USA - Xantech has introduced WiPad, a secure and easy-to-install solution that enables an Apple iPad to be permanently wall-mounted for use as a touchscreen AV control interface or standalone iPad use in commercial and residential applications. The Xantech WiPad is designed not only to securely protect the device but also to allow easy access to power, audio output and other connectivity, says the company.

With Apple's iPad becoming an increasingly practical and popular control interface, the Xantech WiPad presents a solution for system integrators seeking an easily mounted and tamperproof solution for residential and commercial A/V installations. The precisely machined alluminium construction is finished with brushed surfaces for a high-end look that "blends into any conference room, hotel hospitality kiosk or other application".

The Xantech WiPad is foam-lined to i

USA - Liberty AV Solutions president John Dace has announced that effective as of this date, Greg Baltzer will man the company's territory manager/North Central post. Baltzer takes charge from his home base in metro Minneapolis, and joins Liberty as a key figure within a wide-sweeping sales force reorganization announced recently implementing a new national inside-outside model.

With many years of sales experience behind him logged with AVI Systems in Minnesota, Baltzer is one among a team of outside sales managers dedicated to insuring constant and consistent support to customers in the field, says the company. He will report directly to David Ellis, Liberty's new director of western sales.

(Jim Evans)

UK - For a limited time, LSI Online has slashed the price of over 130 titles in the Technical Book shop, with many books discounted by as much as 50%!

To take advantage of this offer, head over to the Technical Bookshop now or contact Sheila Bartholomew at Sheila@plasa.org or on +44 (0)1323 524137 for more information.

Offers are subject to availability and strictly while stocks last.

(Claire Beeson)

UK - Last month's Londonlaunch:live networking and educational event at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea featured interactive displays by Universal Live. The two-day event gave UK event planners and specifiers a look at the latest 'digital canvas' technology. "Londonlaunch:live is a typically brilliantly original London idea," says keynote speaker and London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Featured in a dedicated room at the exhibit was AirScan by coolux. A component of coolux AirTouch technology, AirScan infrared motion sensing operates with coolux Widget Designer PRO for completely touch-free interactivity. Full HD video presentations of any type or size can be fully controlled by the user's arm gestures, providing a completely interactive experience. AirTouch system features include large-scale scanning range, up to 10m / 30ft.; advanced motion stabilization and dy

India - With some 7000 athletes from 71 countries competing for 826 medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, first time hosts India promised to deliver a world class Games amidst a wide array of environmental and political challenges.

The Opening and Closing Ceremonies are the first and last opportunity for the organisers to show off their venues and set the stage for the Games themselves, providing the ideal opportunity for the host country to showcase its culture, history and civilization.

The centrepiece of both the shows featured a huge helium balloon, believed to be the largest of its kind, rising from the centre of the stadium, the underbelly of which provided a 360-degree projection surface. Images depicting the numerous facets of Indian history were projected on to the aerostat with many strands of this diverse country characterised in the aerostat visuals.

Creative Te

UK - Green Hippo has announced the official release of their new ScreenThief component in conjunction with the 3.0.14 software version.

ScreenThief allows remote PC capture via Ethernet. A feature many Hippotizer users have been requesting, this new component allows them to capture the screen of a PC or Laptop in real time over the network and use the content as a source, says the company.

The new Ethernet video capture solution is suitable for incorporating PowerPoint presentations into Hippotizer-driven shows and also works well with House of Worship software, such as Easy Worship, or alternatively Web pages and product demonstrations run on the captured machine.

While remote screen capture isn't new, ScreenThief adds new dimensions to this type of software with an almost unperceivable latency as well as offering lossless quality up to 1280x1024 resolution. Additionally, i

UK - London-based design house Renegade produced and supplied all the technical design and equipment - lighting, video and visuals, set and scenic elements plus sound - for the SHINE 2010 Benefit Dinner, staged at The Boiler House, a new temporary structure located inside the shell of London's Battersea Power Station building.

The event featured a 'greatest hits' performance by Bryan Ferry, and raised large sums of money for the charity, which supports additional educational initiatives encouraging children and young people to raise their achievement levels.

Renegade has worked closely with SHINE for the last seven years, producing all their live events. The high profile 2010 Benefit Dinner was project managed for Renegade by Mike Fidler working closely with Nick Gray as lighting designer. Andy Cobb filled in with conceptual designs along with technical production manager, Cha

Ireland - Production Services Ireland (PSI) supplied lighting and video equipment for the An Appointment With Mr Yeats show by The Waterboys - a concept musical performance set to the poetry of the Irish poet and dramatist, WB Yeats - which has just finished its first Irish tour.

PSI's Sean Pagel was asked to create a lighting and visuals design following on from Belfast based PSI's supply of equipment to An Appointment show earlier in the year, a one off at Dublin's Abbey Theatre,

Say's Pagel, "It is a great honour for us to be involved something as original, interesting and special as this show. Mike Scott knows exactly what he wants and his attention to absolutely every detail is impressive."

Pagel's brief was to design a complimentary theatre show for the performance that was practical to tour in a rock 'n' style, and fitted nicely into all the ve

UAE - Christie MicroTiles featured at the launch of the Armani/Pavilion - an open air event facility of The Armani Hotel, located at the foot of The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building. This open-air terrace also overlooks the spectacular Dubai fountains, the world's largest water display.

Eclipse Staging Services LLC were commissioned by The Armani Hotel to provide audio-visual support for the Pavilion extravaganza which was attended by 650 guests; the event was produced by Eclipse's Richard Scott and Armani's Geraldine Wong . .

Eclipse deployed a range of new additions to their inventory - not only the MicroTiles but also All White Quest Audio speakers.

The visual elements were supervised by Eclipse's lighting designer Frank Schotman and included a selection of inteliigent spots and moving LED fixtures on truss towers, as well as video screens, displaying

UK - As part of the ongoing process of cutting costs, HEPCW (Higher Education Purchasing Consortium Wales) has appointed Drake AV as a preferred supplier for the design and installation of Audio-Visual systems. On top of this achievement Drake AV was also the highest ranked supplier for Audio-Visual hire and events management to the consortium members.

R G Drake of Drake AV said, "As a company owned and based in Wales we are confident we can deliver the best possible value to universities and other public bodies in Wales."

The three year contract includes members of both HEPCW and Value Wales. Together these organisations cover almost all the higher education and public bodies in Wales. The framework agreement covers design and installation work ranging from simple meeting rooms and classrooms up to fully featured lecture theatres and new build projects.

This has b

UK - Conference Technical Facilities (CTF) fielded no fewer than 10 Christie Roadster HD12K projectors for a recent high profile media launch by HTC Corporation at London's Old Billingsgate Market, attended by around 300 journalists.

Tasked with meeting a challenging brief by leading production agency, Sutherland Smith Group, they produced an impressive semi-circular floor-to-ceiling front projected wrap-around display. This provided the backdrop for the telecom giant to showcase its latest Android-based smart-phones.

London-based CTF have wide experience of working with Christie projection, having chosen Christie as their preferred partner many years ago. Managing director Stuart Butt said that as soon as they received the brief from the show's technical manager at Connect Live he knew the production would be best served using Christie HD12K 1080HD, 12000 ANSI lumen projector

UK - IT and AV rental company DB Systems is set to begin the first quarter of 2011 on a high with five major contracts in the UK, Europe and Middle East.

During an eight-week period between January and March, DB will shuttle equipment over several thousand miles in order to supply bespoke solutions and services to BETT and ICE (London), Mobile World Congress (Barcelona), IDEX (Abu Dhabi) and ITB (Berlin).

Oliver Richardson, DB's sales and marketing director, says such a logistical exercise is possible because of the company's ethos of regularly investing in equipment. DB recently announced that its capital expenditure on new equipment has reached £1m in the last two years.

He said: "Despite the financial difficulties facing the industry, and businesses in general, we've always ensured that we maintain a large inventory of equipment, including a variety of video wa

USA - Intelix has announced the release of the DIGI-VGASD-8X8e, a professional-grade switcher which combines Intelix's twisted pair extender technology with a comprehensive audio/video matrix.

The DIGI-VGASD-8X8e provides eight analogue VGA video inputs and eight stereo audio inputs which are distributed in any combination to eight twisted pair outputs. In addition, the matrix interlaces bi-directional RS232 and IR commands onto the same twisted pair cable, thereby allowing the remote control of the audio-visual destinations connected to the matrix. All of the video, audio, and control signals are transmitted up to 1,000 feet over unshielded twisted pair cable, such as Cat 5 and Cat 6.

The matrix supports resolutions up to 1920x1080, features true hi-fidelity audio, and is compatible with third-party control systems.

The DIGI-VGASD-8X8e is designed for digital signage, educa

Hong Kong - Vivienne Tam, one of Asia's most renowned fashion designers, has completed installation a new LED display by Lighthouse Technologies at its 1881 Heritage shop in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The screen, comprising eight R4-S 4mm SMD LED panels in a 1 x 8 configuration, forms an impressive floor-to-ceiling display that attracts visitors with its vivid, rich visuals of the latest Vivienne Tam creations at fashion shows from around the world. The 4mm pixel pitch delivers sharp visuals, important for close-distance viewing, while the 2000 nits brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio and wide viewing angles guarantee crystal-clear visibility from anywhere.

"Vivienne Tam loves transforming traditional styles to appeal to modern consumers, and the addition of our new Lighthouse screen helps deliver that unique look with much greater impact," said Mr Scott Crolla, Vivienne Tam. &quo

UK - Living TV's popular reality TV series, Britain's Next Top Model, produced by Thumbs Up Productions has recently completed its sixth series.

With Elle Macpherson as its new host and executive producer, the show's production design was ramped up, too, and for the first time this year's final was broadcast live, in a 90-minute HD spectacular from BBC TV Centre's Studio 8 on 4 October.

The show was staged on a specially designed stage set with a complete set, lighting and LED video screen production package from Stage Electrics, working with Thumbs Up on the show for the third year running.

The company had earlier built the studio stage set and lighting for the pre-recorded eliminations, filmed earlier in the year with Elle Macpherson. "This was the first time a live final was planned," says Stage Electrics account manager Russell Payne, "and we were a

France / South Africa - Digigram has signed a distribution agreement with South African pro audio/AV specialists, Wild & Marr.

Established in 1944, with offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, Wild & Marr is one of the leading distributors of audio equipment in Southern Africa. Managing director Joe Copans comments, "The brands represented by our company are universally accepted as leaders in their respective categories. Digigram's state-of-the-art sound cards and IP audio equipment are therefore a perfect complement to our current brand portfolio."

Sébastien Cadeau-Belliard, sales account manager with Digigram for this region, sees this agreement as "key to delivering solutions tailored to individual client needs, thanks to the expert engineering department of Digigram's newest partner". The agreement takes effect immediately.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Point Source Productions teamed up with Secret Cinema for two of their recent screening events: Ridley Scott's Blade Runner at Canary Wharf and the David Lean epic, Lawrence of Arabia, at Alexandra Palace.

Secret Cinema events operate by providing a creative, immersive experience for its audiences in which to view the film, recreating settings and characters reminiscent of the films such as Blade Runner's China Town and Lawrence of Arabia's souks and deserts.

More ambitious than Secret Cinema's customary one night extravaganzas, Blade Runner ran for eight screenings and proved to be the 11th biggest grossing film in the UK that week.

Point Source Productions supplied a QX30S trussing system and lighting which included ETC Source 4s, CCT Minuette Fresnels, PAR 64s and floor-mounted Birdies providing general cover and uplight from a desi

UK - Between 30 November and 2 December, the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's Southbank was used as a canvas to trailer Disney's 3D digital movie, TRON: Legacy. The architectural 3D projection mapping by creative agency Guided Collective in collaboration with Flat-e / Seeper was carried out using six Christie HD18K projectors supplied by large scale projection specialists, QED Productions, and was accompanied by the music from the Daft Punk soundtrack.

The feature also included a re-creation of Flynn's Arcade, inside which housed the original TRON arcade game, a replica of the Light Cycle, the TRON: Evolution video game and an HP demo area with new HP ePrint Technology - that could be used to print the photos taken at the event directly via email.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Systems integrator IVC Media, has confirmed the completion of the final stage in its project to bring content alive with augmented reality at the Natural History Museum's Darwin Centre. The public audience can now view a new interactive film which shows enhanced and individualised content through the medium of bespoke hand held touch-screen devices, designed by IVC.

"The film, entitled Who do you think you really are? features a film making technology allowing Sir David Attenborough to take the audience on a virtual journey back through our evolutionary past, to where extinct creatures will appear to roam around in the studio," says John Smith, managing director, IVC Media. "By simply moving the interactive hand held touch screen, individuals in the Attenborough Studio auditorium can effectively interact with the environment from their perspective. The

UK - Creative Technology London partnered experienced stage and set designer Misty Buckley to help Channel 4 realise the spectacular T4 Stars Of 2010 televised show at London's Earls Court recently.

An all-star cast included Ellie Goulding, Tinchy Stryder, The Saturdays, Mark Ronson, N-Dubz and Pixie Lott, who became immersed in a galactic-themed world of comets and asteroids, brought to life by heavy use of CT London's modular Flyer 12mm pixel pitch semi-transparent LED display.

Misty Buckley, who also designed the set for last year's Channel 4 show, said that because of budget restrictions and concept uniformity, this year's event was set to follow a similar design model - until CT London stepped in. "Last year we used MiTRIX to produce vertical solid blocks of colour; but CT were so accommodating that we were able to increase the production values this year, and

UK / Netherlands - TV One will be demonstrating its range of Multiviewers at the ISE 2011 exhibition being held in Amsterdam between in February. Various demonstrations of visually creative four-window and eight-window displays will be shown on individual monitors, hi-lighting the CORIO2 video processing technology that is exclusively developed by TV One.

Using 3G-SDI and DVI CORIOview four-window processors, TV One will demonstrate the simplicity of viewing and controlling up to eight separate images on one video screen. A touch-screen panel installed with the free CORIOtool Suite software will be set up on the stand and visitors will be encouraged to get 'hands on' and see for themselves how easy it can be to control multiple Multiviewers and their various integral features.

The CORIOview Multiviewers accept composite video, component video, RGB, DVI and 3G-SDI signals in or

The Netherlands - TV One will be demonstrating its range of 3D processing capabilities at the ISE 2011 exhibition being held in Amsterdam in February.

3D processing will be shown throughout the Exhibition on the TV One Stand with dynamic demonstrations of CORIO products being fed live video from two standard 2D 1080p cameras sources. These two inputs will be processed within the TV One unit to produce a single 3D image of live video which will be output to a 3D monitor.

The ability to insert picture-in-picture windows of 2D images such as logos and computer graphics so that they appear 'floating' in front of a background 3D video source will also be shown during the exhibition.

Other 3D processing features available include independent scaling of existing 3D resolutions and transcoding between the various types of 3D resolution

UK - Black Light has teamed up with a number of its key suppliers and the Federation of Scottish Theatre (FST) to help deliver three days of technical training at Pitlochry Festival Theatre on the 22-24 February 2011.

Among the courses being run by Black Light are sessions on the Safe Use of Pyrotechnics, on the operation of ETC Ion Lighting Desks, Rosco Lighting and Scenic Products and Avolites Titan Software.

"Our courses will be a fantastic opportunity to get your hands on some of the most exciting technology in the business and learn how to use it from the professionals," says Black Light's Phil Haldane. "They'll also be a great chance to meet others in the industry and to catch up with colleagues."

A wide range of other training courses will be running over the three-day event and participants can book to come along to one session or many. There will

UK - DB Systems has won an intense pitch to secure a high-profile contract with design group, Rapiergroup to supply IT and AV solutions for BAE Systems.

The contract, which begins in February 2011, at Aero India, will see DB partnering with Rapiergroup to design innovative and bespoke IT and AV solutions for BAE Systems' exhibits around the world throughout 2011.

David Bulley, DB's managing director, commented: "BAE Systems is one of the largest defence companies in the world so I am delighted that Rapiergroup has awarded DB this contract.

"It was a tough tender process but I believe our experience working in the aerospace industry, ability to develop creative solutions, and track record of providing first class IT and AV support on a global basis, were the key factors to our successful pitch."

Chris Whittaker, from Rapiergroup, said, "We signed followi

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