UK - IT & AV rental DB Systems has grown its operations team with the appointment of Jess Walters and Katy Stannard.

As logistic co-ordinators, their role is to make sure the right kit and crew get to events and exhibitions allowing DB to deliver the projects it has been hired for.

Mark Danvers, DB's operations director, said, "In 2011, we provided an IT & AV service for nearly 2,500 clients, at 248 exhibitions worldwide. Part of our ability to deliver an IT & AV service on a global scale is down to how we co-ordinate our service.

"Jess and Katy will help make sure that we get the right people and equipment to the right place at the right time. This will include the likes of booking the appropriate crew for the technical requirements of the contract, as well as arran

UK - The Jungle Group, one of the UK's leading post production facilities, has announced its investment in two Flame systems and 12 Fairlight mixing consoles, as part of a studio refurbishment programme across its three sites in Soho. Thanks to swift competitive finance from Azule Finance, The Jungle Group has upgraded its facilities with the latest technology, through a six- figure part finance deal, enabling the company to build on its already impressive status in the UK post-production industry.

Established in 1994, The Jungle Group has built up a client base of some of the world's biggest brands, advertising agencies and broadcasters. In order to maintain its position as a leading post production facility and present some of the finest facilities Soho has to offer, The Jungle Group enlisted the help of Azule Finance to allow it to quickly enhance its offering.

Graham Ebbs,

USA - BlackBox manufacturer JoeCo heads to NAMM with a preview of a new BlackBox App for remotely controlling and monitoring its range of BlackBox recorders and players.

Designed for use on the iPad, the BlackBox App will provide full high resolution metering on all channels and a range of transport controls for remote operation. It will also enable the BlackBox menu and set-up options to be remotely controlled.

JoeCo's Joe Bull comments, "We want to offer users a remote monitoring and control interface that allows them maximum flexibility with the positioning of the BlackBox hardware at a venue, or on location, and that also enables the BlackBox to be operated without moving from the FOH console.

" Providing high resolution metering, especially for 64-channel versions of the BlackBox Recorder, is of great benefit to engineers who need to monitor critical levels du

USA - It was George Barber's lifelong passion for racing that led him to become a driver with the Sports Car Club of America in the 1960s.

After his father's death in 1972, the Birmingham native put his racing career on the back burner to take over the family dairy business. But by the late 1980s Barber's obsession with collecting and restoring vintage cars and motorcycles eventually resulted in one of the most impressive collections in the world, and in 1995 he opened the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.

In 2003 Barber sold his dairy business and invested more than $50m to build the Barber Motorsports Park. The sprawling 740 acre park, just east of Birmingham, is home to the museum as well as a 16-turn, 2.38-mile racetrack that has hosted both motorcycle and car racing events ranging from Grand-Am and NASCAR to AMA Superbike and Mustang Club of America.

"The state of

UK - Justin Bieber featured in a Christmas Day special for ITV called This Is Justin Bieber. The special was filmed before a live audience at ITV's London Studios.

Lighting director Oli Richards designed the lighting for the show with support from London-based suppliers Richard Martin Lighting (RML).

Richards' spectacular lighting rig comprised of well over 100 moving lights, with Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700s and Sharpys chosen to help transform the studio into a live concert environment.

(Jim Evans)

UK - The Holy Trinity was Tunbridge Wells' first parish church. After its final religious service in 1972 its Grade 1 listed status ensured safety from demolition, and by 1975 a public petition had secured permission from the Church Commissioners to produce a plan for community or public use.

An appeal committee raised £50,000 and five years later it reopened as The Trinity Theatre arts centre complete with a raked-seating auditorium. Growing popularity soon saw an art gallery, licensed bar and computerised box office added.

Its latest upgrade sees the venerable space take on the very modern mantle of digital cinema, although a cursory gaze at the vaulted balconies, plush stage tabs and comfy seats reveals little. Only on closer inspection does it turn out to be the UK's first digital cinema to employ the K-Array system, its mid/high hangs barely visible against the tabs

UK - Green Hippo have announced the start of what the Wood Green based company is hoping will prove to be a successful and on-going internship programme throughout 2012 and beyond.

As of September 2011, following a successful PLASA 2011 tradeshow, Green Hippo embarked on its internship programme by welcoming Suzy Casserley into the technical support team. Studying a BA Hons Degree in Lighting Programming at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, Casserley is involved in demo kit testing, technical support and the HippoSchool training sessions.

"My time at Green Hippo has been an amazing opportunity for me. I feel that I have gained a lot of practical knowledge and experience that I couldn't acquire solely in an educational environment." she reports. "I have also had the chance to network extensively and I have made some valuable industry contacts which

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light has confirmed its appointment as an Authorised Philips Vari*Lite Service Centre. The appointment was confirmed on 7 December and became effective immediately.

As an Authorised Service Centre, White Light now offers service and support of all Vari*Lite automated lighting fixtures, from the long-established yet still popular VL500 andVL3000 families to the VLX range of LED fixtures. The company's technicians can now carry out routine maintenance and servicing or repair work, including warranty repairs, for other Vari*Lite owners across the UK and Europe. White Light's staff has already completed extensive training, and the company has $100,000 of spare parts on-hand allowing most repairs to be carried out immediately.

"We are delighted by this appointment," comments Dave Isherwood, White Light's technical director. &qu

featured content

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

The Netherlands - Following the success of similar events in recent years, key manufacturers including Lab.gruppen , Peavey Commercial Audio, Bosch Communications Systems, Yamaha Commercial Audio, Audinate and ASL, will be hosting an all day event on Tuesday 31 January at the Holiday Inn Amsterdam.

The 2012 AV Networking Congress, brings together some leading industry AV design consultants, and pro-audio manufacturers sharing their expertise in the rapid convergence from analogue to digital media networks.

Technologies for digital audio networking first appeared nearly two decades ago, but only recently have we began to witness a seismic shift away from traditional analogue networking and towards digital networking. A key driver for this is the rapid convergence of AV and IT, underpinned by the adoption of high performance AV networking technologies, such as Dante, based on th

Brit Awards Nominations - Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is leading the field at this year's Brit Awards, with four nominations, followed by Jessie J who is up for three awards - best female, breakthrough act and best single for her hit Price Tag.

Organisers have also announced that Adele will perform live at this year's ceremony next month. It is her first confirmed live performance since recovering from throat surgery. The singer is also nominated in three categories - best female, best single and best album for 21.

The trophies - including a lifetime achievement prize for Britpop band Blur - will be handed out at the O2 Arena on 21 February.

Yellowbrick Road Block - A performance of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium had to be called to a halt last week after the production suffered technical problems. Star Michael Crawford apologised when the mus

UK - XL Video are supplying video production - including a projection system, LED screen, cameras and PPU - to Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto (MX) world tour, continuing its long working relationship with the band that started in 2005.

Live video director is Andy Bramley and the content / media servers are designed and programmed by Ben Miles. Together they work closely with the production and lighting designer Paul Normandale, who designed the screen layout, and Phil Harvey, Coldplay's creative director. Misty Buckley styled the vibrant graffiti tagged set decoration which adds another layer to the visual tone.

Played to a 360 degree audience where possible, with audience seated behind the stage which is still in the end-on position, video is an intricate blend of raw and soft / colourful and monochrome elements in a lively, edgy interactive environment.

Both Bramley and Mil

UK - The Rococo Gardens in the heart of the English Cotswolds are a significant tourist attraction, with stunning Rococo architectural features and large scale avenues of trees all crying out to be lit during the dark winter months. Due to planning regulations and preservation of the original theme, installed electrical power is barred, thus preventing any night illumination and meaning early closure especially during winter months.

Core Lighting, with its headquarters nearby in the Cotswolds, was contracted to supply their battery-powered and Wireless-DMX (WDMX) controlled architectural lighting systems. For an evening Core added a splash of colour into the canopies of the trees and the houses. The avenues of trees and Exedra with its water feature were brought alive. The whole scheme was lifted through the mist and drizzle of the evening; also thanks to the waterproof capabili

USA - Robe Lighting, Inc. will showcase several new products from its Robin series of products on Booth 201 at the upcoming PLASA Focus event at the Renaissance, Austin in Texas, 22-23 February 2012.

The Robin series of products is in tune with the company's ongoing 'Think of the Future - Consider Nature' commitment to producing genuinely more sustainable and greener technology.

Highlighted will be the Robin 1200, 600 and 300 LEDWashes and the all new Robin MMX Spot.

(Jim Evans)

USA - The new DLT15A 500W active speaker system from American Audio is designed for DJs, bands and nightclubs. A two-way powered speaker it is equipped with a built-in lightweight Class D high-power amplifier.

Featuring a 15-inch woofer, 1.3 inch driver and rotatable horn with 90* x 40* dispersion, the DLT15A delivers "great output, high dynamic range and distortion-free sound quality".

The speaker comes enclosed in an attractive, upscale-looking rugged - yet lightweight - plywood cabinet.

"With the DLT15A, we have brought together a lot of features that today's customers are asking for in a speaker system," said Tom Freret, national sales manager for American Audio. "For many DJs, bands and mobile performers, an active speaker system just makes sense, because they don't have to haul around separate amplifiers, crossovers and so forth. The DLT15A off

Singapore - Formerly Singapore's largest cinema, the Kallang Theatre is now one of the country's premier performance venues. After closing since 2007 the theatre re-opened in August 2011 by staging Singapura: Lion City, a music and acrobatic extravaganza chronicling the history of Singapore.

The show saw more than 60 professional acrobats and artistes portray Singapore's rise from a small island country to one of Asia's cultural and economic powerhouses; all on a stage dressed in black stage masking from J&C Joel.

The stage masking curtains manufactured and supplied by J&C Joel were made from versatile black 300cm wide Molton (MOL002), a non-durably flame retardant brushed cotton fabric that is ideal for stage masking.

The stage blacks provided to the Kallang Theatre included five stage borders, eight legs, two wings, ten dress legs and a stage backdrop measuring ten

UK - 2012 has bought a fresh new look and feel to the cinemas at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), the home of the British avant-garde. Between Christmas and New Year, theatre consultancy Charcoalblue ensured that the cinemas were completely transformed and ready to host the ninth London Short Film Festival.

The project brief for Charcoalblue was to design, schedule and manage a comprehensive refurbishment of the main ICA cinemas. The challenge was to ensure it could happen in the short break between Christmas and New Year.

Following the design and specification by Charcoalblue of all of the necessary elements, 285 seats were stripped out of the cinemas and removed from site on 26 December; step-lights, carpets and wall coverings were removed on the 27th; on the 28th and 29th the floor structure was modified to increase the provision of fully accessible audience spaces

France - South of France based broadcast, video and AV rental services specialist Forcast, headed by Stephane Pilloud has acquired Action Monaco from the Avesco Group - in a planned expansion that will see both companies join forces and continue operating in their existing formats.

The strategic merger sees Forcast become the largest AV rental / broadcast and video facilities service operation in France outside of Paris, and the biggest such independently owned company in the country.

Forcast's work embraces all sectors of their industry including sporting fixtures, special events, festivals of all types - music, arts, culture, etc., together with corporate shows and presentations. It is also involved in AV and broadcast systems design, specification and implementation, with recent high profile venue projects including the new Olympic Nice Stadium and the Grimaldi Forum confer

Vatican City - Clear-Com reports that Vatican Television Centre, known in Italy as Centro Televisivo Vaticano (CTV), the official broadcaster of Vatican City, has selected Eclipse-Median digital matrix and Tempest 2400 digital wireless intercoms to help cover the official activities of Pope Benedict XVI as well as the ongoing religious events and services held at the Vatican.

The extensive communication capabilities offered by the four connected Eclipse-Median, six I-Series intercom panels, two Tempest BaseStations and four Tempest BeltStations "assure that CTV broadcasts have fast access to reliable, high-quality communications".

Since 1983, CTV, headquartered in Via del Pellegrino in Vatican City, has broadcast the Pope's pastoral ministry and other activities of the Holy See. Each year, they cover about 200 events from inside the Vatican as well as during the Pope

The Netherlands - HA Rental purchased a number of Philips Selecon Pacific and PL3 LED luminaires from Philips entertainment brand VAR (Value Added Reseller) for the Netherlands, Rolight, in order to create a dramatic lightscape for the first edition of the Ice Sculpture Festival in Zwolle.

This year the theme was decidedly nautical. Festival directors Ten4 Events and Joor Events invited more than 40 ice sculptors from around the world to wield chainsaws, chisels and cutters and fill a 2000sq.m thermal tent with a stunning display of ice and snow carvings. Sculptures included naval heroes, sea animals, ocean monsters, and ghostly ships alongside spacemen, superheroes and fairytale characters.

Lighting designer for the Festival was Jasper Schimmel, whose brief was to bring sparkling dimension, shape and dynamic colour to the crystal clear, glass like figures and frosty snow scul

UK - Broadcasting services provider Bow Tie Television recently needed to upgrade the audio monitoring system in one of its Outside Broadcast vans, to deliver the high quality of sound that the company's clients expected. A K-Array system was the answer.

Because of the limited space available, it had proved impossible to position all the speakers of the OB truck's original production monitoring system in exactly the right places. The only way to achieve the correct placement was to block the view of some of the monitors, which clearly wasn't an option.

K-Array is distributed in the UK by Sennheiser UK and when Bow Tie TV's head of outside broadcast sound Ross Banks attended the latter's roadshow on 9 June at Knebworth House, he was impressed with Dave Wooster's demonstration of the tiny K-Array KZ10 full-range loudspeaker and KU36 sub.

"Because the KZ10 is so small, we

UK - For the second year in a row, Black Light is acting as a leading sponsor for the Federation of Scottish Theatre's (FST) Technical Winter School. This takes place at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre between the 21 and 23 February 2012. The company is supporting the high-profile event both financially and practically and has teamed up with a number of its key suppliers to deliver three days of technical training.

"We are delighted to be able to support this exciting event," says Black Light's customer relations, manager, Claire Södergren who is going to attend the event with colleagues Phil Haldane, Black Light's head of company development, and Craig Collin, the company's technical manager. "This is a really exciting opportunity for us to meet old friends and to help people in the industry get to grips with some of the most exciting new technology around."

Latest Issue. . .