UK - 15 December saw the West End premiere of the stage production of Mary Poppins - incorporating a mixture of large format projection and video projection created as a collaborative effort between DHA Lighting, the expert in the fields of gobos and projected imagery, and sister company Scene Change, the digital media specialist.

A musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film, Mary Poppins is produced by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh. The show made its debut at the Bristol Hippodrome in September, playing a short season there before transferring to London. The DHA and Scene Change teams were led by Wyatt Enever, bringing his long experience in creating and pre-distorting projected artwork for stage productions into the world of projected video, together with Scene Change's Nigel Sadler. Enever, Sadler, DHA and Scene Change were selected to

UK - TPA 05 - the Graduate Exhibition and Trade Show of the Technical and Production Arts department of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) will take place on 22-23 March 2005. Once again, Graduating students from the BA Technical and Production Arts course will be showing their work over the past three years in the Academy's Chandler Studio Theatre. Supporting this in the New Athenaeum, the RSAMD's main house, the industry supporters of the course will be showing a large range of production equipment.

Triple E and Black Light have joined the list of course sponsors this year and will exhibiting alongside PRG Europe, Le Mark, Rosco, Rope Assemblies, White Light, Zero 88, Autograph Sales and Hall Stage. Also new to the show will be Lift, Turn, Move and Learn 2B Safe, as well as several industry organizations such as the ABTT, SMA, PSA, PLASA and the ALD, many o

UK - tsg, the Chesterfield-based media programming and systems company, has promoted Ian Light to the position of media programming manager for its renowned music and media brand; candyrock. Light, who was formerly responsible for looking after tsg's shops and stores customers, will now be responsible for the running of the candyrock programming department which is based at Kings Heath in Birmingham. An important part of his remit will be the development of new programming styles and schedules, as well as the day-to-day relationships with the world's leading record labels.

Joining Light in the enlarged programming team will be a new recruit, Paul Kimberley, who brings a wealth of experience to the candyrock team. tsg's recent experience in satisfying the needs of the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai has generated a whole raft of 'world music' categories, and Light and Kimberley

UK - Bandit Lites is supplying equipment and a crew of five for R.E.M.'s European and UK tour, which kicked off in Lisbon last weekend, continuing the company's long working relationship with the band. Lighting designer Susanne Sasic, one of the most innovative and original contemporary LDs, started working with R.E.M. four years ago. As with all Sasic's shows, the core of the design features several one-off 'specials', created to give the show a series of unique visual elements.

Her imaginative starting point for this tour was 82 panels of 6ft x 2 ft polycarbonate 'Polygal' greenhouse/conservatory glazing material, manufactured by Pentaglass. This is double-walled and has a honeycomb cell structure which both reflects and refracts the light. The panels are lit from front, rear and the floor, creating an upstage wall of textured lighting. The panels are extremely lightweight an

UK - New Year's Eve 2004 saw the British Airways London Eye become the focal point for a spectacular light and fireworks display for 150,000 Londoners on Westminster Bridge and the Embankment - plus a nationwide television audience.

Although tempered by news of the Asian Tsunami - a two-minute silence was held before the display and certain elements of the projection and light show were removed - the overall reaction from audience and press was that London had got this New Year's Eve event absolutely right. Jack Morton Worldwide (JMW) designed and produced the entertainment and managed the logistics for the event. JMW project director Jeremy Garbett and his team worked for months in advance to co-ordinate and accommodate the various council and public safety concerns.

Fireworks were obviously the major element of the show and French designer Christophe Berthonneau and his team

The Netherlands - Avesco company JVR supplied one of the largest LED screens ever fielded for three 28,000 capacity Christmas shows at the Arnhem Gelredome by Dutch superstar Frans Bauer.

The video screen formed the 'set': similar in proportions to the system used on U2's legendary Popmart tour, this consisted of 500sq.m of Barco's D7 outdoor product assembled into arguably the largest and highest resolution display ever built in Europe and even worldwide, discounting fixed installs, say JVR.

Sales director Jeroen Jongenelen commented. "The Barco D7 is the only system that offered the resolution required and was available in sufficient quantities to enable us to pull of a project of this scale."

Even so, the screen modules were sourced from numerous different suppliers, and the two weeks leading up to the show saw a steady stream of sea and air shipments from aroun

UK - A curious amalgam, MPH '04 is The Motor Show with Top Gear attitude; but then with presenters Tiff Needell, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond it would be (sharp intake of breath, adopt voice of God) 'like a B52 parking in your driveway'.

This was just the second year of the show at Earls Court, and already it's growing; PMI and Simon Aldridge appear to have brought a new and burgeoning marriage of live and static presentation into the exhibition world, a marriage that will surely have others looking frantically for an eligible partner.

Steve Sinclair has been part of the presentation team for the past two events and describes the differences between this and conventional car expo: "Some content elements appear familiar, there's a gallery of 90 or so vehicles, sponsored by HR Owens, but these aren't ordinary cars; we're talking testosterone motoring Ferraris and Mas

UK - New Year's Eve 2004 saw the British Airways London Eye become the focal point for a spectacular light and fireworks display for 150,000 Londoners on Westminster Bridge and the Embankment - plus a nationwide television audience.

Although tempered by news of the Asian Tsunami - a two-minute silence was held before the display and certain elements of the projection and light show were removed - the overall reaction from audience and press was that London had got this New Year's Eve event absolutely right. Jack Morton Worldwide (JMW) designed and produced the entertainment and managed the logistics for the event. JMW project director Jeremy Garbett and his team worked for months in advance to co-ordinate and accommodate the various council and public safety concerns.

Fireworks were obviously the major element of the show and French designer Christophe Berthonneau and his team from

UK - A curious amalgam, MPH '04 is The Motor Show with Top Gear attitude; but then with presenters Tiff Needell, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond it would be (sharp intake of breath, adopt voice of God) 'like a B52 parking in your driveway'.

This was just the second year of the show at Earls Court, and already it's growing; PMI and Simon Aldridge appear to have brought a new and burgeoning marriage of live and static presentation into the exhibition world, a marriage that will surely have others looking frantically for an eligible partner.

Steve Sinclair has been part of the presentation team for the past two events and describes the differences between this and conventional car expo: "Some content elements appear familiar, there's a gallery of 90 or so vehicles, sponsored by HR Owens, but these aren't ordinary cars; we're talking testosterone motoring Ferraris and Mas

Belgium - Barco has announced the acquisition of System Technologies, based in Torhout, Belgium. Started by Frederic Opsomer in 1995, System Technologies specializes in innovative designs for special projects in the rental and staging markets. The company counts designs for special projects such as the Olympics 2004 opening and closing ceremonies as well as the design of specialized elements in the upcoming worldwide U2 tour, amongst its most recent projects. The company has annual sales of approximately 5m euros and the total cost for the transaction is less than half of sales, say Barco.

The transaction will see one of Barco's fastest growing divisions, Barco Media & Entertainment, incorporate System Technologies' expertise into its own total solution offering toward the important rental and staging and fixed installation markets. The transaction underpins Barco's belief that

UK / USA - Software provider Stardraw.com announced its most significant US expansion to date, with the establishment of a West Coast office in partnership with US distribution specialists, North American Pro Audio (NAPA). The move follows an extraordinary year for Stardraw, which has necessitated the provision of additional resources to serve and develop the US market. The partnership with NAPA, operating as Stardraw.com USA, will look after all Stardraw's customers within the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, and manage resellers and reps in the territory with effect from 1 January 2005.

In addition to handling all sales and front-line technical support, Stardraw.com USA will offer a comprehensive schedule of user training seminars across the US for 2005. Furthermore, support through Stardraw's toll-free number has now been expanded to operate between the hours of 9am Eastern to 6pm

UK - Scene Change, digital media specialist and distributor of the Hippotizer range welcomes Bob Kronman to its staff. A familiar name in the worlds of both large-format projection and video projection, Kronman has just completed work on the London transfer of the musical Mary Poppins, working with PIGI large format projectors and Scene Change's Hippotizer digital media server and BeaMover moving video projector products, as well as with the digital content created for the production by Scene Change. Kronman has also worked on a wide range of other productions, including We Will Rock You, and for suppliers across the AV and projection fields, most notably E/T/C UK and Production Arts.

Kronman will be working with Scene Change's Nigel Sadler, providing sales, training and technical support for the company's entire production range, and on projects where Scene Change

UK - Brummie legend Jasper Carrott gave Birmingham his very own Christmas present packed full of entertainment when he staged his 'Christmas Cracker' at the NEC Birmingham on 19 December. The line-up was a closely guarded secret and none of the capacity 12,500 crowd who packed in to the NEC Arena knew who would be performing until the artists came on stage. Among some of the Country's top stars who appeared for charity were X Factor stars G4, comedian Bill Bailey, King of the Jungle - Joe Pasquale, Liz McLarnon from Atomic Kitten and music legends Robert Plant, Lulu and Robin Gibb from the Bee Gees. Proceeds for the event go to a number of local children's charities.

PSP provided six live cameras, four Barco 12,000 Lumen projectors and two large screens, which enabled the capacity audience to get closer to the performance. PSP also provided backstage monitoring equipment and li

UK / USA - Software providers Stardraw.com has announced that support for Global Caché's GC-100 series of network adaptors has been incorporated into their new application, Stardraw Control. Global Caché, based in Southern Oregon, is dedicated to producing low-cost, state-of-the-art products to enable technology in the home environment. The award-winning GC-100 Network Adaptor provides the means for PC-based control, automation and management software to access, control and deliver services in a networked home to diverse and previously unconnected devices and appliances.

Stardraw Control is exactly that - a software-based application designed expressly to control systems that contain diverse products. It generates standalone, customized control programs that can manage and monitor any type of addressable equipment from any manufacturer using any protocol over any communicatio

USA - 2005 promises to be a strong year for the cruise industry, which looks set to achieve record growth. Numerous new cruise ships are scheduled for launch in 2005, with further major projects slated for 2006 and 2007. This positive trend will translate into real business opportunities for UK specialists providing lighting, audio, AV and staging technologies.

Exploiting this development will be the forthcoming SeaTrade exhibition in Miami (March 15-17) - the largest gathering of cruise line owners, operators and suppliers in the world. One of the main features of the show will be the new 'PLASA at Sea' Pavilion - a showcase of all the latest innovations in entertainment and leisure-based technology. Confirmed exhibitors to date include Barbizon, Vari-Lite, Rose Brand, Rosco, Color Kinetics, Xilver, Martin Professional, Mavco, Teledimensions, Stage Technologies and Snow Master

USA - John Wiseman, president of XL Touring Video, announce Valdis Dauksts' promotion to general manager of XL Touring. Dauksts, who has 30 years' experience in concert touring and production around the world, has also worked extensively in staging, lighting and production capacities across fashion, live theatre, corporate events, large-scale outdoor events (such as the Papal visit in Central Park) and large concert tours. His clients have included Bruce Allen Talent, MTV, Radio City Music Hall, VH1, Merv Griffin Productions and many more. Along the way, Dauksts has been VP of Lighting at Nocturne Productions and general manager of Fourth Phase / Light and Sound Design in Newbury Park, California.

Wiseman comments: "I am very pleased to announce Val's promotion to general manager. Having worked with him in the past, I'm positive we've made a decision that will greatly bene

Hong Kong - Erfurt in the east of Germany is one of the latest international airports to boast a Lighthouse screen and is the first in a planned countrywide airport advertising network. The P6, ultra high resolution 6mm pixel pitch screen, installed by systems integrator Super Screen International (SSI), is positioned at the busiest part of the terminal. It shows a mixture of advertising and airport information, adding interest for both visitors and passengers waiting at check-in.

Content for the screen is remotely managed by SSI from their offices in Weimer and displayed via a play-out unit located at the airport. "The Lighthouse P6 6mm screen is the best quality screen at the best price for this application," comments SSI's Karsten Witt. "The airport is very pleased with the screen as it's good for their profile to have this sort of installation, as well as givi

UK - Global Display Solutions (GDS) has introduced a new self-diagnostic service for video monitors that, it says, will almost eliminate downtime in the field for its customers. GDS can fit all of its displays with a proprietary self-diagnostic system, which enables the monitors to alert GDS (via a USB connection with the display server) if it develops a problem or needs replacing. The service is available to all customers with GDS display products across its markets in the passenger terminal, transport, banking, medical and industry sectors, and is particularly suitable for monitors where 24 hour operation is a requisite.

With more than one million displays installed worldwide, GDS has introduced this service to ensure that, if its units go down in the field, customers receive immediate replacement delivery. This new programme is also designed to reduce the number of failed di

Ukraine - When the Kiev Underground Railway System wanted to update its 44-year-old passenger communication system, they turned to Kramer Electronics for a solution that would provide high-resolution video in every car and withstand the rigors of the Underground environment. "They needed a video network, primarily for advertisement purposes, but they also wanted to provide station information inside the train cars," said Serge Dmitrenko, chief of Kramer Electronics Ttechnical support team in Russia. "They intended to use hardware made locally in Kiev, but were unable to get the required signal quality underground. So, they began searching for a branded solution."

The requirements included XGA resolution, compact size and reliability in the underground environment, which has high levels of electro-magnetic interference. In addition, the Kiev Underground team

The Netherlands - Dutch projection screen specialist Projecta, part of the Indiana-based DaLite company, is expanding its range with the introduction of four new large projection screens and made-to-measure screens at the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show in Amsterdam this week.

Projecta supplies large projection screens from 3 to 20 metres wide and can create a made-to-measure projection screen suited to meet special needs. Each of the four new large screens has its own specific features and the screen fabric ensures an entirely flat screen for both optimum image quality and fire safety (M1) standards, and is equipped with a sturdy case and a strong motor; they can also be wall or ceiling mounted. The GiantScreen electrol is available in widths varying from 4.5 to 7 metres. One size up is the GiantKing electrol, which ranges in widths from 7 to 10 metres. Larger yet is the J

UK - Broadscreen interaction developer Visual Planet has launched its Interactive Poster, a new 'shrink wrapped' solution designed to make interactive rear projection displays easier to install in retail and corporate environments. Visual Planet's interactive solutions allow the viewer to control the content displayed on a screen with touch, and the company has 'productised' its technology to make it easier for third parties to use.

The new Interactive Poster offers a range (30-60-inch) of high-resolution interactive diffusion and holographic rear projection screens, which can be used either free-standing or attached to a window. Commercial director Mike Cole said: "The 'Interactive Poster' offers a new dimension for retailers; it can be used within the store to promote services or offerings, or within the shop window to enable day time or out-of-hours window shopping. We c

UK - Brighton Film Studios, the facilities subsidiary of The Brighton Film School, has just taken delivery of the new JVC DLA-HD2K high definition projector. Franz von Habsburg, director at Brighton Film School, first saw the projector at VMI's new High Definition and Broadcast facility in Soho. Brighton Film Studios use the HD2K's special video processor unit, which accepts a wide range of HD and SD signals. It up-converts and rescales all signals to output 1920 x 1080 progressively scanned images which are transmitted via DVI signal to the HD2K projector.

"What I liked about the HD2K was the scaler," commented Franz who, as a BAFTA judge, has been using it to screen BAFTA award entries prior to casting his votes. "It ramps up any input of a lower standard to HD and produces an image that's outstanding and virtually pixel-free to the naked eye." The HD2K has

UK - XL Video recently supplied projection and control for video artist and photographer David Buckland's inventive installation work in Somerset House, which is part of his wider Cape Farewell Arctic exploration project. It drew together artists, scientists and educationalists to collectively address and raise awareness of global warming. The projections - one of the art elements of the project - were beamed onto the Seaman's Hall facade of the main courtyard at Somerset House, at the end of the venue's famous winter ice rink, enjoyed this season by nearly 120,000 members of the skating public.

The installation, which ran every night for 10 days, was primarily an experimental exercise, designed to illustrate how this type of building projection will potentially translate into a much larger integrated Cape Farewell Festival event, planned for Somerset House in 2006. The technica

Australia/Malaysia - Klotz Digital Asia Pacific announced its immediate appointment as distributor for Smart AV's Elite Series Smart Consoles in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia. Klotz Digital will sell Smart AV products through its extensive network of sales and service centres across the region.

Robert Smallwood, Smart AV's general manager operations and marketing, comments: "We are pleased to be working with Klotz Digital in the Asia Pacific region. The company has good coverage throughout the area and has a very conscientious and thorough attitude. Its strong technical background in digital audio and its readiness to configure our consoles with customers' choice of processing engine makes it an ideal partner for Smart AV."

Sales and support for the Asian region that includes China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand will be

Latest Issue. . .