Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Video and AV

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UK - Lee House has joined Green Hippo in London as product manager for the firm's Hippotizer Media Server range.

House has a strong background in the world of lighting and AV, having previously worked at Flying Pig, High End Systems and most recently AC Entertainment Technologies. His role at AC was to build up the newly founded video division three years ago, a role which led him to gain advanced knowledge of the Hippotizer server range.

"I've been a huge fan of Hippotizer since its first appearance at PLASA in 2004 and distributing the product in the UK led me to become so close to the product I couldn't refuse the opportunity to step even closer by taking on the roll of Hippotizer product manager," says House. "This position is one I relish and I'm looking forward to the next phase of Green Hippo's evolution.

"The future developments and features in th

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UK - Following success at ProLight&Sound earlier this year, Christie's new-look theatre arrives at Earls Court this weekend to take up its PLASA position in Hall 1, Stand E18. The Christie stand will once again present an integrated light show with video animations using Christie Nitro Solutions. Previewed at PLASA last year, this modular series of motorised moving yokes can provide up to 22,000 ANSI lumens of video projection, with the flexibility to allow the user to deploy the yoke with either a video projector or a LED light head.

Noted lighting director Bruno Corsini is tasked with creating and choreographing the show in a convergence of video and lighting-derived patterns. Corsini has a long list of accomplishments, including last year's landmark lightshow for Mexico's Bicentennial of Independence in the Mexican capital's main square.

As in Frankfurt, the PLASA display w

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Christie has unveiled the next generation of its 3-chip DLP Xenon platform - the Christie J Series - at PLASA 2011. This new platform targets a variety of applications within the rental, staging and fixed install segments, requiring high brightness, superior performance and crisp, clear images - all in a compact, rugged and reliable package.

"The best image in the world just got better," said George Tsintzouras, senior director product management, Business Products, Christie. "Christie has taken its highly successful Xenon product line and evolved it with exciting new features like embedded Christie Twist that allows for image warping without the need to purchase additional electronics cards. Driven by a Xenon illumination system that offers the best colour reproduction and stability, J Series also offers lenses with Intelligent Lens System (ILS) functionality and three

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A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd., a leading one-stop provider of cutting-edge new and used professional equipment to the entertainment industry, showcases a selection of lighting, audio, rigging and video solutions available from its vast range of premium brands on Stand 1-E10, Hall 1 at PLASA 2011.

Teams from all of AC-ET's specialist product divisions will be there to discuss the massive multi-million pound stockholding of over 200 leading brands available from AC-ET's High Wycombe and Leeds offices for worldwide dispatch to over 80 countries - as well as in-house filter and cable manufacturing facilities and wide range of consumables - backed up by an emergency evening and weekend delivery service.

The A.C. Lighting division will showcase the new GLP Impression Wash One and Spot One high powered LED spot and washlight moving heads. The latest moving lights available fr

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A.C. Special Projects Ltd (ACSP) will attend PLASA 2011 (Stand 1-D32, Hall 1) to showcase and discuss examples of the many leading performance lighting, audio and AV system installations provided by the company.

ACSP design, supply and install lighting, sound and AV systems - as well as track and curtains, intercom and show relay. The company's previous installations range from a basic six circuit lighting bar, with a dimmer pack and lighting desk, to full blown theatre systems.

Working alongside designers and architects or directly for the performance venue, the company's fully qualified team of engineers will provide a first class finished system installation, on time and on budget.

ACSP has access to over 200 quality brands, including popular performance ranges from Chroma-Q™, Jands, Spotlight, ETC, Philips Selecon, Pulsar, Sennheiser, Shure, Soundcraft, Allen & He

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UK - With preliminary visitor figures of over 12,000, showing a marginal increase over 2010 and strong international engagement from across the world, organisers PLASA Events are "delighted" with the positive feedback to this year's PLASA 2011, which has just closed its doors at Earls Court after a vibrant four days.

This year's event sets the scene for a strong return to Earls Court in 2012. Events Manager Sophie Atkinson commented: "Exhibitors have been enthusing about the high quality of visitors and the rate of sales enquiries, and with hundreds of new products being launched, there has been a great return on investment for them. We expect to see many back here at Earls Court next year."

Visitors also relished being first to get their hands on some of the industry's hottest new products. Over 500 products were launched at the show, including major new d

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Croatia - Whole Nine Yards Productions were contracted in May to provide production & overlay services to Europe's premier bass music festival. The Outlook festival is geographically split between Fort Punta Christo (a 19th Century abandoned fort) and a working harbour that was especially cleared for the festival. Playing host to nine principal music stages and over 400 appearing artists the design, planning and coordination of the festival was a complex endeavour.

Technical director Ben Price was responsible for a crew of over 200 and charged with the planning, design, procurement and coordination of all overlay and technical infrastructure. The festival required technical equipment from over six different European counties and the impressive supplier roster included some of the industry's leading companies including NUSSLI, Aggreko, RG Jones and HSL.

Planning commenced in Ma

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UK - Avolites Media announced during the PLASA show formation of a strategic alliance with Immersive Ltd and is now sole manufacturer of a suite of products under the brand name Ai.

Immersive Ltd is a re-seller of the Ai system, integrating the Ai product range into their global business of design, animation, motion graphics and show production.

The Ai media server was showcased in the UK for the first time at PLASA 2011 with the aid of demonstrations and a show-reel presentation from a selection of Immersive productions which highlight the versatility and enormous potential of the Ai product range.

Avolites Media Ltd will release Ai media servers through the existing Avolites international distribution network. Meanwhile, Immersive Ltd will continue in its successful business of event production, experiential design and content creation for an expanding and diverse, high pr

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Russia - The first week of August 2011 saw Green Hippo's head of Training Simon Harris give a three-day workshop at Moscow's Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design, which was organised in conjunction with Green Hippo's new Russian distributor FMS Force Media Swiss AG.

Force Media are a management company representing several audiovisual and media organisations in Russia which range from online portals for audiovisual communities to educational and creative collectives. FMS Force Media pride themselves on their ambition to: "Promote creativity. From online portals that join communities virtually, to hardware products that run the largest stages internationally, Force Media Swiss's unique blend of management and strategy generates a demand for new media."

Green Hippo's workshops took place from 3-6 August and proved to be a great success, generating some

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UK - With preliminary visitor figures of over 12,000, showing a marginal increase over 2010 and strong international engagement from across the world, organisers PLASA Events are "delighted" with the positive feedback to this year's PLASA 2011, which last week closed its doors at Earls Court after a vibrant four days.

This year's event sets the scene for a strong return to Earls Court in 2012. Events manager Sophie Atkinson commented: "Exhibitors have been enthusing about the high quality of visitors and the rate of sales enquiries, and with hundreds of new products being launched, there has been a great return on investment for them. We expect to see many back here at Earls Court next year."

Visitors also relished being first to get their hands on some of the industry's hottest new products. Over 500 products were launched at the show, including major new

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USA - Cold rain didn't dampen the spirits of the 60,000-person crowd who came to enjoy the free 15 September concert, Andrea Bocelli - Live in Central Park. But the 55-acre Great Lawn left many at a distance from the stage. So Pete's Big TVs was hired to bring the action up close to the masses via their video equipment.

Pete's Big TVs provided upstage projection and video screens on six delay towers. Two Christie Roadster HD30+ projectors provided upstage projection. A ton of fibre optic cables fed the video signals to the six delay towers, outfitted with six video screens, which provided up-close views of the action for the crowds throughout the Great Lawn. The delay screens were created from 610 high resolution flex LED panels - a mix of 15mm and 20mm screens. Though it rained steadily, the equipment performed flawlessly as it was designed for outdoor operation.

Worki

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UK - Crestron has appointed Phil Breitschadel to the position of UK sales manager. Working out of the UK headquarters in Cobham, he will lead the UK's residential and commercial sales teams to help grow and develop new business, and expanding its product sales to all vertical markets. His previous position was with Verrex Ltd, a global AV integrator with offices in the USA, Asia and Europe.

"I'm really looking forward to Phil joining the Crestron team, where he can devote his considerable sales and strategic talents to meeting our business objectives," says Robin van Meeuwen, UK managing director and VP of international sales at Crestron. "As our head of UK sales, UK integrators and end-users will be well served by Phil's long-standing commitment to sales growth that can only translate into mutual business success."

"This is a fantastic opportunity for

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UK - Yorkshire based digital system designers, 53 Degrees Ltd, have recently installed the first UK video wall using a new eco friendly video wall product launched earlier this year by Samsung. The video wall was installed at the Timberland Flagship store within the newly opened Westfield Stratford City shopping centre in East London.

The International apparel retailer, turned to the Leeds based company to help fulfill the brief that was to "bring the Timberland concept store to life through an engaging and emotional approach".

The giant video wall using the new Samsung screens, measuring 6.2m x 3.5m (36 x 46" screens), designed and installed by the company plays an integral part of the new Daiziel & Pow designed store and is used to showcase the latest seasonal outdoor experience stories. The large display screen takes centre stage on a recessed bulkhead at the

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The Netherlands - Christie used the occasion of 'The IBC Big Screen' theatre screenings at RAI Amsterdam to deliver the world's first mass-audience demonstration of a 3D High Frame Rate (HFR) D-Cinema system using a single projector - the Christie Solaria Series CP2230 projector - in combination with other currently-available components.

"The RealD XL Cinema System and International Datacasting's SuperFlex Pro Cinema Event Player (PCEP) are available today, along with Christie's DLP® projectors, providing cinema owners and content owners with the foundation they need to realize new revenue streams from the projection of 'alternative content' sporting and theatrical events in 3D HFR," said Dr. Don Shaw, director, product management for Christie's Entertainment Solutions division.

Content showing the world-famous Cavalia equestrian production company in action was

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UK - The inaugural Conference Scotland forum, presented by Saville Audio Visual in partnership with Edinburgh Corn Exchange and catering specialists Prestige Scotland, took place recently.

Conceived by Chris Lawson, manager of the Saville production team in Edinburgh, the conference was designed as an educational forum for the Scottish events market and the agenda was devised by polling the market, using social media to determine the most pressing issues of the day.

The topics chosen by the virtual community were Social Media, Event Content and Hybrid Events and the initiative attracted delegates from many different sectors of the industry. These included event managers, conference planners, corporate event teams and destination management companies, with many joining the event on-line or via Twitter.

The day was chaired by events journalist and consultant Richard John who f

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UK - Bluman Associates recently projected an upturned VW logo onto London's disused Battersea Power Station with the tagline 'Das Problem' - a clear take on Volkswagen's latest campaign phrase 'Das Auto'. The event was part of international environmental activist network Greenpeace's crusade against Volkswagen's alleged opposition to key environmental initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions, and features the VWdarkside.com website set up by Greenpeace to help supporters rebel against VW's 'darkside'.

A Bluman Associates Storm Trooper displayed his projection know-how by beaming a large, modified image of Darth Vader onto London's Battersea Power Station as part of the event.

(Claire Beeson)

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- Projection designs by Nina Dunn of creative agency Knifedge are to take centre stage when Northern Ballet's acclaimed production of Cleopatra goes on tour to Nottingham, Woking and Norwich this Autumn.

Whereas projection mapping is more conventionally used to wow a one-off audience with a single playback stunt seen from a single perspective, for Cleopatra Dunn has developed the technique to integrate with the live performance and change on cue and in tune with the piece.

The projection designs for Cleopatra play both scenic and emotional roles in the new production - adding atmosphere, depth and context to the simple set design, whilst still allowing the dancers maximum space to perform. It is the first time Northern Ballet has used projections in one of its productions, and projection designer Dunn has worked closely with her programmer, Sam Hunt, an

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Malta - UK-based Ross Ashton from The Projection Studio was asked by Maltese President George Abela to design and execute a stunning video projection show for the Rockestra spectacular - a high profile fundraising concert for the Malta Community Chest charity.

It was the second time that Ashton has designed visuals for the show which was last staged in 2009, returning by popular public demand. Ashton also has a previous history of displaying his visual art to large-scale productions in Malta. Says Ashton, "It was an honour to be asked back to work in Malta on this event."

An enthusiastic 10,500 capacity audience packed into the Malta Fairs & Convention Centre (MFCC) to experience the two hour Rockestra show, with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra under the musical direction of Sigmund Mifsud performing a selection of classics made famous by a variety of

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UK - Saville Audio Visual provided the staging and facilities for the launch of Fiery Irn-Bru, a limited edition soft drink from Scottish drinks group, AG Barr. The new brand was launched to the public in Glasgow's George Square by former AG Barr chairman Robin Barr, who donned protective gloves to pull the first-ever bottle out of a furnace to present to the gathered crowd.

The Saville team provided full project support for the outdoor event, from the design process through to production and delivery. The facilities included staging, truss and a PA rig for the 300-strong audience, plus smoke machines and external and internal lighting to create the realistic furnace effects.

The spicy version of the more familiar fizzy drink will be on sale alongside 'trick or treat' packs to coincide with Halloween.

Saville business manager for Scotland, Chris Lawson said, "Designing

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UK - Central Presentations (CPL), West Midlands and Bristol UK based AV rental specialist is the first UK rental company to take delivery of the latest Coolux Pandora's Box quad head media servers.

These four DVI output units are to replace their existing Pandora's Box units, which were also among the first in UK rental stock when purchased 5 years ago.

The new units were specified by CPL's Nick Diacre, and supplied via UK distributors, TMB. The latest CPL investment was timed to coincide with a large automotive industry event for which CPL is the video supplier at the NEC in Birmingham, after which they will be going directly on to another show where sophisticated video mapping is required.

With media server technology developing so rapidly in the last five years, Nick Diacre explains that they looked at all the options when it came to the scope of CPL's projects, a lot of

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World - PLASA members worldwide have begun voting in the Association's yearly elections, which commenced this week.

The month-long ballot, in which over 1,000 members participate, will decide places on PLASA's European and North American Regional Boards, together with a single seat on its over-arching Governing Body.

The two Regional Boards are still a relatively new concept for PLASA, having been formally launched at the start of 2011. Their role is to represent the interests of members affiliated to those regions, ensuring that PLASA offers strong on the ground support to members.

Both the North American and European Regional Boards are looking to fill a number of places for 2012. Following the death of the European Chair Rob Lingfield earlier this year, Ed Pagett of Panalux, who served as Vice Chair, is standing for the position of Chair. A number of representative positi

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UK - Green Hippo reports a busy and successful PLASA 2011. 2011 saw Green Hippo move to Hall 1, conveniently situated for passing traffic and easy to find, due to its trademark double-decker stand and the slightly green glow emanating all-round.

The stand was never empty with visitors stopping by repeatedly and the upstairs area provided the perfect space for meetings or a chance to chill out with a drink from the strains of the show - perhaps with a pint of UberBrew or a glass of the green GrassHopper, says the company.

As always, the run-up to the show was a busy time with programming, building a house and not least of all with Green Hippo's new brochure finally ready and printed only days before the doors opened. With demonstrations and meetings as well as the usual dinners, parties and entertainment everyone was kept thoroughly busy for the four show-days.

Green Hippo's

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UK - OnLive, the pioneer of cloud gaming, launched its on-demand video game service at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo at Earls Court, London, where PF Events were official sole AV suppliers.

The launch itself occurred in the Developer Sessions conference room, for which PF Events were contracted to supply all the audio, video, lighting, staging and technical management. The four-day event featured presentations from some of the leading games developers and manufacturers in the industry and included a combination of speech, HD presentations and on-stage gameplay.

PF Events installed 12 KV2 EX10 speakers and two Noise Control Audio VSB218 subwoofers in a 7.1 surround sound configuration. A Panasonic PT-DZ110X full HD projector was also installed with a 16ft x 9ft Monoblox projector screen. All the video was controlled using a Christie Spyder X20 HD video processor which was ideal for s

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UK - At last week's Professional AV Awards, Blitz was awarded the accolade of 'AV Rental and Staging Company of the Year 2011'.

Chaired by Clive Couldwell, Editor of AV Europe, the judges' citation read: "A fantastic entry from Blitz Communications! Their submission showed that hard work really pays off - making significant profits this year, despite the economic downturn. They have shown product innovation with the development of their own digital signage system, LiveVIEW, as well as impressive marketing innovations."

The awards ceremony was held at the London Hilton, Park Lane and was attended by over 600 executives from the AV and events industry. Paul Hutton, managing director, collected the award on behalf of the Blitz Team, which currently numbers some 95 employees.

Commenting on the win of the award, Munir Samji, chief executive, said, "This awar

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