Video and AV

Details

14 March 2016

With the stage set as the Big Top, a ringmaster welcomed the audience to the show, which included jugglers, unicyclers, clowns and trapeze artists alongside the ultimate showmanship of the boy band themselves.

Creative Technology has been involved in all three tours since Take That reformed, which enables CT to provide the production with experience and knowledge allowing for smooth transit and seamless rig and de rig for each of the stadium stints. Utilising a Barco MiTrix screen for the back screen and two IMAG panels for each side, CT once again worked alongside XL Video who provided the central

Details

14 March 2016

Nick Thomson, sales manager at MCS explains: "We have been working hard on the detail of our hire solution to ensure it meets the specialist requirements of the AV market and believe we offer all the specific functionality the AV market demands. This is on top of its core functionality generating quotations, contracts and invoices as well as aggregating all delivery and collection notes together with all the associated documents. We feel it is time to take a stand at PLASA."

MCS-rm has all the functi

Details

14 March 2016

First, the F80 1080 projector will feature at Integrate 09 and CEDIA 09 will see the avielo helios presented to the local custom, design and home installation industry.

Rod Sommerich, national product manager, display products at Amber Technology says, "We've maintained a strong and growing position with projectiondesign within the professional and custom installation markets over the years. We're very pleased to demonstrate these tried and tested projectors that are made specifically for the very best in high-resolution video reproduction with the help, support and representation from Ingar Sundholm, sales manager, Africa, Middle East and Oceania at projectiondesign."

Th

Details

14 March 2016

PLASA Connect, an idea developed in conjunction with RH Consulting and sponsored by L&SI magazine, will provide service-based operators - including consultants, installers and rental companies - with an opportunity to find new potential clients from a wide range of vertical markets.

People involved in large projects in many different walks of life often have very little idea of who to go to for the supply of sound and lighting equipment. The idea behind PLASA Connect is to help those people gain information and make an informed choice. The result will be a targeted business development opportunity which will bring genuine business benefits to all

Details

14 March 2016

"This release is a milestone for us because the features within provide solutions to issues we see time and time again in current media server applications," says Nigel Sadler, head of Green Hippo's special projects division.

The new HD-SDI card option bypasses the traditional drivers, allowing Hippotizer software access to the card functionality directly. "We sent one of our key developers into the manufacturer resulting in a relationship which we feel is unique in the media server field," says Sadler. "We believe our research

Details

14 March 2016

The system consists of 40 Kinesys Evo zero-speed chain hoists and eight custom built winches, all controlled by their K2 3D software control package.

Kinesys' Dave Weatherhead comments: "This was the heaviest, most complex and interconnected system we have undertaken to date, with 48 motors following unique motion profiles to allow the deployment of over 52 tonnes of video screen."

The screen was originally conceived by Willie Williams and Mark Fisher, long term creative collaborators on U2 shows. New York based designers/architects Hoberman Associates assisted Innovative Designs in engineering and realising the revolutionary centrepiece for the show, which consists of 888 individual hexag

Details

14 March 2016

The five days of production rehearsals at Sun City Superbowl was followed by one show there and another at Cape Town's Grand West Casino. The project was managed for Gearhouse by Michael Lewis, and their teams worked very closely with R Kelly's lighting designer Nook Schoenfeld and FOH sound engineer Rob 'Cubby' Colby.

Llewellyn Reinecke, Gearhouse Audio's systems engineer also looked after FOH. Colby specified a V-Dosc system, which was flown in Sun City as 12 elements a side for the main left and right hangs, complete with three dv-Doscs underneath for front down-fills. He also specified a 1:1 ratio for subs and V-Dosc, so the 24 subs were ground stacked three high and four wide on the floor of the Superbowl. Additional ha

Details

14 March 2016

In Hyde Park, Hard Rock Calling saw The Killers, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen headline, whilst Blur reformed to play two sold out dates and the Wireless Festival completed another successful year with Basement Jaxx and KanYeWest top of the bill. All three events made good use of two R7 stage wing IMAG screens, each measuring 7.11m wide by 4.57m high, with processing via a Lighthouse LIP XGA unit. Images were provided from a live camera feed supplied by XL Video.

At Glastonbury, two 23.2m2 R7 screens, mounted back-to-bac

Details

14 March 2016

XL is also supplying kit for a third variation on Oasis' video design - similar to but larger than the original touring version - for their festival headline slots.

XL's project manager Des Fallon says: "Respect to the Oasis production management team lead by Michael O'Connor. Their attention to detail is second to none, they totally understand the importance of video and the role it plays in the show, and making things happen smoothly and efficiently in video world is very easy."

For the large shows, XL Video is working both directly for Oasis and for live video director Dick Carruthers' company, Cheese Film & Video. Th

Details

14 March 2016

The Darwin Centre, a giant eight-storey-high concrete Cocoon suspended within a glass outer box, will allow museum visitors and scientists to share the excitement of exploring, studying and preserving the natural world.

A pioneering research and collections facility, it will be used by the world's leading scientists to examine the Darwin Centre's collection of 20m plant and insect specimens. Visitors will be able to look in on the scientists at work in their modern laboratories and witness the latest research.

Sysco is lead AV contractor on the project, which will feature an array of exhibits that make full use of s

Details

14 March 2016

Fallon says: "Take That and their production team have always been prepared to push technical and imaginative boundaries to help deliver the very best in live performance. It's refreshing and inspiring working with those embracing the spirit of creative audacity and adventure."

For the Circus stadium tour, XL Video sourced and purchased 140sq.m of 15mm pitch high resolution PIX LED F - 15 LED screen - a new lightweight bright 6000 NITS product. This was f

Details

14 March 2016

Named in honour of the late designer, developer and commentator Tony Gottelier, this award aims to recognise the product developers who have made a significant contribution to the development of the equipment and tools that enable our entertainment technology practitioners to continually push the boundaries of event production, presentation and installation.

The process of identifying the winner by peer voting will again consist of two distinct phases, but with a few subtle changes.

In the Nomination Phase, industry professionals will again be asked for their choices, but will also be asked to identify the specific product contributions that make that nominee a worthy contender. Based on the nominations received, a panel of industry expert judges will then be asked to decide

Details

14 March 2016

This year XL's brief included 72 hours of live internet streaming, a broadcast spec, HD camera system and screens package for Stage 1. Other services facilitated by XL included an HD record for Live Nation TV and VH1, MMS/SMS relay to screen, plus a standard definition camera/PPU package for Stage 2.

XL's project manager Chris Saunders - working on his sixth Download - led the video crew of 34. In recent years, Download's requirement for video/IT entertainment services has expanded voraciously - in line with the demands of its info-hungry audience.

The Live simultaneous web cast was a first for Download. XL's IMAG camera relays from stage 1 flash encoded and sent footage via satellite to the data serverfeeding promoter Live Nation's websi

Details

14 March 2016

The audiovisual service provider from Vienna flew a total of 70 Lighthouse R16 modules to create a backdrop for the headline event. The Global Bright Team transported the equipment in 45 cases with gondolas to the intermediate station before using snowmobiles to ferry them the rest of the way to the stage. After the show, the process was reversed, though this time there was an extremely heavy snow fall to complicate matters.

For 30 minutes bef

Details

14 March 2016

The installation was designed and specified by Callison Architects of Seattle, in conjunction with Mode Studios' Bob Bonniol. Scott Bokowski, the project producer, headed up installation and system integration along with Larry Darling of Epic Production Technologies. Show Control systems, control racks and audio systems were designed and provided by Electrosonic and include four Hippotizer Stage media servers. Custom media content and live, real-time interactive control was provided by Mode Studios.

"This project presented a number of challenges," says Bob B

Details

14 March 2016

This was project managed by Chris Saunders for XL, assisted by Zoe Minter. The artist line up included the Killers, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen (Hard Rock Calling) and Basement Jaxx and Kanye West, who headlined the two Wireless shows concluding the run.

Saunders has worked on the event for the last five years, ever since it was launched by Live Nation. "It was great to be working with the Live Nation team again," he says. "The setting and the variety of the music makes it very special, everything went smoothly for us and we all relished the chance to en

Details

14 March 2016

For the last nine years VME have been responsible for all technical requirements for the festival that took place in Abersoch, Wales. "To deliver everything from fuel for the generators, to speakers, lighting, LED screens and trussing is a good challenge every year," states Dion Davie, director of VME. The festival has grown from small beginnings to a respectful 30.000 visitor site.

"We use only Kling & Freitag speakers for all stages. They are reliable and the performance is unrivalled," André Davie, brother and

Details

14 March 2016

A full-service lighting, audio and video production and rental company, PCE had purchased 48 of the Elation panels, which are modular in design and can be used to create vibrant video pixel screens, curtains and backdrops. Measuring 2'1" x 2'1" x 3", the transparent tiles are compact and lightweight, and with an IP65 rating, can be used indoors or outdoors.

PCE decided to host the open house to demo the product - which it refers to simply as The Wall. "We wanted to get the word out about The Wall, because it creates new possibilities for our existing clients, as well as opens opportunities for us to sell new markets," said Ryan Steidinger, PCE's director of operations.

Details

14 March 2016

The live TV show caters for the current pop market and had an impressive line-up of chart-topping artists including Basement Jaxx, Florence and The Machine, Tinchy Strider, Calvin Harris and Dizzy Rascal and not surprisingly takes place on the beach at Weston Super-Mare on England's west coast. Although live transmission began at midday, there were many other acts running prior to this time to warm up the huge crowds.

As has been the case for several years now, all stage media was handled by Green Hippo's oldest friends Digital Insanity. Richard 'RB' Bagshaw and Kate Perring were already knee deep in media when Nige

Details

14 March 2016

To bring Dallas sports fans the most intense excitement at every game, the centre-hung display will comprise four Lighthouse P4 4mm screens, each producing 1080p Full HD images. The display also will include four P10 10mm scoring screens and two P16 16mm screens, an octagonal and a round-sh

Details

14 March 2016

Jon Shrimpton is directing the live camera mix, lighting is designed by Paul Normandale and the stage, set and overall visual vibe has been created by the band's long time artistic director, Anton Corbijn. Filmmaker Corbijn also produced 10 bespoke films for the tour. The project is being co-ordinated from the XL Video UK office by Des Fallon.

It's Shrimpton's first DM tour as director. He says: "The chance of working with someone as imaginative and influential as Anton is truly inspiring. Initially, I was a bit like a teenager meeting my pop idol for the first time, but I soon relaxed because Anton's whole

Details

14 March 2016

The company - under the artistic direction of Valery Gergiev - performs all four operas in Das ring des Nibelungen on consecutive evenings at the Royal Opera House in London this week. In this latest staging of the production (first seen complete in 2003) projection has been added as a key visual element.

SNP's Simon Pugsley built and supplied the fully configured Catalyst system complete with a remote KVM (keyboard-video-mouse) monitoring solution which was a crucial requirement in projection designer Sven Ortel from Mesmer's specification. Ortel - who has used Catalyst on many previous projects, wanted a flexible 'plug & play

Details

14 March 2016

Production companies Kingsmark Enterprises of Hong Kong and ETG Staging Connections China installed the equipment, including eight Hippotizer HD media servers, routed through Barco Encore processors and controlled by two GrandMA full-size consoles.

"This was a very large production with many elements," says Loren Barton, TMB product specialist. "Hippotizer's control interface allows for easy live blind programming which made last minute changes easy to implement, even during the show. Hippotizer's Zookeeper software enabled th

Details

14 March 2016

Electric Fly's Nick Jevons wanted to use specific fixtures for certain special effects. "I approached i-Pix because I could think of several areas that were ideal for their very high quality homogenised light output - which doesn't even resemble an LED fixture - and they came to the party with great enthusiasm," he says.

i-Pix Chris Ewington adds: " Nick is one of the most innovative lighting designers and his work is always interesting. Our products have all been developed after careful and considered end-user feedback, so events like this present great opportunit