Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

General

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UK / USA - Three draft control protocol standards are available for public review on the PLASA website until early October. They may be downloaded for free at the web address below.

BSR E1.37-2 - 201x, Additional Message Sets for ANSI E1.20 (RDM) - Part 2, IPv4 & DNS Configuration Messages, and BSR E1.45 - 201x, Transport of IEEE 802 data frames over ANSI E1.11 (DMX512-A), are available for review through October 1. BSR E1.37-2 provides additional get/set parameter messages (PIDs) for use with the ANSI E1.20 Remote Device Management protocol. Messages in this document are intended for configuring network interfaces and Domain Name System settings on devices with an IPv4 address. BSR E1.45 defines a minimal method to transport IEEE 802 data frames over ANSI E1.11 physical links using an Alternate START Code. The primary motivation is to allow communication of 802 data to luminair

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Grand Finale - The London Olympics closing ceremony was broadly welcomed by the world's critics. According to The Guardian, the event was "a kaleidoscopic spectacle" that showed "the energy of British popular culture over the past few decades". The Telegraph said the show was "meant to be about cheese - an unabashed, honking hunk of over ripe Stilton".

"This all-star mix of live and pre-recorded music was a major crowd-pleaser," declared David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter, saying the event would be "regarded as a wonderfully chaotic treasure trove by some and a hot mess by others". The New Zealand Herald described the event at the Olympic Stadium in east London as "a pop culture smorgasbord that had touches of brilliance, beauty and bewilderment".

Olympic Effect - West End box of

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As pro sound systems become ever more sophisticated, along with accurate prediction software and more and more powerful DSP, how close are we getting to guaranteeing perfect live sound in any environment? Is that even a realistic objective? Leading product designers discuss the questions . . .

presented by: Panellists: Jason Baird (Martin Audio) | Werner 'Vier' Bayer (d&b audiotechnik) | Miguel Lourtie (Meyer Sound)
Tuesday 11 September, 3.30pm - 4.30pm

To book this session and check out other session in the programme, please click here

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Technologies for Worship Magazine have announced a comprehensive programme of educational sessions taking place at PLASA 2012, between the 9-12 September, live at Earls Court in London.

The four day programme of free-to attend sessions will take place in the Technologies for Worship zone, an area of the show floor that is dedicated to Worship technology. The Technologies for Worship stage will provide a road map for house of worship technicians, church tech volunteers and worship leaders alike to learn about audio mixing, running video backgrounds, microphone techniques, tasteful lighting, streaming, broadcast production and much more.

Sessions include; UK Church Case Study; Streaming Audio and Video Content to the Web; Building Healthy Volunteer Teams; Can You Hear Me At The Back?; Video Systems for Worship; The "Smoking Gun" of Audio; Getting Your Message Out: Tuning Syst

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South Africa - DWR Distribution has appointed three director members: Bruce Riley (technical director), Nick Britz (director of training and product development) and Robert Izzett (sales director) are well respected in the industry and have helped DWR achieve success from the start.

"I would like to thank my new partners for all they have done in the past," said Duncan Riley. "I am very honoured to have them.

"The step forward means that there will shared responsibility and help with decision-making. Most importantly, the foundation has been laid to ensure that DWR Distribution remains strong in future times ahead."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - For the fourth year in a row lighting solutions provider, Architainment Lighting, is aiming to raise money for cancer support charity, Maggie's by completing a 20 mile hike across London through the night.

As in previous years, 'Team Easily LED', a group made up of Architainment employees will join approximately 2500 other individuals to trek 20 miles across the capital at night, with one aim: to raise money to support those living with the effects of cancer.

Throughout the years the lighting specialist has raised thousands of pounds for the charity and Architainment continue to support Maggie's not only due to the incredible work it does, but also due to its strong associations with the architectural and lighting industries. Lighting is an integral part of the night hike experience, giving hikers an opportunity to see London landmarks such as The Guild Hall, the RIBA bui

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Czech Republic - Trussing and staging manufacturer Milos Group has announced the recent acquisition of two leading trussing and staging brands - Litec and Tomcat.

The new deal makes Milos the largest global aluminium trussing and staging group with the addition of major manufacturing bases in Italy, Slovakia, Mexico and the US to strengthen their 250,000sq.ft of production facilities in the Czech Republic and Asia.

Milos's CEO Frantisek Zykan states, "We are very excited with this announcement. Our strategy has always been to deliver the best products made to the highest standards of excellence with a quick, efficient turnaround. Having Litec and Tomcat on-board expands the ideas pool and product range to meet all staging needs .... with a truly international reach.

"All those working for Litec and Tomcat are driven, focussed and share our collective visions for th

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A full-volume demo area dedicated to the demonstration of loudspeakers, giving visitors the chance to listen to products in a real-world environment.

The famous Funktion One demo room has got some company at this year's show as we take over a whole new space at Earls Court for large scale demonstrations of the latest loudspeaker technology.

Martin Audio took huge strides forward with the launch of the award winning MLA System at the PLASA Show two years ago, they return this year to take over the AudioLab, on Monday 10 September.Approaching the problem of controlled coverage in poor acoustic spaces, Martin Audio Engineers came up with the unique concept of OmniLine®, where rather than applying DSP to a traditional column loudspeaker, OmniLine's vertical beam-forming is achieved by physically articulating individual modules to curve the array.

T

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UK - A number of important additions to the London edition of the PLASA Professional Development Programme have been announced. The 80 free-to-attend sessions form the backbone of the 2012 edition of the PLASA Show, which takes place on Sunday 9 - Wednesday 12 September, live at Earls Court in London. From the creative minds of world-renowned LDs and sound engineers, to the visionaries of tomorrow's technology, the PLASA Professional Development Programme is the largest free knowledge sharing event of its kind.

"The new style programme forms a roadmap for the next twelve months in theatre, live concert and touring, live events and installed environments. PLASA 2012 continues to be the place where pace setters converge to share expertise and ideas, and we are delighted by the concentration of talent coming to London this September, it is simply phenomenal. Anyone wishing to

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"The future technologies available to use as a result of LEDs are going to blow our minds"

As a 14 year old James Simpson was intrigued by the moving lights being produced by the likes of Martin and Vari-lite but, as pocket money didn't stretch to a VL1, he decided to make one after school in his DT workshop. It was a new technology and he wanted to know everything about it so, using the stalwart tool of any young engineer - Meccano, he produced his own version. It even found its way onto local am-drams pantomime although Simpson is cagey about whether it would have passed the PAT test!

So: it's safe to say that James Simpson is passionate about technology and it's a lucky man who can indulge in his passion during the working day. As Lighting Visualiser at the Royal Opera House, with what he, himself, describes as 'the most amazing resources' he has had the opportunity to i

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UK - Following three successful years at XL Video in the US where he oversaw the Los Angeles office, Phil Mercer has returned to his native UK to take up the role of group head of concert touring.

Mercer's brief is to develop the Concert Touring division of XL Video globally, by working with XL's offices in the US and mainland Europe to provide artists with a seamless touring solution across multiple continents.

"I'm hugely excited by my new role within XL Video," says Marcer, "and the responsibility that comes with keeping us visionary in our approach to the industry; in terms of providing cutting edge display technology, high skilled crew, efficient packaging and unequalled service.

"With live show revenues increasingly replacing CD sales as the main income stream for most touring artists, this places equal importance on high production standards and va

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UK - Lighting and sound finance company specialists Azule Finance reports a string of high profile deals with some of the UK's leading hire companies, as they stocked up ahead of the busy festival and events season. Faced with increased demand for Clay Paky Sharpy, L'Acoustics and Martin lighting and audio kit at some of the UK's biggest festivals, hire companies NiteLites and Colour Sound Experiment enlisted the services of Azule Finance to stock up in time for a busy summer.

The Summer months see the live events production industry go into overdrive to meet the demands of touring artists as they hit the festival circuit. Colour Sound Experiment and Nitelites needed quick, competitive finance options to invest in kit on the riders of some of the most popular touring artists and Azule were on hand to deliver.

Specialist lighting and sound designers, Colour Sound Experiment, in

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Operatic Moves - The arm of the Royal Opera House dedicated to commissioning and producing contemporary opera and dance is to close. The company revealed it had decided not to continue with ROH2 as a distinct entity after Deborah Bull, who had creative responsibility for the strand, and Alison Duthie, the department's head, left to take up positions with King's Cultural Partners earlier this year.

Two positions from ROH2's eight-strong team have been made redundant, including that of head of opera development, a role held by John Lloyd Davies. The post of manager of the On the Road programme, which oversaw projects around the UK, has also been axed.

Following Davies' redundancy, an ROH spokeswoman said director of opera Kasper Holten would head the team responsible for new operatic work, to run in the Linbury Studio Theatre and Clore Studio - spaces traditionally associ

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Be the first in line to get 'hands on' with some exciting new technology from Roland Systems Group. Designed to give visitors to the show a truly interactive experience with live, recording and video product, five 'Hands on Live Sessions' will take place on the RSG stand each day, with up to twelve places available at each. You will have the opportunity to mix an exciting four camera shoot in HD of a live recorded band including immersive visuals on the Roland V-800HD Multi-Format Live Video Switcher as well as mix up to 40 channels of audio on the Roland M-480 Live Mixing Console.

Speaker(s):

Mike Kent from Roland Systems Group US will also be speaking live at the show and live webcast to an internet audience regarding our latest product and software launches.

Audience:

Live Audio Engineers, AV Engineers, Vision Switching / Mixing Engineers, Ren

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From a Wobbly House to the Moon the Projection Challenges on the Olympic Ceremony

The Olympic Tender arrives and you wade through it to the Scope of Works, you bid, you win, then you discover that reality is a very different thing. Within months we are designing a system with 645 square meters of LED, 24 Dual Task Video Servers, 6 HD Camera Channels, 26 Projectors and wondering where did all this come from! Then when you think you have it all covered, the "why don't we project on this" arises, that is another 6 projectors and "what about the stage" that is another 2 projectors. Fortunately we have some of the best Engineers in the World based in Britain, who where able to turn the Dream into Reality.

Speaker(s):

Scott Burges (Director of Special Projects, Creative Technology)

Audience:

Video and Stage techno

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MIDAS would like to offer visitors the opportunity to take part in an exclusive free training course on their stand in a private air conditioned VIP room. The course will cover the operational aspects of the PRO1 and PRO2/C Live Audio Systems coupled with practical hands on sessions.

The courses will run every day between 12:00-13:00 and 16:00-17:00 on the MIDAS and KLARK TEKNIK stand 1-F19. Places are limited to 8 to 10 people per slot, so please pre - register using the form on the MIDAS website; http://www.citizen-sandbox.co.uk/midas/plasavip/

Places are available on a first come first served basis.

presented by: MIDAS
Sunday 9 September, Monday 10 September, Tuesday 11 September, Wednesday 12 September, 12.00pm - 5.00pm

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Making it all Possible!

Large-scale events like Olympic Opening Ceremonies are at the forefront of event and entertainment technology. This session explains the integrated signal distribution and communications infrastructure that enabled the smooth execution of the London Ceremonies and shows how even small theatres and event productions can profit from these innovative approaches.

Speaker(s):

Marc Schneider (Riedel Communications' Director, Global Events)

Audience:

Consultants, technical managers, production managers, venue owners and rental companies.

presented by: Riedel
Sunday 9 September, 2.00pm - 3.00pm

To book these sessions and check out other session in the programme, please click here

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USA - ANSI E1.35 - 2007, Standard for Lens Quality Measurements for Pattern Projecting Luminaires Intended for Entertainment Use, is being revised to increase the accuracy of the measurement procedure while still keeping it simple. The draft of the revised standard is available for free download and comment through 8 October at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php.

E1.35 describes a method that uses a projected gobo image for measuring stage and studio luminaire lens quality, with particular emphasis on quantifying contrast and perceived image quality (sharpness). It also offers a way for presenting these results on a datasheet in a format that is readily understood by a typical end-user. It's a simple way of saying, "This lens is sharper than that lens."

(Jim Evans)

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The Association of Sound Designers will be running three training seminars at PLASA 2012, open to all attendees and suitable for anyone, looking at three fundamental parts of sound design, run by three of the countries top sound designers:

- Sound System delay and zoning, run by Seb Frost, whose credits include the Tony nominated Sunday in the Park with George (West End & Broadway),

- Creative Manipulation of Sounds, run by Gareth Fry, winner of two Olivier Awards and Soundscape Designer of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.

- Recording Sound Effects, run by the legendary John Leonard.

Sound System Delays and Zoning
Sunday 9 September, 3.30pm - 4.30pm

Seb will be demonstrating how to best set delays on a sound system to create natural sounding reinforcement or great sounding amplification; how to create delay zones so that a performers voice sounds like

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UK - On the eve of PLASA 2012, PLASA has announced a new home and dateline for the PLASA Show in 2013. The UK's only international event for entertainment and installation technology will take place at ExCeL London from 6-9 October 2013.

"After 21 years at Earls Court & Olympia, the time is now right for the PLASA Show to leave its current home," said PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths. "We have hugely ambitious plans for the future of the event, and the state-of-the-art facilities at ExCeL support this vision. ExCeL is a cutting-edge, purpose-built exhibition venue with the infrastructure to attract international markets; the world-class facilities are the perfect match for PLASA's planned investment in content and growth, and an exciting prospect for our technology markets worldwide."

The move represents a major opportunity for the PLASA Show to expand its inter

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On The Fringe - Ticket sales for the Edinburgh Fringe are down by about 1%. It is thought the London Olympics - which clashed with the first nine days of the Fringe - was a major factor in the fall in sales. The Fringe remains the world's largest arts festival, with 2,695 shows performed in 279 venues.

Kath Mainland, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said it was "in fantastic health", with more than 1.8 million tickets sold. She said there were also more than 800 free shows at which attendance could not be measured. However, it is only the second time in more than a decade that ticket sales have fallen from the previous year. Sales fell in 2008 due to the disastrous implementation of a new ticketing system. Mainland said, "The Fringe has shown its resilience in responding so positively to the unique challenges of 2012."

Viva La Vi

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The 3rd annual PLASA Rigging Conference will welcome over 200 international attendees at the Earls Court Conference Centre in London on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 September 2012

With UK and worldwide bookings well up on last year and with a strong international flavour to its speakers and seminar sessions, the PLASA Rigging Conference confirms its status as the premier event worldwide dedicated to all things rigging.

Opening with an unmissable speech from original 'Disney Rigger' Roy Bickel, one of the founders of the modern rigging industry and closing with 'Question Time' hosted by Alan Jacobi LVO, MD of Unusual Rigging, the Conference is packed with sessions from industry experts.

On Monday 10 September, the thorny issue of developing standardised Common Practice will be debated by Rinus Bakker and Roy Schilderman from ARGH in Hol

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USA - Nortek Inc has announced the formation of Core Brands, a new group that combines the product and marketing strengths of 10 of the company's formerly independent audio, power management and control brands operating within its Technology Solutions segment.

Including Nortek's Aton, BlueBOLT, Elan, Furman, Niles, Panamax, Proficient, SpeakerCraft, Sunfire and Xantech brands, Core Brands has more than 190 years of combined experience in the residential, commercial and professional markets and over 4,300 direct customer accounts in multiple distribution channels in the US and worldwide.

Core Brands will be based in Petaluma, Calif., with offices in Carlsbad and Riverside, Calif., and Marblehead, Mass. Bill Pollock, who has served as president of Panamax, will lead Core Brands. Dave Keller, vice president of sales and marketing for Panamax/Furman, will handle worldwide sales. K

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UK - Avolites Ltd has appointed Koy Neminathan as Sales Director and JB Toby as Technical Director, effective immediately.

Since joining Avolites Ltd in February 2000 Neminathan has become an indispensable member of the core sales team and has been instrumental in energizing the company's longstanding sales success.

Neminathan, whose experience at Avolites encompasses the job of Business Development Manager from 2006 and then as Sales Manager from 2009, succeeds Steve Warren who will remain as an active Director of Avolites Ltd while also acting as Managing Director of fast-growing Avolites Media Ltd - a position he took on in September 2011.

As Sales Director of Avolites, Neminathan will continue to oversee and expand the vast International distribution network and also manage the UK sales team.

JB Toby has an equally strong and proven track record at Avolites Ltd having

  1. Rock Our World Awards finalists confirmed
  2. PLASA 2012: AC-ET showcases new innovations
  3. displayLED to launch The Pixel Depot - Open Days 4 & 5 Sept
  4. Young heads Arup's West Coast operations
  5. PR Lighting promotes Sasha Xiong
  6. Proaudio to distribute RCF in South Africa
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