Video and AV

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UK - The AVnu Alliance, founded to promote the adoption of the IEEE 802.1 Audio/Video Bridging (AVB) standards, will continue its first birthday celebrations at PLASA 2010. The alliance was founded in mid-2009 and has since quadrupled in size. Recent membership announcements include Biamp, Bosch, Molex, Peavey and XMOS. To celebrate the momentum it has achieved, the AVnu Alliance will host a panel discussion at the PLASA show in London.

The panel discussion, open to the public, will be entitled IEEE 802.1 Audio/Video Bridging (AVB): The Future of Standards-Based A/V Networkin. The panel, comprised of representatives from alliance member companies, will explore the role of the AVB Standards in the professional A/V industry, as well as consumer electronics and automotive applications. An in-depth explanation of AVB and related IEEE standards will be presented, followed by a

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UK - AV specialist Media Powerhouse has invested over £125,000 acquiring Panasonic Plasma screens, including two 103" and two 85" Full HD displays, increasing its inventory of visual technology available to clients. The 103" and 85" screens are also supported by fully automated electronic lifts in order for the displays to be set up, raised, lowered and rotated with a touch of a button. The kit list from Panasonic also includes 20 50" HD Plasma screens.

Michael Breen, CEO at Media Powerhouse commented,"Our continuing investment in high spec inventory demonstrates our commitment to our customer focused ethos. Similar to how our clients can rely on us to provide industry leading expertise backed up with the very best in technology for their events, we can depend on Panasonic to deliver reliable and stunning imagery on all the screens they delive

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UK - After a record breaking 2000 visitor registrations in the final week alone, the opening day at Earls Court on Sunday 12 September has been packed with activity, as over 350 companies launch more than 500 new products.

A major strength this year has been the return of several leading audio brands and over 60 new exhibitors overall, including Ateis, Avid, Baldwin Boxall, Bosch, Bose, EAW, Electro-Voice, Intertek, Korg, Mackie, Martin Audio, Penton, and SCV/ Turbosound, as well as over 250 loyal exhibitors.

In one of the show's numerous innovations for 2010, visitors were able to watch the PLASA Awards for Innovation judges assess this year's exciting nominations in a series of live presentations on the interactive Innovation Gallery at the entrance to Earls Court 2.

Video of those presentations will be screened in the Innovations Gallery throughout the show, allowing othe

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UK - Winners of the 2010 PLASA Awards for Innovation, and the 2010 Gottelier Award, were announced yesterday evening in a special presentation at PLASA 2010 in Earls Court, London - after a hotly contested nomination process that saw 62 products entered and six contenders for the Gottelier Award.

The Awards for Innovation, for the first time, were judged 'live' at the Innovation Gallery by an independent panel of 16 expert judges, in front of show visitors and a camera team on Sunday 12 September. Show visitors are able to watch the judging process replayed on large screens in the interactive Innovation Gallery for the rest of the show.

Seven Awards for Innovation and one Gold Award were presented by PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths, while ETC founder Fred Foster was honoured with this year's Gottelier Award in recognition of his work on such legendary products including the compan

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Help For Heroes - Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow have performed live together for the first time in 15 years. The Take That pair, who announced this year they were working together again, performed their new single Shame at a Help For Heroes concert in London.

Earlier, Barlow and Williams said: "It's great that people like Shame so much and we can't wait to perform it live for the first time." Also in the line-up were Tom Jones, Alexandra Burke and Pixie Lott. The concert, which took place at Twickenham Stadium also featured comic talent including Bruce Forsyth, Peter Kay, Michael McIntyre and Jack Dee.

Some 60,000 people were at the event - including 150 personnel injured in combat who attended the show free of charge. Proceeds will go to the Help For Heroes charity, which raises funds for wounded troops and their families.

In The Courts - An attemp

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Belgium - StageCo, Tait Technologies, XL Video and Barco are are all involved with the U2 360° tour which hits Belgium on 22 and 23 September. The audience will be able to enjoy the show, with a giant 360° stage and video screen, made in Belgium.

The U2 360° tour started on 30 June 2009 in Camp Nou in Barcelona and will go on until the summer of 2011. This month, it finally sets foot in Belgium. Both the spectacular stage, as well as the transformable LED screen were made possible by Belgian companies.

StageCo was responsible for the construction of the impressive stage. "As it became clear what the designer and the band wanted to achieve, it was obvious to me that this was something unprecedented," says Hedwig de Meyer, president of Stageco. "The sheer scale of the structure, the span of the legs, lifting the huge technical production 28 metres in

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USA - Intelix has announced the release of the DIGI-HD-UHR2, a professional-grade extender which transmits HDMI up to 300ft over a single twisted pair cable.

Designed for residential AV, commercial AV, and digital signage applications, the DIGI-HD-UHR2 transmits 1080p video up to 150ft, 720p and 1080i video up to 300ft, and 480i and 480p video up to 300ft. Built-in buffering and amplification allow multiple units to be linked for greater distances, and ESD protection safeguards connected equipment from power strikes and surges.

The DIGI-HD-UHR2 employs Intelix HDsh?k processing, which guarantees HDMI signal integrity through bandwidth limiting, dynamic key processing, and EDID storing. The unit is HDMI and HDCP compliant, and supports 3D.

(Jim Evans)

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USA - A big date on Hollywood calendars each year is the Teen Choice Awards which honours the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, as voted by teens.

This year's ceremony was held on 8 August at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and aired the following day on the Fox Network. Lighting design veteran Tom Kenny created animated looks to match the show's youthful energy using Martin's LC Series LED panels for backdrop graphics, as well as Martin Atomic 3000 strobes and MAC 2000 Wash XB moving heads.

"All in all, the clarity and colour of the LC panels impressed us all and their ease to erect was fabulous," he stated. "I was very happy with the Atomic strobes and 2000 Wash XB's for the look [set designer and art director] Steve Bass and Kristen Merlino and I achieved." Lighting vendor for the event was

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UK - PLASA 2010 closed on a high, with preliminary visitor figures set to show an increase over 2009 and strong international engagement from across the world. Exhibitors across all the show's sectors enthused about the quality of business leads and relished the show's vibrant atmosphere. The event, which filled London's Earls Court 1 and 2, drew over 12,000 visitors, while the international attendance continued to be strong with nearly 30% of visitors attending from 99 countries worldwide.

Show director Nicola Rowland commented: "The universally positive feedback and the strong visitor figures would be satisfying under any circumstances, but in the current economic climate it's a strong result for our exhibitors and for the show itself - it underlines just how important PLASA remains in the international events calendar.

"Numbers alone were only part of the story,&q

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China / Norway - In one of the largest single implementations of its technology yet seen anywhere in the world, Norway's projectiondesign has supplied some 80 of its F32 series DLP projectors for use in the French Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

The task of implementing the AV systems at the Pavilion fell to the Paris office of ETC, which has specialised in the design and automation of large-scale image projection since its formation in 1981. ETC's joint project managers David Baillot and Nicolas Paineau worked on-site to ensure the smooth installation of the AV systems after the company was awarded the tender to supply and operate the multimedia equipment by the Pavilion's state-backed organizing body COFRES. The project was designed by noted French architect, Jacques Ferrier.

"At this expo, the projectors are arranged in pairs or in fours, depending on the siz

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UK - XL Video UK supplied video equipment and crew for the Help for Heroes gig in Twickenham Stadium, Surrey, including LED for a massive scenic 'H' feature that set the visual scene, along with a full IMAG/camera/HD PPU package.

The live BBC telecast saw a much publicised reunion between Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow of Take That onstage for the first time in 15 years, and the star-studded line up also included Tom Jones, Alesha Dixon, Alexandra Burke, Katherine Jenkins, James Blunt, Enrique Iglesias, The Saturdays, Pixie Lott and many others including the band of the Coldstream Guards.

Chris Saunders project managed for XL and also designed and spec'd the show's production video elements. He comments, "It was a hugely prestigious event to be involved with for an excellent cause. The H was a very ambitious set piece to construct and needed precision and immense

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UK - Stage Technologies launched the Sculptor Animation Toolkit at this year's PLASA and made waves in the Innovation Gallery amongst automation programmers and artistic directors all the way from London's West End to Europe and the USA.

Sculptor Animation Toolkit is an add-on for 3ds Max, a software package commonly used to animate films, movies, and games. The contemporary demands of technical theatre require a simple, flexible plotting tool that retains awareness of the restrictions of physical equipment and Sculptor Toolkit fills this niche by combining the safety and robustness of Stage Technologies control systems with the creative freedom enjoyed in a modern 3D animation environment, says the company. The toolkit excels when applied to venues and productions with many hundreds of automated axes and scenic elements such as revolves, hydraulically-driven, custom-built machi

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies' Video division, the exclusive UK & Ireland distributor for Green Hippo products, is holding an open day on Tuesday 28 September to demonstrate the UberPan and other new software components of the Hippotizer media servers range.

There are still places available for the event, which is being held in conjunction with Green Hippo at AC-ET's Northern sales office in Leeds. Technical staff from both companies will be on hand to demonstrate the full functionality of the Hippotizer, which has long been recognised as one of the leading media servers in the industry.

New for 2010, the V3 software continues to add an impressive selection of components including UberPan, VideoMapper, TextEngine, LiveMask and 3D Show Pre-visualisation.

UberPan is a multi-server screen management component that allows multiple Hippotizers to work together and create a

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Denmark - The roster of Supernova front-projection displays from Danish optical screen pioneers, dnp denmark, is about to undergo a further paradigm shift by embracing 3D technology.

This follows the successful trial at this summer's InfoComm expo in Las Vegas, where visitors donned active stereo shutter glasses to experience one of the unforgettable moments of the show. They were able to view specially-created 3D content on a huge Supernova Infinity screen, equipped with a 0.8 low gain material to provide unique contrast and horizontal half gain viewing angles.

Fed from a Mechdyne Dimensions Media and 3D Server, projected from a Digital Projection TITAN Reference 1080p 3D projector, dnp met their combined goals of providing a high-contrast image with super wide viewing angles in a harsh overhead lighting setting.

As dnp Product Manager Johnny Jensen explains, "Watching

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UK - Bright Space Technologies, has been awarded the UK distribution of the Picturall Octo media server and display control system. Bright Space Technologies will now supply the Picturall Octo media server, which has been described as 'one of most powerful and cost-effective solutions for multi-screen video or projection installations available,' to broadcasters and event companies throughout the UK.

"Picturall is a company with a flair for the technical and an eye for innovation," says Colin Clarke, senior technical sales & support manager, Bright Space Technologies. "We are delighted now to be able to supply the Picturall Octo media server which is a quality solution for playout of many media files types within the conference, events and studio environment. The Octo contains two Tb hard drives, a base of eight DVI inputs, which can be increased to a total of 24

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UK - Christie has announced the addition of the DHD800 digital projector to its wide-ranging product line-up. Aimed at the professional market, the Christie DHD800 provides 8,000 ANSI lumens and full HD 1920 x 1080 true native resolution for unparalleled brightness and colour precision in a 1-chip DLP projector. The Christie DHD800 with BrilliantColour offers 10-bit image processing, interchangeable colour wheel, and four-sided edge-blended colour matching.

The successor to the DHD700 digital projector, the DHD800 is designed for use in applications including rental staging, houses of worship, and medium-to-large meeting, training, and conference rooms needing a cost-effective DLP solution.

"Christie has continued to enhance colour and brightness using 1-chip DLP technology," said Christie Business Products product manager Frank Anzures. "The Christie DHD800 is

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UK - Liam Kidd has joined the Arcstream AV team in the new role of director of client services to help the company bring a selection of new technologies and products to the market.

Kidd joins Arcstream bringing 22 years experience from previous positions which have included JC Decaux and RBS with a background in business development and marketing.

Neil Dickinson, Arcstream AV's managing director comments, "Liam is a great addition to the Arcstream team, bringing with him experience in AV technology and a passion for what companies can achieve if they use the latest products to hit the market."

"The interactive technology sector is rife with new opportunities at the moment, and the UK has some of the greatest creative companies when it comes to events and retail," says Kidd. "Arcstream has its finger on the pulse of all the latest hardware and softwar

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UK - A.C. Special Projects has provided lighting and audio equipment to Brittany Ferries as part of an upgrade of the live entertainment facilities on board their Bretagne and Cap Finistère cruise ferries.

Brittany Ferries are a leading provider of Western Channel ferry routes to Spain and France from the UK and Republic of Ireland. Depending on route and time of year, the ships feature entertainment programmes, including resident music duos, cabaret singers, close-up magic and headlining illusion sets, through to cocktail pianists, tribute acts and DJ sets - even a full pantomime production in the school holidays on one longer route.

An established supplier to the cruise ships market, A.C. Special Projects was approached by Brittany Ferries to provide a high quality upgrade solution for the Bretagne's Main Bar lighting and audio systems. The installation includes Martin MAC

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USA - The ESTA Foundation will host the Behind the Scenes Boutique at LDI 2010. The State of Nevada has denied the charity's request to hold a raffle, traditionally one of its largest annual fundraisers. To make up for this loss of income, Behind the Scenes is asking LDI attendees to bring your raffle dollars to the boutique in booth #744 and show your support for your colleagues in need by picking up some special Behind the Scenes swag for yourself or as gifts for family and friends.

Many exciting items will be available for purchase, including the 2010 Holiday Cards, sold in packs of 10 and featuring artwork by some of the industry's top designers - David Gallo, Christine Jones, Jeremy Railton, and Andrew Hefter.

In addition, a new line of general purpose note cards will be offered featuring artwork by Hefter and Jones that are perfect as opening night cards or throughout th

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UK - White Light, now the UK's sole supplier of the PIGI large-format projection system, recently supplied four PIGI 6K projectors with double-rotating scrollers to the 60th Anniversary presentation of the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo.

The Tattoo's projections were designed, as they have been for the last five years, by Ross Ashton and his new projection practice, The Projection Studio. Once again, Ashton conceived a show that utilised the full 90m width of the walls of Edinburgh Castle as a projection surface for images to complement the action taking place on the Esplanade below. The walls are covered by three of the projectors, with the fourth used to provide drop-in images around the castle gates, highlighting performers' entrances.

Working with the show's producer, Major General Euan Loudon, Ashton developed all of the imagery for the show, striving to create material

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USA - Barco reports that eight of its Galaxy NW-12 projectors are being used to create a 360-degree, 3D stereoscopic theatre to present the new Lights of Liberty show, a permanent exhibit which opened 29 September 29, 2010 at the Historic Philadelphia Centre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designed to teach and inspire visitors from around the world, the 15-minute show portrays the evolution of democracy in the United States through storytelling and theatrical illusion.

The Lights of Liberty show is sponsored by Historical Philadelphia Inc., with the support of Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell. Wayne Spilove, chairman of the Board of Historic Philadelphia, commented, "Everybody, including Governor Rendell, has been enthralled by the story and awed by the creative experience. I especially enjoyed working on this adventure with the Niles Creative Group and

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UK - AV specialist Media Powerhouse has acquired AV and broadcast equipment specialist Clockworxx Limited. Clockworxx was created in 2009 following the merger of Clockwork Capital's Technical Services division and Boxx, the technical staging expert. Clockworxx delivers expert AV design and build services along with facility installations for broadcast. The company also provides project based rentals for the live events industry.

Moving forward, Clockworxx, led by Albert Seaward, will join the Media Powerhouse group of companies further strengthening its audio visual offering. The trading title of Boxx is to be re-established under the ongoing stewardship of live events expert Terry Barnes.

Terry Barnes, Head of Technical Projects at Boxx, says: "Both Charles Beddow and Michael Breen are industry and business experts. Their customer focused ethos ensures that their clients

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India - The opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi relied heavily on Barco technology. No less than 32 ultra-bright FLM R22+ projectors lighted up the event, making it an unforgettable experience. In total, 50 of these projectors will be in use during the Games.

The Commonwealth Games are being organized for the 19th time this year - and for the first time ever in India. During the event, thousands of athletes from the members of the Commonwealth of Nations compete against one another in 17 sports and four parasports.

At the start of the ceremony, a huge helium balloon lifted up from the centre of the jam-packed stadium with colourful puppets dangling from it to welcome the spectators. The aerostat, which is said to be the biggest helium balloon in the world (40 x 80 x 12 m), has a 360-degree projection surface. The lighting on the field of play was reflected on i

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UK - PSCo has added Louise Hirst to the sales team in the role of business development executive. Hirst has worked in the AV industry for 11 years, starting her career at Saville Audio Visual in York before moving on to Maverick and then Hitachi, working in the digital media arm of the company.

Managing director Stuart Holmes says, "Louise will be focused on ensuring our channel partners understand how our services are tailored to complement the products in our portfolio. She will be an integral part of the sales division of the company, and I am delighted to welcome her on board."

(Jim Evans)

  1. GHA at Cityscape exhibition in Abu Dhabi
  2. Barco debuts advanced automated lighting fixture
  3. AC-ET adds more Hippotizer open days
  4. Daktronics LED display at XLV Countdown
  5. XL Events screens on Pope's state visit
  6. Stage Electrics adds Panasonic projectors
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