Germany - The projector technology at the heart of the Roger Waters The Wall Live tour is being displayed on the Panasonic booth at Prolight + Sound, at the Messe Frankfurt this week.

The award winning PT-DZ21K projector will be used to replicate a staging environment on a booth which will also feature Panasonic's state-of-the-art 84-inch 4K displays.

The world's first 6000 lumens 1-chip DLPTM laser projector will also be making an appearance on the Panasonic stand, set up as a kiosk information point with rear projection and a touch glass panel.

The stand (Hall 9, A30) includes a replica of The Brandenburg Gate, mirroring the 3D mapping effects projected onto the Gate by the PT-DZ16K, during the Berlin Festival of Lights.

Visitors will be able to meet with technical experts, view live product demonstrations throughout the day and discuss solutions for a range of re

UK - Panasonic has signed a partnership with PRG that will see the company's market leading 3-Chip DLP projectors used on some of the world's biggest events.

The deal will see the high-end PT-DZ21K and PT-DZ13K projector series bringing to life touring concerts, corporate events, trade shows and theatrical performances, initially in Europe and North America.

Stephan Paridaen, CEO (Europe, Middle East and Africa) for PRG, said, "We are always striving to improve the product that we provide to our customers. We feel that Panasonic is at the cutting edge of high brightness projection and we are certain that our customers will agree when they see the products in action."

Jan Markus Jahn, director of Panasonic Visual & Communications Systems, said, "This is a significant partnership for Panasonic as PRG has a leading position in the rental and staging market. The 2

UK - S+H Technical Support's new Glux 3.9 mm hi definition LED screen was recently used to great effect on an event at The Portsmouth Guildhall in the UK which was produced by Sounds Commercial for Affinion International - a global leader in customer engagement and loyalty solutions.

The event's technical production was designed by Sounds Commercial's head of production design, Matt Willsteed. The company, headquartered in Bristol, owns a large amount of equipment and rents in specialist elements as required for specific projects.

For one, Willsteed explains, the requirement was for a very high definition screen at the back of the stage to project a variety of content and IMAG images.

The newly delivered S+H product came on-stream just at the right time for them to be able to replace the projection system used on previous events for this client.

Part of the design concept

UK - This February, the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden, introduced, for the first time into its theatre, a Hippotizer Rackoon, the new six layered HD Rackmount, to provide video control on a Royal Ballet production. With video production by Florian Baeumler, Programmer, the Rackoon was chosen for its wide range of capabilities with PixelMapper and ease of use in a 1U Rackmount.

Tectractys- the Art of Fugue received four performances as part of a mixed programme of work bringing an exhilarating fusion of contemporary ballet and baroque music to the stage.

Using PixelMapper, set and costume designer Tauba Auerbach, worked with Florian Baeumler to create pixel-mapped shapes using lines and colours providing a very simple and contemporary sculpture design as a backdrop to the production.

Using six layers of the Rackoon, Florian was able to pixel map seven dif

Austria - Channel 4's popular celebrity winter sports series The Jump wowed audiences during February with ski jumps lined with 400m of IntelliFLEX LED systems, controlled by Avolites Media's Ai Server Infinity EX Series.

The show, presented by Davina McCall and Alex Brooker, took place in the Tyrolian Alps near Innsbruck, Austria, and saw 10 celebrities, including Sinitta, Sir Steve Redgrave, and Joe McElderry, compete against each other in a range of winter sports, including three ski jumps of increasing size.

Lighting director Roger Williams worked alongside set designer Patrick Watson to specify the Ai Media Server as the control system for the impressive lighting concept.

The technology was executed by lighting programmer David Bishop, alongside LI technicians Ben Vaughan, Anders Akermo and Joe White.

"The Ai server coped admirably in the conditions, being

The Netherlands - Vivitek has introduced three, high brightness, multimedia digital projectors, which are designed for large meeting rooms and other corporate applications. Each projector in the D96x Series delivers high level of image quality, combined with a range of features designed to meet any integration or presentation challenge.

Delivering brightness up to 5500 ANSI lumens (D967), 4800 ANSI Lumens for the D968U and 4200 ANSI Lumens for the D966HD, the models are available in XGA (D967), 1080p (D966HD) and WUXGA (D968U) resolutions. All projectors display an outstanding picture with a 10,000:1 contrast ratio.

"The D96x Series is a great addition to our existing range of projectors for corporate applications," says Holger Graeff, general manager EMEA at Vivitek. "All the models in the range deliver a sharp, bright image whatever the ambient light. This mak

UK - Lighting and visuals designer Cate Carter and Pablo Beckett of Bryte Design expanded their innovative, eye-catching video set design concept for Ellie Goulding's recent UK arena tour, in the process utilizing three of XL Video's newest LED products - Radiant MC-18 Hybrid, Radiant MC-7T and Radiant MC-18T - plus their popular Pixled F-12 screen.

XL Video also supplied cameras, a Catalyst media server for playback and PPU and crew. The account is being project managed by XL's Phil Mercer.

Carter, who operated lighting for this section of the tour, was the first person in the UK to tour the brand new Hybrid 18mm screen on Goulding's UK theatre tour - part of the same Halcyon Days album campaign - in October 2013. It features a standard medium 18 mm pitch comprising 32 x 32 pixels per panel, with 4 x 4 higher brightness (7700nit) low resolution pixels also embedded in

UK - Saville Audio Visual provided the complete audio visual facilities for the Royal Television Society's North East awards night at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead - for the 27th consecutive year.

Over 450 programme makers, commissioners, supporters and executives attended the event alongside a host of presenters and celebrities. The ceremony and dinner celebrated all aspects of media production in the region - from television shows to on-line programmes and video games.

The RTS North East and Borders Awards is the biggest media event in the region, honouring achievements in TV production, online programmes and video games and were expertly hosted by Steph McGovern, popular business presenter on BBC Breakfast.

Among those presenting awards was Teesside-born Stephen Tompkinson and winners included Robson Green's Tales from Northumberland, which took the best factual award. G

UK - This February saw Avolites technology at the heart of The Show: R&B Superstars Valentine's Special - a night of performances by a nostalgic line-up of 90s R&B legends at Wembley Arena in London.

Headlined by En Vogue with Blackstreet2, for the third-year running the evening was an exciting celebration of the best American artists. The show was managed by Birmingham-based production company DMX Productions, headed up by production manager SJ Grevett.

Lighting designer Tom Grant from design house and rental company Siyan Ltd worked alongside programmer Jack Sayer to construct a powerful show design, specifying Sayer Lighting Productions' high performance Avolites Expert Pro with Titan Mobile Wing to control the entirety of the lighting and media, which was run from his Avolites Media Ai T4 Media Server.

Tom Grant explains the concept behind the design: "I was tasked

Germany - Avolites Media's intuitive, live, hands-on Sapphire Media Controller show control surface has won the first ever Prolight + Sound International Press Award (PIPA) for Best Video/Projection Control.

The award highlights Avolites Media's achievements in design and innovation of the Sapphire Media Controller, which connects to and controls the powerful Ai Media range of servers enabling seamless integration of all visual elements.

More than 100 magazines from all over the world voted to determine the best audio, lighting, and musical equipment, attended by more than 300 industry movers and shakers. 2014 marked the debut PIPA awards, which ran alongside the well-established Musikmesse International Press Award, which is now in its 15th year.

The Avolites Media team was present to accept the award at Frankfurt's Messe exhibition centre on Thursday 13 March.

"We'r

Italy - The Bride of the Zar, directed by Dmitri Rcherniakov, has developed different narrative plots on Teatro alla Scala's stage. Beside the music masterfully conducted by Daniel Barenboim and the ability of the singers, another protagonist of this opera layout has been for sure the use of technology.

The scenic organization set on a turntable allows the spectator to see different points of view and along with the music and the dramaturgy, is characterized and enriched from the first act to the very last one by projections implemented by Meeting Project srl, using Hippotizer media servers, the world's best solution for real-time media playback.

This work has been conducted my Meeting Project srl, technical sponsor of Teatro alla Scala of Milan. The technical skills of Fabio Fraomene and Marco Piva met all the requirements of the director, who wanted to add meaning to

UK - Over the past year Audio Visual specialists Saville Audio Visual have continued to expand the hire inventories of several of their branches with KV2 Audio products.

Having initially invested in KV2 Audio back in 2004, Saville AV have come to rely on the performance of KV2 products within the AV field. With heavy emphasis on aesthetics, detail and clarity, KV2 products match up to Saville AV's requirements for sonic excellence at a reasonable price point.

The most recent investment came from the North East office who, following a very successful year were in a position to boost their existing KV2 inventory. Having run KV2's powered EX 10's for the last 8 years, the team were looking for the same high quality output, but from a lighter cabinet due to a high-profile regular contract which requires the units to be mounted from the roof.

The solution was found with KV2 Audio

Germany - d3 Technologies, manufacturers of the world's first integrated video production system, announced their new pro range during Prolight+Sound 2014. Consisting of two new hardware products, the pro range was announced alongside r11.2, d3's new software release with four new features aiming to help improve show design and production workflow. With the company's strong focus on innovation, d3 Technologies continues to strive to enable d3 users to create and deliver the best shows on earth.

The top of the range solution, the d3 4x4pro sets a new standard for power and adaptability. With industrial components in a custom case, this system is suitable for the most complex touring productions, massive multi-projector shows and broadcast. It features four 4K outputs and enough power to make short work of the largest content sizes. Play up to eight layers of uncompressed HD or 4x

USA - TNDV has had a busy mobile production schedule through the first quarter of 2014, with Amnesty International's Bring Human Rights Home Concert last month standing out as its lead project. The event, which took place at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, featured a roster of interesting musical acts aligned with the organization's mission of fighting injustice and promoting human rights.

TNDV brought its 40ft expanding side truck, Aspiration, to capture live performances for in-venue image magnification; and to serve as the central command centre for content acquisition. The dramatic elements of the event - which included a rousing speech and performance of two recently-imprisoned members of the Russian musical act Pussy Riot - influenced TNDV to make some changes to its mobile production workflow. This included the use of Canon EOS C300 cinema cameras, which introduced new p

USA - XL Video's new Radiant MC-18 Hybrid LED screen is on the road for the first time in the US with the Kings of Leon on their Mechanical Bull tour, where it was specified by production designer, Paul Normandale.

The high-impact 74 ft wide by 38 ft high Radiant MC-18 Hybrid screen is used at the back of the stage, showing playback visuals created by the tour's creative director Casey McGrath and the Kings of Leon team, combined with IMAG footage directed by video director, Phil Woodhead.

Normandale specified the screen because the band - who have been judicious in their approach to integrating video into their live shows - this time around wanted a massive upstage LED screen.

Normandale wanted to try something that was new - and - as is his oeuvre - a bit different and slightly quirky.

Having seen a plethora of big screens over the years, he was keen to use a prod

UK - The leading UK projection specialist formerly known as Projection Advertising has undergone a full rebrand to better represent its extended range of services, which now include full-scale event and conference production, creative services, and software and custom app development.

Now rebranded Projection Artworks, the company first made its name in 2005 as a guerrilla projection specialist but has since expanded, creating bespoke projection shows worldwide for conferences and events for brands like Red Bull Racing, Heineken and Unilever.

It has also created longer-term installations, including an interactive driving experience for Nissan at the O2 Arena, which is in place until 2017. Such projects have been made possible by a team of in-house animators and developers working with TouchDesigner, LEAP motion sensors and Oculus Rift virtual reality technology.

"We're

UK - Projection Artworks designed and produced a bespoke video-mapping show in Trafalgar Square as part of a global call to make the third anniversary of the Syria Crisis the last year marked by bloodshed. The event was commissioned by Save the Children and was backed by 114 other human rights and humanitarian groups.

Taking place on 13 March, the projection show included, as a focal point on Nelson's Column, an exclusive reworking of Banksy's iconic street art, There Is Always Hope, and a 3D soundscape created with actual voices of Syrian refugees. Triggered by a child placing a candlelit jar on the ground, the projection then spread into hundreds of lights in the shape of a world map, focusing on Syria and key cities of support including London, New York, Washington, Paris and Moscow.

The show was part of a global candlelit vigil held in over forty countries in a camp

UK - Live Nation approached XL Video to supply a large video production for a recent epic one off show at London's Wembley arena by award winning Taiwanese alt rockers and superstars, Mayday.

The project was co-ordinated for XL by Paul 'Macca' McCauley who worked in close collaboration with Andrew Craig from Live Nation's London office and his counterpart from their Asia Pacific operation, who liaised with the artist's production and management.

"I have done a few of these high profile UK one offs with various Asian superstars in recent years," comments Macca. "They are often very complex in set up and this one was no exception, which increases the pressure, especially for a one off. The key to getting it right is for all departments to be really rigorous in the prep and have a good plan of action once onsite as time is always tight." ... although on this o

Portugal - This March Green Hippo welcomes Luzeiro to their distribution network as exclusive Hippotizer distributors for Portugal.

Founded in 1981 and signed by technical manager Sarah Cox, Luziero works in the theatre, dance and TV markets. Lighting has been the core part of Luzeiro's business with partners in sound, video and cinema, housing the ability to do turnkey projects.

Over the years Luzeiro have aimed to be one step ahead of their client's needs, working with prestigious brands. "Our aim is always been our clients full satisfaction, so we are very focussed in post-sales assistance, and that is why we have a trained team that are able to create projects, sell, repair, maintain and upgrade the equipment we sell," says Maria Alexandra

"For all our business serves it is easy to understand why we are so happy to become a Green Hippo Hippotizer distribut

UK - UK - The only British surviving Second World War-era submarine, HMS Alliance, stands proudly in Gosport, just across the water from Portsmouth.

It has undergone a major £7m restoration project to bring it to life as a visitor attraction, allowing people young and old to go on board and experience what it would have been like on the vessel throughout historic wars.

The audio system was devised by sound designer Sarah Angliss, who also programmed the submarine's novel, generative audio system using MaxMSP. DJW was briefed to install the AV hardware and design, programme and install elements of the audio soundscaping throughout the 218ft submarine. The solution needed to help bring the submarine 'back to life', submersing visitors in the feel of a working vessel.

While throughout its award-winning, 28-year history DJW has worked within some unusual environments (cast

South Africa - ICT solutions provider, Gearhouse ICS is known for its conferencing support in areas like registration and touchscreen systems, presentation management, RFID tracking and audience response. Recently the team has been busy with the preparation, installation and operation of the Jazz TV element of the 15th Cape Town International Jazz Festival, for the second consecutive year.

The Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) is one of South Africa's largest music gatherings, providing festival goers with a spread of local and international jazz and jazz-related live music performances across five stages, as well as via the event's own television network.

Jazz TV is used to stream live video feeds and playback from the Kippies, Mannenberg and Bassline stages together with sponsors' ads, information updates and announcements to around 55 screens across the hospital

Germany - European LED specialist RGGLED from Lithuania enjoyed a busy and productive time at the 2014 Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt where they exhibited their newest products.

Highlighted on the booth were RGGLED's range of standard LED screens, their new LED Soft Screen and their hard-wearing LED Video Floor.

Based in Lithuania, which is where all the product design and manufacturing takes place, RGGLED offers nearly 20 years' experience in this specialist market, and its products have become widely used throughout Europe and known for their rugged build and quality engineering.

RGGLED's standard LED Screen is available in a number of pitches including P-10, P-12, P-16 and P-24, but it was their new P-6 high definition and high brightness product that was turning heads at Frankfurt. This is an indoor / outdoor screen that is ideal for rental, staging and sporting application

UK - XL Video supplied media server mapping and control plus side screens to producers Zibrant LIVE! for the opening show and various other live performance sessions staged throughout the three day 2014 Redken European Symposium event at London Olympia.

This saw numerous inspirational shows and industry master classes illustrating the latest techniques in colour, design and finishing, together with business building and planning strategies and superlative networking opportunities for over 3000 hairdressing professionals to realize their potential and 'Learn Better, Earn Better and Live Better' with global hair brand, Redken.

XL Video's project manager Toby Evans comments, "It was the first time we had worked for this client and both the pressure and the expectations were intense. However great teamwork and the talents of our three highly skilled media server operators rea

Belgium - Paul Van Hees, former director and founder of Apex Audio NV, has joined forces with Hendrik-Jan Gielis, an electronics engineer who was formerly in charge hardware at Apex, to create GiVa Audiovisual Technologies BVBA. The new company has purchased all the assets and IP rights of the Apex brand as well as the production facilities and all the stock, and has already started shipping.

"We created GiVa with the sole intention of continuing the Apex brand," declared Van Hees. "Whilst the collapse of Apex as a distribution/integration company was a devastating time for us all, it was no reflection on the Apex product line itself, and I really wanted to find a way to save the brand."

Apex has a 20-year history of manufacturing high quality signal processing and system control devices with the most recent being the Intelli-Series range of digital system

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