UK - Pat Smith, Chief Executive of Business Link for Essex, recently visited Litetec, the Rochford-based optics and fibre optics company, to see the brand new showroom Business link for Essex advisers have helped make a reality. With their support, Litetec has recently achieved ISO 9001:2000 quality management standard, re-branded and launched a new website, with direct impact on the order book.

Litetec first contacted Business Link for Essex in search of advice on how to obtain ISO recognition. It became clear to Business Link adviser Angela Kimberley that they would need to look at other areas of business development in order to achieve this standard. Litetec needed to consider developing a new corporate identity and planning their sales strategy. An action plan was put together including a website development strategy, assisted by another adviser Colin Harvey. Specialists fro

USA - Catalyst Version 3 Media Server and the DL1 digital lighting fixture are products that combine the functions of automated lighting with digital effects. The new Catalyst Version 3 Media Server and Version 3 software is a substantial upgrade for an existing Catalyst Media Server system. It has been re-written to take advantage of the Apple MAC OS-X.3 Panther and the developments in Open-GL based video cards. The most obvious enhancement is the twin outputs - allowing two, completely independent Catalyst video feeds from one Media Server.

The software has the capability to cross fade between all four layers using the intensity channel. The preview feature allows complete, independent preview of content on a local monitor before sending it to the output device. Video Montage using the four layers allows the programmer to use scaling and positioning functions to create virtual

UK/Europe - MA Lighting's top-of-the-range grandMA lighting console has recently been specified for several high profile shows in the international theatre, concert and corporate event entertainment lighting sectors. White Light has supplied grandMA consoles to two high-profile shows in the UK and Holland. In London, major autumn musical production Thoroughly Modern Millie has recently received its transfer from Broadway and is the first west end show to specify the console. In Holland, the grandMA provides lighting controls for the new 10th international production of the ABBA musical Mamma Mia!, which opens later this month. UK concert lighting hire company Neg Earth are supplying grandMA's for the current Simple Minds European tour and Beyonce Knowles' UK tour. Stage Electrics has also supplied a grandMA for the recent Pantene Pro-V Style Awards held at the Royal

UK - Creative Technology has marked the relocation to its new 54,000sq.ft facility in Crawley by announcing a 'single brand' service operation, in which the staging services of MCL London, currently operating from within CT's premises, will now be amalgamated and operate under the CT London brand. At the same time the company has committed to a heavy investment in new inventory and technology. The strategic decision to operate as a single entity, addressing the broad span of market sectors covered by the two companies, was confirmed this month by managing director Mark Elliott.

"Being able to centralize all our resources into a single building has enabled us to further develop full service capability to provide a wide range of resources. This includes video, lighting, audio, and staging equipment, together with our ever-increasing range of indoor and outdoor LED screens.&qu

France - The SIEL 2004 exhibition (1-4 February 2004 at Paris Expo - Porte de Versailles) will highlight line array systems among its wide range of exhibits. During SIEL, a conference will assess the advantages of medium-range line array distribution compared to traditional sound systems. Acoustical engineer Alain Pouillon Guibert will lead the conference, while a number of leading line array system manufacturers integrating the most specialized technologies will be present at the exhibition, including L-Acoustics, Nexo, Adamson, EVI Audio and d&b audiotechnik.

SIEL will also take a look at safety responsibilities in the nightlife industry. The French government is currently reinforcing safety measures intended to make people in France more aware of safety, particularly when it comes to getting behind the wheel of a car. In view of the number of road accidents caused by drunk dr

UK - The University of Manchester's new £6 million School of Music and Drama celebrated the opening of its purpose-built concert hall, drama studio and recording studio on 21 October 2004. The Chancellor - broadcaster Anna Ford - presided over a ceremony in which writer and comedian Ben Elton, music scholar and critic Michael Kennedy and internationally renowned soprano Amanda Roocroft received honorary degrees.

The building includes the new Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, the John Thaw Studio Theatre, the Lenagan Library, audio/visual facilities, improved performance, workshop and practice spaces, as well as new electro-acoustic music studios run jointly with the Royal Northern College of Music.

Stage Electrics designed and installed the new facilities' sound and lighting systems, created specifically for use by students, with Hills Electrical plc, main contractor - Totty Const

UK - XL Video UK recently supplied projection hardware for Eddie Izzard's 'Sexie' DVD shoot, filmed over three nights of performances at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne. The 'Sexie' DVD is part of the ongoing world tour, which kicked off in Australasia in July before storming the US. He tours UK arenas in December.

Izzard, who spent a memorable chunk of his schooldays at two different establishments in Eastbourne, wanted to return to his roots for the DVD recording. XL supplied a 26.5ft wide by 15ft high projection screen - 16:9 ratio - that was fed by a flown pair of doubled Barco R18 projectors. Projections were effectively 'the set', with the space dressed with camouflage netting, so video and lighting were essential for creating mood.

XL's project manager Malcolm Mellows was approached by the show's producer Mick Perrin of Perrin Productions, having been recommended by

USA - Elation Professional has cranked up the wattage on its Power Spot 250 with the new Power Spot 575, a more powerful 575W version of this intelligent moving head fixture. Like the 250, the Power Spot 575 is a versatile DMX-programmable two-in-one effect that combines a moving head spot with a 4.9mW red laser. The fixture is compact and portable no bigger in size than the 250W fixture making it ideally suited for the rental market.

John Lopez, sales manager for Elation Professional said: "The Power Spot 575 is the only moving head fixture of its kind to offer 575W output in the size of a 250W unit and will open all kinds of profit opportunities for rental houses."

The Power Spot 575 comes with a total of 16 gobos (seven rotating and nine static) on two wheels. Included are four lithos and 12 metal gobos at 26.9mm diameter with a 23mm viewing area. All gobos are ea

UK - James Thomas Engineering's Pixel development team, working in association with RADlite developers IRAD, has created PixelDrive for Mac, a Macintosh-based version of their new control concept for driving DMX fixtures. This has been shown for the first time at LDI 2003, alongside the existing PC-based version. IRAD. Manufacturers of RADlite, the digital media server engine on which PixelDrive is based, are also planning to release a Macintosh version early in the new year.

Simon Carter of IRAD comments: "We want to be as diverse and flexible as possible with both RADlite and PixelDrive, and recognize there's a need for both Macintosh and Windows platforms in the market. The US in particular will appreciate the Mac version. We're also intending to expand the range further next year with the development of a value-engineered, streamlined version of RADlite on both platform

USA - American DJ has introduced the AccuSpot 250, an intelligent eight-channel moving head effect with a bright 250W discharge lamp which is sized and priced for small and mid-size clubs. Equipped with powerful stepper motors, the AccuSpot 250 is built for quick, accurate micro-stepping, with 360° of pan and up to 265° of tilt movement, and has eight DMX channels, nine colours plus open white. The unit features seven variable speed rotating gobos plus spot and including one dichroic glass gobo. Gobo and colour wheels are independent, allowing for a large range of pattern-colour combinations. The unit also features a Gobo Shake effect, and will strobe in every colour.

The AccuSpot 250 was designed to give small and mid-size clubs the chance to take their visual entertainment to the next level, according to Scott Davies, general manager of the American DJ group of companies: &q

UK - ETC has announced a special rate of 50% off the usual price on upgrades for WYSIWYG V3 software to the new WYSIWYG. The offer is extended to registered users of WYSIPaper, WYSICAD and WYSIWYG who upgrade to WYSIWYG Report, Design, or Perform, and will be valid until the end of February 2004.

Features of the new upgrade include WYSIWYG Report, which adds the power of WYSIWYG's 3D CAD engine to the flexible paperwork that other users have been used to. Users can draw venues, sets and lighting in three dimensions and utilize WYSIWYG's fixture, truss and accessory libraries, while the integrated paperwork and plotting functions simplify the printed output process. WYSIWYG Design gives users access to WYSIWYG's powerful rendering engine to create photorealistic pictures of designs. With Design Mode, users create virtual lighting looks without the need for a console, using the d

UK / Israel - PA and voice evacuation specialists Millbank Electronics has recently supplied its Israeli distributor Ram-Tel Communications with a fleet of its DSPac power amplifiers. The range is part of Millbank's new directive - to create quality-boxed products, which integrate into the most challenging projects and offer cost effective solutions to installers, architects, consultants and electrical contractors alike.

Long-standing Millbank distributor, Ram-Tel, headed by Zvi Zeif, has deployed the DSPacs as part of a significant upgrade of the public address system in the Al Aqsa Mosque. As one of the world's most famous and oldest Mosques, it is visited by millions of tourists and religious pilgrims every year.

Re-built into its present form in 1033 AD, the Al Aqsa Mosque is situated at the southernmost point of the Noble Sanctuary - Al Haram al Sharif which, comprising o

UK - Large format projection specialists, E//T//C UK, covered the 323ft high Shell Centre on London's South Bank with a projection for the launch of Electric Storm, an innovative light, sound and mist installation staged along the South Bank - between Jubilee Gardens and the Oxo Tower - powered by Shell UK's new 45 metre high wind turbine. It runs until February and is designed to raise public awareness of the advantages of renewable energy.

The launch-night projection featured moving clouds artwork and the text strap-line "Wind Energy - renewable energy". E//T//C was working for media and production company The Bank, who are producing Electric Storm for Shell UK. The 26-storey Shell Centre was covered by eight 6kW PIGI projectors sited 100m away on the edge of Queen's Walkway (the corresponding riverside path), housed in a curtain-sider truck. Six of the projectors co

UK - White Light Events supplied lighting equipment and services to three major events during October. At the Royal Opera House in London, Estée Lauder were seeking to turn the building pink for the launch of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Breast Cancer Awareness launch on 27 October. Under the direction of Simon Thomas, White Light Events lit the building using six 2.5kW HMI fresnels with dimmer shutters, AC1001 floods, Coda floods and IP65-rated SILL MBI floodlights and spotlights, purchased especially for this project. White Light Events also supplied rigging, distribution and crew - as well as the remote keypad with which actress Elizabeth Hurley switched on the lighting!

At the same time as the Royal Opera House show, another White Light Events team was in East Grinstead lighting the annual conference of the Church of Scientology. This is the seventh year that Whi

USA - Clay Paky, the Bergamo, Italy-based manufacturer of intelligent show lighting products, has announced the formation of Clay Paky America Inc. The new company will open its offices in Valencia, a northern suburb of Los Angeles, and will be headed up by Paul J Turpin as CEO. Turpin, known as 'PJ', has a successful track record in sales and management in the lighting industry.

Pasquale Quadri, president of the parent corporation, told us: "The idea was in the air for some time. We carried out a detailed study of the American market . . . analyzed the market conditions, the type and quality of products being specified, the types of distribution channels needed, and the technical support expectations of the market. On the basis of this survey we moved on to the realization stage, which resulted in the formation of an operational office in the United States."

Turpin

UK - The SPS Group has announced the acquisition of Procter & Gamble's Display Division, adding permanent point of purchase (POP) display services to its mix of retail communication services. The renamed division, SPS Display, will strengthen the company's position in the market, making it the only UK firm to offer a fully comprehensive solution for managing retail communications.

The Ferndown-based SPS Group has now become approved suppliers to handle permanent POP display contracts for leading cosmetics and perfumery brands including Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Max Factor, Olay and SKII. Display teams will begin designing, manufacturing and installing permanent POP in airport and ferry terminals (Nuance, Alpha Retail & World Duty Free) key domestic retailers (Harrods & Selfridges) and in many department stores around the country (Bentalls, Allders, House of Fraser).

SPS aims to grow

France - AVAB transtechnik France and ETC International came together in August 2003 to lay the groundwork for their mutual development in France. The accord was the result of ETC International's buy-out of the transtechnik GmbH involvement in AVAB transtechnik France, and in particular, it confirmed the following points: that the AVAB brand name will be retained and developed; that the AVAB transtechnik France staff will be retained; that the sales and distribution policy will continue (Juliat, Selecon, Ardiis, Dynalite); and that the long-running partnership with Robert Juliat will continue and be developed.

As of 1 January 2004, AVAB transtechnik France will be the exclusive distributor of ETC spotlights (the Source Four line, including Revolution, the new moving light from ETC) in France, while Eclalux will continue as the exclusive distributor of ETC control consoles and di

USA - During the recent LDI exhibition in Orlando, Florida (21-23 October) ESTA (the Entertainment Services and Technology Association) announced the winners of the 2003 Dealers' and Manufacturers' Choice Awards.

The Dealers' Choice Customer Service Awards offer ESTA's Dealer Members the opportunity to publicly recognize those manufacturers that provide consistently good customer service throughout the year, and recognize high performance in four main areas - Customer Service, Shipping & Billing, Technical Support and Quotations/Project Management. Dealers cast their votes for Manufacturers in each of three categories based on the Manufacturers' number of employees, 1-6, 7-25, and over 25. The winners for 2003 are Doug Fleenor Design (1-6 employees category), City Theatrical (7-25 employees category) and Apollo Design Technology (over 25 employees category).

The Manufacturers'

USA - Following the success of the PLASA Show in London in September, it began to appear that business was looking up after a tough couple of years; now, with the successful completion of LDI in Orlando, Florida at the weekend, the current of optimism continues to strengthen.

The majority of LDI exhibitors that PLASA Media spoke to at the show expressed their satisfaction with both the quality of visitors and the level of business being done. Exhibitor Michael Bridgman of British Optical, a manufacturer of high quality optical components for the entertainment industry, commented: "It's been very good for us this year - I would say back to the level of business of three years ago."

The 2003 ETS-LDI showcased a number of innovative new products. This year the show's awards were split into two categories - Product of the Year and Debuting Product/Promising Prototype. Th

UK - For the 10th annual MTV Europe Music Awards, staged recently in Edinburgh, a massive big top was erected in the Leith area of the city. Featuring live performances by Beyoncé, Pink, The White Stripes, the Black Eyed Peas, Sean Paul, Dido, The Darkness, Missy Elliott and Kraftwerk, the show was watched by an estimated one billion people in 162 territories worldwide.

Working for MTV Networks Europe production manager Sophie Huda and production company Blackout, Creative Technology overcame some complex logistics to provide a large 15mm LED display for the Kraftwerk set. CT sales director Mike Walker, explained: "The particular and unique challenge was to rig three screens with 3x3 modules and attach them to rolling risers. These screens had to be manoeuvred from backstage in between other artist performances, in order to create a single big screen measuring 8.640m wide

USA - Light Stream Controls' new DMX Programmer is a 64-channel portable, tabletop intelligent lighting controller. The console weighs 4.5lbs and is capable of controlling eight intelligent scanners of up to eight channels each.

The DMX Programmer offers features geared toward the mobile DJ or lighting designer. The controller includes a compact memory flash card slot enabling users to back-up and save their programs, it also features a joystick controlling fixture pan and tilt. The DMX Programmer can be used to control fog effects and is equipped with a fog machine trigger button, which is compatible with selected American DJ fog machines, including the Master Blaster 1000, Stallion, Vaporizer, Vapor Flow, Fog Storm 1200 and Fog Storm 1700.

The console is capable of handling up to 96 scenes in 24 pages and comes with four pre-programmed chases of 99 steps each. Other features

Belgium - After a successful changeover period following the announcement earlier this year of the management buy-out of the ADB Lighting Technologies group, the company has announced the release in production of three new products. The recent ACF show was the first large-scale presentation of these products in Belgium.

Warp, an 800W cool beam zoom profile with single-handed ring control of all beam-shaping functions, including the 360° endless rotation capability of shutters and gobos. The prototypes shown in 2002 generated strong interest from professionals and the international trade press. Several improvements were made in response to the feedback from professional users, and Warp is now in production. Its innovative features were recognized by the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), who this year awarded Warp the prestigious Lighting Product of the Year Awar

UK - The official launch party for the Hospital in Covent Garden took place last month. Brainchild of artist and producer Dave Stewart and Paul G. Allen co-founder (with Bill Gates) of Microsoft, the Hospital is a multi-million pound music, state-of-the-art television and arts complex located in the heart of London's Covent Garden. Naturally the launch was a star-studded event attended by A-list celebrities from throughout the world of music and media. Sound Division Hire, the rental department of the Sound Division Group, was asked to supply the entire entertainment system for the event, including audio, lighting, staging and DJ equipment.

Sound Division's Chris Baxter confirmed that this was a technically complex event: "We set up a DJ system in the Studio on the lower ground floor with a PA based on EAW KF850s and JBL monitors with a Soundcraft mixing console. We were al

USA - Brad Schiller has announced the release of his new book, The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook. The text made its debut at the LDI 2003 convention in Orlando, Florida, where it sold out early on the second day. Schiller teamed with Focal Press to publish and distribute his manuscript.

The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook explains in detail concepts and procedures regularly used by professional automated lighting programmers. From basic principles of automated lighting, to pre-production preparations, the text details concepts, procedures, and guidelines to ensure a successful production. Then the author continues with in-depth explanations for beginning, intermediate, and advanced programmers. Additional sections explore troubleshooting principles, working relationships, and future technologies. For the final chapter of the book, the author int

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