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Video and AV

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The Netherlands - Avesco company JVR supplied one of the largest LED screens ever fielded for three 28,000 capacity Christmas shows at the Arnhem Gelredome by Dutch superstar Frans Bauer.

The video screen formed the 'set': similar in proportions to the system used on U2's legendary Popmart tour, this consisted of 500sq.m of Barco's D7 outdoor product assembled into arguably the largest and highest resolution display ever built in Europe and even worldwide, discounting fixed installs, say JVR.

Sales director Jeroen Jongenelen commented. "The Barco D7 is the only system that offered the resolution required and was available in sufficient quantities to enable us to pull of a project of this scale."

Even so, the screen modules were sourced from numerous different suppliers, and the two weeks leading up to the show saw a steady stream of sea and air shipments from aroun

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UK - A curious amalgam, MPH '04 is The Motor Show with Top Gear attitude; but then with presenters Tiff Needell, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond it would be (sharp intake of breath, adopt voice of God) 'like a B52 parking in your driveway'.

This was just the second year of the show at Earls Court, and already it's growing; PMI and Simon Aldridge appear to have brought a new and burgeoning marriage of live and static presentation into the exhibition world, a marriage that will surely have others looking frantically for an eligible partner.

Steve Sinclair has been part of the presentation team for the past two events and describes the differences between this and conventional car expo: "Some content elements appear familiar, there's a gallery of 90 or so vehicles, sponsored by HR Owens, but these aren't ordinary cars; we're talking testosterone motoring Ferraris and Mas

PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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UK - New Year's Eve 2004 saw the British Airways London Eye become the focal point for a spectacular light and fireworks display for 150,000 Londoners on Westminster Bridge and the Embankment - plus a nationwide television audience.

Although tempered by news of the Asian Tsunami - a two-minute silence was held before the display and certain elements of the projection and light show were removed - the overall reaction from audience and press was that London had got this New Year's Eve event absolutely right. Jack Morton Worldwide (JMW) designed and produced the entertainment and managed the logistics for the event. JMW project director Jeremy Garbett and his team worked for months in advance to co-ordinate and accommodate the various council and public safety concerns.

Fireworks were obviously the major element of the show and French designer Christophe Berthonneau and his team from

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UK - A curious amalgam, MPH '04 is The Motor Show with Top Gear attitude; but then with presenters Tiff Needell, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond it would be (sharp intake of breath, adopt voice of God) 'like a B52 parking in your driveway'.

This was just the second year of the show at Earls Court, and already it's growing; PMI and Simon Aldridge appear to have brought a new and burgeoning marriage of live and static presentation into the exhibition world, a marriage that will surely have others looking frantically for an eligible partner.

Steve Sinclair has been part of the presentation team for the past two events and describes the differences between this and conventional car expo: "Some content elements appear familiar, there's a gallery of 90 or so vehicles, sponsored by HR Owens, but these aren't ordinary cars; we're talking testosterone motoring Ferraris and Mas

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Belgium - Barco has announced the acquisition of System Technologies, based in Torhout, Belgium. Started by Frederic Opsomer in 1995, System Technologies specializes in innovative designs for special projects in the rental and staging markets. The company counts designs for special projects such as the Olympics 2004 opening and closing ceremonies as well as the design of specialized elements in the upcoming worldwide U2 tour, amongst its most recent projects. The company has annual sales of approximately 5m euros and the total cost for the transaction is less than half of sales, say Barco.

The transaction will see one of Barco's fastest growing divisions, Barco Media & Entertainment, incorporate System Technologies' expertise into its own total solution offering toward the important rental and staging and fixed installation markets. The transaction underpins Barco's belief that

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UK / USA - Software provider Stardraw.com announced its most significant US expansion to date, with the establishment of a West Coast office in partnership with US distribution specialists, North American Pro Audio (NAPA). The move follows an extraordinary year for Stardraw, which has necessitated the provision of additional resources to serve and develop the US market. The partnership with NAPA, operating as Stardraw.com USA, will look after all Stardraw's customers within the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, and manage resellers and reps in the territory with effect from 1 January 2005.

In addition to handling all sales and front-line technical support, Stardraw.com USA will offer a comprehensive schedule of user training seminars across the US for 2005. Furthermore, support through Stardraw's toll-free number has now been expanded to operate between the hours of 9am Eastern to 6pm

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UK - Scene Change, digital media specialist and distributor of the Hippotizer range welcomes Bob Kronman to its staff. A familiar name in the worlds of both large-format projection and video projection, Kronman has just completed work on the London transfer of the musical Mary Poppins, working with PIGI large format projectors and Scene Change's Hippotizer digital media server and BeaMover moving video projector products, as well as with the digital content created for the production by Scene Change. Kronman has also worked on a wide range of other productions, including We Will Rock You, and for suppliers across the AV and projection fields, most notably E/T/C UK and Production Arts.

Kronman will be working with Scene Change's Nigel Sadler, providing sales, training and technical support for the company's entire production range, and on projects where Scene Change

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UK - Brummie legend Jasper Carrott gave Birmingham his very own Christmas present packed full of entertainment when he staged his 'Christmas Cracker' at the NEC Birmingham on 19 December. The line-up was a closely guarded secret and none of the capacity 12,500 crowd who packed in to the NEC Arena knew who would be performing until the artists came on stage. Among some of the Country's top stars who appeared for charity were X Factor stars G4, comedian Bill Bailey, King of the Jungle - Joe Pasquale, Liz McLarnon from Atomic Kitten and music legends Robert Plant, Lulu and Robin Gibb from the Bee Gees. Proceeds for the event go to a number of local children's charities.

PSP provided six live cameras, four Barco 12,000 Lumen projectors and two large screens, which enabled the capacity audience to get closer to the performance. PSP also provided backstage monitoring equipment and li

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UK / USA - Software providers Stardraw.com has announced that support for Global Caché's GC-100 series of network adaptors has been incorporated into their new application, Stardraw Control. Global Caché, based in Southern Oregon, is dedicated to producing low-cost, state-of-the-art products to enable technology in the home environment. The award-winning GC-100 Network Adaptor provides the means for PC-based control, automation and management software to access, control and deliver services in a networked home to diverse and previously unconnected devices and appliances.

Stardraw Control is exactly that - a software-based application designed expressly to control systems that contain diverse products. It generates standalone, customized control programs that can manage and monitor any type of addressable equipment from any manufacturer using any protocol over any communicatio

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USA - 2005 promises to be a strong year for the cruise industry, which looks set to achieve record growth. Numerous new cruise ships are scheduled for launch in 2005, with further major projects slated for 2006 and 2007. This positive trend will translate into real business opportunities for UK specialists providing lighting, audio, AV and staging technologies.

Exploiting this development will be the forthcoming SeaTrade exhibition in Miami (March 15-17) - the largest gathering of cruise line owners, operators and suppliers in the world. One of the main features of the show will be the new 'PLASA at Sea' Pavilion - a showcase of all the latest innovations in entertainment and leisure-based technology. Confirmed exhibitors to date include Barbizon, Vari-Lite, Rose Brand, Rosco, Color Kinetics, Xilver, Martin Professional, Mavco, Teledimensions, Stage Technologies and Snow Master

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USA - John Wiseman, president of XL Touring Video, announce Valdis Dauksts' promotion to general manager of XL Touring. Dauksts, who has 30 years' experience in concert touring and production around the world, has also worked extensively in staging, lighting and production capacities across fashion, live theatre, corporate events, large-scale outdoor events (such as the Papal visit in Central Park) and large concert tours. His clients have included Bruce Allen Talent, MTV, Radio City Music Hall, VH1, Merv Griffin Productions and many more. Along the way, Dauksts has been VP of Lighting at Nocturne Productions and general manager of Fourth Phase / Light and Sound Design in Newbury Park, California.

Wiseman comments: "I am very pleased to announce Val's promotion to general manager. Having worked with him in the past, I'm positive we've made a decision that will greatly bene

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Hong Kong - Erfurt in the east of Germany is one of the latest international airports to boast a Lighthouse screen and is the first in a planned countrywide airport advertising network. The P6, ultra high resolution 6mm pixel pitch screen, installed by systems integrator Super Screen International (SSI), is positioned at the busiest part of the terminal. It shows a mixture of advertising and airport information, adding interest for both visitors and passengers waiting at check-in.

Content for the screen is remotely managed by SSI from their offices in Weimer and displayed via a play-out unit located at the airport. "The Lighthouse P6 6mm screen is the best quality screen at the best price for this application," comments SSI's Karsten Witt. "The airport is very pleased with the screen as it's good for their profile to have this sort of installation, as well as givi

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UK - Global Display Solutions (GDS) has introduced a new self-diagnostic service for video monitors that, it says, will almost eliminate downtime in the field for its customers. GDS can fit all of its displays with a proprietary self-diagnostic system, which enables the monitors to alert GDS (via a USB connection with the display server) if it develops a problem or needs replacing. The service is available to all customers with GDS display products across its markets in the passenger terminal, transport, banking, medical and industry sectors, and is particularly suitable for monitors where 24 hour operation is a requisite.

With more than one million displays installed worldwide, GDS has introduced this service to ensure that, if its units go down in the field, customers receive immediate replacement delivery. This new programme is also designed to reduce the number of failed di

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Ukraine - When the Kiev Underground Railway System wanted to update its 44-year-old passenger communication system, they turned to Kramer Electronics for a solution that would provide high-resolution video in every car and withstand the rigors of the Underground environment. "They needed a video network, primarily for advertisement purposes, but they also wanted to provide station information inside the train cars," said Serge Dmitrenko, chief of Kramer Electronics Ttechnical support team in Russia. "They intended to use hardware made locally in Kiev, but were unable to get the required signal quality underground. So, they began searching for a branded solution."

The requirements included XGA resolution, compact size and reliability in the underground environment, which has high levels of electro-magnetic interference. In addition, the Kiev Underground team

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The Netherlands - Dutch projection screen specialist Projecta, part of the Indiana-based DaLite company, is expanding its range with the introduction of four new large projection screens and made-to-measure screens at the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show in Amsterdam this week.

Projecta supplies large projection screens from 3 to 20 metres wide and can create a made-to-measure projection screen suited to meet special needs. Each of the four new large screens has its own specific features and the screen fabric ensures an entirely flat screen for both optimum image quality and fire safety (M1) standards, and is equipped with a sturdy case and a strong motor; they can also be wall or ceiling mounted. The GiantScreen electrol is available in widths varying from 4.5 to 7 metres. One size up is the GiantKing electrol, which ranges in widths from 7 to 10 metres. Larger yet is the J

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UK - Broadscreen interaction developer Visual Planet has launched its Interactive Poster, a new 'shrink wrapped' solution designed to make interactive rear projection displays easier to install in retail and corporate environments. Visual Planet's interactive solutions allow the viewer to control the content displayed on a screen with touch, and the company has 'productised' its technology to make it easier for third parties to use.

The new Interactive Poster offers a range (30-60-inch) of high-resolution interactive diffusion and holographic rear projection screens, which can be used either free-standing or attached to a window. Commercial director Mike Cole said: "The 'Interactive Poster' offers a new dimension for retailers; it can be used within the store to promote services or offerings, or within the shop window to enable day time or out-of-hours window shopping. We c

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UK - Brighton Film Studios, the facilities subsidiary of The Brighton Film School, has just taken delivery of the new JVC DLA-HD2K high definition projector. Franz von Habsburg, director at Brighton Film School, first saw the projector at VMI's new High Definition and Broadcast facility in Soho. Brighton Film Studios use the HD2K's special video processor unit, which accepts a wide range of HD and SD signals. It up-converts and rescales all signals to output 1920 x 1080 progressively scanned images which are transmitted via DVI signal to the HD2K projector.

"What I liked about the HD2K was the scaler," commented Franz who, as a BAFTA judge, has been using it to screen BAFTA award entries prior to casting his votes. "It ramps up any input of a lower standard to HD and produces an image that's outstanding and virtually pixel-free to the naked eye." The HD2K has

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UK - XL Video recently supplied projection and control for video artist and photographer David Buckland's inventive installation work in Somerset House, which is part of his wider Cape Farewell Arctic exploration project. It drew together artists, scientists and educationalists to collectively address and raise awareness of global warming. The projections - one of the art elements of the project - were beamed onto the Seaman's Hall facade of the main courtyard at Somerset House, at the end of the venue's famous winter ice rink, enjoyed this season by nearly 120,000 members of the skating public.

The installation, which ran every night for 10 days, was primarily an experimental exercise, designed to illustrate how this type of building projection will potentially translate into a much larger integrated Cape Farewell Festival event, planned for Somerset House in 2006. The technica

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Australia/Malaysia - Klotz Digital Asia Pacific announced its immediate appointment as distributor for Smart AV's Elite Series Smart Consoles in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia. Klotz Digital will sell Smart AV products through its extensive network of sales and service centres across the region.

Robert Smallwood, Smart AV's general manager operations and marketing, comments: "We are pleased to be working with Klotz Digital in the Asia Pacific region. The company has good coverage throughout the area and has a very conscientious and thorough attitude. Its strong technical background in digital audio and its readiness to configure our consoles with customers' choice of processing engine makes it an ideal partner for Smart AV."

Sales and support for the Asian region that includes China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand will be

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UK - When Celebrity Big Brother director Tony Gregory states that, "nowadays it's not about if we use an LED screen, but how we use it," he is emphasizing just how quickly this technology has become integrated into leading television spectaculars, reality shows and outside broadcasts. "It's now an essential part - not only of a show's fabric, but also of people's expectations," he says.

A veteran of staging Big Brother series Gregory worked closely with designer Patrick Watson, lighting director Al Gurdon and video technology suppliers Creative Technology (also BB veterans), to create a set in which the massive 4m x 2m Big Brother 'eye' icon was backlit, using 55 of Creative Technology's Element Labs Versa Tubes.

Both Gregory and Watson were united in emphasizing the level of technical support offered by CT, which enabled them to be mor

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USA - Electrosonic and Scharff Weisberg Systems Integration Inc have signed a joint venture agreement creating Electrosonic New York, an audio video systems integration organization that will operate out of Long Island City. By combining Scharff Weisberg's existing systems installation business with the Northeast division of Electrosonic, the new company will be able to provide New York-area architects, designers, consultants and builders with unsurpassed AV design and installation support from a local source, say the company.

Scharff Weisberg president Josh Weisberg described the collaboration: "We've been friendly competitors for years and have occasionally worked together on projects. So, when Electrosonic decided they would benefit from a higher profile in the New York area, we realized that our clients could benefit as well from Electrosonic's global reach and well-de

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UK - CGA Integration Ltd has upgraded the facilities of the Intashape Fitness & Weight Loss Centre in Swansea, with the installation of additional audiovisual equipment. Following an online enquiry, CGA met with Catherine Hughes, owner of Intashape Swansea. She was looking to upgrade the existing system and was searching for a reliable company to install and support some additional equipment to her venue.

She explains: "I have previously had sound and video equipment installed and not been happy with the level of support of the quality of the end product. CGA came to site and showed me their portfolio, listened to me and then explained the systems to me." She adds: "I have received a very personal service from CGA, with the same point of contact from initial contact to completion of works - I would recommend them to other gym owners."

CGA installed a full

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UK - Toby Alington's Richmond Studios team took on one of the biggest challenges in its history last night when it recorded the BRIT Awards' largest-ever lineup of live bands - 12 bands in a two-hour, non-stop live show at Earl's Court. Alington and an audio team of 10 recorded the complete 25th anniversary live show in an array of recording mobiles parked in a secure area next to Earl's Court 2, which was transformed into a spectacular 5,500-seat arena for the BRITs by event producers MJK Productions.

The bands' performances, awards presentations and speeches were recorded onto digital multitracks. An overnight post-production at London Studios will see the show trimmed to its broadcast length, ready for broadcast on ITV this evening. Finally, Alington will create an 'international' version of the edited show, with the English commentary and voiceovers removed.He comments: &qu

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UK - Kramer Electronics recently announced the availability of the newest addition to its product line - the 840 DVI pattern generator. The 840 is a DVI display evaluation tool and an ideal product for engineering and sales personnel in the business of selling and calibrating DVI capable displays and accessories.

The 840 comes with 32 built-in patterns including some unique patterns containing movement, say the company. All 32 patterns in the 840 have been carefully chosen to ensure that the 840 can effectively evaluate every important aspect of a DVI display or accessory. These include, but are not limited to, the refresh rate performance, testing of overall linearity, the linearity of each pixel component and identifying missing pixel components of fixed resolution display devices such as LCD and plasma monitors and LCD and DLP projectors. The 840 also has patterns that are de

  1. XL Video and Kinesys on The Brits
  2. Hawthorn Theatrical comes of age
  3. LM Productions' StratoFantasia show
  4. Stasera Gianni Morandi
  5. NSCA: World launch of Stardraw Control
  6. Barco launches new products.
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