USA - When more than a million people turned out on the Mall in Washington, D.C. to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama, it was perhaps less well known that 11 Zero 88 Fat Frogs were there too, controlling fixtures from Christie Lites, which, last November, supported Obama's victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park.

"We were very fortunate to have two career-milestone gigs," says Robert A. Roth, of Christie Lites, about the victory speech and Mall events. "They were very rewarding personally and professionally."

Once again Christie Lites teamed with event producer C3 Presents of Austin, Texas for the Mall lighting. "There was a series of tower positions along the Mall; some of the ones on the east end of the Capitol were set up in a reasonably symmetrical array," Roth recalls. "Initially, we were led to believe we could establish wired DMX

USA - MA Lighting's grandMA full-size console is accompanying Metallica's 2008-2009 coffin-clad concerts. The show theme, echoing the coffin motif of the 25-year-career heavy metal wizards' latest release, Death Magnetic, boasts 82-ton lighting structures, courtesy of lighting designer John Broderick. Programmer Troy Eckerman reflects that on the current tour, everything is "zero time cue - fast and furious. It's all about horsepower and intensity, full-on and in-your-face."

With full-size tracking backup in line for every show, the original lighting design had entailed a hard-edge, all wash light array, to be controlled by grandMA. "We'd needed lots of power to make a big statement," says Eckerman. "And it takes lots of lights, almost all on all of the time." The lighting rig comprises 56 x Vari*Lite VL3500 washes as well as several Coemar a

UK - Since originally opening in 1996, Lush has been a hot destination for the dance community right across Northern Ireland. Now clubbers have an additional incentive to flock to the northern holiday destination of Portrush in County Antrim, following the latest £1.5m technological upgrade of the 2,000-capacity venue.

Lush is within the Kelly's entertainment complex (which includes a hotel, restaurants, bars and holiday chalets). Managing director Peter Wilson asked his technology specialists Light & Sound FX (LSFX) to create a wow factor by delivering advanced LED media displays that would allow the venue's posse of resident VJs to show off their creativity.

Proprietor Darren Gardiner opted for a complete PR Lighting solution. He specified the high-resolution Marveon LED screen P12 Indoor, with 12mm pixel pitch, as the main display above the stage, with a 37.5mm V-LED

Switzerland - Europe's tallest wine tower, standing at a staggering 15 metres, has been unveiled as the centre piece of the new Radisson Blu Hotel at Zurich Airport. The innovative installation was the focal point of the recent grand opening ceremony.

ES Projects, a trading division of ES Group Ltd, designed, built and commissioned the structure with the support of specialist sub-contractor Stage One who installed and commissioned key features such as the LED lighting and Angel flying winches. ES Projects called on its experience in the events industry to provide training and choreography for the Wine Angels.

The wine tower is a steel framed, glass clad structure designed to act as a vertical four sided temperature controlled wine cellar, operated in full view of the hotel guests and bar customers. The total capacity of the tower is 3,840 bottles. Wine bottles are store

Eurovision Update - Georgia has chosen an entry which takes a swipe at Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for May's Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow. But disco-funk song We Don't Wanna Put In, a play on the politician's name, could fall foul of Eurovision's rule against political content in entries. A contest spokesman told BBC News some lyrics are "sensitive", but any action would be deferred until next month. Russia and Georgia went to war last year over the region of South Ossetia. Relations between the two countries have been tense for several years.

Tout Control - A new website has been launched to try to help fans buy secondary gig tickets more safely. The Concert Promoters Association (CPA) has developed the website and says it is in response to a lack of government action on touts. Anyone will still be able to use the site, but the CPA

USA - Newly opened along the banks of the Potomac, the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Centre is the latest monumental addition to the national capital region. With 2,000 luxurious guest rooms and 470,000 sq.ft of meeting, convention and exhibition space - it's the largest combined hotel and convention centre on the Eastern Seaboard.

Candela Controls specified and installed a total of 355 PixelArc R architectural LED luminaires at the resort. 200 colour wash the custom built light box rooms that highlight the four external corners and two towers of the building. The additional 155 are installed inside architectural façade light boxes located above the doorways on the inside of each of the four ballrooms.

The illumination of the light boxes was a major installation challenge. Candela Controls' Bill Ellis explains: "We had to take into consideration the whole design o

USA - LEDtronics has released its latest generation narrow-beam (15 degree) PAR30-style LED spotlight bulb. The general-purpose bulb is made up of five 3-Watt, high-power LEDs and replaces filament-based PAR30 bulbs, combining advanced Light Emitting Diode (LED) technologies, standard AC voltages, 26mm Edison screw-in base, and light-optimising design, producing 367 lumens or an impressive 2,938cd Total End Foot Candles of vivid warm-white light.

The 15-degree narrow-beam PAR30A LED bulb runs on a voltage range of 85V to 260V AC current, and thus can be used anywhere in the world. Other voltages like 12-Volt AC or DC are optionally available for qualifying customers. The LEDtronics PAR30A-style lamp is a direct screw-in replacement for up to 75W PAR30 incandescent or halogen bulbs, but has a maximum power draw of only 9.5W.

Since it uses LEDs instead of standard filaments, thi

USA - ETC has expanded its website to include content in Russian for Eastern Europe, in addition to German and English. The new section brings together the Russian language information ETC has produced over the last several years in a user friendly format.

The homepage of the Russian part of the website has links to ETC product information, minisites, installation stories and news. There are also navigation tools for visitors to access ETC downloads, including product brochures, application sheets, setup guides and manuals. Visitors can also link directly to ETC's representatives and dealers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia from this site.

ETC's Eastern European sales manager Armin Kloss says: "As the markets in Russia and surrounding countries continue to grow, more and more people are turning to the internet to get information. Now our customers have all they need to

UK - Visuals and moving light director Svend Pedersen made extensive use of a Catalyst digital media server to illuminate and animate the set for the latest series of The Krypton Factor, recorded at Granada Television Studios in Manchester for ITV.

Designed by Dominic Toft, the set was made entirely from Perspex and Barco MiStrip LEDs, featuring a wide, shallow set of steps at the front, leading onto the stage, with a MiStrip back wall that curved up and above the stage to form a ceiling over the area, producing a cylindrical style structure.

Pederson used the latest spec Catalyst supplied by Ross Williams, with one output making comprehensive use of the Mix Window facility to zone the output to cover each of the four contestants individually.

He used four Mix Windows per contestant plus an additional Mix Window applied across the whole MiStrip surface, running on two

Europe - Lighthouse Technologies Ltd., a leading LED technology provider, has announced the implementation of a new corporate structure for Continental Europe and the Middle East (CEME) regions under the leadership of its current Southern European director, Roberto Segato.

The geographical scope of the new set up comprises the current Southern Europe remit, which includes Russia and the Middle East, as well as the former Western and Central European region.

A new German office has been opened in Munich, headed up by new team member, Massimo Dolce. Giulia Kabakova has also joined Segato's team as sales executive for Russia and the CIS regions to ensure that these areas can instantly benefit from this new arrangement.

"This move is designed to unify Lighthouse's European operation and help consolidate the company's position as the leading provider of high performance, fle

UK - A new game show, with colour as its central theme, has had its set brought to life by a combination of LED media displays, provided by Creative Technology London.

Commissioned by format creators and producers 12 Yard, The Colour Of Money, presented by Chris Tarrant, is one of the most ambitious sets yet created by production designer Patrick Doherty.

A total of nine mission-specific media surfaces are used on the set, including Barco's iLite 6 6mm display, which forms the main high-resolution central screen. This is reinforced by G-LEC's 30mm Phantom 30 and Barco MiTRIX transparent screens, Barco OLite 612 modular banner (curving round the rear of the set), and the German Schnick-Schnack LED FX, which borders the cash machines and also provides a uniform colour light detail elsewhere on the stage floor, with wide angle diffusion. The transparent screens have been b

UK - Lighting designer Tom Lesh used a grandMA full-size console for the first time on a recent UK tour by The Feeling. Lesh had "wanted to get my head around the desk properly" since he used grandMA for the Chemical Brothers' We Are The Night tour that ran throughout 2007 and 2008.

"With the stability of the timecoding and video operation on the grandMA, and the request early on in The Feeling production meetings to integrate video content into the show, it seemed a perfect opportunity to teach myself the desk," he explains. He set aside two weeks before the start of the tour to pre-programme the show - with the option after a week of moving back to another console had he not been happy with the grandMA. "Fortunately that proved not to be the case, and with Matt Buttons on phone support, I had a very good time and got right into it once my head w

UK - 24 i-Pix BB4 LED 4-lite units were used by lighting designer Al Gurdon on the 2009 Brit Awards show at Earls Court.

Supplied with special 'double-up' hanging brackets allowing two BB4s to be rigged together to make up an 8-Lite, six units in this format were positioned on the front truss pointing into the audience, with another two per side on each of two satellite trusses, hung stage left and right above the front line of the stage.

They were used for Molefey-style effects, providing strong and intense bursts of colour and illumination across the large live audience and highlighting the vast interior of Earls Court.

"They are absolutely super bright," comments lighting supplier PRG's crew chief Richard Gorrod. "There is also the power saving implications of running a BB4, which, with a consumption of 120 Watts, draws just half an amp on full at 240 volts

Italy - Proel S.p.A has announced the conclusion of an agreement with the Italian lighting company Lampo Lighting Designers for the acquisition of the Sagitter brand, together with the complete manufacturing plant.

Sagitter has been a well-known brand in professional lighting field for many years. Proel's statement says: "In Lampo, Proel has found a very valid partner to both monitor the manufacturing process and provide complete technical support through a committed service centre. The agreement has also brought with it the implementation of a dedicated and highly experienced R&D department."

"For Proel, this operation represents yet another large and important step towards the completion of the ongoing strategic plan for the professional Audio, Video and Lighting sectors," the company says.

(Lee Baldock)

Russia - The Children and Youth Theatre located in the West Siberian city of Kemerovo finally realised their long-standing dream for a 'Theatre in the Lobby' when Sistema, a Selecon dealer based in Moscow, supplied the required stage lighting for the project in the Autumn of 2008.

This unusual performance space was planned to be open four years ago when the theatre construction was completed, but due to deadline and other technical and design problems it wasn't, however all the electrical wiring and dimming channels were put in place.

With the aim of expanding the artistic potential of the Children and Youth Theatre the lobby windows and stairwells were darkened and cumbersome trusses that had originally been part of the plan were replaced with custom mounted Selecon Acclaim Fresnels. Supplied in Selecon's high temperature white paint finish which will not discolour over time

USA - City Theatrical has launched the 7400 series Outdoor Use Enclosures. The new enclosures are available with NEMA 3R, NEMA 4, or NEMA 4X ratings, and with IP ratings up to IP66. They may be custom ordered in virtually any size and configuration, and all styles will be ETL Listed to UL Standard 508A under City Theatrical's ETL Shop Listing.

These enclosures may be manufactured in steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, and may be powder coated in a range of durable and attractive colours. City Theatrical can implement customer designs or provide complete ground-up designs based on customer application requirements. All of the new 7400 series Outdoor Use Enclosures are designed and manufactured in City Theatrical's Carlstadt, New Jersey factory.

Larry Dunn, CTI's head of engineering said: "The addition of Outdoor Use Enclosures to City Theatrical's portfolio means that we

South Africa - LEDVision - a Gearhouse South Africa company - supplied 200sq.m of LED screen, microwave links and control for the fifth round of the 2009 A1 Grand Prix World Cup. This was staged in South Africa for the first time at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Midrand near Johannesburg.

The seven screens included three mobile truck screens - one 40sq.m Chromatek 20mm and two Barco B10s - each measuring 10sq.m. There were also four modular screens - one at 40sq.m and three at 30sq.m - all made up from Lighthouse R16.

These were placed strategically around the massive track to offer optimum viewing for a close to 90,000 strong audience.

On top of the pit roof by the start/finish line was the first of the 30sq.m Lighthouse screens, with another on the trackside at Turn 1 servicing the grandstand opposite. Further up at Turn 2 was another 30sq.m Lighthouse, one of the Barc

UK - Specialist architectural lighting suppliers Architainment has supplied over 1300 Phillips SSL iColor Cove MX Powercore LED fixtures for an eye-catching installation in the refurbished atrium of Tower 42 in the City of London.

The main entrance and reception to London's tallest skyscraper has been rejuvenated by Paul Croft Studios in conjunction with Architects Design Partnership (ADP), and transformed into a dynamic, contemporary environment for one of the City's most iconic buildings. Integral to this is a new lighting scheme created by Light Bureau.

They wanted a bright, environmentally friendly lighting feature that would produce atmospheric and vibrant colour changing effects in the space after dark. The atrium lent itself to several lengthy horizontal linear runs of LED traversing the full width of the space.

Architainment was approached as specialist lighting cons

USA - At this year's Motor Show in Detroit, XL Video Deutschland assisted three major German manufacturers. VW, Audi and Mercedes Benz all put their faith in the media technology specialists. The XL Video team was engaged by the three German companies as media equipment general service providers for the international trade fair that ran from the 11 to 25 January 2009.

The commissions involved the provision of all media and LED equipment for the booths of VW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, the provision of HD control rooms for the VW and Audi press conferences, and the presentation of the new E-Class from Mercedes-Benz in the Westin Hotel, Detroit, on the eve of the first press day.

For the Volkswagen launch, XL Video chose a 4-mm Hibino Black Face comprising 70 modules and measuring 5376 x 2880 mm for the main video wall. This high-resolution screen was framed by over 100sq.m of Barc

Ireland - The first of PR Lighting's new V-LED Spell pixelated wall tile displays has been permanently sited outside the new Dusk nightclub in Dublin.

When Gary Payne, owner of the €2m euro development, set out his plan to convert his former music lounge above Liz Delaneys Bar into a contemporary nightclub, he knew that an optimally-sited digital promotion and graphics display would attract customers from the retail park in which his leisure complex is based, like moths to a flame.

Situated in the densely-populated working class area of Coolock, close to Dublin Airport, he realised he had a potential catchment of 250,000 people to aim at - and that the 12-tile, 3.6m x 2.4m PR Lighting display, triggered from an ArKaos GrandVJ media server - would create just the wow factor he needed.

The club's technical integrator, Frank Murray, who heads locally-based specialists, Audiote

UK - When the technical managers at the National Theatre in London decided they needed to update the lighting control desks for each of the three venues, they knew it would be a challenge. The 22 technical staff knew their existing desks inside out, and would only accept something with enough power and a familiar operating style.

About two years ago, the National began the process of trialling a range of desks across six different manufacturers. Each desk was tried out and formally evaluated before a final decision was made. Lighting resources manager Michael Atkinson says: "We knew that whatever we went for, it was always going to perform differently to its predecessor. It is a huge undertaking to update all three theatres with something all the staff like - each venue needs a main desk and backup, plus there is associated hardware which needs to be changed."

Eventu

Singapore - W-DMX is playing a major role in lighting Singapore's tallest viewing tower - the Tiger Sky Tower. Located in Sentosa, it offers panoramic views at 131m above sea level across Singapore, Sentosa, the Southern Islands, and all the way to Malaysia and the Indonesian islands.

Creative Lighting Asia (CLA) worked with Saatchi and Saatchi Singapore for the re-branding of the Sentosa Sky Tower for Asia Pacific Breweries. Now renamed the Tiger Sky Tower, the viewing attraction has been given a makeover with Tiger Beer branding with part of the central column becoming a giant Tiger beer bottle.

CLA was asked to come up with a solution for lighting the tower in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manor. 60 Color Kinetics Color Blast Powercore were used to light the rotating cabin, with an additional 30 iWhite Blasts used to light the column above and below the cabi

UK - Greenled, supplier of energy saving solutions will be at Ecobuild 2009, demonstrating the core reasons why professionals shaping the built environment should now be using LEDs.

Displaying a range of 35 advanced LED products, including downlighters and retrofit lamps, Greenled will be on hand to explain how LED lighting can benefit the design and construction market, and to dispel any misconceptions surrounding the technology's capabilities.

In the spotlight will be Greenled's collection of recessed downlighters, highlighting why there is no longer the need to install technology using 25W - 40W to downlight a space any more.

"LED lighting means modern, practical and flexible designs, impressive light output, longevity and energy savings in line with regulatory demands," commented James Millar, managing director of Greenled. "LED lighting technology has dev

USA - Elation Professional's new IP-rated Design LED 36 Pro LED colour changer can adapt to any application, whether indoors or out, in permanent installations or travelling stage shows, says the company.

The DLED 36 Pro has 108 watts of high-output featuring 36 x 3-watt RGB LEDs (12 red, 12 green and 12 blue). Using a DMX controller, operators can custom blend RGB colours. The DLED 36 Pro can also generate changing colours as a standalone unit, since it's equipped with pre-programmed colour macros and eight built-in programmes that can be called up with or without a DMX controller.

The unit includes a built-in 100V-240V switching power supply, and Edison power in and out and XLR in and out. "Even though it's an IP 65-rated fixture that uses IP 65-rated cable, the connectors are regular Edison and XLR, so you don't have to worry about using special connectors," said

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