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PLASA Media has just learnt that Decoupe, the Tottenham-based distributor of theatrical products, has gone into voluntary liquidation. The company, founded in 1993 by Tom Mannings, specialised in supplying high performance lighting equipment to the entertainment industry, and was until recently the distributor for the range of followspots, luminaires and digital products from Robert Juliat. The company was also the UK agent for the MDG updated range of fog generators and the Sajem Copernik dichroic Par cans. The UK distribution of Robert Juliat product has now been taken over by White Light.

The liquidators are The Thompson Partnership, based in Halsall.

More details in the April issue of L&SI.

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Live video production specialists Nocturne Europe are changing their trading name to XL Video with immediate effect. The move will offer a more consolidated approach to international markets and associate the company directly with XL Video in Belgium, the USA & Japan - outdoor screen suppliers with extensive stocks of Barco, Delite, Saco & Lighthouse LED screens.

In California, an even closer association is taking place with the opening of a new XL Video office in LA, also specializing in live video production. The US operation is headed up by Bob Higgins and Barbara Riedling, both of whom have a long-standing history in, and vast knowledge of, the US concert touring market. This name-change and US office launch follows a successful 12 months for the St Albans-based company. Over the past year it has worked with artists such as Oasis, Madonna, Eric Clapton, Craig David, the Corrs, Robb

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Laser Magic has opened an office in Bahrain, offering a full rental package which includes a wide range of laser systems, water screens, xenon projection and other special effects. The company has also invested in lighting from Martin Professional (MAC 500), Coemar (1200W washlights) as well as a range of smaller 250W and 300W intelligent fixtures from Coef. The company has also purchased new Sanyo XF10 projectors, the latest NEC plasma screens and high-quality active sound systems, making Laser Magic one of the best-stocked hire companies in the area. As one of the first projects undertaken from the new office, Laser Magic supplied equipment for the Amir's special concert in Bahrain on the 22 March.

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B&H Production Services has completed a sound system upgrade in the 150-year old St Saviours Parish Church in Sidcup, Kent - using Turbosound loudspeakers for the main PA. Four TCS-59 cabinets - two flown at the front of the knave and two flown at the mid-point - to provide the time-aligned delay. The installation replaces an old column system. B&H won the tender for the contract with a shoot-out against other loudspeaker manufacturers, and won due to the quality of the Turbosound boxes, which managed to contain the church’s internal reverberation problems to the greatest degree. John Ellis, who designed the system on behalf of B&H, commented: "The requirements were for a sound reinforcement system that would handle both speech and music. The church has held several large events since the installation was completed, and they’re over the moon with the results."

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The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers has announced a programme of technical seminars for 2001. These include a tutorial on AFILS on 1 May, a two-day course on 'Basic Acoustic for Sound System Professionals' on 15 and 22 May and a one-day practical seminar on 'Measuring Loudspeakers' on 5 June. These courses are open to all, and full details with relevant fees are available from Cathy Mackenzie.

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Dublin-based Sound Communications & Electrical Ltd have installed a full TOA public address and background music system in the new luxury, 259-room Four Seasons Hotel Dublin. Although no paging system was required, Sound Communications supplied electrical contractors, Patrick Lynch Ltd, with three, fully-loaded 42U TOA glass-doored racks. These contain CD/cassette/microphones and processing, and are respectively sited in the lounge, café/restaurant and fitness/aerobics areas, to connect up to the general wiring and interfacewith the fire alarm system. The design was based on the option of centralised CD/cassette-based background system and independent sources, with localised volume control and CD selector at the rack.

The two main function rooms can each be divided into four separate areas, with their own mic inputs, each of which may select either the central CD or a rack-based CD sp

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Pan-european AV equipment rental company Heuvelman Ltd, has opened its first UK branch, situated in London. The company is a specialist in the supply of AV equipment to a range of clients including hotels, broadcasters, corporate clients, conference and event venues and can supply anything from a single projector to a full state-of-the-art installation. Voting systems, teleconferencing and IT rental are also supplied by the company.

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London-based Staging specialist Maltbury has supplied Ambideck staging systems to the Combined Services Entertainment (CSE), the organisation which provides entertainment for British Soldiers serving around the world. The CSE stages more than 125 live shows in foreign locations every year. Four tours were recently undertaken to Bosnia and Kosovo at the tail-end of 2000, and it was for these shows that the Ambideck was specified. CSE technical coordinator Dave South had previously used Maltbury’s Steeldeck system, but opted this time for Ambideck, saying: "The reason we bought Ambideck this time was the superior design. Ambideck is simply stronger and better, and meets our needs perfectly."

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Today, Bytecraft Entertainment and Jands Production Services, jointly announced that they have entered into a Heads of Agreement which will see Bytecraft Entertainment Pty Ltd purchase the lighting assets of Jands Production Services Pty Ltd. This includes all Vari-Lite, rigging, dimming and associated lighting equipment. The sale will be completed before the end of April.

In announcing the agreement, Stephen Found, managing director of Bytecraft Entertainment told PLASA Media: "This is an important milestone in the development of the Bytecraft Entertainment lighting division. For the first time ever in the World, we will see the four major brands of intelligent lighting - High End System, LSD/Fourth Phase, Martin Professional and Vari-Lite, offered under one roof. The Jands inventory will be integrated with Bytecraft’s own extensive inventory which will enable Bytecraft to

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Stage Technologies in London has joined forces with Jands Electronics in Sydney to supply high tech stage machinery and equipment to the region’s staging industry.

The agreement allows Australian customers access to Stage Technologies’ products through Jands Electronics. "We will be pooling our expertise, experience and knowledge," said Jands’ managing director Paul Mulholland. "Stage Technologies has excellent credentials and is a worldwide leader in stage control systems. Coupled with our mechanical expertise and ability to source local materials, this will prove to be a very strong alliance." Stage Technologies’ marketing director John Hastie added: "Together with Jands, the complete range of Stage Technologies equipment and solutions will be supplied and well supported in Australia."

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AM Systems, recently appointed distributors for Kling & Freitag speaker systems, and Apex NV (Belgium) are holding a two-day event at Waterloo Sunset Studio in London. The event takes place on 9 and 10 May and attendees will be able to view and demo both product ranges, and meet one to one with the designers and representatives. Kling & Freitag’s range of speaker systems cover applications from AV and theatre through to concert & stadium systems. Apex Audio is demonstrating its Argos limiter/sound leveller and the Hera level controller which will log and record system levels over a 14-day period. Also from Apex will be the PE Series of paragraphic and GX Series of graphic equalisers. Anyone wishing to attend should contact the e-mail address below.

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Media Control (Europe) Ltd (MCL) is a new company set up by Avesco Group plc to provide full AV staging services to the UK and European corporate presentations market. The company officially began its operation on April 2. Based in Chessington, Surrey, MCL is headed by Mike Bell, who has worked for rental, conference production and support companies in the corporate presentations market for over 20 years. MCL will offer a wide range of services, from dry hire packages to complex presentation solutions. The company will also offer a ‘cloaked’ service to agencies and freelance producers: to protect agency brands, equipment can be provided in unmarked boxes.

MCL will offer a complete inventory of audio, lighting, staging and AV equipment. Mike Bell told us: "We are intent on changing current conceptions about AV staging - often referred to as ‘One Stop Shops’.

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Royal Caribbean International recently introduced the first of its Radiance class ships - Radiance of the Seas. Delivered in Miami on 21 March, the ultra-luxurious Radiance of the Seas’ cruise starts in April. This stunning vessel is the largest ship ever to have been built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and the first joint venture between a German shipyard and an American cruise line. Local company Funa GmbH was the main contractor for the lighting and sound systems, with the key part of the entertainment lighting equipment supplied by ETC. Royal Caribbean International has a tradition of introducing surprise features on each new vessel and guests on board Radiance of the Seas will not be disappointed. With highlights such as the Colony Club, customisable entertainment space comprising four different clubs, and the breathtaking, three storey high Aurora Theatre

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In a ruling handed down by the US District Court, Southern District of New York, Switchcraft, a leading manufacturer of audio connectors, was granted summary judgment in the patent lawsuit filed by Neutrik Inc, in regards to Switchcraft’s HPC connector series. The Courts ruled that Switchcraft Inc has not violated Neutrik’s US Patent No. 5205749 on the Speakon connector. The Court also ruled that Switchcraft is not in violation of trade dress infringement, unfair competition, or unlawful use of a trademark, the other aspects of the lawsuit filed by Neutrik Inc. Keith Bandolik, president of Switchcraft Inc said: "We obviously are very happy with the court’s ruling, and look forward to continued success with the HPC Series." A complete copy of the summary judgment can be reviewed at www.switchcraft.com. The HPC Series, a complete line of panel mount and cord plu

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A total of 80 amplifiers from QSC's DCA Series of digital cinema products were chosen to power an audio system used for this year's product reel screenings at ShoWest, the annual film industry event where stars, producers, and directors gather to pitch new films to theatrical exhibitors. Installed by Boston Light & Sound within the Paris Hotel’s 85,000sq.ft Paris Ballroom, the QSC-fed cinema system was designed to provide sound reinforcement for audiences of up to 5,600. Electro-Voice X-Array loudspeaker components were mounted at both screen and surround positions, while TL-880 subwoofers brought up the low end. A total of 80 QSC DCA 1622, DCA 2422, and DCA 3422 were used.

Audio distribution throughout the ballroom was provided by 16 QSC RAVE (Routing Audio Via Ethernet) 160 and 161 units, each capable of sending 64 channels of uncompressed 20-bit, 48 kHz digital audio through a

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Glyndebourne Opera House in East Sussex has a new control system for its three electrical bridges, supplied and installed by Suffolk-based AVW Controls. The system, an upgrade of that installed seven years ago, provides Glyndebourne with absolute control of the bridges, each of which weighs seven tonnes and is capable of lifting 2.5 tonnes. Rather than disrupt the production schedule, the work was completed during the first two weeks of December 2000, while the Opera was on tour. The upgrade was the second phase of a contract originally undertaken by AVW as a sub-contractor to the erstwhile Glantre Engineering, the first phase of which involved upgrade work on the bridges themselves. Following Glantre’s demise, Glyndebourne contacted AVW direct, and is very pleased with the results. Dave Locker, production manager, said: "We are absolutely delighted with the new control system

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Continuing the company's commitment to European workshops, DHA Lighting recently organized a product demonstration day in association with Goboland of Belgium. Held at Chicago's, part of the Radisson SAS hotel in the centre of Brussels, DHA held presentations and hands-on workshops using gobos and moving effects, as well as the Digital Light Curtain and DHA Gecko image projector. This was the first in a series of open day workshops to be held across Europe over the next 12 months - keep your eyes peeled for DHA events in Denmark, Finland, France, Holland and Norway.

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CDAI has recently completed the design of the lighting, videowall systems, architectural acoustics and mechanical noise control, for the FAA's new Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control Center (TRACON) in Peachtree City, Georgia. Controllers at Atlanta's new TRACON will manage over 3,200 flights for more than 30 airports in the state of Georgia. The new facility will be fully operational on April 10, 2001.

Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport, only one of the 30 airports managed by Atlanta TRACON, is the busiest airport in the world, having surpassed the traffic of Chicago’s O’Hare airport in 1999. It has 78 million passengers a year, and a daily airport average traffic count of 2,600 flights. Key to the system are 20 Barco MP50 video display systems. Its digital processors allow the FAA to show all sources in their native resolution and create the ability to quickly

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With the setting up of new Creative Technology companies in London and Birmingham NEC, the Avesco subsidiary brand is set for a substantial increase in its work portfolio. In charge of Creative Technology London is Steve Rowan, former head of Gearhouse Multimedia. From its 8,200sq.ft base in Chessington, Surrey, the company is ideally placed to service exhibition sites such as Earls Court, Olympia, Business Design Centre and the new ExCeL in Docklands. Meanwhile, the former Gearhouse NEC - based inside the Birmingham exhibition complex - has now been re-branded Creative Technology NEC, and will operate under the senior management of Chris Bramwell. This division was part of the northern group bought out of receivership by Avesco plc last month, along with Gearhouse’s Manchester and Scottish operations.

Although the established end of Creative Technology, based in Wandsworth, has

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The countdown to the PLASA Show 2001 has begun! The entertainment technology industry’s leading event will run from 9 - 12 September at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London. With over 89% of the available stand space already sold and all the leading manufacturers booked into the show, PLASA 2001 promises to live up to its reputation as the showcase event that launches the entertainment technology year. Venue improvements have continued, with over £500,000 invested in the last 12 months to improve comfort cooling at the Show. Furthermore, an overall investment of £6million will ensure that Earls Court is a fully air-conditioned exhibition centre by 2002. Over 400 exhibitors and 14,000 UK and international visitors are expected to attend and experience the sound and lighting extravaganza that has become synonymous with PLASA. Manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of professio

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We have heard much, over the last few years, of theatres being given large sums of lottery cash to undertake major improvements. But what of the poor souls left behind without major injections of cash?

The Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone is owned by Maidstone Borough Council and, like all other departments of the council, has to take its place in a long queue for what small amount of money is available. A general re-fit was accomplished 20 years ago, but since then there has been no major injection of cash available to it.

Theatre manager, Mandy Hare, took the reins just over three years ago and set about raising the profile of the venue, putting in more events, a wider artistic base, a thriving youth theatre, a regular programme of workshops and a selection of outside events. Production and operations manager, Eric Lund, joined the team just over two years ago and soon realised that th

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Effective Productions, the company owned by entertainer Jim Davidson, has gone into liquidation owing £640,000, according to a report in The Stage newspaper. The company’s problems have been largely blamed on last year’s £4million Dick Whittington pantomime at London's Hammersmith Apollo, which failed to attract the expected audience. The planned production of Peter Pan starring Brian Blessed at the Hammersmith Apollo this Christmas is now expected not to take place.

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Mick Scullion is to head up PSL Lighting, formerly Lighting Unlimited, as part of the re-launch of the division under the Presentation Services Group branding. Mick brings with him over 20 years’ experience within the industry, having worked for both Concert Productions (now Vari-Lite) and the Spot Company where he was a director for five years. "It is an exciting time at PSL, the new structure will bring a lot of benefit to the lighting division and allow us to offer an even better service to our clients," commented Mick. "We are currently investing in the latest lighting equipment and along with our lighting design service, we aim to build on our already successful position within the marketplace providing our clients with service to the highest level." Barry Dennison, formerly of Gearhouse XTC, also joins Mick alongside current project manager Iain Grant. The

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ETC equipment is currently being installed in two major Sussex venues, the Worthing Pavilion Theatre and the Worthing Assembly Hall. The venues are run by the Worthing Council, whose technical department, headed by technical manager Dave Lamb, has been working on the technical tpecifications for the Pavilion Theatre since the end of last year. "When the technicians at Worthing Council drew out a list of their requirements for a new control system, it was evident that ETC’s Obsession II was the perfect match," said Paul de Ville, managing director of Lightfactor Sales, who supplied the ETC equipment. He explained: "As Worthing Council already has ETC equipment installed in a number of its venues, it now sees ETC as the industry standard." De Ville has enjoyed a long-standing working relationship with Worthing Council - he was also involved in the last major techn
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