Germany - With the MA VPU light (Video Processing Unit), MA Lighting has developed a smart and compact video control offering nearly the same performance as the successful MA VPU plus and MA VPU basic. Only 2HU height, the MA VPU light features sophisticated hardware and proven MA software. Furthermore the in-built screen displays all essential information about the status of the MA VPU light.

Additionally MA has enhanced its MA VPU plus and MA VPU basic in comparison to the MA VPU light. All MA VPU will now offer Full-HD (MA VPU plus MK2 6 layers, MA VPU basic MK2 4 layers, MA VPU li

France - XL Video was one of the principal worldwide technical production suppliers to Roger Waters' seminal The Wall Live world tour, which finally wrapped in Paris on 21 September with a sold out Stade de France show, exactly three years and one week after its opening show in Toronto in 2010.

Richard Turner, the tour's video director worked closely with XL's project manager Phil Mercer throughout, together with tour director Andrew Zweck and creative and video content director Sean Evans. The production featured both stadium and arena versions.

The show visuals were project

UK - MultiTouch Ltd has announced that the new Cornerstone 2, the company's own software development kit (SDK), will be available free of charge and supports hardware platforms other than MultiTouch's own MultiTaction Cell product line.

The new version, released 3 October, will be "a ground-breaking product in the world of advanced interactive displays, providing for the first time a free set of tools to take full advantage of MultiTaction Cells' scalability and advanced object and pen tracking features". The support for third-party hardware allows great flexibility for depl

Armonk, NY - October 4, 2013-Production Resource Group, L.L.C. (PRG) will be demonstrating their innovative proprietary products as well as debuting new products at the PLASA 2013 show, October 6 - 9 in London. PRG will be on Stand R20 at the ExCeL London Exhibition Centre, where attendees can get in-depth demonstrations of new, ultra-portable lighting and media control products, two new compact UV blacklight luminaires, PRG's award-winning automated luminaire line and control console range, as well as PRG Nocturne's LED video module products.

PLASA 2013 attendees will get an opportunity to

Following a second hectic day at PLASA London 2013, a packed audience gathered yesterday evening in the AudioLab Arena to congratulate the winners of the PLASA Awards for Innovation, sponsored by Lighting & Sound International magazine. The winner of the prestigious Gottelier Award was also announced at the ceremony.

The PLASA Awards for Innovation recognise products that advance the industry by demonstrating a new style of thinking, improving technical practice or taking a key step forward in terms of safety. During the show's opening two days, 45 new products were judged 'live' by an indep

Malaysia - Two of Malaysia's leading rental companies came together this summer to ensure Metallica's first-ever concert in the country would be a memorable event. By merging their Meyer Sound inventories, Kuala Lumpur-based EHQ Projects and Selangor-based SES Sound & Lighting created a massive, 146-loudspeaker system based around Milo line array loudspeakers.

"There were no delays, but the sound was clear and very loud even 100m back from the stage," recalls Jay Neil, technical director of EHQ Projects. "Afterwards, I had people telling me it sounded like a CD on a gre

Record Sales - Tickets for next year's Glastonbury Festival have sold out in record time, according to organisers. Michael and Emily Eavis issued a joint statement confirming all 120,000 remaining tickets had been sold in just one hour and 27 minutes. They said they were "blown away" by the numbers logging on and were "genuinely sorry" that so many had missed out. Ticketing website See Tickets had earlier apologised to customers on Twitter for "technical difficulties". The site, which had been managing the sale of tickets for Glastonbury, wrote that the iss

USA - Harman Professional has announced the appointment of Brian Friborg to lead US sales, group-wide as USA vice president of sales, Harman Professional. Friborg, who previously held the position of president, Americas for Martin Professional, immediately assumes responsibility for sales and support of Harman Professional audio and lighting technologies in the United States. He will report directly to Scott Robbins, Harman Professional Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales.

"Empowering dealers with not simply the best technologies and systems but also the best programmes and

UK - The first ever Technical Theatre Awards (TTA) - celebrating the best of 'behind the scenes' skill and talent - were presented at a well-attended ceremony at the PLASA Show at London's ExCel.

Fifteen awards were announced on the Theatres Trust stand in the midst of the PLASA hubbub.

Sponsored by AVW Controls, dbs Solutions, Load Cell Rental, Mayflower, Philips Entertainment, PLASA, Production Resource Group (PRG), StageBitz, Stage Jobs Pro, The Fifth Estate Ltd and Triple E, the TTAs are also very kindly supported by Lighting&Sound International and The Theatres Trust.

Host fo

UK - XL Video was again highly active at the ever-vibrant Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year, reflecting the increase in productions and imaginative ways to integrate video into the plethora of inventive new performances. This year video and projection systems were again supplied to The Pleasance, and for the first time to C venues.

For C venues, one of Edinburgh's leading independent venue producers, curating and hosting the Fringe's largest theatre-based programme, equipment was deployed in eight venues across three sites - C venues' Chambers Street base, C nova and C Aquila.

For

Italy - Widely regarded as the educational, scientific, financial, and political hub of Northern Italy, Trento is proud to boast of its excellent college - the Opera Universitaria. Ranked as first in the country by the Ministry of Education, Opera's mission is to ensure that a student's full potential can be realised - whether that stems from sport, academic work, or the arts. After enlisting the help of AV integrators A&T Multimedia, and distributors, Adeo Group, the college's new theatre has been equipped with a comprehensive technical installation, enabling complete control over audi

Russia - Cosmo AV, a specialist in the creation of video mapping images, participated in the third Moscow International Festival The Circle of Light which took place from 4-8 October 4-8, 2013.

Amongst the symbolic locations selected for the 2013 editon of the festival - which includes the Loujniki Olympic complex, the Tsaritsyno Park and the Manege - there is a particularly iconic one that evokes all the cultural influence from the Russian capital: The Bolshoi Theatre.

Cosmo AV was tasked with elaborating the content projected on the façade of this building, which acted as

UK - Newcastle and Yorkshire based event production company R&B Group scooped two medals in London's AV Awards, beating off competition to take home 'Live Event of the Year' and the overall accolade of the evening; the 'Grand Prix Award'.

The awards which were celebrating their 15th year were open to any company involved in the AV industry across Europe, from media production companies to manufacturers of any kind of equipment or software used in AV communication; so for this small firm from the North East this is an amazing achievement.

The Live event of the year category was award

UK - Now in its 45th year, the Man Booker Prize continues to celebrate the best in fiction writing. 500 distinguished guests from the literary world gathered at London's Guild Hall on 15th October to attend the awards ceremony, where New Zealand's Eleanor Catton was the youngest ever recipient of the £50,000 prize for her novel 'The Luminaries'.

Blitz Communications delivered a complete set, staging and audio visual package for leading agency Four Colman Getty. Lisa Perkins, event manager, commented, "Tuesday night's event was a huge success and we are absolutely thrilled h

UK - Some serious talent rocked up to support Unity the Stephen Lawrence Memorial concert at the O2 Arena in London including Rita Ora, Jessie J, Emile Sande, Beverley Knight, Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran, Plan B, Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, and Jamie Cullum. The stars performed to help mark the twentieth anniversary of the teenager's death in south east London.

Hosted by Nick Grimshaw and Reggie Yates, the concert was part of the SL20 Campaign which is celebrating Stephen's life with a series of awareness-raising events throughout the year. It was recorded and broadcast on BBC1 and an a

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd received a great reception to cutting-edge new technologies showcased on their stand at PLASA London 2013 from the many brands the company distributes exclusively in the UK and certain international territories. "This year's show was the biggest and best yet for AC-ET," says the company. Key lighting, video, rigging and audio product innovations were represented from AC-ET's portfolio of over 200 premium brands and four specialist sales divisions.

There was a great reception to the worldwide launch of the new Vision LED family

Belgium - ArKaos Stage server was recently employed to create a spectacular 3D overhead video wall at Belgium's famous Pukkelpop Festival.

The annual Pukkelpop festival, held at Kiewit near Hasselt, is one of Belgium's largest alternative music festivals, attracting over 60,000 festival-goers and second in size only to Rock Werchter.

This 'progressive and contemporary' musical event plays host to around 200 bands on its eight stages over the three-day festival and showcases a wide variety of music that encompasses rock, pop, electronic, dance, hip-hop, punk and heavy metal. The ecle

UK - 'James Valpy - The Hippotech' by Bruce Schwartz (Electrosonic SA's Entertainment Lighting Manager) . . .

"James Valpy's nickname is 'The Hippotech', but he's not a hi-tech game ranger. This South African born, English trained, lighting and video technician trots the globe providing stunning visuals with Green Hippo Media Servers. I caught up with James backstage at the Johannesburg leg of Rihanna's Diamonds World Tour.

"Born in Cape Town in 1988, James left South Africa for England when he was four. He studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London,

Australia - Situated on level 3 of the Tattersalls Club, Doltone House Hyde Park is a new meeting and events venue boasting 5m high ceilings with an abundance of natural light via floor to ceiling spectacular windows and uninterrupted views of Sydney's Hyde Park.

The Hyde Park Ballroom is the main room which can be divided, via operable walls, into four smaller rooms, or any combination thereof, if required. The Manhattan and Avenue Rooms are smaller meeting spaces often used as pre-function rooms.

Fredon designed, supplied and installed all of the audio visual requirements for the

USA - Two Avolites Media Ai Infinity 8 Servers and one Ai T8 server have powered the video mapping, projection, and LED screens for the Billboard Latin Music Awards in Miami - watched by more than 30 million people.

Avolites Media Developer Ciaran Abrams worked closely with US-based lighting design and media presentation company DMDS7UDIOS on the 2013 Awards, held at the 7,972-seat BankUnited Center.

"Avolites Media's Ai kit was used to run every bit of video that was seen at the event - including the projection on the triangles and the video mapping for the 4 LED Screens place

UK - Avolites Media's industry-leading Ai Servers and Sapphire Media consoles have exhibited their flexibility and processing power handling multiple live input streams alongside playback of custom designed media content for this year's Secret Garden Party - main and second stages.

Almost 30,000 revellers attended the popular independent music and arts festival in Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire, to see headliners including Faithless, 2ManyDJs, and The Ladykillers.

Two Ai Infinity Servers with two black magic capture cards in each were stationed on the main stage (one for service, one

UK - Sennheiser has won the coveted Audio Installation of the Year at this year's AV Awards for its contribution to the audio system for the David Bowie is exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This latest accolade follows hot on the heals of being honoured for Temporary Installation Project of the Year at the inaugural Pro Sound Awards for the V&A's fastest selling exhibition to date, David Bowie is which ran for five months between March and August this year. The exhibition was one of the museum's most successful exhibitions with around 312,000 visitors and pre

UK - Christie reports that AVC Live, a leading technical production company based in the UK, have invested in a number of the latest Christie Mirage WU20K-J 3-chip DLP projectors and a Christie Spyder X20 video processor.

AVC Live provide production services to corporate clients, event agencies, production companies, PR & communications agencies, hotels and venues. The company's reputation is based on quality and experience. They propose, design, plan and execute innovative live event solutions across numerous sectors irrespective of size and scale.

For almost two decades AVC Live h

UK - PLASA secured a significant lobbying success last month when the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee published its report into 'Supporting the Creative Economy'. The Committee roundly endorsed PLASA's position regarding the Olympics 'No Marketing Rights Protocol'.

The report was the culmination of an inquiry which was launched just over a year ago with a call for evidence from the Committee, which is made up of MPs from across all political parties. PLASA made a detailed written submission as to how the creative industries can be better supported, with a pa

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