With the Disability Discrimination Act meaning that retail and entertainment venues have to look far harder at their disabled facilities, Current Thinking is ideally placed to assist. The company was showing a range of its low-spill induction loops, call systems and voice alarms. Perhaps the simplest yet most ingenious is the Easy AX Customer Care Kit, which includes a portable clipboard induction loop, text magnifiers, pen holder and templates for writing cheques, forms and documents.

HB Laserkomponenten GmbH makes components for lasers and also full show systems. Its technology is all DPSS and all its new generation laser systems are air-cooled and run on 230V, with a long life of over 10,000 hours from 500mW to 15W and from green to full colour. The company's new interactive 'Vision' software allows the real-time texturing and effecting of images projected from video projectors.

The 00DJ is the latest release from Computer DJ, a product that any self respecting DJ and secret agent will want to get hold of. This state-of-the-art, all-in-one DJ module, housed in a stylish robust silver case contains touch screen, a digital soundcard and biometric (fingerprint) security with plenty of storage for your MP3s: the company says it's now being used by top DJs worldwide - goodbye record cases!

Of particular interest for bars and clubs as well as light and sound installers was the new Q-Play digital music systems. This touch screen unit incorporates bio-metric (fingerprint) security, ensuring that only those authorized to do so can change the music (or its volume). The system can be managed by venue staff or programmed remotely via an optional secure internet link.

Also attracting a stream of visitors was the new Screenfly, a software programme used to generate immedi

One of the largest selections of mobile and club laser systems was demonstrated by Spectrum UK Lasers. Featuring nearly 30 different types of laser, the range goes from small 'crab' lasers to the 100mW five-colour Actor Mate 'Aurora'. The latter also includes red, green and yellow and 116 onboard preset graphics.

VersaPIXEL is the newest product from US-based Element Labs. Originally developed for a massive O2 exhibition stand at the CeBIT show (which graced the cover of L&SI's April 2005 issue), VersaPIXEL is a distributed system giving designers complete freedom over pixel shape and placement - including intricate 3D arrangements. Element Labs also had other video-controlled products such as its popular VersaTILE and VersaTUBE on the stand.

Funktion One, purple cabinets, Ann Andrews, Tony . . . Tony . . ? Anyone seen Tony? Of course not: Mr Andrews was in the demo room for most of the show blowing people away with his purple powers of persuasion and an updated version of the Resolution 1 of which, we were reliably informed, a self-powered version is imminent. As the year has progressed the company has seen its systems go out on another theatre musical tour, Seven Bridges, this time with Orbital and sound designer Glen Beckley.

The TCS contractor series from Turbosound comes in black or white as standard, but Turbo will paint it any colour you like. This install speaker range is intended for outdoor use, is IP54-rated with stainless steel front grilles, waterproof cable glands, and all driver voice coils are treated. Cabinets come with a range of mounting brackets, including Omni-mount for the US market. TCS comes in a range of eight speaker cabinets, four mid/highs, four subs.

Skyhigh FX celebrated achieving ISO9001 status and featured its new pyro firing system on the stand, which includes an indicator light that illuminates on the pyro pod when the system is switched to 'active' mode. This alerts the performer and those in closer proximity to the device to the fact that it's armed, generating another level of confidence.
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Italian manufacturer Spotlight previewed a new architectural series of fixtures that will be launched in 2006. Also on display was Spotlight's new Vedette 12CC compact 1200W 10-15° followspot and a new version of Video Performer - Spotlight's own media server. Video Performer XT is "powered by Arkaos" - the VJ software program.

A fairly radical re-vamp of the product range from HK Audio: Con Tour is an upgrade of the T Series making it more suited to multi-purpose usage. These trapezoidal box speakers can be used as wedges or mirror pair PA cabinets, pole-mounted or flown (aero-quip fittings as standard). Three mid/high boxes, CT115, CT112 and CT108 sport respectively 15", 12" and 8" neodymium driven speakers from B&C, with 1.4" compression drivers on the 12 and 15, and a slightly smaller 1" on the 8. All work with the CT118 single 18" sub.

DSM2060 is a DSP controller for any system, not just Con Tour. 2 in, 6 out, it uses Hardman Filter technology, has 64 EQ bands, two shelving EQs on all inputs and outputs as well as delay and limiters.

The new Actor DX is a self-powered upgrade, previously rated at 2400W per stack, now handling 3200W from a pair of low-end boxes and a mid/hi

Marco van Beek's Supporting Role is a consultant and training service to the entertainment industry with a special expertise in areas such as H&S, CE standards, and IT in general. The company's latest offering, the irreverently-named 'Forget About IT', is a rental Server service with fully implemented back-up and support fora monthly fee.

Aside from its Award-winning aluPAR (see Awards, p58-59), Osram also showed the new 4ArXS HCD with an optimized spherical ceramic arc tube to complement its 4ArXS HSD.

Aside from its Award-winning COMPASS system (see Award Winners), Outline introduced the HARD45, a low profile wedge monitor (4x5" and 1x1"), self-powered with reflective waveguide giving 60° by 40° from a very shallow box.

French "night business" company Parrot Palm Tree was experiencing a busy first PLASA. The company didn't have any real birds on the stand, but it was showing its full range of disco products including glow-in-the-dark items from palm trees to ice cubes.

USA - The new Starhazer II DMX from CITC has double the output of the previous StarHazer - plus DMX on-board, insulation for quiet operation, cycle/direct/remote operation, a seven-filter system, and a dual opening for wide coverage, say the company.

The DMX 512 capability includes a convenient 5-pin XLR 'In' and 'Send' feature for setting up other units on the same DMX line. Also included is the remote control featuring buttons which allow either manual 'on' and 'off' operation, or timed operation. StarHazer II DMX also comes with a control switch that allows for direct power - ideal for rental companies that don't want to send out the remote control units, say CITC. No heat is used to run the machine.

DMC - the worlds leading remix and megamix service, is a digital DJ supplier of download music, and will shortly also be a download site in October - 'The DMC Download Network' - for which there was keen interest at the show. Its website is one of the biggest online resources for DJs and one of the largest music sites. The DMC 'Buzz Chart' goes out live on Pete Tong's Friday night show.

Promo Only is a DJ/VJ subscription service, and featured its latest music video and DVD collections plus all the latest chart videos including 'Hot Video'. The company also highlighted a range of 'Oldies' classic music videos from the 1970s to today. Promo Only is licensed by VPL, the official video licensing body.

Wire winches on flying situations have one shortcoming, the feeding mechanism that spreads the wound wire evenly onto the winch drum means there's always a slight displacement of the main lift wire as winding progresses. This can be corrected in static house system rigs through devices such as diverter pulleys, but for touring use, where space is often a problem, Chainmaster has developed a solution. As yet un-named, this mobile winch device uses a simple 'double fall' type configuration, with dual mechanical winding compensators to give a static winch point. Smooth and fast, it's a neat solution.

Visitors to PLASA 2005 who arrived by taxi may well have experienced the Cabvision system. Once inside the show they might also have seen another innovation by Devon Adsites' MD Jon Marquis - Adscreens. These are portable audio and video systems, worn like a rucksack, which can be used to promote a brand anywhere that a person can walk. "It's like a space-age sandwich board," smiled Marquis. Slightly less hi-tech is the AdJacket, following the same principle but featuring an illuminated panel which can carry a fixed advertisement poster.

UK - Slingco has installed the largest Cablenet tensioned wire grid system in the world to date at the newly refurbished Bournemouth International Centre (BIC). The 2,500sq.m installation, covering the entire roof space of the BIC's main Windsor Hall was part of a £22 million refurbishment project for the building, undertaken by construction contractor Warings for Bournemouth City Council.

It expands the seated capacity of the Windsor Hall to 4,500 and the standing capacity to 7,200, making the BIC a truly world class multipurpose venue suitable for all types of productions - from conference to arena sized stage shows. The Cablenet installation pips Slingco's previous world record, held by the IFEMA venue in Madrid, by approximately 100sq.m. The installation was completed in just seven weeks.

The Cablenet, which uses 36 miles of steel cabling, is an elegant, practical solution

Fresh from its recent court ruling, the Color Kinetics stand presented a number of improvements to its existing product range and the official debut of its IntelliWhite series at PLASA (early prototypes were shown at PLASA 2004). This year, Color Kinetics debuted the company's first multi-output power/data supply the - sPDS 480ca 7.5V.

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