MA Lighting's GrandMA products also dominated: grandMA video version 1.28 was released at the show with three new key features - admin, multi-screen preview and soft-edge blending. These new functions, in combination with previously released ones such as four live video inputs, the keystone effect, beam shape effects, and the FOH blind editing function directly from a grandMA console, make grandMA video a powerful tool. www.vari-lite.com www.pulsarlight.com www.lightpower.de

Hot news on the High End stand was the Studio Command H, which was launching at Frankfurt. High End's Fons de Vreede demonstrated a new 1kW tungsten fixture which will be shipping in a couple of weeks, and hinted at more news to come before PLASA.

Visual Productions' focus was on the Matrix Mania, a lighting tool for the control of LED matrixes, which has covered considerable ground since its launch at the show a year ago, and can now render full animations. The company's newest hardware device, the Frontier, was launched at the show and is a playback unit with the capacity for 16 pre-programmed sequences. A new VisualDMX software version is also available.

News from ADB included their EuroDim dimming system, which now offers silent dimming of practically any load using new sine wave modules. The dimmer offers self-protection against short circuits, self-limitation of peak current, elimination of lamp filament noise and noise induced in audio equipment. The sine wave dimmer modules for the EuroDim ranges can be retrofitted into existing installations, and can coexist with conventional thyristor modules in the same cabinet.

ADB's WARP lighting fixture range was on display, with new improved features and discharge light sources. A low-noise colour changer with an adaptor plate that reduces spill light from the front of the fixture has been introduced. WARP/HMI is a new fixture range that uses HMI/MSR discharge lamps and flicker-free electronic ballasts; the fixtures are silent due to their fan-less design.

ADB's Phoenix and Mentor console

UK - Serious Stages stepped in at short notice to build the decking and substructure required to support the Ice Space venue - the world's first ever five Star Arctic attraction - at London's Tower Bridge.

Serious - one of the UK's leading staging companies - has supplied over 2000sq.m of it's proprietary Red Deck extra heavy duty steel base system which is supporting over 200 tonnes of ice.

The deck is constructed from Universal I beams that span between RMD Shoring System and customised head standards. Infill beams fit between the primary I beams every 600mm to produce an incredibly strong base. The infill beams are capped with timber and then finished with 25mm birch plywood panels to form the deck's surface. Each 'bay' measures 2.4 x 2.4 metres.

Serious has also supplied 12 internal support arches for the structure as well as all the perimeter external steps, wheelchair

Spotlight were exhibiting as at SIB, but new for Frankfurt was the Accurate BLITZ Stage, a powerful 5W moving-head laser, complete with gobos, animations and frost effects, which is also DMX controllable.

Amongst other products, LSC Lighting showed the DNAnet/R which is a DMX/ArtNet converter, as both an input or an output module. The unit includes a fully working RDM for bi-directional communication with RDM enabled devices. ArtNet View software enables full configuration and monitoring of any number of DNAnet/R units via ethernet networks. Also exhibited was the e24 v2, an evolution of LSC's e24 compact touring dimmer system.

Anolis, the architectural LED lighting manufacturer formed just over a year ago in a joint venture between Robe Show Lighting and Australian distributor ULA, was again exhibiting adjacent to Robe, and was one of the companies reporting a good level of interest from overseas buyers at SIB. General feedback from Anolis was that one year on from its inception, expectations are being exceeded and general manager John Saunders was positive about the future.

Last month, the total number of visitors to the combined shows reached 100,000 for the first time, a 10% rise over last year, while exhibitors increased by 5%. And this over just four days, with a 16% rise in overseas visitors. No wonder there are long queues at the taxi ranks.

USA - BSR E.19, Recommended Practice for the use of Class A Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) intended for personnel protection in the Entertainment Industry, is available for public review. The draft standard gives advice on where, when, and how to use GFCIs rated for 100A and less in the entertainment industry. These devices are used for personnel protection in entertainment applications encompassing places of assembly, the production of film, video and broadcast, theatrical productions, carnivals, circuses, fairs and similar events in North America. The official ANSI 45-day public review period starts on May 26, but the draft standard is available now at http://www.esta.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. The public review runs through until the end of 10 July 2006.

Reviewer

Ireland - An exhibit commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Easter Rising opened recently in a newly renovated space at the National Museum of Ireland's Collins Barracks site in Dublin. Occupying a central position in The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916 is an original copy of the 1916 Proclamation Of Independence, one of the most important documents in modern Irish history.

The renovated space enables museum experts, who worked with exhibit designers Haley Sharpe Design Ltd of Leicester and lighting designers DJW of Beaulieu, to ensure acceptable levels of light and humidity in order to display such precious documents safely.

Lighting designer David Willrich, of DJW, said that one of the main considerations behind designing the lighting for The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916 was observing conservation light level requirements whilst providing sufficient l

Martin Professional's Tungsten MAC TW1 was a a bit of a crowd puller but I was able to grab a few moments with Martin's Harry de Lon who walked me through the fixture due to ship in the summer. CMY colour mixing providesa full range, from delicate pastels to deep saturation. The standard lens gives a variable range of 20-40° with other options available. The company says that the MAC TW1 1200W fixture is the brightest in its class, and also that it is exceptionally quiet - a feat achievable through a new, (patent pending) silent cooling design which traps the heat and dissipates it away from the back of the fixture. The MAC 700 Wash was also on display (for more on this, see our Technical Focus review, pages 84-89), and other important launches include Maxxyz PC, a PC-based version of the popular Maxxyz console.

Another Italian lighting manufacturer, DTS has been around for many years, but has only recently begun to make its mark in the moving light market. It had a strong presence at SIB, showed a number of new products including its powerful new XM 1200 Spot. Features include CMY colour-mixing plus a colour wheel (seven colours plus white), two gobo wheels with six gobos plus open on each, and an effects wheel with a rotating and indexable beam-shaper, three prisms and a frost. Using a Philips MSR 1200/SA discharge lamp, the luminaire boasts a 5,600°K colour temperature output, an intelligent cooling system, protection circuitry and power-saving mode. The rugged unit has an anodized aluminium body with ABS covering over the yoke and head, and comes with a two-year guarantee. Comprehensive technical support is offered online. DTS also conducted tours of its nearby offices and factory premis

The usual A.C. Lighting welcome was extended, with the team excited about the Jands Vista S3. Designed to compete in the Frog 2 / Hog 1000 market, the Vista S3 is a compact piece of kit which provides full functionality of a Vista console, run in conjunction with a PC or Mac. Shipping in the next month. ColorWeb aplenty was also on show, offering a cost-effective modular solution. Each 1sq.m panel has 16 DMX LED colour cells, with panels clipping together.

Arri was exhibiting the new ArriMax 18/12, "the most powerful HMI light on the planet". By the looks of this monster, it meant business. Combining the variable beam spread of a Fresnel and the light output of a Par, the ArriMax uses a unique reflector concept for beam control which eliminates the need for spread lenses. The unit takes a new 18kW or 12kW lamp

USA - Color Kinetics Inc says that the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts has awarded the company costs and attorneys' fees in its successful patent litigation against Super Vision International Inc, pending documentation of the costs and fees, which Color Kinetics estimates to be approximately $1.4 million.

According to the Judge's ruling: "I conclude without hesitation that this case is 'exceptional,' and that Super Vision has perpetrated a 'gross injustice' by its egregious abuses of the discovery phase and vexatious litigation strategy. An award of attorneys' fees is appropriate to remedy the 'gross injustice' Color Kinetics has suffered at the hands of Super Vision's vexatious and bad faith litigation."

"We are very pleased with the Court's decision, as the order provides satisfying vindication for Super Vision's behavior over the past four

French manufacturer Ayrton - represented by the inimitable Italian 'Cockney' Ivano Burato - was exhibiting with its Italian distributor, Evolight. Alongside its established LED luminaires (including the Easycolor2 moving head) the company's central focus was on the stunning DreamPanel, which was first seen at PLASA last year. In the debate about a rival show springing up in Milan, Burato was emphatically in the Rimini camp: no Rimini, no show.

Ready-Steady-Light. Not a bad name for this event; in fact it does the job rather nicely. Most will correctly assume that this is some sort of lighting race /competition. What might not be immediately apparent is its ground-breaking nature, removing boundaries between professionals and students, and between specialisms within the broad profession that is lighting. This is a competition where the underdog can rise to top dog in three hours. Bring it on . . .

A chance meeting with Jonathan David, secretary of the Society of Light and Lighting, at ARC back in February unwittingly led me down memory lane to Ready-Steady-Light, held at Rose Bruford College, surrounded by the ghosts of college past as an ex-Bruford myself.

Turn a corner and you could step back a decade by mistake, to when RBC was incubating its first fully-fledged lighting design graduates (myself included), the first batc

LDR, the Italian manufacturer of theatrical luminaires, followspots and accessories, was another company to report a strong show with good international presence. Fabiano Besio expressed himself "completely satisfied" adding that the show had exceeded his expectations.

As to the mootedMilan / Rimini rivalry, Besio was another exhibitor strongly in the Rimini camp.Product-wise, LDR introduced pole-operated versions of its architectural and theatrical fresnel products, the PO versions being complete new units with their own part number. The 230V version of the new Canto MK2 was officially introduced in Europe: there are various new features, including the side-handle, a drop-down lamp holder and new reference markings for the manual dimmer.

Also new was Colour commander - a dedicated remote control for controlling the Xpress colour scroller. A touch panel offers immediate col

ETC's Bill Gallinghouse reported a busy show, with a lot of visitors from Eastern Europe, and Russia. "This is always a good show for us," he says. It was clear to see the advantages of the new Enhanced Definition Lens Tube, with a comparison to a standard tube projected above the stand. The EDLT provides even crisper projections with greater acuity and higher contrast, making graphics look even better, the beam edge even sharper, and with no loss in field lumens. The EDLT is available in 19°, 26° and 36° field angles with the 50° field angle to follow.

With the tubes now shipping, Gallinghouse says: "When White Light's Bryan Raven saw these at PLASA he said, 'Oh no, you are going to make me spend money!'.

Worldwide - ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls Inc) has redesigned its company web site, which goes live today. With improved features and more information than ETC's former site, the new etcconnect.com will also be easier to navigate and will include regionalised access, say the company. Convenient categories for entertainment lighting, architectural lighting - or both - will make it a rich resource for experienced lighting professionals as well as beginners who will find more direct data on ETC products and a wealth of solutions for all levels of lighting projects.

Product pages will include user-friendly hot links to downloads, tutorials and other important documentation about ETC's acclaimed line of lighting equipment, including the award-winning Source Four family of luminaires; Sensor+ and Unison dimming systems; ETC and IES SineWave technology, compact Smart Solutions light

Coemar's stunning stand was probably the largest at SIB, and certainly the most eye-catching. The company has been working to strengthen its brand image, and featured a number of new products at SIB. These included, for the 'archi-entertainment' market, Panorama Led, PCB Led and Panorama Power MK2 fixtures; for TV/rental applications, the iSpot S, iSpot Extreme, iWash Halo, ParLite Led, Power Stick, SuperCyc MK2 and MiniCyc EB; and for disco/club/install and projects, the PCB Led, ParLite Led, RigaLed, Led illumination system and MiniCyc MB. The iWash Halo, iSpot S, PCB Led, Parlite Led and Led illumination system are also aimed at theatre.

Slovakia - Lighting designer Martin Kubanka used 70 Robe moving lights and a wide selection of conventional and studio fixtures for the final of the 2006 Slovakian Miss Universe qualifier. All lighting was supplied by the country's top lighting rental company, Q-99.

The show was staged at the National Tennis Centre in Bratislava in front of a live audience of 4,000, and broadcast live on Saturday night by Joj (pronounced 'yoy') - Slovakia's largest private TV channel. It attracted an audience of up to four million (80% of the country's population) making it one of the highest profile media events on the Slovakian TV calendar.

Kubanka has designed the show's lighting for the last eight years, and Q-99 has provided lighting and sound for the same duration. Each year the visuals have evolved in complexity and in terms of technology, and Kubanka explains that it's a collaborative

UK - Three innovative products, 11 stand-out projects and a UK lighting designer were the outstanding winners at the Lighting Design Awards at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, on 30 March.

PLASA and the PLASA Show played a key role in the evening, sponsoring the new Entertainment Lighting Award, designed to give lighting designers recognition for their creative work. Following a rigorous judging process, the Award went to the Old Man of Storr in Trotternish on the Isle of Skye, which became the centrepiece for an extraordinary night-time event as an average of 200 people nightly took the midnight walk to the spectacular rock pinnacle. The Storr forest, cliffs and corrie provided the backdrop for a subtle and imaginative light and sound installation by Dave Bryant.

Peterborough Cathedral, which dates to 1118, won the Heritage Lighting Award for a scheme,

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