event news

Outline at Frankfurt with EIDOS

2010 will be another year for launching new products and world previews for Outline: in fact, there will be a series of products and innovations that the Italian manufacturer will exhibit in its stand at Frankfurt's ProLight+Sound (stand F80, hall 8.0) from March 24 - 27.

The new products involve a vast range of categories in the sound reinforcement world. They go from an infra-sub with very high transduction efficiency (the LAB 21 HS SP) through a 3D acoustic simulation software package able to import dxf files (OPENARRAY) to new amplifiers fitted with a USB interface and processor (DPA Series).

Even more unique on the international scenario the Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. VLA is now equipped with i-Mode technology and designed to offer ‘Power over Ethernet'.

Outline is also unexpectedly unveiling EIDOS, an original series of loudspeaker enclosures conceived for fixed installations.

The Flero company has announced that in Frankfurt visitors will be able to listen to its Butterfly and Mantas VLA in the special outdoor demo area, the Concert Sound Area (CSA 06, F 130).

Outline also announces that it has updated its general catalogue and prepared specific product brochures (Butterfly and Mantas), which will soon be available in pdf format on their website.

PLASA International Rigging Conference Announced

In a world first for the entertainment rigging industry, PLASA Events has announced the launch of the PLASA International Rigging Conference, to be held alongside two days of PLASA 2010, at Earls Court, London on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 September.

The aim of this technical conference, the first of its kind in the world, is to provide a unique specialist forum that will bring together entertainment rigging companies, riggers, venue operators, tour and event production managers and more. It is the latest industry-specific forum to be presented by PLASA Events and reflects the PLASA organisation's stated intent to reinvest in the entertainment and installation technology industries and deliver bespoke industry relevant events.

Chris Higgs of Total Solutions Group, consultant on the conference, comments: "This is one of those ideas that when you mention it, everyone says ‘what a fantastic idea - it's long overdue'. There has been a lot of demand from the rigging community for an opportunity - one that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world - for production professionals, whose work either directly involves rigging, or working with riggers, to come together and discuss the many issues that affect us all.

"It's a forum for the rigging industry, venues and production companies, working nationally or internationally, to be able to talk together and discuss working practices and to try to even out some of the differences that exist between venues and productions. Anyone who is directly involved with shows will benefit from the conference. To cite just one example, there is much confusion out there about the requirements and desirability of secondary suspensions - we would hope to start to clear up that issue alone."

The PLASA International Rigging Conference will focus specifically on entertainment rigging and working at height for temporary installations, and will be technically focused, with presentations from respected industry individuals and companies together with leading industry safety advisory groups from around the world.

The full programme will be announced shortly, but will include a packed agenda of conference sessions, panel discussions and some exciting practical demonstrations all of direct relevance to the entertainment rigging community. It will allow delegates to review best practice, dispel some myths, discuss standards and share expertise. A provisional conference agenda is already listed on the website, and developments will be announced as the content evolves.

The event will be held in the Earls Court Conference Centre adjoining the exhibition halls and delegate passes will include free admission to all four days of PLASA 2010.

Delegates already declaring interest in attending include major broadcast organisations and venues, union and trade association representatives, venue management personnel, freelance riggers and manufacturers and distributors of equipment used in rigging.

Director of Events for PLASA, Nicola Rowland comments: "The idea has been incredibly well received already, especially as we are running it alongside PLASA 2010 to give delegates the opportunity to take in the show as well as the conference, and therefore maximise their own business opportunities. The panel already includes an impressive array of international rigging experts and other production professionals and we are talking to more every day."

There is a heavily discounted early booking rate for delegate passes which can be booked online now at www.plasariggingconference.com

Staging Connections Australia is Best AV/Production/Staging/Exhibition

Staging Connections Australia has been voted the Best AV/Production/Staging/Exhibition company in mice.net magazine's inaugural Reader's Choice awards.

Conducted during October, November and December last year mice.net readers were asked to vote for their favourite venue, convention centre, unique destination, incentive destination, meetings/convention destination, PCO/event company, destination marketing/management company, caterer, convention bureau, AV/production company, and product/service provider - companies and destinations that they had used during the past 12 months.

Winners were determined by the number of votes received and Staging Connections Australia was voted clear winner in the Best A/V Production/Staging/Exhibition Company category.

The Best A/V Production/Staging/Exhibition Company award was presented to Staging Connections at the AIME exhibition in Melbourne, held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre between March 1-3, 2010.

Tony Chamberlain, Staging Connections Group CEO commented that the award was an honour given it was voted on by Staging Connections' customers.

"We are humbled by the award that recognises the tireless efforts of our teams across Australia. It is fantastic recognition for our people and wholeheartedly deserved! We are all committed to building on this achievement and ensuring that our service standards continue to be delivered at consistent levels," Tony said.

CAST Software's Vivien2010 Wins at Confex

CAST Software won Best Exhibition and Conference Service for Vivien2010 at Confex on Wednesday, February 24 at Earls Court in London. The award, accepted by Bruce Freeman, chairman of CAST Software, was presented for the most significant innovation in a product or service that will impact the industry.

International Confex is the UK's leading trade show for event organizers, bringing together the top industry professionals who organize any kind of special event with event support services and venues both in the UK and across the world.

This was the first year for Vivien to appear at Confex and the response was overwhelming. The all-new Vivien2010 was innovated from wysiwyg, the software of choice of designers in the entertainment industry for 15 years for movie/stage/TV and special event productions, including the Harry Potter series, Spiderman, Disney, Cirque du Soleil, U2 360° Tour, Nobel Prize Banquet, and the Vancouver Olympics. Vivien2010 is the most affordable special event planning/design, 3D previsualization software tool designed by/for the full spectrum of professionals in the meetings and special events industry. Vivien's accurate 3D images mean that event planners, designers, venue sales teams, caterers, furniture rental specialists and everyone else in the chain can go way beyond the typical 2D plans. Using Vivien's tools and wizards, they can make their creative ideas come to life in colourful 3D Virtual Views which impress clients by creating a customized, virtual model to meet customers' specifications, turn around RFPs quickly and inexpensively, incorporate eye-popping visuals and close sales at higher margins. What's more, all this information can be sent electronically or via webcast.

"We just keep hearing that Vivien2010 is an absolute must for event planners and obviously a super sales tool," said Freeman, "I have been approached non stop with the positive response to Vivien. I've been told how first-time users not only secured a significant project as a result of their first use, but how Vivien actually got them additional work from the same client - all within a week! I was told of a London venue that used Vivien's previsualizations (of their unfinished space) to presell the new venue! And one particular London event industry guru said to me an hour before the awards: ‘I've seen nothing that is so fast, so flexible, and so powerful!' It reinforces our belief that Vivien2010 is something that can change the way organizers work today. We're extremely pleased."

As with all CAST Software products, the developments and innovations for Vivien are ongoing, with new releases and Library updates always on the horizon and free to current Members. CAST will be releasing a huge addition to the Vivien Library in early Summer 2010, including new backdrops, linen, drapes, and furniture - adding 1000s of new objects that can be used in the planning and designing process.

In picture: Bruce Freeman accepts the award at Confex.

Cadac Continues Expansion Across Production Sectors at ProLight + Sound

Cadac continues its expansion across all areas of sound production - including sound touring, theatre sound, event production, location and studio recording - with the ongoing diversification of its product portfolio and core technologies, resulting in the presentation of a range of new products in final production form at this year's ProLight + Sound exhibition.

The new products exploit the company's unique analogue engineering heritage and advanced digital signal processing technologies to provide a range of fully digital and hybrid designs; the fruition of renewed investment in R&D and production facilities from its Soundking Group parent company. At the apex of Cadac's digital development programme is the S-Digital mixing system. Designed from the ground up for the theatre and live sound markets, the S-Digital console uniquely combines the audio character, tools, features and surface architecture of the long standing industry standard Cadac J-Type analogue theatre console, with all of the operational and creative benefits of the most advanced digital live production console yet designed.

Being shown at ProLlight + Sound in it's final production version, the S-Digital console has already attracted a substantial number of pre-orders, with the first of these currently being delivered. The S-Digital console on the exhibition floor will be complemented by a 'live' console in the Ronnie Lane Mobile Studio Airstream caravan parked on the stand.

Also now in final production form, the LIVE1 series is a fully specified, fully Cadac budget console that exploits the company's heritage engineering to provide exceptional functionality and quality at a competitive price. Designed by the company's analogue console team to offer an affordable Cadac Sound console for FOH applications, the LIVE1 series is based on Cadac's traditional audio circuits and available in 16/4/2, 24/4/2 and 32/4/2 formats. The LIVE1 combines many of the high end features associated with large format Cadac concert and theatre desks with an innovative digital I/O and networking interface unique to any console at this price point.

A further development derived from Cadac's heritage console designs is a new series of outboard processors, making the classic Cadac sound available in 19 inch rack mount outboard form and offering sound engineers a highly affordable upgrade path for any live or location mixing set up, or music production suite. The first of these is the ME2, a dual channel Mic Pre-Amplifier Mixer / EQ with analogue outs and, like the LIVE1, a digital I/O and networking interface unique on a product at this price point.

In picture: the Cadac S-Digital.

Long Reach Long Riders Announce Annual USITT Raffle

The Long Reach Long Riders and The ESTA Foundation have announced their annual raffle to benefit Behind the Scenes at the USITT conference. This hugely popular event will be held on April 2, 2010 at the Behind the Scenes booth (#322) on the trade show floor of the USITT Conference in Kansas City. Tickets, which are $5 each or 5 for $20, may be purchased at the booth throughout the show. Individuals who purchase 5 raffle tickets will also receive a Stagecraft Mailing List Calendar which runs through April 2011.

Twelve terrific raffle prizes have been donated by: Altman Rentals (ghostlight), Apollo Design Technology (Smart Move DMX Rotator), Barbizon (Stagehands Tool Kit), Field Template (SoftSymbols and Field Templates), Doug Fleenor Design (DMX/RDM Coffee Pot), Sapsis Rigging ($250 Gift Certificate), SeaChanger (iPod Touch and colorBUG), USITT (2011 Conference registration), Utah Shakespearean Festival (three pairs of theatre tickets), Vectorworks (Spotlight with Renderworks), Vincent Lighting Systems ($250 gift certificate) and Greg Williams (Photo Call and "Photography 101 for the Stage" Seminar). Special thanks to USITT for making our presence at the annual conference possible.

All proceeds of the raffle go directly to The ESTA Foundation's Behind the Scenes program, which provides entertainment technology industry members with grants for emergency situations, such as serious illness, injury or death. For more information about Behind the Scenes, to donate, or to apply for a grant, visit: www.estafoundation.org/bts.htm

For more information about the Long Reach Long Riders visit: www.lrlr.org

SIB 2010 Cancelled and Moves to 2011

Following the recent news that the Italian Show-Way event has cancelled its planned February/March 2010 showing and moved to 2011, a new time slot and a new format has been announced for Rimini's SIB International Exhibition of Show Business, Installation & Broadcast Technology, which has cancelled its 2010 dates and moves to 2011.

Considering the current lengthy phase of worldwide economic depression, as well as the evolution of the professional entertainment sector and audio-video, lighting and system integration technologies, the organisers of SIB International have decided to postpone the expo to a 2011 date and, at the same time, verify possible roads to development and directions shared by all members and players of the domestic market in question.

SIB general manager Piero Venturelli says: "Rimini Fiera has stressed several times that it intends facing the very critical international economic situation by investing in innovation: both by actually implementing client companies' requirements and by monitoring and following through in a very proactive manner on new directions for its exhibitions. Faced with a market put to the test by an unfavourable situation, we fielded ample resources for SIB, identifying new targets, as well as new foreign countries of great interest to exhibiting firms. In agreement with them, we therefore decided to dedicate 2010 to constructing a new format for SIB and to postpone it to new dates in 2011, ensuring it a position aligned with more widespread diffusion of the products and a more ample radius of action."

TEN chairperson Assunta Fratocchi adds: "We have already carried out a process for further target segmentation, from which fundamental new market areas have emerged, from the fashion world to that of large-scale projects - market sectors that necessitate fine-tuned operation and a new-look expo format. The same holds for analyses carried out on the foreign markets: the most recent involved Balkan countries, India and the Middle East, and showed the keen interest of buyers in these countries, convincing us to formulate a different international slant for 2011. We also believe that a winning expo project for the Italian market must be able to count on constructive unified support from all the association and trade components of the key domestic markets in question."

Renato Giacchetto, national chairman of the SILB Associazione Italiana Imprese di Intrattenimento da Ballo e di Spettacolo, (Italian Association of Dancing Entertainment and Show Enterprises) concludes: "We acknowledge the absolute central role and leadership of SIB, as well as the fact that its location perfectly meets market requirements and expectations as far as the actual expo and local area are concerned. The agreement with Rimini Fiera is a decisive part of the sector's development and innovation strategy, within which new concepts are currently being studied."

Rimini Fiera, SILB and TEN state: "We are certain that the market can only be offered a successful expo project if, along with the necessary innovation and quality of the plans being fielded, it is able to count on a singleness of commitment and purpose that unites all the sector's manufacturing, association and business components: as far as this aspect is concerned, we are ready to do our share with great conviction."

ISE Breaks All Records

Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2010 achieved the highest visitor total in its history, with 28,489 people attending last week's event. The figure represents a 14.4% increase on the 2009 total of 24,912.

The announcement of the visitor total at the show's close on the afternoon of February 4 confirmed the buoyant mood discernible throughout the event. Companies from across the AV spectrum - lighting suppliers, audio manufacturers, video technology developers and more - reported strong, quality footfall from the moment the show opened at on February 2.
The success of the show - the seventh in ISE history - reinforces the event's status as Europe's primary and most influential AV systems integration showcase.
Moreover, as organiser Integrated Systems Events looks ahead, there is reason to expect that the next event will even better - 83% of space has already been rebooked for 2011.
Mike Blackman, MD of Integrated Systems Events, commented: "We are delighted to have once again hosted a record-breaking event here in Amsterdam. To have posted a substantial increase in attendance after such a tumultuous business year is a reflection of the long-term strength of our industry, and a vindication of our marketing programme which was more extensive than ever this year.
"Perhaps just as importantly, our remarkable percentage of rebooked space for ISE 2011 demonstrates that our exhibitors did not merely have a busy show - they enjoyed three days of substantial new business opportunities. This confirms our belief that the market for professional AV and electronic systems integration still has plenty of growth potential for the future."

projectiondesign to Preview World's First Remote Light Source Projector at ISE 2010

Norwegian projector manufacturer projectiondesign will present its latest innovation in projection technology with the preview of the FR12 Remote Light Source projector at Integrated Systems Europe 2010 in Amsterdam.

The patent pending FR12 Remote Light Source (RLS) concept relocates the lamps from the projector to a rack-mount enclosure up to 30 meters away from the projector head. Light from the 19-inch rack-mounted RLS illuminates the projector head via an innovative Liquid Light Guide (LLG).

The result is a compact, ruggedized, virtually maintenance-free projector head with completely silent operation. There are no limits on installation orientation and lamp maintenance is entirely simplified.

The FR12 Remote Light Source projector is ideal for 24/7 operation and applications where fan noise and heat management are issues, as well as in any location where projector access is restricted.

"At the forefront of creating some of the most exciting technologies and innovative products, projectiondesign has made history by producing innovative projectors that are compact, bright and high-resolution," says Anders Løkke, international marketing and communications manager at projectiondesign. "Now we are taking projection technology a step further in simplifying maintenance, eliminating noise and dissipating heat, as well as offering greater integration and installation flexibility. A typical application would be a 24/7 command and control room environment."

"With the FR12, like many traditional Norwegian explorers and innovators of their time such as Nansen, Amundsen and Leif Ericson, projectiondesign is taking a journey and a new world view. The FR12 RLS projector is one of the company's most exciting products yet.

Booking Opens for Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference 2010

The four-yearly International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference, which takes place in London from 13-15 June 2010, is now accepting delegate bookings, with early online registrations offering the benefit of the lowest costs.

This will be the third three-day event of its kind organised by theatre consultant Richard Brett in London. Venue architects, consultants, designers, managers, equipment manufacturers and technicians from around the world congregate to learn about the latest developments in their fields from international experts. The Conference offers delegates the opportunity to discuss design issues and exchange views with a wide range of knowledgeable practitioners. Previous conferences in 2002 and 2006 were over-subscribed, and judging from the significant number of pre-registrations received so far, places will again be in demand for 2010.

The three-day conference format allows some 30 presentations to be given or debates moderated by leading international figures in the industry. These sessions are run in parallel, allowing each delegate to attend up to ten selected sessions, as well as the Keynote Address and closing Plenary Debate. Following the pattern developed in previous conferences, the three 2010 conference themes are:

• technology, stage engineering, lighting
• planning, architecture and space design
• audio, video and acoustics.

The conference programme also provides many national and international networking opportunities, social events and visits to theatres and other venues. The ABTT Theatre Show, which attracts over 2000 visitors annually, follows the Conference on 16-17 June. For further information and to book for the Conference, visit www.theatre-event.com

Show-Way Postponed

Italian trade association APIAS has acknowledged demands made by the majority of its member companies and has decided to support their needs and expectations by postponing the Show-Way Professional Entertainment Technology Exhibition which was due to take place in Bergamo from February 28 to March 2 by a year.

The main reasons that have led the organisers to reschedule the event stem from the acknowledgement that the professional entertainment world is going through a period of great change, say APIAS.

New and different opportunities are emerging on the world scene for all sector players. Looking at other similar situations in the past, there is also no doubt that taking part in trade fairs in hard times such as this is totally unprofitable for companies.

The Show-Way exhibition will therefore return to the Bergamo trade fair centre in the Spring of next year, with the same format as before, i.e. a trade, audio and sound exhibition. These are all sectors where undisputed top ranking companies work in Italy.

APIAS say that this postponement will allow sector companies to concentrate all their necessary efforts on optimising their business during the year under way. At the same time, it will be possible to organize a large show for 2011 full of innovative products and a high-profile showcase of the significant results in research and development achieved by both Italian and foreign companies.

PLASA 2010 Launches with Free Registration Month

The PLASA 2010 Show officially launches today with the opening of a free registration month, enabling early bookers to gain admission to this year's show, at Earls Court on 12 - 15 September 2010, at no charge. Registration is now open on the new-look PLASA 2010 website (www.plasashow.com) with free visitor registration available until 11 February.

Following the highly upbeat reaction to PLASA09, with exhibitors expressing delight at the quality of visitors despite the financial climate, expectations for PLASA 2010 are also high.

Early exhibitor news includes confirmation by Martin Professional; a doubling of stand space by Nexo; and the return after a one-year absence of Zero 88.

PLASA's Events manager Sophie Atkinson said: "Last year the free registration offer helped boost exhibitors' confidence in the show's compelling drawing power by attracting thousands of early registrations, while the show itself beat the best expectations of both exhibitors and visitors." She added: "With PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 also now sold out, PLASA Events' policy of re-investment in the industry is delivering exactly the business opportunities that exhibitors demand in these competitive conditions."

New initiatives for PLASA 2010 will be announced in the coming months, while successful innovations at PLASA09 - including the presence of government agencies with the Supply2.gov.uk Lounge - will be developed further, as will the increasingly popular Education & Learning Programme.

Community's First Annual On-line Video Contest

Community Professional Loudspeakers has launched its first annual on-line video contest. The contest is open to all users who enjoy Community dependability and performance, including sound designers, systems integrators, worship leaders, weekend musicians, sportscasters, educators and professional DJs. Entrants are asked to create a short (2 to 4 minute) video about their favourite Community loudspeaker product or application, or profile an installation they are particularly proud of. Videos don't have to be slick or professional; they just have to tell what it is about Community that works for the user.

The Grand Prize winner will win their choice of full S-Series or VERIS systems. The Second Prize winner will receive a smaller S-Series or VERIS package. Additional runner-up prizes will also be awarded.

A full list of prizes is published on the Community website together with the contest rules. The deadline for entries is February 28, 2010 and winners will be announced on the website on March 20, 2010.

Lighthouse Launches New Rn12i/o-SMD at ISE 2010

ISE 2010 sees Lighthouse Technologies, launch a new panel for the rental market, the Rn12i/o-SMD, which heralds a new era for outdoor rental applications.

The Rn12i/o-SMD brings the same clarity of image and colour reproduction that has made Lighthouse LED screens a firm favourite around the globe in a brand new 12mm pixel pitch rental product. Stunning visuals are ensured by 5000 nits, 16-bit processing and a 140 degree horizontal viewing angle. Additionally, SMD lamps deliver beautiful colour renditions and wide viewing angles.

Durability is also a key feature; this model comes with IP65 for both front and rear, and can withstand temperatures as low as -20 degrees and as high as 50 degrees, making it the ultimate panel for outdoor rental applications such as concerts and sports events, just about anywhere in the world.

The Rn12i/o-SMD is also designed with convenience in mind, making it an ideal model for rental operations. Its lightweight makes it easy to transport, install and dismantle and a tool-free stacking method simplifies set up.

"Lighthouse screen have always been chosen for their picture quality, light weight, ease of assembly and robust nature," says Lighthouse's general manager, Peter Chan. "Improvements in our manufacturing techniques have also made our screens more energy efficient and increased their operating lifespan from around 50,000 hours to 75,000 hours. This gives our customers better return on investment and makes them more environmentally friendly.

"And, with the addition of the IP65 rating both front and back, the Rn12i/o-SMD is even more attractive prospect, especially for situations where there may be extreme weather conditions."

Second Digital Signage Area Added to ISE 2010

Integrated Systems Events has announced the positioning of a Digital Signage Expert Showcase within ISE 2010. Co-located next to - and integrated with - a number of other attractions to form a larger Digital Signage Area in Hall 10 of the Amsterdam RAI, the Showcase is intended to show ISE attendees a complete signage system, with content creation, management, delivery and display solutions from a range of vendors, all viewable in a single location.

Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events, comments: "With over 250 digital signage exhibitors at our tradeshow and our DOOH Business Conference now firmly established as Europe's premier networking event for digital advertising, we felt the need to provide an additional Digital Signage Area for 2010.

"The Digital Signage Expert Showcase is a key element of this, and we believe it will hold enormous appeal not just for our core integrator channel but also for those DOOH Conference delegates who may be less technically orientated, such as those from the creative content and agency communities."

Adjacent to the Showcase will be a number of other features, including a real-time demonstration of the ‘RAI Live!' digital signage network - widely acknowledged to be the most sophisticated of its kind in Europe, and used extensively by ISE's organisers and exhibitors to promote show features and education sessions, as well as to assist attendees with wayfinding.

An additional booth staffed by members of OVAB Europe will introduce attendees to this ground-breaking association for the outdoor advertising industry, which aims to drive the growth of the DOOH sector by promoting the adoption of standards that are comparable to those used by ‘conventional' media.

Ronni Guggenheim, CEO of Minicom Digital Signage which has been appointed by ISE to run the Showcase, explains: "The digital signage industry is a fragmented collection of technology and solution providers, each of them offering one piece of the puzzle in the digital signage eco-system. While a show visitor normally walks the floor seeing bits and pieces of the overall application out of context, our Showcase will present the end-to-end solution - giving a bird's eye perspective on how to plan, create, rollout and operate a full-scale digital signage network, from content to measurement."

As an extension of this activity, OVAB Europe will be providing a ‘Digital Signage Expert Tour' of ISE, which will begin and end at the Showcase. And as Guggenheim concludes, the addition of the ‘RAI Live!' demonstration will provide the icing on the cake:

"While the Showcase will show the eco-system of digital signage vendors, the ‘RAI Live!' demo will see that being translated into a practical application that is proven to drive traffic and produce ROI for its customers. After that, attendees will be able to get more information about the industry from the OVAB Europe booth. We believe this is a unique combination that will have widespread appeal to the ISE visitor base."

Integrated Systems Europe 2010 will take place at the Amsterdam RAI, Netherlands, from 2-4 February 2010.

Successful Launch for GLP and G-LEC at LDI 2009

The first ever combined GLP and G-LEC booth at the recent LDI show in Orlando has been crowned a great success

GLP showed a wide range of fixtures from their award winning Impression range including the newly launched Impression Zoom RZ 120 and Volkslicht, all in support of their exclusive US distributor, Elation Professional. Alongside these exciting new fixtures was also a glimpse into the future as two new prototype fixtures from the Impression XL were also shown. Firstly, visitors were able to see a zoom version of the Impression XL, which utilises a stunning 297 Rebel LED's in an RGB configuration and offering a zoom range of 10 to 26 degrees. Also on show was a five channel version of the Impression XL, with red, green, blue, 3200K white and 6000K white LED circuits. This combination now gives a massive color range from a single unit with far greater flexibility in the pastel area, and a completely clean white with variable color temperature available.

G-LEC also showed some existing products in the form of the Phantom 30 video panel, but as you would expect, they also had a few tricks up their sleeve. A new version of the Phantom 30, utilising tricolor SMD LED's is now available and customers were able to compare performance of both the SMD and the traditional side by side. The new SMD version is priced at the same level as the traditional version. In regard to new technology, visitors could see the soon to be released Solaris system, which consists of strings of 360 degree full color balls which gives a huge amount of design flexibility in either 2 or 3 dimensions. Also shown was Chimera, a new type of LED board that can be cut to shape for installations in set pieces or in buildings. Available in RGB or with white LED's, a pilot project has been completed at the BMW Museum in Munich, Germany featuring 700 square metres of Chimera, with fantastic success. Finally, there was also a product designed completely for outdoor installations called Venetian. Using a clever mounting system, the strips of RGB LED's can be placed at multiple angles with full IP rated protection for any kind of weather environment.

The stand was busy throughout the entire exhibition with customers both old and new, and now the company looks forward to being part of LDI again next year when the show hits Las Vegas.

Martin Professional Rocks ESTA Awards

Martin Professional scored a hat trick at the second annual ESTA "Rock Our World Awards", coming away with two best in category accolades and a special recognition award. Martin's P3-100 System Controller won Best Product of the Year while the Grand Mosque won for Best Project of the Year. The judging panel, headed by Mike Wood, also voted a special award to the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

The 2009 "Rock Our World Awards" were presented at ESTA's Annual Dinner on Thursday evening, November 19th, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida, just prior to the opening of the LDI show. The awards recognize groundbreaking achievement by ESTA Members in new products, product applications, or projects. According to ESTA, the awards were created to acknowledge the genius of both the creator of technology and the designer or integrator who applies the technology in a real world environment.

Martin's P3-100 System Controller is an advanced video signal processor that allows LED screens to be treated like lighting instruments through direct DMX control of brightness, color, pixelmapping and more. It includes built in scaling and de-interlacing, supports multiple video protocols and resolutions, and includes a built-in graphical user interface and other innovative features. It also makes setting up an LED screen very straightforward.

The Grand Mosque, or Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan Mosque, has been hailed as one of the most distinctive lighting projects of the past several years, having won numerous international accolades. The Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony was universally praised as the most visually spectacular Olympic Opening Ceremony of all time.

Martin MAC III Profile Parnelli Award Winner

The LDI show in Orlando proved a harvest of awards for Martin Professional as the company picked up another recognition - this time the MAC III Profile a Parnelli "Indispensible Technology" Award in the Lighting category. The accolade comes on the heels of three ESTA "Rock Our World Awards" only days earlier.

Touted as the industry's highest honor for live event professionals, lighting authorities from across the industry met at The Peabody hotel in Orlando, Florida on November 20th for the ninth annual event hosted by Dennis DeYoung of Styx fame.

The Parnelli Awards, produced by Timeless Communications, Inc., US publishers of Projection, Lights & Staging News and Front of House (FOH) magazines, recognise pioneering, influential professionals and their contributions to the industry, honouring both individuals and companies.

The MAC III Profile has quickly become a lighting designer's fixture-of-choice for tours, special events, television productions, even theatre the world over. It is a super bright profile luminaire with an output of over 33,000 lumens and a unique fat beam look. As the first luminaire in Martin's third generation of award-winning MAC moving heads, it features a long list of innovative features including advances in control, handling, service and more.

LSC Clarity Steals the Show at LDI 09

LSC Lighting Systems officially launched Clarity in the USA at the recent LDI 2009 show in Orlando to critical acclaim.

Pete Floyd, LSC's international sales manager, commented, "This was one of the most successful LDI tradeshows we have ever attended and Clarity was extremely well received from many of the industry's top lighting programmers and designers. Sales of Clarity into the U.S have been remarkable since its launch and this show was no exception. It was even selected to control the lighting and video rig for the ‘Technologies For Worship' main stage at the show and gave users a chance to see how easy and powerful Clarity really is in a real world environment."

Said Clarity user Jason Jones of S&L Integrated Systems: "The Clarity software and wings are by far the easiest to use and one of the most powerful lighting control systems on the market. The media server feature alone sets Clarity apart. We are able to offer our clients programmed video clips choreographed to the lighting at a fraction of the cost than ever before."

"Clarity will change the way you look at lighting control. It has everything you need for any lighting application big or small and is one of the most user friendly systems I have seen. It is a must have for your lighting Systems," said Bryan Nichols of Total Systems AV.

"Clarity is most logical PC/Mac based lighting/media control solution to date. The system offers the ability to build a control package to suit today's needs and expand as needed. Blending moving light control with full video playback through pixel mapping as well as media server interface really puts LSC ahead of the curve. The ability to add effects to any parameter with ease is extremely powerful. Whether it's a nightclub, theater show, architectural installation, one-off concert, or church, Clarity is at home. Kudos to Clarity!" enthused Corey Silverm of Kor Media & Lighting.

The Clarity lighting range of products include the VX Series Programming and Playback wings, the QX range of USB-DMX convertors and of course the powerful Clarity Lighting and Media control software range. A full 30-day trial version is available for download from the LSC website. After the 30 days the trial reverts to a free 32 fixture / 128 channel version.

www.lsclighting.com

RSC Lightlock Wins Live Design Award at LDI

With great weather and fantastic attendees, this year's LDI show was the ideal backdrop to present the RSC Lightlock to the North American market. The motion damping device lived up to the preshow buzz, showing visitors there is a way to use moving lights in situations where traditional rigging may not work. This innovative product became the talk of the show, with many attendees bringing friends to the Total Structures booth just to make sure they saw the demonstration for themselves. The RSC Lightlock now gives designers the ability to dampen the natural tendency for moving lights to twist in reaction to the fixture's pan movement, allowing the light to hit the focus point without swinging back and forth.

Live Design saw the potential of this new technology as well, awarding the RSC Lightlock the Best Debuting Product Award in the Rigging and Staging category. The award, presented during Saturday evening's festivities on the show floor, recognizes the RSC Lightlock for increasing the range of uses for moving head lighting fixtures, while reducing the amount of rigging equipment needed to place fixtures within facilities and productions.

For the team at Total Structures, the response from attendees reinforced what they already believed. "When people come back three or four times to ask more questions about how to apply the technology, you have to believe that you are on the right track," said Adrian Forbes-Black, vice-president of Total Structures. "We have been fortunate to have some of the industry's leading designers, as well as representatives from leading production houses and consulting firms, inquiring about uses for the RSC Lightlock, and asking how soon they can have units in hand." Potential customers were excited to learn that units are available immediately from our production lines in California and the UK.

Total Structures is the exclusive manufacturer and distributor for the RSC Lightlock in North and South America, and Japan. Manufacturing and distribution for customers located in all other regions will be serviced by Total Solutions Group (www.totalsolutions-group.co.uk). Additional information on the RSC Lightlock can be found at www.rsclightlock.com .

www.totalstructures.com

www.trussing.com

 

 

Green Hippo Scoop LDI Award for Latest Product

Green Hippo has once again scooped an award at the 2009 LDI event by winning the Best Debuting Product for Projection for their new UberPan component. The award was received by marketing director James Ross Heron and special projects team member Tom Etra at the awards ceremony held on November 21 in Orlando, Florida.

UberPan is a multi-server screen management component allowing multiple Hippotizers to create a single virtual canvas. Connect as many displays as you have outputs and in as many different sizes and configurations as you like. Screens can be a mixture of different physical sizes and resolutions. Once configured, the 'herd' of Hippotizers are seen as one single server allowing easy realtime control and live manipulation from Green Hippo's ZooKeeper control centre.

The setup uses real-world measurement and importantly, all realtime functionality found on any Hippotizer remains, removing the need to re-render media whenever changes are made.

"UberPan is the result of three years development by our programming team and this award has confirmed that not only do we have an ever-evolving product but also the best team of programmers anyone company could hope for," said James Ross Heron. "This new feature has attracted interest from AV professionals working in very diverse backgrounds and that pleases us since we want Hippotizer to evolve into the definitive convergence product. This can surely do us no harm in our quest to achieve this accolade."

The software is currently in late Beta stage and is expected to be released as part of Hippotizer software version 3.1 released in early 2010.

See www.green-hippo.com for more details.

In picture: James Ross Heron and Tom Etra at the podium and the Green Hippo team.

Prism Projection Awarded Best Debuting Product for Lighting at LDI

Prism Projection Inc. has announced that its RevEAL Color Wash lighting fixture has been awarded Best Debuting Product for Lighting at the LDI 2009 Trade Show and Conference held recently in Orlando, Florida. Products being unveiled for the first time at LDI are eligible for the award, and winners are selected by a secret panel of industry experts. The award was presented in ceremony at the LDI exhibit hall on November 21st.

The Color Wash is the first product released by RevEAL, Revolutionary Entertainment & Architectural Lighting.

After the awards ceremony, Prism Projection's president and founder Garrett Young shared his thoughts on the award: "The RevEAL CW is our first product for entertainment lighting and this our first time exhibiting at LDI. To have the industry welcome us with this award is truly a great honor. This award really has me energized to get back to the team in the lab and finish up the products we have on our roadmap for the line."

Young continued: "Our R&D department and manufacturing team have been working so hard over the past year to get this product ready. The Best Debuting Product Award really validates the effort everyone has put into the RevEAL Color Wash."

The RevEAL Color Wash is a fixed focus, soft edged lighting fixture that uses LEDs to create a fully homogenized beam driven by a revolutionary color engine. Unlike other LED based lighting fixtures, the shadow that is cast does not have multiple images or distracting color fringing. Using a unique mix of LEDs gives the Color Wash a very large color gamut and a CRI above 95, allowing it to be directly focused on a performer, with a quality previously only achieved through traditional light sources.

The integrated closed loop optical feedback system and innovative methods for driving LEDs incorporated in the RevEAL Color Wash give the unit calibrated specifiable color, unlocking the potential for using LEDs as a primary illuminating source. At a total power draw of 180 watts and Lumen output of 3,820, the RevEAL Color Wash is an efficient 46 lumens per watt.

Extending the potential for designers, each color mode may be controlled by 8 or 16 bit DMX values. Color modes include XY coordinates, RGB, and Hue Saturation Intensity. An additional channel may be added for white light output with adjustable calibrated color temperature of 1,800K up to 10,000K. All modes include a dimmer channel as well. Lensing options are 27°, 37°, 50°, 70°, 90° and a special 30°x70° rectangular beam.

The RevEAL line of fixtures is manufactured in the United States at Prism Projection's headquarters.

W-DMX OEM Visionaries Honoured at LDI

Wireless Solution Sweden AB has congratulated the latest winners of the W-DMX Visionary Awards, held during LDI 09 in Orlando. Elation, SGM and Golden Sea were all awarded Swedish gifts at a special ceremony honoring W-DMX OEM partners for the first time.

Our OEM partners are the backbone of W-DMX," says Wireless Solution CEO Niclas Arvidsson, "The fact that W-DMX is built directly into some of the most popular product ranges is a sign of trust that they have researched and found the best possible solution to achieve wireless DMX. It also ensures a wider range of compatibility among products overall. We wanted to show our gratitude toward Elation, SGM and Golden Sea for taking the lead of our OEM partners."

Toby Velasquez accepted the award on behalf of Elation, while Giorgio Radice represented SGM, and Jiang Wei Kai brought back the award for Golden Sea. A large crowd gathered at the Wireless Solution booth to congratulate the winners while enjoying a Swedish celebration of vodka and meatballs.

The W-DMX Visionary Awards were established in 2007 as a way to give special recognition to individuals in the professional lighting industry who have been instrumental in the success of W-DMX through their vision about how it could be applied to great advantage in their respective production environments. Past winners have used W-DMX in productions such as LE RÊVE in Las Vegas, The Pyramids of Giza and Hollywood productions such as Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer and The Watchmen.

"We look forward to seeing great things from our OEM partners as new products continue to hit the market," says Arvidsson, "and we will continue to support them every step of the way."

In picture: Toby Velasquez, Niclas Arvidsson and Lotta Schiefer. Martin Simonsson, Giorgio Radice and Niclas Arvidsson; Jiang Wei Kai and Niclas Arvidsson.

Allen & Heath to Launch Analogue and Digital Products at NAMM

Allen & Heath has selected the forthcoming NAMM show for the global launch of new products from the iLive digital mixing series and the entry-level ZED compact USB range. Exhibited on the American Music & Sound stand, the new products will be unveiled on the first day of the show.

It will also be the first showing outside of the UK of the new Xone:DX, a Plug'n'Play DJ controller launched at the BPM show in the UK in October. The result of close collaboration between Allen & Heath and Serato Audio Research, the DX is another development in Allen & Heath's Xone:D range of controllers, featuring a 20-channel USB soundcard and total integration of the brand new 4-deck Serato ITCH software.

Boasting the ability to send up to 168 individual MIDI control messages, a 20-channel 96kHz/24-bit USB 2.0 soundcard, two dual layer deck simulators, and RIAA/phono inputs for external decks, as well as the central 4 channel mixer section which directly manipulates the DSP mixing within the computer, the Xone:DX is the most versatile hi-spec professional DJ controller to date. A full version of the new Serato ITCH software is supplied with the DX, providing unique 4-deck control, and a comprehensive set of digital DJ FX, as well as looping and time-stretching.

Also on display will be various members of the iLive family, the ZED range of USB mixers, the MixWizard multi-purpose range, and other models in the Xone series, including the Xone:4D, which will be demonstrated by a roster of celebrity guest DJs.

Celebrating 90 Years of Robert Juliat at SIEL-SATIS 2009

Robert Juliat celebrated its 90th Anniversary at SIEL-SATIS, Paris and, to commemorate the occasion, created a ‘museum' at the entrance to the exhibition hall where a fascinating array of historic lanterns and lighting products were shown.

Dating from the 1920s - 1980s, the exhibits included profiles, followspots, magic lanterns, an electro-magnetic colour-changer, ancestors of the modern day PC and the first Robert Juliat followspot, the Comete.

The milestone event was marked with a party at Wednesday's nocturne, the late evening opening, during which a competition took place offering entrants the chance to win a five-day trip to Las Vegas with two tickets to one of the many shows there equipped by Robert Juliat, and a helicopter flight over the city. Further prizes included a Robert Juliat Espion2 DMX tester and a Leatherman. Winner of the trip to Las Vegas was Jean-Jacques Mansard, technical director of Le Channel national theatre in Lille.

François Juliat, third generation managing director at Robert Juliat, commented: "At 90 years old, Robert Juliat is one of the oldest companies in this industry, yet still remains one of the most innovative. Bringing our 'museum' to the SIEL tradeshow was a way for us to open the doors of the company to the largest number of professionals.

"The response has been beyond our expectations, allowing visitors from many different generations to witness almost a century of innovation and evolution within the lighting industry. Sharing our passion with people definitely generates interest and discussion and is one of the best ways to ensure our future developments continue to answer the needs of our industry."

Visitors will have a further opportunity to see the Robert Juliat Museum at JTSE 2009, at Paris's Le Dock Pullman, Porte de la Chapelle on 24 & 25 November.

In picture: François, Jean-Charles and Frederic Juliat and the Juliat Museum at the entrance to SIEL-SATIS.

www.robertjuliat.fr

HEADLINES

news archive

search stories