Germany - After nearly five years in Las Vegas, Celine Dion has returned to the international stage with her Taking Chances tour, which started in South Africa in February 2008. Every show features six Pandoras Box Media Servers from Cologne- based coolux to help create the visual design of the show.

Lighting designer Yves Aucoin is using Pandoras Box Media Servers and Pandoras Box Media Manager, all communicating with a grandMA lighting desk. The three Media Server GREEN systems render the imagery in real time, all of which are running simultaneously as well as independently on different display technologies.

One system is controlling the extensive LED stage-floor, the second is feeding the Element Labs Stealth package and the third is used for the video switcher that is mixing the camera-feeds with the contents from Pandoras Box. Every Pandoras Box Media Server system has a hot back-up system which can take over at any time.

Yves Aucoin reports: "We can adapt to the local conditions very fast during a show. I can make the necessary modifications in the lighting desk and operator Louis-Philippe Gaudreau can save these straight in the cue on the timeline of the Media Manager. Instead of saving the changed characteristics in the grandMA, I can leave modifications and programming of the necessary values entirely to Louis Philippe and thus stay concentrated on what is happening on stage."

Gaudreau adds, "I have used several other media servers. I have used and known the coolux Pandoras Box for only one year but I can already say that it is an absolutely reliable, powerful and stable system."

(Jim Evans)


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