UK - Glasgow City Chambers became a giant 75m wide by 25m high projection surface for Burns Illuminated, a show specially created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's most famous poet.

E/T/C London supplied projection equipment and expertise for the event, which was staged by Glasgow City Council. The artwork was produced by Ross Ashton, whose work was already known to the Council.

Burns Illuminated's project manager, John Toffolo, commissioned Ashton to create a projection show for the George Square site telling the story and massive cultural legacy of Burns' short life.

This consisted of hundreds of images, a combination of those sourced from the Mitchell Library in Glasgow (home to one of the largest collections of Burns material) and bespoke PIGI artwork created for the show by Ashton. The script was developed by resea

Snow Business - Heavy snowfall caused several West End theatres to cancel their Monday evening performances. The newly-opened Oliver!, Avenue Q, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia! and Jersey Boys were all called off. The Royal Opera House performance of Die tote Stadt was also cancelled. Promoters said the weather meant that they could not guarantee the performers and crew would be able to make it into central London.

Eurovision Countdown - Jade Ewen has been chosen to sing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Eurovision Song Contest entry for the UK in Moscow. The Londoner won the public vote ahead of Sheffield siblings The Twins and Welshman Mark Evans after all three acts performed My Time. The ballad, heard for the first time, was composed by Lloyd Webber with US Grammy-winning lyricist Diane Warren. The compo

UK - The festive period saw AV solutions specialist PSP service two very different Christmas events in Birmingham. Despite being very different in content, however, they were united in the large scale, high production values that PSP were required to deliver.

Hall 3 at Birmingham's International Convention Centre saw large format print business SP Group hold its annual Christmas party, with 800 attendees enjoying an event featuring a performance by classical girl band Escala, followed by after-dinner entertainment comprising a set by psychological illusionist Derren Brown and a game show marathon hosted by television presenter Vernon Kay.

The production required a technical crew of more than 50, the set consisting of an LED starcloth backdrop, with LED battens and strips running video effects. Animated graphics were projected on to a central 9.1m wide front projection screen b

Norway - With the release of the F22 sx+ , projectiondesign has completed the rollout of its new platform DLP projectors for professional applications. Like the other models in the new line-up, the F22 sx+ is already shipping, in advance of its public debut at the Integrated Systems Europe 2009.

Anders L°kke, international marketing & communications manager, projectiondesign, comments, "The F22 is a compact single-chip DLP projector platform that continues to offer the installation flexibility and performance options of its predecessor, the F20 sx+. The F22, however, benefits from a variety of enhancements, one of which is Philips' latest VIDI lamp technology.

This technology enhances reliability and extends useful product life, and very importantly for many projectiondesign customers, greatly enhances image quality. Also, thanks to our close collaboration with INFITE

UK - XL Video UK is supplying MiTrix screens, 290 HD VersaTUBES, cameras/PPU, Catalyst digital media servers and crew to the Kings of Leon Only By The Night tour.

The show features an inventive and original IMAG mix directed by Phil Woodhead, who is working closely with Catalyst operator Phil Haynes, lighting co-designer Ali Bale and creative director Paul Normandale on the show's visual big picture.

It follows XL's work with the band throughout 2006 and 2007, and is project managed for XL by Des Fallon. He comments, "Once again the Kings of Leon's show pushes all the creative boundaries and is an exciting fusion of video, digital and conventional lighting working together for provocative results. It's also great to be back on the road with tour manager Ivan Kushlick and his team."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Furman, a world-leading provider of power management solutions, have announced the launch of the P-1400 AR E rack-mount voltage regulator/power conditioner. The P-1400 AR E provides stable voltage protection and line noise filtration for any A/V installation where reliable and comprehensive protection is needed.

The P-1400 AR E accepts input voltages between 188V-270V and converts to a steady, stable output, user selectable to 230V or 240V (±10V). Voltages approximately ±10% beyond that range may be converted to usable levels, depending on the requirements of the equipment. This stable voltage protects equipment and allows optimal performance. The P-1400 AR E's True RMS Voltage Regulation technology is driven by an ultra-low-noise, microprocessor-controlled, eight-tap toroidal autoformer that is engineered for use in any A/V environment.

"The benefit of True RMS V

The Netherlands - At ISE 09 in Amsterdam, Christie unveiled the Christie Vista URS-1608, a universal routing switcher. Offering total flexibility with "virtually limitless input and output formats", the Christie Vista URS-1608 eliminates the need for most or all front-end and back-end boxes providing one point of control with just one piece of equipment, says the company.

"Most routing switchers require all sources and destinations to be the same format. If your input source doesn't match your output display, you need peripheral hardware to process and convert it before the router can do its job," explains Vista Systems' president Clark Williams.

"However, this is not the case with the Christie Vista URS-1608. You can do all your processing in the switcher itself and route it to any destination - super fast and easy. The Christie Vista URS-1608 packs a

UK - AV hire and special effects company Arcstream AV has secured a distribution partnership with Ray Technologies to sell and hire for events, the newly developed Arx Series laser system.

In a time when lasers are firmly back in fashion, appearing on tour with TakeThat and in new super-clubs throughout the world, Arcstream AV are working with the creme of laser development specialists to bring a new range of compact, state-of-the-art lasers to the British market, says the company.

Neil Dickinson, managing director of Arcstream AV explains: "Lasers have moved on so much from the systems which used to be available and Arx Series is an impressive piece of technology. They are very compact in comparison with older lasers and designed to be fixed to truss etc, so they can be integrated with the other lighting and PA facilities for a show."

The range includes single col

UK - The PLASA Technical Resources Office invites PLASA and STLD members to forget the worries of the credit crunch for a day by blasting around the Silverstone race track.

The event is organised by PLASA's Technical Resources manager Ron Bonner: "If you have ever wanted to drive your own car above the legal 70 MPH limit to see what it is capable of without being snapped by a Gatso - then this may be your big chance. The PLASA Technical Resources Office has reserved Silverstone for a day to hold a day of fun on the track. Included in the day is lunch and if you need it, tuition on how to drive your car in this environment. (Additional tuition fees apply)

"The day is provisionally booked for Friday June 26th 2009 - just a week after the British Grand Prix has been decided - and it is estimated that the full cost of the day and lunch will be in the region of £210

Italy / Venezuela - AVCom, CA has been appointed as the new distribution partner for Powersoft products in Venezuela.

AVCOM is a well-established organisation, founded in 1999, and specialises in pro audio solutions. The company has a strong reputation in the marketplace both for the broad range of products available in its portfolio and for the high quality of service it provides for its customers, say Powersoft.

"We are very excited about our new relationship with Powersoft," said Alberto Dillon, director of AVCom. "We pride ourselves of selling the best products, technology and services in our market, as such, Powersoft is an excellent complement to our product portfolio that will help us expand our share in the PA and installed sound markets. We definitely are looking forward to a long relationship between our companies."

"We have chosen AVCom as

UK - For the seventh consecutive year, XL Video supplied screens, projection, an HD PPU and control for the 2009 Brit Awards which were presented by comedians Mathew Horne and James Corden, together with Kylie Minogue last night.

Staged at Earls Court, London, and broadcast live on ITV 1, the event was jointly project managed for XL by Chris Saunders and Paul Wood. Saunders co-ordinated the cameras and control, while Wood managed the screens and specials.

As Saunders clocked up his 15th Brits, sadly it was also his first not working with long standing production manager Mick Kluczynski, who died suddenly 10 days earlier. Saunders and Wood both worked closely with the MJK Productions' technical team, with lighting designer Al Gurdon and set designer Nicoline Refsing from Stufish, plus The Brits TV production.

"The Brits was a great tribute to Mick's amazing technical, pr

UK - Paradigm AV chose the recent ISE exhibition in Amsterdam to unveil its rebranding, with the formation of several new divisions - Front & Rear Projection, Interactivity, Simulation & 3D and Special Engineering.

Explaining the move, founding director Greg Jeffreys said: "Our business is now over 20 years old and many of our clients have been with us over that duration. Our core strengths in creating projected images of premium quality - often in horrendous lighting condition - have pulled us into new areas of specialism and also into much larger projects."

When this trend became apparent five years ago, Paradigm hired Paul Wood from Cranfield University's MBA programme - initially as general manager, and later as managing director. Wood has since presided over two years of strong growth.

"During that time, the changing face of pro AV moved Paradigm into ne

UK - PSCo will be showcasing the latest cutting edge visual technologies at Imperial College, London on 24th and 26th February 2009, including a chance to see the exclusive Sharp 108" LCD and the 103" Panasonic plasma side by side.

PSCo's portfolio of flat screen and advanced technologies includes some of the 'must see' products for 2009 and the event will give integrators the chance to bring clients and consultants to see them in a central London location.

The monster displays at the event will include a 168" Infinite Plasma wall, 108" LCD from Sharp, 103" Panasonic Plasma with its ground breaking touchscreen overlay from U Touch Technology. See these displays in action, showcasing Full HD content.

The 168" Infinite Plasma wall, made up of 4x4 bezel-less panels aims to demonstrate the flexibility and impact of the product which can be built in

UK - Visuals and moving light director Svend Pedersen made extensive use of a Catalyst digital media server to illuminate and animate the set for the latest series of The Krypton Factor, recorded at Granada Television Studios in Manchester for ITV.

Designed by Dominic Toft, the set was made entirely from Perspex and Barco MiStrip LEDs, featuring a wide, shallow set of steps at the front, leading onto the stage, with a MiStrip back wall that curved up and above the stage to form a ceiling over the area, producing a cylindrical style structure.

Pederson used the latest spec Catalyst supplied by Ross Williams, with one output making comprehensive use of the Mix Window facility to zone the output to cover each of the four contestants individually.

He used four Mix Windows per contestant plus an additional Mix Window applied across the whole MiStrip surface, running on two

UK - The Krypton Factor has returned to British screens, with a selection of high tech improvements, including the use of a selection of touchscreens, sourced for the shows from PSCo.

The iconic TV programme has been off air for 14 years and 2009 signified its comeback, with contestants being tested on logic, memory and agility. The famous assault course returns in the new series and all challenges have been updated using state of the art technology.

For the modern version of the show, the set incorporates four 42" plasma screens which are used by contestants in the studio. Each screen is fitted with touch screen using optical imaging technology, supplied by Lumina Display, making it touch sensitive for contestants to carry out logic tests during the programme.

The Panasonic plasma screens were chosen for their brightness and clarity in the ambient studio lightin

UK - A new game show, with colour as its central theme, has had its set brought to life by a combination of LED media displays, provided by Creative Technology London.

Commissioned by format creators and producers 12 Yard, The Colour Of Money, presented by Chris Tarrant, is one of the most ambitious sets yet created by production designer Patrick Doherty.

A total of nine mission-specific media surfaces are used on the set, including Barco's iLite 6 6mm display, which forms the main high-resolution central screen. This is reinforced by G-LEC's 30mm Phantom 30 and Barco MiTRIX transparent screens, Barco OLite 612 modular banner (curving round the rear of the set), and the German Schnick-Schnack LED FX, which borders the cash machines and also provides a uniform colour light detail elsewhere on the stage floor, with wide angle diffusion. The transparent screens have been b

UK - PSCo showcased the latest visual technologies at Imperial College, London this February, including a chance to see the Sharp 108" LCD and the 103" Panasonic plasma side by side.

The displays at the event included a 168" Infinite Plasma wall, 108" LCD from Sharp, 103" Panasonic Plasma with its ground breaking touchscreen overlay from U Touch Technology, all featuring Full HD content.

The 168" Infinite Plasma wall, made up of 4x4 bezel-less panels demonstrated the flexibility and impact of the product which can be built in any size or combination of screens. The new generation of screens offer improved brightness and contrast as well as a reduced seam gap, making them the most advanced video wall technology on the market, says the company. PSCo Burn-In Compensation technology (BIC), eliminates the visual signs of burn-in on the screens, therefo

USA - At this year's Motor Show in Detroit, XL Video Deutschland assisted three major German manufacturers. VW, Audi and Mercedes Benz all put their faith in the media technology specialists. The XL Video team was engaged by the three German companies as media equipment general service providers for the international trade fair that ran from the 11 to 25 January 2009.

The commissions involved the provision of all media and LED equipment for the booths of VW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, the provision of HD control rooms for the VW and Audi press conferences, and the presentation of the new E-Class from Mercedes-Benz in the Westin Hotel, Detroit, on the eve of the first press day.

For the Volkswagen launch, XL Video chose a 4-mm Hibino Black Face comprising 70 modules and measuring 5376 x 2880 mm for the main video wall. This high-resolution screen was framed by over 100sq.m of Barc

UK - Arcstream AV is launching a Multi-Touch system for event hire or purchase, where users can create interactive presentations, "like using a giant IPhone". The multi-user system can be integrated into tables or designed into a large Multi-Touch wall, depending on the desired application.

The Multi-Touch system reacts to your touch by sensing the infrared signature where your fingers are touching the surface, the result is a system that allows more than one person to manipulate images, video, 3D models and more.

The movement is detected by infra-red cameras, with the screen or tabletop being flooded by an infrared illumination system, with an optical filtering system. A PC with application software controls the specially designed content, beamed on a compliant projection surface. The Arcstream Multi-touch tables and walls support a wide range of gestures enabling y

UK - Surrey-based AV distribution company Smart-e Limited is celebrating 10 years trading. The company, known for its purple coloured equipment, has designed and manufactured AV equipment for a wide range of industries and uses across the globe since 1999.

The company, which now has a workforce across the UK and an extensive network of distributors worldwide, moved to larger premises last year, despite the economic climate.

Smart-e's equipment transmits signals via inexpensive and easy-to-install Cat 5* cabling, providing robust networks for all types of AV systems with superior transmission quality. Co-founder Jon Lane, says: "We started the business because we saw a gap in the market for using Cat 5* structured cabling for transmitting AV signals. We spent several years extolling the virtues of Cat 5* cabling for AV use, however it was only in 2005 that people began to

UK - Highlite International BV, along with the UK partner Overt Light to Sound Ltd, is taking delivery of the first batch of the new Antari DNG-200 Low Fog Generator - originally launched at PLASA 2008 in London last September.

The DNG-200 Low Fog Generator is a ground fog effect solution from a fully self-compacted unit with wheels and handles to stand against tough transport. "With today's rising demand and awareness for environmental and health concern, the effects produced is virtually indistinguishable from that is created by dry ice," the company says.

Distinctively from other products currently on the market, it creates low fog straight from machine's nozzle - "a far more efficient and convenient" system, without any of the hassles of CO2 installations, say Highlite. It is operator-friendly as there are no external controls on the machine. Simply plu

UK - The £6.5 million British Music Experience (BME) at The O2 in London opens to the public today (9 March). UK-based audio-visual system integrator Sysco is the lead audio and video installation contractor for the new attraction. Sysco worked with Land Design, BME's exhibition designers, and three software designers (Studio Simple, ISO and Clay) to create the rich, interactive environment of BME in a very short timescale.

BME takes over the 22,000sq.ft on the top floor of The O2 bubble, The O2's exhibition space. A permanent, high-tech, interactive music exhibition, it's also among the most technically complex AV installations ever undertaken in the UK visitor attractions sector.

Sysco's team, led by project manager Chris Mothersdale, director of engineering Glyn Hughes and director of technology Graeme Bunyan, specified and installed the projection, audio and computer

UK - XL Video is supplying 180 Spider 40 LED tiles, a Catalyst digital media server and crew for the Kaiser Chiefs current Off With Their Heads tour.

These are an integral digital component of Richard Larkum's lighting and visual design, and take the look and feel of the Kaiser's almost non-stop touring schedule over the last two years to a new and different dimension.

Larkum states: "The band and I were determined that any 'video' elements interfaced seamlessly with the lighting". He also wanted a digital lightsource with its own visual integrity, and definitely not a massive LED surface that dominated the performance space.

XL UK's project manager Jo Beirne says, "It's always fun and exciting working with Richard - his ideas are innovative and varied and he never loses sight of the basic elements of lighting a band onstage well, and for the enjoyment

UK - Production:av, an audio visual services provider to the events industry based in Gloucestershire, reports an expanding client base achieved through continual investment in new technologies. "We are finding customers are not just looking for the cheapest price", says Peter McCrea, managing director and founder of the company, "but for the technology best suited to meeting their needs whilst providing good value."

Production:av's live event video division is partnering with video directors and production managers to provide video solutions and move the company forward in this sector. The company's inventory of Barco projection and image processing has provided a reliable platform for servicing customers. "Our Barco HD8 and CLM R10 projectors have been instrumental in offering some complex, and bright projections at a competitive price point. These uni

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