UK - Summit Steel rigged the largest flown projection screen to date in London's O2 Arena for two special screenings of Mamma Mia the Movie which were enjoyed by up to 12,000 people per show.

Summit was working for Andy Peat Associates. They had rigged a similar - slightly smaller - screen in the venue two years ago for Peat and his team to facilitate the premiere of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This time, the screen frame measured an even more impressive 33.45m wide by 14.95m deep.

Summit's crew, led by project manager Jay Call, also flew the PA system and all the drapes used to dress the venue and transform it into a giant cinema for the day.

The screen frame was constructed from 30.5 cm JTE trussing and picked up on four one-tonne points. The proj

Italy / China - Link srl is has appointed Rightway Audio as its exclusive distributor for China. Headquartered on the Chinese mainland in Guangzhou, with branches in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, Rightway Audio offers the opportunity to significantly increase Link's presence in the region. The company represents numerous major international brands including Camco, L-Acoustics, Midas / Klark Teknik, Sennheiser and Riedel, and is pleased to add Link to this prestigious list.

"The superior quality of Link's cabling and connectors, along with their ever increasing willingness to offer custom hybrid solutions for our customers' live sound, theatre and broadcast needs is a perfect complement to our current business model," commented Danny Lau, Managing Director, Rightway Audio.

"As the industry demand for hybrid connectivity solutions increases, it is essential tha

The Netherlands - Bosch Security Systems' new Vari-directional Arrays are designed for use in challenging locations such as railway stations, airports and places of worship where hard construction materials are often used which absorb very little sound, creating a reverberant environment.

The loudspeakers are fully EVAC compliant, which means they conform to local and regional requirements and are suitable for all voice-alarm applications. All the amplifier and loudspeaker components including the drivers are fully supervised, faults are logged and a 24 V DC backup power supply can be connected.

The modular-designed product range consists of a base unit and extension units that can be simply connected together. The configuration software can automatically detect a connected extension unit to reduce configuration time. On its own, the base unit can cover up to 15m. Adding one e

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Strictly FX, Pushing Boundaries

Strictly FX was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee. Our expertise and knowledge of the world’s leading pyrotechnic, laser, and flame manufacturers allows us to curate astonishing live events. With over 500+ shows performed a year, there’s good chance you’ve seen some of our work!

USA - SADiE digital audio workstations have played a part in helping independent audio production company Five/Four Productions achieve success at this year's Grammy Awards, which took place in Los Angeles on 31 January.

Five/Four Productions received a total of four nominations for projects recorded or produced by its staff. It went on to win in the Best Surround Sound Album category for Transmigration, featuring Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Choruses and released on Telarc. This award was given to Michael Bishop who engineered and mastered the album, and to Elaine Martone, who produced it.

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Five/Four Productions is headed by Michael Bishop, Robert Friedrich and Thomas Moore, all former key production members of Telarc Records. Between them, they have created team of audio specialists with Grammy-winning experience across

UK / UAE - LED lighting manufacturer i-Pix has confirmed DLC Dubai as its new Middle East distributor.

This follows an increasing awareness of and interest in i-Pix' BB range of products in the region over the last two years, together with their use and specification on several high profile projects by leading lighting designers including Svend Pedersen, Mark Cunniffe and Billy Aidie.

DLC Dubai was formed in 1993 and will be supporting all companies in the region who are using i-Pix products for shows, events, permanent and temporary installations and those working on the numerous government projects.

Completing this deal with DLC means that i-Pix products are now available across all continents. While the distribution network continues to expand, the Middle East was the last piece in a strategic geographical jigsaw giving customers a truly global sales and support network.<

UK - Depeche Mode's Tour of the Universe is now back in Europe, having travelled the globe since last April with a dual Midas XL8 live performance system for front of house and monitors, playing to audiences of up to 85,000.

FOH engineer Antony King comments, "The XL8 has a very analogue front end to it. As for the features it offers, I really like the POP(ulation) groups, they're great and give you really fast access to whatever channel you need at the time. Then the VCAs (Variable Control Association) give me more choice to split those groups further. It's all in front of you and this is a feature that's not available on any other digital console.

"I also love the sound of it. I guess the whole point of Midas making a digital desk was to put the XL4 preamp into a digital format. It's ironic really; the idea of making a digital desk sound like an analogue mig

Taiwan - GlacialTech is launching the GlacialLight T8 low power Light Emitting Diode (LED) light tubes under the GlacialLight brand. The tubes are extremely low in power consumption with under 10W power consumption for the 2ft tube, and under 20W power consumption for the 4ft Tube. They can support 110V AC or 220V AC via a G13 socket.

The LED T8 Tubes are designed to replace the equivalent Cathode Fluorescent tubes (CFT) available in markets today. Using lower wattage compared with the original products, the T8 LED has the same structure and style of traditional CFT tubes but delivers a brighter performance per watt, with less heat radiation and few of the pitfalls faced by traditional CFT tubes.

There are no toxic gasses present in the design and the tubes are robust and weatherproof. The LED T8 Tubes can be used for general everyday use, for indoor applications.

(Jim Evans

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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

France - BrightSign reports that 1,500 BrightSign networked sign controllers have been installed at 80 FNAC retail stores throughout France. FNAC is an international entertainment retail chain and the one of the largest retailers of its kind in France. With the BrightSign players driving more than 3,000 FNAC displays, BrightSign plays a key role in the largest retail digital signage network in France.

FNAC wanted full HD video and image-quality digital sign displays installed across all 80 retail stores in France for in-store promotions including ticket sales, TV sales and other products. The company also wanted the displays managed on a digital signage network to provide simple, easy updates on a daily basis.

TMM Communication was selected for the project because they differentiated their proposal by offering BrightSign players with a solid-state platform. The solid-state des

USA - The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky selected JBL loudspeakers for an upgrade to the Museum's Chevrolet Theatre. Exceptional Sound designed and installed the new system, providing the theatre with a 5.1 surround sound system complete with nine JBL loudspeakers.

Exceptional Sound has been using JBL loudspeakers for years and the company's past experience led it to select a series of two AM6200/64 and one AL6115 loudspeaker, with four AM6215s for front LR and rear LR and two ASB6128 subwoofers under the stage. The five-day installation provided the Chevrolet Theatre with "a flawless surround sound system".

"The JBL speakers proved to be the perfect solutions for this project," said Laran Philpott, owner of Exceptional Sound. "Each speaker allowed us to place them either vertically or horizontally depending on the space requiremen

USA - Genielux, the rental and sales equipment locator tool for the iPhone and iPod touch, is now available free from the iTunes App Store.

Genielux allows users around the world to locate pro video, audio, and lighting rental and sales inventory from companies who sign up online and place their inventory to Genielux. The application features proprietary code that can identify model numbers regardless of format, which was specifically written for Genielux. "We spent 10 months developing code that can match what an iPhone user may type in and match them correctly to our vendors. We're amazed how accurate the results are," said Michael Zinman, president of The Zinman Co.

USA - Keith R. Klawitter, a professional audio veteran and founder of KRK Systems, a loudspeaker manufacturing company, has announced a new venture, KK labs. The new company, based in Huntington Beach, California, is focused on the design and manufacture of high-end audio products for the recording studio and live professional markets.

KK labs is off to a flying start, with a variety of pro audio product offerings already in place, including the DS8 studio monitor, TAZ15c stage monitor, DSP control and Class D power amplifier modules. Klawitter informally unveiled the new DS8, a DSP/Ethernet-controlled, self-powered, 8", two-way studio monitor, at the NAMM Show in late January.

Klawitter stated: "We had a great coming out party at NAMM. Everyone was hyped up about how great the DS8 sounds and was glad to see I was back making monitors. It was a great feeling, and fan

UK - Comedian Peter Kay hosted the recent Royal Variety Performance, which for the first time in 50 years, was broadcast from Blackpool, the home of British variety.

Blackpool's Opera House, the largest theatre in the UK outside London, was the chosen venue for this prestigious event, which benefited from performances by artists including Whoopi Goldberg appearing alongside the cast of the West End production Sister Act, together with X-factor winner Alexander Burke and Grammy award winner Lady Ga Ga.

Trantec S6 Wireless Microphone Systems were used exclusively during the performance by Whoopi Goldberg and the cast of Sister Act. The equipment was specified by Surbiton based Plus 4 Audio, who provided 24 channels of S6 radio microphones.

Stewart Chaney MD Plus 4 Audio comments, "The S6 was the ideal choice for the job. It's robust and easy to insta

UK - Nexo is hosting its first-ever UK Demonstration Day on Thursday 25 February, marking the arrival of a Geo S12 demo rig in the country. The event, which will be staged at the Redditch HQ of SSE Audio Group, is still open to interested parties who can contact Gareth Collyer of Nexo UK to book a place.

A testing examination of Nexo speakers will be conducted, including the Geo S12 popular compact line array modules, and the new PS-R2 Series. The systems will be demonstrated with different consoles, a Digidesign Profile and a Yamaha M7CL, so as to provide a direct comparison.

Visitors to HQ will also be able to check out Nexo's new RS15 Sub, and maybe even the new RS18 - becoming the first people from outside Nexo's Paris factory to do so. Perks of the day include a tour of SSE's facilities in Redditch, and a look at their range of flightcases. Lunch is provided.

(Jim Evans

UK - Visitors to the Baldwin Boxall stand at ProLight & Sound 2010 (24-27 March) and Firex South 2010 (16-17 March) will be able to preview the Eclipse2M, wall-mountable, stand-alone, voice evacuation/public address system. Other products on show will include the Unitouch touchscreen paging station, BVRD microphone controller and the popular OmniCare disabled refuge and fire telephone system.

Fully networkable, the VIGIL Eclipse2M is monitored and battery backed (backup batteries are contained within the unit). It utilises the new BVRD2M4 DSP-controlled router, a BVSMP switch mode power supply and either a BV120D (dual 120W amplifier) or BV050Q (quad 50W amplifier). With the BV050Q amplifier fitted the system is capable of serving two zones with dual circuits (or four, single-circuit, zones or three with reserve). Up to 126 units can be networked (digital networking can be achie

USA - Sean Hoey has joined Robe Lighting (US) as rental/staging segment manager.

With 22 years of industry experience, Hoey has held similar positions with High End Systems and Vari*Lite in the past. "I am very excited about coming onboard with Robe," he states. "The product line offers the choice of a wide and dynamic range of lighting tools for all types of applications, and Robe's reputation for innovation is one of its great strengths."

Hoey will be based in Austin, Texas, and will spend considerable time on the road visiting clients and contacts and actively demonstrating the kit.

Robe Lighting (US) CEO David Srba states, "It is great to have someone of Sean's calibre join our team. It will allow us to serve the production and rental customers better than ever, combined with outstanding product reliability and a diverse range of technology spann

UK - The latest addition to Pulsar's ChromaRange Tri Colour fixture list, ChromaPowerPix200 has recently featured on the BBC's Blue Peter UK TV broadcast.

Having seen demonstrations of the ChromaPowerPix200 fixtures at the presentation days hosted by Pulsar at the Richard Martin Lighting facility, lighting director for Blue Peter, Lee Allen opted to use a number of the fixtures in their different configurations to suit his requirements for the music performance by The Saturdays during the show.

A total of eight fixtures were configured and supplied for the show by Richard Martin Lighting, lighting rental specialists who hold a substantial inventory of Pulsar ChromaRange LED fixtures.

Six of the ChromaPowerPix200 fixtures used as a large centre piece to the set were flown behind the band utilising the steel cable hanging arrangement that providing a quick riggin

Greece - Two iLive digital mixing systems have been purchased by Focus Studio on the Greek island of Chios. Focus Studio provides high-end studio recording facilities and also PA services during the summer season.

Purchased through Allen & Heath's Greek distributor, IMA Audio Lighting, Focus Studio selected an iDR-48 MixRack with an iLive-T112 Control Surface and an iDR-32 MixRack with a second iLive-T112 Control Surface, to be employed as part of the PA rig for seasonal concerts.

"Investing in the iLive systems has enabled Focus Studio to significantly increase its level of business in rental services, and build on its reputation for high tech equipment and quality sound," commented Focus Studio founders, Andreas Apesos and Giorgos Pavlidakis.

Since the introduction of the budget-conscious iLive-T modules in the spring of 2009, Allen & Heath has seen a huge uptake

Slovenia - Cvetli?arna Mediapark. located in the heart of the downtown area of Ljubljana is the most popular small/medium concert facility in the area. Featuring every musical style from hip hop, rock, heavy metal, and pop to a wide range of house and disco DJ's, Cvetli?arna Mediapark has a long history of hosting concerts and other entertainment events. Recently, the club upgraded its sound reinforcement system to better serve its customers and the acts that perform there. They opted for a sizeable system from the Aero Series 2 and Avant catalogues of D.A.S. Audio.

Litija, Slovenia-based MK Light Sound was contracted to handle the installation of the new sound system. Manager Mice Karov comments: "Cvetli?arna Mediapark has a capacity of 650 people. The venue is 21m long by 24m wide, with a ceiling height of about 5m and a permanent stage area. With crowds of this size, we

Spain - This month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (15-18 February) will be the stage for the first large scale unveiling of DB Systems' newest piece of software solution for exhibitors, ecoXpress.

ecoXpress is billed as a revolutionary touchscreen-based system that has been designed to help companies save money and reduce their environmental footprint when exhibiting at events all around the world, as it removes the need for printed brochures and corporate material.

At MWC, ecoXpress will be installed on numerous exhibits. When delegates visit those exhibits rather than taking away a printed brochure or guide, they will instead be able to browse the exhibitor's literature on touch screens. Delegates can then choose what information is most relevant to them and email that selected information to their office computers.

Oliver Richardson, DB Systems' sales director, said

UK - A.C. Rigging, a division of A.C. Entertainment Technologies, has supplied a high specification Kinesys motion control system to Northern Stage Theatrical Productions in Newcastle for their Christmas production of Peter Pan and other future shows. The venue is the largest producing theatre company in the North East of England.

When Northern Stage were looking for a fast moving, variable speed system to fly scenery during the show, they approached A.C. Rigging to find a cost-effective solution as A.C. had previously supplied and installed the theatre's complete lighting technical facilities for all three performance stages as part of a multi-million pound refurbishment programme in 2007.

The venue required a complete package with the ability to expand on the system in the future and more importantly, full product knowledge and support should any problems arise. A.C.

International - An international group of companies from the lighting industry - including Acuity Brands Lighting, Cooper Lighting, OSRAM, Panasonic, Philips, Schréder, Toshiba, TRILUX and Zumtobel Group - is to initiate the formation of Zhaga, an industry-wide cooperation aimed at the development of standard specifications for the interfaces of LED light engines.

As rapid advances in LED technology continue, Zhaga will enable interchangeability between products made by diverse manufacturers. Interchangeability is achieved by defining interfaces for a variety of application-specific light engines. Zhaga standards will cover the physical dimensions, as well as the photometric, electrical and thermal behaviour of LED light engines.

Zhaga is being formed for the benefit of the consumers in the expectation that standardisation will prevent market fragmentation into incompat

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