Denmark - Neets A/S, making AV control systems has introduced Neets EasyConnect - 'Complete AV Connectivity and Control for Your Tabletop'.

Neets EasyConnect solves one of the most common and frustrating problems encountered in AV presentations - When a guest presenter wants to connect a laptop computer, all too often the proper cables cannot be found, or they are too short, or the connection point is hidden away in a floor pocket or wall panel. Neets EasyConnect is the obvious solution.

All necessary connections are readily accessible, right on the tabletop or lectern, inside this durable metal enclosure. The standard version accommodates all five typical connections for laptop computers and most tablet-type mobile devices. A sixth cable (optional) can be included to accommodate, for example, a DVI connector, an XLR microphone, ¼" audio jack or RCA jack for composite vi

UK - XL Video, commissioned by Limited Edition Events, recently supplied 300 tiles of their bright and vibrant Pixled F-12 LED for the Royal Premiere of the new James Bond film, Skyfall.

The star-studded red carpet event, held at London's Royal Albert Hall, was attended by HRH Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the stars of the film along with a host of other celebrity guests.

After attendees arrived on the red carpet and ascended the stairs towards the Royal Albert Hall they were met with the sight of the classic Aston Martin DB5 with a backdrop of 75 tiles of Pixled F-12.

This stage was used for interviews with the stars of the film hosted by David Walliams and Natasha Kaplinski.

To the right and left of the stage two additional tall LED displays, each with 141 tiles of Pixled F-12 displayed pre-programmed content including movie logo animations, and phot

UK - Green Hippo 3.2 recognises a year of hard work from the whole team at Green Hippo, says the company.Expanding in staff and office space as well as reshuffling roles, 3.2 is the fruit of this work. It's the biggest release in terms of features and fixes since V3 first became available, showing that the award winning software just keeps getting bigger and better.

New features include RegionMapper, X-Fade on Layer, Muti-Select, Mackie, Presets2, MaNet, Time Code On-A-Layer and Watch Folders along with a host of smaller features and Bug Fixes.

Hippotizer product manager Lee House says, "3.2 is the result of a new way that Green Hippo are bringing software to the users. We have invested in new processes and team members to make sure that we have taken all the requests from our users and created something special for them. As innovators in the market, again we have pushed

Spain - In order to undertake the increasingly challenging Neuromarketing research at his Laboratory of Human-Centered Technology (known as LabHuman), at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Prof. Dr. Mariano Alcaniz Raya, needed to improve the interactive technology within a vastly improved virtual environment.

Funding from the Spanish government, in the form of an International Campus of Excellence grant, facilitated this. The former L-shaped VR facility was decommissioned and with the aid of Bedford-based Simulation Displays, working through Spanish-based 3D/virtual reality specialists, Bienetec, a new three-sided CAVE and floor have been constructed, along with a separate HD Active Stereo PowerWall for projecting large computer generated images.

Four different rooms have been remodelled into one large rectangular space for the purpose - with the rear sections of both sy

UK - XL Video is supplying LED screen, custom scenic video elements, cameras / PPU and crew for the new Killers Battle Born tour which has just kicked off in the UK following the release of the band's fourth and eagerly anticipated studio album in September.

Video was specified by lighting, set and visuals designer Steven Douglas, known for his innovative and original approach. It renews a positive and long-term working relationship between XL Video and the band, and follows XL's supply of video specials for festival headliners and own shows throughout the summer. XL's project managers are Jo Beirne and Phil Mercer.

Douglas's starting point for the tour design was that the band wanted the stage to have a generally more raw and stark look and feel than in the past. He also wanted the video to be different, distinctive and edgy, toned with subtlety and suggestion yet high

UK - Members of the musical performance phenomenon Blue Man Group are putting a lightweight screen, digiTHIN, to ground-breaking use when they appear to materialise from a video projection in their latest production. The screens, developed by international video specialist displayLED under its digiLED brand, are worn by the artists who perform rigorous routines animated by breathtaking visual effects.

The group attracts 47,000 people per week to shows in New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando, with a new Las Vegas production now open at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.

According to BMG show director Bill Swartz, the effects illustrate the group's creative idea that a hybrid space exists between real life and the technical world of phones and texts. "We call it 2.5D space," he says.

The modular 320mm x 160mm digiTHIN tiles are fixed to the performers using magnetic mou

UK - TAIT Technologies have been awarded a Guinness World Records title for the world's largest landscape video display. Consisting of 634,500 individual pixels, TAIT's pixel tablet debuted at the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony on 27th July 2012 and was used with stunning effect at all other ceremonies during the games.

Throughout the ceremonies, the audience were able to hold TAIT's pixel tablet in their hand, becoming part of the vast seamless ring of images surrounding the stadium seating area. TAIT created 70,500 tablets, one for each stadium seat, integrating the audience into the ceremony performance. Opening Ceremony artistic director Danny Boyle worked with Frederic Opsomer, CEO of TAIT Technologies on his vision of turning the audience into a giant canvas.

"The assembly of dispersed LED pixels to form very large video images has been with us for some time,&

USA / UK - Everyone knows someone who's had cancer, and while no one can predict where or who it will strike, most people agree that encouraging healthy choices and receiving regular medical checkups are key to avoiding and treating the disease. Annual checkups and simple screenings can dramatically increase rates of early detection. Breast, prostate and colon cancers are three that can be aggressively attacked with regular examination and screening protocols.

Members of the commercial AV industry are joining together in a grassroots effort called TEAM, or Tell Everyone Awareness Matters, to raise awareness of the positive impact healthcare and lifestyle choices can make in reducing risks of serious disease. Founding members Juice Goose, Community Professional Loudspeakers, HP Marketing (Colorado) and Women in AV (WAVE) invite you to join in TEAM Cancer Awareness. TEAM focuses o

UK - Epson reports its first twin-stacked passive 3D projector system. Bringing a bright, affordable 3D experience to a range of audiences, this model is ideal for educational establishments, museums, exhibitions and the hospitality industry, says the company. The Epson EB-W16SK offers a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), is compatible with any 3D signal format and ensures audiences of all sizes can enjoy bright, vivid 3D projection.

The Epson EB-W16SK is the only 3D passive projector in the market that is compatible with all 3D signal formats: side-by-side, top-and-bottom, frame packing and frame sequential. This means that users have the flexibility to display the widest range of 3D content available.

The Epson EB-W16SK projector system is made up of two individual projector units, stacked together in a specially-designed mount. The projectors are connected via USB, in a com

UK - XL Video supplied scenic LED plus projection and camera / IMAG systems - including some of their newest products - to Robbie Williams' acclaimed three nights at London's O2 Arena last week. With a rousing performance in-the-round, the star re-established himself in grand style as a solo artist.

For XL, it was the continuation of a long and fruitful relationship with Robbie Williams and his production team which stretches back over a decade. Video has always been an integral part of Robbie's live shows and his tours have blazed a trail for innovative, design-led applications of new video technology.

This was once again the case, making maximum impact at the O2 shows. The third show was broadcast live on Sky 1, and in other territories worldwide, and can now be seen on Sky's On-Demand service.

XL's project manager, Phil Mercer, worked closely with Robbie's long-term produ

South Africa - Opened in 1997 by Nelson Mandela, the multi award winning Durban ICC celebrated its 15th anniversary with a Grand Banquet. With 33000sq.m of space available to clients, the Exhibition Centre is the largest flat floor, column-free exhibition/conference space in Africa.

This year the Durban ICC was named "Africa's number 1 meeting and conference centre" by the prestigious World Travel Awards, for the 11th time in 12 years. The ICC has welcomed kings, queens, presidents, actors, icons and entertainers and has hosted some of the biggest, most high profile conferences in the world.

The anniversary project's objective required event organisers to showcase the capacity, versatility and flexibility of the ICC to stage major international events

Makulu Events was awarded the tender to organise the event and with the ICC, invited a number of companies to propo

UK - West Midlands-based video and production specialist Central Presentations Ltd (CPL) will be the main supplier of specialist broadcast and AV equipment to the re-launched Giltbrook Studios in Nottingham.

Giltbrook offers a cutting edge facility in the heart of the Midlands for all types of productions from drama and commercials to business television, infomercials and green-screen shooting.

The project to rejuvenate and bring the space right up to date - originally opened as a purpose-built, sound-proofed TV studio in the 1970s - is the brainchild of TV professional Andy Swain and other key individuals with extensive broadcast industry experience, who have teamed up with studio owners, Finishing Post.

Says Swain, "Many people have fond memories of working at Giltbrook over the years and the 'new' Giltbrook will be a vibrant and exciting space with great functionalit

UK - Visualization expert Barco proudly reports that the British Museum, one of the world's most prestigious museums, has recently purchased a Barco RLM-W8, RLM-W12 and a cutting-edge HDX-W18 projector. The projectors will ensure eye-catching picture quality at the Museum's Clore Education Centre. "By purchasing three different projector types, we can offer our diverse audiences the image quality to meet their needs," said Chris Power, head of AV at the British Museum.

Barco and the British Museum have successfully worked together on various projects over the past few years. The Museum installed its first SLM-10 projectors back in 2005, they were originally set up at the Museum's Clore Education Centre, which houses two theatres used for lectures, conferences, concerts and other performances. Barco was also the Museum's visualization partner for the First Emperor exhib

UK - XL Events, working with WRG, supplied a wide range of video equipment and services for EE Live at Birmingham's NEC. The five-day launch event saw Everything Everywhere Limited present their new brand EE, which incorporates superfast 4G mobile and fibre home broadband to multiple audiences including sales staff, retail partners and customer care teams.

XL Events were brought on board by WRG as the technical supplier for video services and attended early design discussions for the event. Utilising the expertise of Project Manager, Guy Vellacott and Technical Director, David Mulcahy, XL was able to recommend and specify a number of cutting edge technologies which helped shape the overall event.

"Our early involvement in the project meant we were able to talk to WRG about new technologies and demo the applications of these as relevant to their event," explains Guy V

Nepal - Investment in Alcons Audio systems is being made by cinema owners in an ever-increasing number of countries across the globe. The company has recently broken yet more new territory with the installation of systems in Nepal.

Located in the Sundhara district of the capital Kathmandu is QFX Civil Mall, the country's largest shopping area, covering a total of 25,000sq.ft.This houses a new three-screen multiplex cinema, the QFX Cinemas, which are capable of seating up to 939 viewers at any one time. This is Nepal's first truly world-class Cineplex and is one of a trio of cinemas owned by QFX in the city.

QFX is the brand name of Quest Entertainment (QE), which was launched in Nepal a decade ago with the QFX Jai Nepal Cinema. The company is also involved in film distribution and production and as such has a thorough understanding of how important high quality sound is to mod

UK - PR Lighting has added the new, super-bright XLED 1037 to its popular XLED moving head portfolio.

Characterised by the use of 37 x 10 Watt RGBW LEDs (containing four colours in one), another key feature is its wide linear zoom, with beam angle ranging from 12° to 54°.

Additional features include a linear CTO from 3200K to 10000K, linear colour mixing with macro function, , 0-100% linearly adjustable dimmer and an electronic strobe (0 to 25fps).

In terms of movement, the XLED 1037 offers speed adjustable pan and tilt (with pan angle of 0°-540° and tilt of 0°-270°) with auto position correction function. It also enables auto speed adjustment of the fans, brightness and contrast adjustment and boasts an advanced cooling system, with LED lamp overheating and DMX512 control display statuses.

There are various control options, since the XLED 1037 is W

UK - Immersive teamed up with Tait Technologies and Universal Music to deliver video pixel mapping for the X Factor's Final, broadcast, live on 9 December from the MEN Arena, Manchester.

With a live audience of 12,000 the X Factor's dramatic and nail biting final between James Arthur and Jahmene Douglas was hosted by Dermot O'Leary alongside a panel of judges that comprised Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger, Tulisa and Louis Walsh.

The show saw Immersive's multi-skilled team collaborate with production designers Florian Wieder and Matthias Kublik, along with lighting director Dave Davey, to deliver an ever-changing, visually exciting televisual spectacular.

Video was mapped across the entire upper tier of the X Factor audience by way of hand held pixel tablets, which ultimately formed an organic moving video screen as the shows special guest, Grammy Award winning

USA - Encompass Technologies has completed a major sound and video installation for the sizeable new restaurant/sports bar/nightclub, John Barleycorn River North in downtown Chicago.

The fast-growing integrator had worked on a host of other venues for owners Sam Sanchez and Michael Gonzalez. As Tim Pickett, principal for Encompass, explains, "There are four John Barleycorns and we've been involved with all of them, two from the ground up and two complete rehabs. Sam and Michael also own two Moe's Cantina clubs that we worked on.

"For John Barleycorn River North, they definitely raised the bar several notches with a substantial budget of $285,000," adds Pickett. "Unlike the club in Schaumburg where there was a focus on live sound, John Barleycorn North functions as a sports bar and restaurant during the day and becomes a nightclub with a DJ upstairs that can

The Netherlands - SGM has kept up its domination of major European dance spectaculars this year by putting on an awesome display at the GelreDome football stadium in Arnhem.

Promoted by Dutch entertainment specialists, Q-dance, Qlimax is considered to be one of the leading hardstyle events in the calendar and contains some of the most sophisticated production values of any one-off spectacular.

Lighting/production designers Jonas Smith, Tamil van Draanen and Marcel Binnenmarsch chose a total of 24 SGM Six Pack (SP-6) blinders, operating from the VIP decks, 28 powerful SGM P-5 washlights and 25 x X-5 white strobes flooding the stage for a crowd of more than 30,000 who attended Qlimax last month.

The promoters remarked on how impressed they were with all the SGM effects, but singled out the P-5 as being the best product they had used in any Qlimax show - according

USA - The progressive Bloomington Centre for the Performing Arts (BCPA) in Illinois recently carried out a technical upgrade that has seen a number of GLP's impression Spot One and Volkslicht Zoom LED fixtures replacing traditional tungsten heads.

These were supplied by GLP dealer, JR Lighting Design, Inc. following an experiment by the venue's technical manager Rodney Stickrod to see whether the new generation of LED lighting was technically capable of providing a full theatrical alternative.

BCPA had wanted to make the upgrade in its newly renovated 1,200 seat main performance auditorium. Having seen the GLP fixtures at LDI in Orlando, he was introduced to Jason Reberski, President of JR Lighting Design Inc., who set up a demo.

The traditional tungsten wash system, used primarily in saturated colors, consumed thousands of watts of electricity. "Aside from energy savin

UK - It has been three monumental years for Manchester stalwarts Elbow. Yet whatever their successes, a more unassuming and firmly grounded band you could not wish to meet. This doesn't mean they're averse to the odd risk, as show designer Cate Carter found out on their recent flurry of UK arena dates.

"The tour was to be short, just six dates and we had no production rehearsal. By definition I needed time to have an intricate show pre-programmed on a desk powerful enough to run a complex structure of cues and give me the time and space to be objective: More than anything I wanted time to look at what I was doing and how that affected the way I called the follow spots, the Kinesys movement cues, and how the lighting and video sat together in the show." A taxing self-imposed brief, yet Carter chose this moment to migrate to a new operating system, a grandMA2.

"I'

UK - The first of Robe's new Robin DLF LED Wash lights to go on tour in the UK were just ideal for Rob Sinclair's lighting design for The Human League's recent UK tour - which incorporated ten of the PLASA Innovation Award winning fixtures.

The rig also contained several other Robe fixtures, including five DigitalSpot 7000 DTs, which together with the DLF Washes, were used to illuminate and project on to a scenic back wall above and behind the band, constructed from ten Airformance Design 'Waben Blocks'.

The concept of utilising the Blocks originally came from lead vocalist Philip Oakey, who had seen these at a festival during the summer and thought they would look very cool onstage - which they did.

All lighting and digital lighting equipment for the tour was supplied by Blackburn-based HSL - who have the largest stock of Robe fixtures in the UK - and like to ensure that al

UK - Today Scala, Inc. has announced the installation of more than 350 digital signage screens at Britain's third largest shopping centre, Westfield Stratford City. The installation was carried out by Scala-partner Esprit Digital.

Included are 12 double-sided wafers, four inside and six out, four wall mounted 55in digital posters, ten 12 screen bulkhead video walls above each of the main concourses, a 5x5 screen array in the Vue Cinema foyer and two, 27 screen walls, one above the other outside Marks & Spencer. Crowning glory is the centrepiece, 5 tonne, 102 screen double sided video wall outside the John Lewis store. And it's the largest LCD video wall in Europe and probably the world.

All the Westfield Stratford City screens, predominantly Samsung, are used to display in-house interactive marketing messages and centre and store information, as well as information about event

UK - Green Hippo's Nick Charalampidis is moving on to pastures new after five years at the company.

Over the last two years Charalampidis has enjoyed working on-site supporting Hippotizer projects such as Eurovision and Jay-Z and has decided to do more 'hands on' work with the system. From January he will be joining heavy Hippotizer users Fix8Group, integrating their fleet of Green Hippo servers on projects worldwide.

"Nick has Green Hippo's full blessing for this move. He is taking his extensive Hippotizer knowledge out into the field and will continue to be an ambassador for the company's products," says the company.

(Jim Evans)

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