG Lighting, Essential Lighting & Summit Steel) have been renamed from 1 January 2011 to Production Resource Group. "This change from the group's previous multi-brand strategy is driven by their growth and diversification into a broader range of services and technical disciplines and developments in customer requirements," the company says.

UK chief executive, Martin Locket, says: "Our name says exactly what we do. We are a Group of specialists who provide technical equipment, services and Resources to four key Production markets: Concert Touring, Theatre, Television / Event & Corporate. We have industry recognised specialists within our team in the UK, in Lighting, Rigging / Automation & Video. Within our European group we also have expertise in Audio. This is not a 'one stop shop suppli

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Egypt - UK-based projection specialists The Projection Studio were commissioned by Cairo production company PromoSign to create a large format projection show for the Opening of the 16th Cairo Arab Media Awards staged at Media City in Cairo.

The Awards were aired live across 18 countries. The 13-minute piece was part of a visual spectacular including fireworks, that was projected onto a full-size scenic replica of the old Cairo Stock Exchange building (also known as the 'Bourse') which is part of one of the current film sets being utilised at the studio.

Ashton became involved in the project via Egyptian producer Ashraf Haridy, who was aware of The Projection Studio's previous work and recommended him to the show producers, who wanted to up the production values at this year's Awards.

Once everything was confirmed, they had just two weeks to create and compile the artwork fo

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The Netherlands - Lighthouse LED screens are at the centre of a new trend in the Netherlands for art installations, which is taking the concept of large exterior screens and making them interactive.

With the majority of large exterior screens used for advertising and public information, there is a sense of disconnection - an almost Big Brother-esque omnipresence that the viewer has no influence over. These new installations are trying to redress that balance, making the viewer an integral part of the screen's output.

One such installation is Between You & Me, located outside Factorium, a new school of dance and music in Tilburg. Designed by visual artists Martin and Inge Riebeek, a 5 x 4 panel Lighthouse Pi16 screen was supplied and installed by Hengelo-based Hecla Professional Audio & Video Systems.

Using technology developed by KITT Engineering of Enschede, a movabl

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UK - Black Light's hire team has helped a video production company achieve a dark and compelling look for its latest piece of work - a video for up-coming Scottish band Kid Adrift.

The video, which was made by Edinburgh-based Cagoule Productions, is for the band's latest single A4 in Ecstasy. It features two boxers battling it out in a down-at-heel ring.

Black Light supplied all the lighting for the video production. "The Lighting designer has worked closely with us in the past and knew he could rely on us to deliver the right equipment in a quick and efficient manner, at the high standard expected by video production companies," says Black Light's head of events, Stephen Reid. "The video is well worth a look, as it is lit with real imagination and shows that you can be creative using a relatively simple approach."

The video's lighting director, Ma

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Dubai - The Meydan Racecourse is capable of accommodating over 60,000 spectators at a time. It boasts a major audio-installation: more than 4,500 Electro-Voice loudspeakers, the fully redundant CobraNet infrastructure using the N8000 NetMax Digital Matrix Controllers and the latest CPS multi-channel amps.

headed by Dave McMahon and his team - lead by Meydan Project Manager Zahid Abbas Mir - had a hard task ahead. Dave McMahon of Dubai-based service provider Almoe AV Systems commented, "We had an enormous area to cover, extending from the track itself to the lower and main grandstands - fully 120m from front to back - and the associated delay posed a considerable challenge.

"We're talking more than 4,500 ceiling speakers across the entire facility, all of which are actively monitored. On race day, the network is designed to operate as one massive super system, all co

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Sweden - Stockholm City Theatre, the largest drama theatre in Scandinavia with close to 30 major productions in a typical year, relied heavily upon LumenRadio's CRMX wireless technology to pull off their musical performance of Aniara by writer and Nobel prize winner Harry Martinson. It opened on the day of the theatre's 50th anniversary to acclaim from both critics and audiences.

Earlier in the year LumenRadio's CRMX wireless technology also played a major part in the spectacular production of Kristina - a piece about one of Sweden's most controversial historical queens set in a modern scenography.

"We built custom stage props and elements with integrated battery powered LED lighting controlled by CRMX Nova receivers for both these shows," says Tommy Leandersson, stage technician at Stockholm City Theatre. " Aniara featured a two-metre long

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Brazil - Wireless Solution Sweden helped make Bradesco Seguros Christmas Tree a sparkling success in Rio de Janiero. According to the Guinness Book of World Records , the display is the largest lloating Christmas tree in the world.

Abel Gomes has been responsible for the Christmas tree decoration since 1996. This year's display featured 15 various cycles of light and colour from 105km of illuminated rope light (more than double than that of 2009) with 3.3m mini lamps and 2100 spotlights. To complete the show and draw the crowds, four Syncrolite 7K were placed at the base of the tree. The entire show was programmed using W-DMX.

The team needed to programme from a long distance to get the right visibility. They installed a grandMA far enough away and were able to get the best audience point of view for programming. Once programmed, all the control equipment was located in

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UK - Blackout, the long-established drapes and rigging supplier, was involved in the transformation of London's historic Covent Garden Market for the festive season.

As with so many of the projects it is involved with internationally, Blackout provided a complete production service for the transformation, supplying staff, rigging and access equipment to hang Christmas decorations beneath the glass roofs of the market's two main aisles. The decorations, created by Sculptivate, include 73 giant baubles, the biggest 3m in diameter and weighing 250kg, four Sputniks and 24 enormous candy canes.

The installation took place at night so as not to disturb the market's daytime trade. Blackout's team, led by Tom Lambert and Ian Moody, were on-site for ten "very cold" nights over two weeks.

The installation - due to remain in place until 9 January 2011 - was just one of the ma

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Russia - One of Moscow's landmark live music venues, B1 Maximum, recently re-opened after a major refurbishment and change of identity to A2. A hallmark of the updated venue is a new live-performance sound system. Primary components of the new sound system, unveiled to the public on 18 December, include JBL Vertec line arrays, sold through Harman Professional distributors A&T Trade and installed by St. Petersburg-based concert sound rental company, Euroshow.

A2 is the latest metamorphosis of a building that was originally one of the Ordzhonikidze Moscow Machine-Tool Plant workshops, named after famous Georgian Bolshevik Sergo Ordzhonikidze. The original factory dates back to the 1930s, with a three-storey addition having been built in 1974.

B1 Maximum opened in December, 2006, and has presented many international artists including Iggy Pop, Sinead O'Connor, Franz Ferdinand, Ch

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UK - The Blue Room Technical Forums have announced a major upgrade to their popular website. After eight years the site has secured over 15,000 members and over 370,000 posts.

The latest software includes integration of social networking features offering users the facility to share content with their contacts over sites such as Twitter and Facebook, a completely new look and feel together with a modern, stylish, new logo. Updated Blue Room merchandise, featuring the new logo, is now available for purchase through a dedicated web store. As ever The Blue Room remains a not for profit organisation run entirely by volunteers, with all money raised invested back into the running of the site.

Although designed for future proofing, the Blue Room's investment in a dedicated web server back in 2004 has now been surpassed by the demand for the site. The upgrade sees a move to a new ser

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Poland - Constitution Square in Warsaw was the venue for the Euro Vision gala, billed as "The Greatest New Year's Eve in Europe". ARAM, one of the largest Polish event engineering companies, was a one of gear suppliers for this occasion.

A giant dome stage was covered by LED Grid modules from Fourlight, with a total hang of 1,400 pieces. They were all combined into one big screen controlled by three Catalyst media servers and a Whole Hog 3. On both sides of the stage were two large LED screens and on the floor, 180 modules of Fourlight LED Floor in star formation. The lighting includes Vari*Lites and fixtures from Clay Paky.

(Jim Evans)

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USA - Korg USA has taken on exclusive US distribution for the Elements line of HK Audio products. The Elements line of portable audio products will be debuted in the US by Korg USA at the 2011 Winter NAMM trade show.

Korg USA president Joe Castronovo noted: "In line with Korg USA's longstanding reputation as a brand builder, we welcome the opportunity to develop the HK brand in the U.S. HK is a high-quality and respected brand in Europe, and we're proud to now represent them in our market."

"I am delighted that Korg USA decided to become our exclusive Elements partner in the US market," commented Hans Stamer, president of HK Audio. "We thank Korg USA for their trust and confidence in our company and products. I am more than convinced that this partnership will be a very successful one."

"Korg USA has a reputation as a strong brand builder a

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In The Money - Bon Jovi's The Circle show was the highest-earning tour of 2010, taking $201.1m (£130.7m) worldwide, according to music trade publication Pollstar. Australian rock band AC/DC landed at number two for the second year in a row, with tickets sales from their recent tour totalling $177m (£115m). U2, the top worldwide act in 2009, came in at third place, with ticket sales totalling $160.9m (£104.6m). Lady Gaga followed in fourth place, with Metallica at number five.

On The List - The Abbey Road zebra crossing in north London - made famous after appearing on a Beatles album cover - has been given Grade II listed status. The crossing - the first of its kind to be listed - is being recognised for its "cultural and historical importance" following advice from English Heritage. The Beatles were photographed on Abbey Road in I

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USA - When BlizzCon 2010 opened its doors at the Anaheim Convention Centre, fans of the wildly popular video games produced by Blizzard Entertainment were treated to a serious spectacle. At the helm of the lighting design for the four-day event was designer Arnold Serame, Serame Design, who was tasked with creating a consistent yet rock-n-roll atmosphere. To bring his design to life, Serame worked with 4-Wall Los Angeles and 200 Vari*Lite luminaires.

"This was my first year with BlizzCon and right away I knew I would be in for a challenge," said Serame. "In our initial discussion about the event, Blizzard Entertainment made it clear that they wanted to really step up the production values over previous years. When BlizzCon first started it was about one-quarter of the size it is today, but the lighting, sound and video elements had not grown to support it. This ye

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UK - Lighting rental company HSL, based in Blackburn, has bought 12 new Robert Juliat Lancelot 4K followspots to add to its already substantial hire stock of RJ products.

These were supplied by UK distributors White Light, and were part of a £2.5m investment that HSL has made in the last quarter of 2010 to service its ongoing work.

HSL MD Simon Stuart comments: "We have been very happy with the reliability of all the Robert Juliat products purchased over the years and with the support from RJ and White light. We know this purchase will confirm our commitment to Robert Juliat as a leading brand in this field, and we also look forward to expanding on this initial investment soon."

(Jim Evans)

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USA - ANSI E1.3, Entertainment Technology - Lighting Control Systems - 0 to 10V Analogue Control Specification, and ANSI E1.27-1, Entertainment Technology-Standard for Portable Control Cables for Use with USITT DMX512/1990 and E1.11 (DMX512-A) Products, are announced as being in public review for reaffirmation from now through the end of February 2011.

The intention of the Control Protocols Working Group at this time is to reaffirm the existing standards as they are, but this is, of course, contingent on any objections or comments that the public might offer. The public review forms are accessible at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. The standards themselves are being sold by The ESTA Foundation at http://www.estafoundation.org/pubs.htm at their normal prices.

ANSI E1.3 describes a method of controlling equipment by means of an analogue control voltage

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UK - HSL is supplying lighting equipment and crew to Production North for the first arena tour by boyband, JLS, with lighting designed by Dave Lee and a lively, entertaining show created by artistic director Beth Honan.

HSL's project manager is Mike Oates, and this follows on from their work on the band's first theatre tour earlier in the year. He says, "It's great to be out with JLS again. Production North has really upped the production values and it's good to see the band develop and become such a success."

Lighting equipment includes 160 moving lights - a mixture of Vari*Lites and Robes - including the first of the new Robe LEDWash 600 fixtures, one of many recent new purchases by HSL. The moving lights are distributed over a series of semi-circular trusses above and to the sides of the stage, and across the stage floor and set which was designed by Peter Barnes.

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UK - St. Clement's church in Finsbury, London is now lighting up the capital's skyline as a result of a project designed and specified by LED suppliers Architainment Lighting in conjunction with Islington Council. The council was looking to enhance the church's identity, which had always blended into the background of King Square, and it was keen to do this using a low-energy, low-maintenance lighting system.

Architainment Lighting specified a range of LED fittings that could meet the council's environmental and financial requirements and these were then installed by Wishbone Electrical to illuminate St. Clement's portico, church tower, spire and clock.

For the spire and portico, Architainment supplied Philips Color Kinetics eW Blast Powercore and LED floodlight with a high-intensity wash of white light. For the side recesses, Philips Color Kinetics eW Graze Powercore was fitt

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USA - Tonic Bar & Restaurant in Times Square NYC's first floor boasts 25 large Plasma & LCD TV's and a large marble top bar. The second floor is a restaurant with a full international menu. At the Tonic Bar facility there are also private bars for special events.

Recently the Tonic Bar installed new sound systems and Foundation Audio's installation features several RCF products.

Justin Shafran from Foundation Audio reports, "On the second floor we flew the four H1315 in the four corners of the room. We added two S8028 side by side to one side of the room dedicated to the dance area and one S8028 to the other to add some extra low frequencies to the bar area.

"On the the first floor we flew two C5215L on each side of the room for side-fill and five C5215 on U Brackets on the wall facing the bar at a 45 degree down angle. The ART 410A is being used as a DJ monitor.

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USA - Located at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, the Tropicana Hotel has a storied history that dates back to 1957. Over the years, the 'Trop' has been spotted in films such as Elvis Presley's Viva Las Vegas and the James Bond 007 hit Diamonds Are Forever. The hotel's Tiffany Theatre - once home to the >I>Folies Bergère production show - now serves as a venue for a wide variety of headline shows and other entertainment. An upgraded loudspeaker system consisting of products from the Aero and Avant Series catalogs of D.A.S. Audio was recently placed into service.

Las Vegas-based A.D.D. Productions, a part of Eagle Group Holdings, manages all aspects of entertainment at the Tiffany Theatre as well as the hotel's forthcoming Las Vegas Mob Experience attraction. A.D.D. Productions general manager David DeLeo selected a sizeable D.A.S. Audio loudspea

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USA - Steve Linder is the principal behind SRI Training, a company that provides strategic life coach training for thousands of clients each year. Linder's presentations utilise a variety of biofeedback and neuro linguistic programming (NLP) techniques to teach leadership, communication and other interpersonal skills to both individuals and organizations.

He uses an array of A/V technology to illustrate his points, including live video feeds, audio and video playback, live wireless microphones, and live telephone feeds. To control it all, he uses the Allen & Heath iLive R72 control surface paired with an iDR-16 MixRack.

"The iLive has really revolutionised my presentations," Linder notes. "The audio is so clean and easy to control, it really keeps everyone focused on the content. People will put up with mediocre video, but not bad audio. As soon as you have feed

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