UK - Lighting designer Dave Byars (Beautiful South, Young Knives, Blur, Deacon Blue & many more) has joined the product development team at Manchester based LED innovators, i-Pix.

He and i-Pix founder Chris Ewington have worked closely on various projects since Ewington launched the original Pixel range of products into the entertainment market in 2003. Byars used these products, and has also been a keen advocate of the first i-Pix fixture - the Satellite - and more recently their new BB range - integrating these into his designs and creative work.

"We're delighted to be working with Dave and to have someone of his touring experience on the team," declares Ewington, "His appointment also reinforces our commitment to ensuring that working LD's are actively involved in our product creation and development". This is one of the areas which helps keep I-Pix uniq

UK - Utilising 24 Christie 20K projectors and 16 OnlyView servers for control, E/T/C London supplied multi-screen projections onto a distorted perspective set for the Lux Zee Cine Awards (ZCA) 2008. One of the most prestigious international Awards events on the Indian showbusiness calendar, it was staged this year at London's ExCel Centre and produced by Cineyug for Zee TV.

The starting point was an original set design by award-winning scenic designer Bart Clement, a special version of which was licensed for the event. This filled the limited 10m available headroom of the space, creating a widescreen feel, with its deceptive angles and shrinking points amplifying the depth of the space.

E/T/C projected onto the proscenium arch, the ceiling, both walls and the floor of the set, and each projection area was a different size and shape. All areas were projected in bold, striking i

Canada - Ross Video has announced the appointment of Marcel Fontaine, as regional sales manager for the Southwest USA. Fontaine joins the sales team after working for Ross as a demonstration artist and trainer for six years. He is currently located in Vancouver, BC, but will be based in Southern California and will report to Kyle Luther, national sales manager for USA.

"Marcel is going to be a great addition to our already strong team of regional sales managers," said Kyle Luther. "His demonstrated abilities as a TD are well noted, and his sales professionalism and familiarity with our award winning product line will allow him to make an immediate impact and contribution to the region and the industry."

(Jim Evans)

UAE - DPA's distributor for the United Arab Emirates, Triangle Sound & Image, has supplied the largest single order of DPA microphones in the region to the Creative Communication Group (CCG), a Doha-based events management and production company.

CCG is looking to meet future requirements and, as part of a major expansion, ordered a quantity of DPA mics including 4060 miniature omnis; BLM4060 boundary layer mics; 4088 headbands; 4011 cardioids; 4006-TL omnis; SMK4060, 3506 and 3511 stereo kits and a comprehensive package of accessories.

Since it was established in 1998, CCG has expanded to serve all aspects of the entertainment business in the Gulf region and the Middle East. It provides a wide range of products and services, and has pioneered world-class theatrical shows in Qatar by artists including Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras, and has staged grand operas and

USA - D-Tools has announced its 500th live, web based training offering for users of D-Tools' System Integrator 5 software through its' MIT (Media Interactive Training) programme.

"We have offered live, instructor led D-Tools training courses every business day for the past two years to over 200 subscribing companies," said Ryan Brown, vice-president of Media Environment Design.

The MIT (Media Interactive Training) programme is an online training programme for D-Tools, consisting of (16) instructor led web based courses, with one course being offered live every business day of the year. Subscription to the programme includes unlimited access to these daily trainings as well as access to a series of on demand video trainings available 24 hours a day.

"MIT has been a great programme for both our new customers and our long-time users," said Adam Stone, presi

Denmark - Martin Professional's Magnum 2500 Hz is a plug-and-play hazer for DJs or when a simple haze solution is needed in smaller venues, clubs, and bars. Its large fluid container and optional DMX also make it suitable for a large variety of installations, says the company.

The compact Magnum 2500 Hz uses a 900W heat exchanger to punch out a full 2500 cubic meters per minute of uniform haze for mid-air projection or atmosphere enhancement.

This portable hazer heats up fast and is continuously operational for a trouble-free 'set it and forget it' effect. Its large 3.8 litre fluid capacity (1 US gallon) provides for extremely long runs when needed.

Haze output and on/off timing are controllable via a handy remote control that can be conveniently stored in its own compartment. Like all Magnum products the Magnum 2500 incorporates advanced Jem technology including new electro

UK - The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama has invested in the future careers of its technical production arts students by introducing a TiMax Image Maker 16 (eight-inputs, 16-outputs) in to its portfolio of equipment. Senior lecturer, David Ripley explains: "For these students TiMax is a vital piece of equipment and they need to be learning and understanding its capabilities as standard. There are other systems that deal in playback and creation but TiMax is unique in its context of image placement."

The Academy houses the 344-capacity Athenaeum Theatre, which boasts Glasgow's largest proscenium arch and a stage the size of the London Palladium. With an opera school and courses ranging from acting through musical theatre, digital film and TV, a production arts course, the performance space is in almost constant use throughout the year. Ripley continues: "

USA - Polatis, a supplier of high performance optical switch technologies, has announced its move into the professional AV market with its Trinity all optical routing switch. Photonic switching has long been used in other applications, but this is the first time it will be available to the pro AV market. Trinity will be demonstrated at Infocomm 2008 in Las Vegas next month.

The move comes as fibre transport for high bandwidth video, audio and data is becoming more widespread in Pro A/V applications. Large venues such as stadiums, corporate and college campuses as well as medical cenres are implementing fibre infrastructures. Therefore a more reliable and high performance switch, which can remotely route signals to disparate destinations is required, says the company.

"There is a real convergence happening in the video market with Pro AV applications turning increasingly t

Finland - As the leading telecommunications provider in the Nordic and Baltic countries, TeliaSonera needs to think carefully about what the thousands of people who pass through its Finnish headquarters see in the company's entrance hall. Now, with a 12sq.m, 200" Supernova Infinity screen, installed by Oy Hedcom Ab, greeting visitors, TeliaSonera Finland is literally projecting its innovative, state-of-the art image.

"We wanted something 'crazy' at the entrance - a striking view which people will remember and which stops everyone who enters the building," says Risto Huostila, responsible for TeliaSonera's functions and AV acquisitions. The screen is by far the biggest installation in Finland using this technology.

The exterior wall of the entrance hall is made primarily of glass, resulting in a bright projection environment that would present a challenge for sta

UK - Christie has again been selected as the projection supplier for the digital screenings at the 61st Cannes Film Festival which started this week.

Last year Christie provided XDC, the festival's official D-Cinema partner and CST, the representative organisation of cinema professionals in France responsible for the technical operation of Cannes, with 2K DLP Cinema digital cinema projectors. Helping the festival to screen a wide variety of digital titles and, supplying digital screening solutions to over 16 auditoriums at the festival.

This year that support extends to 18 auditoria and the review of digital material prior to screening, with more than half of the auditoria fitted with Christie 2K DLP Cinema projection. While XDC will implement it's new Cinestore Solo G3 server in the auditoria and a number of Doremi DCP-2000 servers.

"Cannes is probably the most recogni

The Netherlands - Peter de Kroon, MD of Projecta BV has announced his resignation and the appointment of his successor, John Hussa.

"After 12 years of working in an inspiring environment and industry I am informing you that I have decided to resign from my position as managing director of Projecta BV from 1st May 2008, "says Peter de Kroon.

"Although I will stay connected with Projecta for the remainder of 2008, I herewith want to thank you for the pleasant and fruitful cooperation that I have enjoyed when working with you during all these years. I am also grateful for the confidence that you had in me and the company in the years that we have been building the Projecta position in the projection screen market.

"At the same time, it is my pleasure to announce the appointment of John Hussa as my successor and new managing director of Projecta BV. John is a

UK - ChamSys has confirmed its affiliation with Production Resource Group Distribution (PRG Distribution) for the USA, Canada and Japan.

"ChamSys is the perfect partner to begin our journey down the distribution path," said Tim Brennan, VP of PRG. "Control is an area of the North American market that is demanding a product of the quality of the MagicQ Pro. It is truly cutting-edge in its fixture morphing/cloning and in its media features like the media wing and pixel-mapping. And, above all, it is familiar to the programmers and cost effective."

Building on the success of the highly regarded MagicQ consoles, ChamSys has launched its second generation of consoles, the MagicQ Pro series. The Pro series is designed to appeal to the professional power programmer and operator, with added connectivity, flexibility and durability. The MagicQ Pro was launched at PL

Australia - Staging Connections once again linked up with Amway to stage and deliver one of Melbourne's largest incentive-based business events held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) during April 2008.

The Amway China Leadership Seminar Program saw approximately 7,000 delegates visit Melbourne during April in four groups. During their visit, each group attended the business sessions with technical production and project management by Staging Connections and Gala Dinners produced by Peter Jones Special Events.

Amway opted for Staging Connections' services when it chose Melbourne to stage one of its largest incentives outside of China and Hong Kong. According to Ben Ashton, chief operating officer of Staging Connections: "To deliver the required visual impact for the business sessions, Staging Connections constructed the largest front projection scree

UK - Having attained Certified partner status only a matter of weeks ago, software provider Stardraw.com has announced that it has now attained Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program with a competency in Independent Software Vendor (ISV)/Software Solutions.

"We have had a strategic relationship with Microsoft for many years and have used Microsoft technologies since the launch of the first Stardraw application in 1992," said David Snipp, CEO of Stardraw.com. "We are extremely pleased to have attained Gold Certified Partner level in the Microsoft Partner Program now. This allows us to clearly promote our expertise and relationship with Microsoft to our customers, not least because of the requirements of the Microsoft Partner Program."

(Jim Evans)

Italy - Aethra SpA reports that all video communication services for the fifth Summit of Heads of State and Government of Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union (LAC-EU) are being provided exclusively by Aethra in collaboration with its partner in Peru Speednet Telecommunications.

Personnel from Aethra and Speednet are providing six dedicated videoconferencing rooms fully equipped with state-of-the-art Aethra vc solutions, including the set-top systems Vega X5 and Vega X3 and the next-generation videophone Maia XC.

These videoconferencing services are available during the event to the 60 heads of state and government and their delegations, the 1500 national and foreign accredited journalists following the proceedings, the event organization committee and the Peruvian Minister of External Relations.

The dedicated videoconferencing rooms will be utilized in partic

Switzerland - Gahrens & Battermanns provided over 73sq.m of Mitsubishi Electric IDT series LED screens at the prestigious Geneva Motor Show. One of Europe's leading display hire businesses, the company operates the largest fleet of Mitsubishi's high resolution IDT6 and IDT4 Black Package indoor screens in Europe - all of which were in action over the 10-day event on behalf of Chrysler, Honda, Lexus and Bentley.

Motor shows are notoriously demanding applications for big screen displays, and especially so for LED screens as colour fidelity, contrast and image quality must be maintained over wide viewing angles and close distances. Having already experienced the superior performance of the Mitsubishi screens at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year, Chrysler, Honda, Lexus and Bentley once again specified IDT4 4.00mm and IDT6 6.00mm Black Package screens for the main video features on

Bahrain - Almost a year to the day after Creative Technology (CT) formally established its Dubai operation, the company has again played a major part in the Middle East's flagship Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The event, in its fifth year; has taken place at the spectacular Sakira Circuit in the Gulf Kingdom of Bahrain has involved CT every year since the inaugural race in 2004. This year however saw the introduction of several new products from the CT inventory.

CT works alongside long-time partner Screen Visions, who are responsible for the overall project management, logistics and production of the circuits dedicated closed circuit TV channel 'Fan TV'. In previous years this required a fully equipped PPU (Portable Production Unit). This year CT streamlined the production with the introduction of the "Slate", a revolutionary PC-based production system which incorpo

Norway - Norwegian projector manufacturer, projectiondesign will be exhibiting for the first time on stand B117 at ITEC 2008 and will present their comprehensive range of high resolution and specification projectors.

The ITEC exhibition is dedicated to defence training, simulation and education and takes place at the Stockholmsmässan in Stockholm, Sweden from 10 to 12 June 2008.

The projector range includes models at 1,920 x 1,200 (16:10), 1,920 x 1,080, (16:9) and 1,400 x 1,050 (4:3) resolutions, all of which are based on DLP technology. They are available in a variety of platforms and applications and come with multiple lenses and optics, advanced colour and black-level processing, interfaces and asset management properties. The projectors are designed, hand-built and made for each specific application in Norway and are ideal for the most critical and consistent operations

UK - 3M and Impact Marcom report that The Work Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that advises enterprises on best working practices, is using the 3M Digital Wall Display (DWD) 9200IW plus in conference rooms at its Central London headquarters.

"Customers of the venue and clients of our consulting activities include public sector organisations and large blue-chip enterprises, who expect access to powerful presentations combining a variety of media and techniques," said Nina Gryff, venue manager, The Work Foundation. "The 3M-based solution delivered by Impact Marcom significantly enhances our in-house activities and our offering as an independent conferencing venue."

(Jim Evans)

UK - High End Systems Inc, located in Austin, Texas, USA wants to host one lucky winner to an all-expense-paid trip to Austin to visit their facilities and see some of their latest products - including the DL.3 Digital Light, Showgun, and the Road Hog Full Boar, plus many other exciting tools. Austin is the live music capital of the world, full of cowboy boots, margaritas and sunshine . . .

To enter, simply visit www.highend.com/austintrip

One winner will be selected at random to visit HES' world-class facilities for a private demonstration and be treated to Texas-style hospitality. But hurry! Contest ends June 15, 2008 at midnight BST.

Drawing rules: No purchase necessary. Entrants must be 21 years of age or older and possess a valid passport. Limited to one entry per person. Entries must be received by June 15, 2008. Random drawing will be held on June 16, 2008.

The priz

Turkey - Visual impact is critical to success for modern car brands, and Alfa Romeo Istanbul is using Vikuiti Rear Projection Film from 3M to present powerful messages at street level using full-colour, full-motion video. 3M Turkey has installed a 2.4 x 2m Vikuiti Film on sliding window panels at Alfa Romeo's showroom, which is delivering a variety of content directly to visitors and passers by.

The showroom is using the window display to present messages including promotional offers, new product announcements, and dealer and manufacturer news. The content is developed and produced by Alfa Romeo, working with professional creative partners, and takes advantage of Alfa Romeo's rich history as a design and motorsport pioneer to communicate the full excitement of Alfa Romeo ownership.

"Alfa Romeo is known as a vibrant brand, full of colour and passion. This can be difficult

Germany - The LED-Paneel C60 is the latest addition of Schnick-Schnack-Systems' range of LED Media Systems which is distributed worldwide by MA Lighting. The module features the latest RGB LEDs from leading manufacturer Nichia, combined with Schnick-Schnack-Systems' in-house modulation technology. With a pixel pitch of 50mm, it is design compatible with the LED-Paneel C100 and LED-Band and offers the same features in a more compact and lightweight housing, increasing the flexibility available to designers in the creation of LED features in set, stage and lighting designs.

Used as a backlight, the LED-Paneel C60 requires a distance of just 8cms from the diffusion material being lit, to produce a homogenously illuminated area. Alternatively, it can be used without diffusion, to create an LED matrix - the wide LED beam angle of 120° allowing camera shots to be taken from obliqu

Finland - FogScreen, Inc reports that Encore Creative's inventory now contains five interlinkable FogScreen One projection screens, making them the largest provider of FogScreen projection screens in the US.

"Carrying the largest inventory of FogScreen projection screens in the US is a crucial step into what we see as a huge growth opportunity into the special events market," said Jeff Lowy, president of Encore Creative. "Our team is dedicated to providing memorable experiences for clients that are always on the lookout for something technologically hip and edgy. Having the FogScreen projection screens in our inventory gives us the ability to reach new creative heights for all our personalized events."

"FogScreen, Inc. is proud to have Encore Creative as the largest provider of screens for a US market primed to be entertained in exciting and memorable

China - To mark the forthcoming Beijing Olympics, on 30-31 May large-format projection artist Paolo Buroni and Stark Srl will create what they claim to be the largest multi-projection ever attempted - on the new, 234m high CCTV (Central Chinese Television) building in Beijing. During the pre-Olympic event, which will take place in front of the highest Chinese authorities and the Italian Ambassador, more than 45,000sq.m of the four façades of the gigantic, modern building will be frescoed.

Created for sportswear giant Nike, the multi-projection is among the most complex and demanding ever performed, say Stark. The technical difficulties in achieving such a project in the urban centre of Beijing represent a technical and artistic challenge.

Paolo Buroni says: "This operation fits perfectly into my artistic career made up of invasions into, and virtual transformation of, th

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