UK - tvONE, designer and manufacturer of video and multimedia processing equipment, is expanding the tvONE Training Academy with a new studio area to enable the development of an extensive suite of online tutorial videos as well as the expansion of its series of webinars.

Commenting, Mark Trevena, training manager of tvONE said, "Our CTS accredited hands-on sessions remain popular, but we hear from clients that their time is becoming more and more precious. The tvONE Training Academy Studio provides a solution that maintains the high quality of presentation and content our partners, installers and end users expect, but provides new formats and forms of content that they can access instantly online at a time that suits them."

In order to deliver the high standard of presentation that the Pro AV industry expects from tvONE, the studio is fitted out with nearly £100,000

UK - As part of its commitment to improving the student learning environment and providing opportunities for graduate employability, the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) has announced a new partnership with Tileyard Studios based in Kings Cross, Central London.

This will provide ICMP students with a unique opportunity to study in and engage with an immersive industry environment, building their networks amongst some of the music industry's biggest names.

Tileyard Studios is the largest professional music community in the UK, with more than 70 music studios and 100 businesses that provide a home to a wide spectrum of companies working in music, film, television, fashion and creative new tech sectors. Artists and companies at Tileyard include Mark Ronson, Tynchy Stryder, The Prodigy, John Newman, Lily Allen, Notting Hill Music, Marathon Artists, Spitfire Au

Cultural Review - The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has launched a review of Arts Council England to investigate the body's efficiency, effectiveness and governance. The 'tailored review', first announced in the culture white paper in March, will be carried out in two parts, the first asking whether the functions performed by the Arts Council remain appropriate for its status as a non-departmental public body, as well as assessing its performance. The second part will examine issues including how ACE advocates for the arts, delivers its current set of functions, and manages its board.

As part of the review, DCMS has opened an online survey asking for feedback on the Arts Council, which is open for submissions until 20 September. ACE deputy chief executive, Althea Efunshile, said she felt the body was well placed for the review, referencing changes to the application

UK - Laser and special effects company, AC Lasers, has upgraded its line of smoke and haze machines to feature integrated W-DMX control.

NANO RX modules were installed into Look Solutions Viper 2.6 smoke machines and Pea Soup Phantom hazers to provide full wireless control of the output and variable blower control.

Andy Thompson, of AC Lasers notes, "It is important to have full, balanced coverage of haze in arenas or outdoor festival stages for lasers to look their best, and W-DMX is the only practical solution for us."

Daniel Briggs, of AC Lasers adds, "All of the nodes are connected to a Wireless Solution BlackBox F-1 G4S Transceiver, which supports ArtNet I/O through Ethernet, allowing us to operate straight from the laser control software."

W-DMX's OEM components are distributed and supported by ON LX, an emerging company based in the South East of England. Ja

USA / Europe - Following a successful world tour in 2015, Pink Floyd tribute band, Brit Floyd, is on the road again, touring North America and Europe beneath an updated rig that includes Elation's hybrid Platinum FLX among other Elation fixtures. The 2016 Space and Time Continuum tour recreates Pink Floyd music in an even bigger stage production than past Brit Floyd shows.

Lighting design for Space and Time Continuum is a collaborative effort between Jake Whittingham and Dave Hill with Whittingham on tour with the production as lighting director and board op. In addition to 35 Elation Platinum Beam 5R units that the band had in the rig for the 2015 outings, a new Elation kit of 17 Platinum FLX hybrid moving heads, eight Platinum Beam 5R Extreme beam lights, 26 ZW19 LED beam/wash effects and eight ACL 360 Bar effect lights have joined the line-up.

"The biggest determining f

USA - Broadway Media Distribution (BMD), formerly known as Broadway Motion Design, has selected ImageCue as the preferred playback device for their scenic projection content. BMD has partnered with Adoline A/V to provide ImageCue for purchase or hire to its customers.

"We are very excited to be associated with BMD", says ImageCue CEO Bill Hewlett. "Their animated artwork for musical theatre scenic projections is stunning, and the way they build cue-able content is a perfect match with ImageCue."

ImageCue allows BMD's scenic projections to be played back on cue from a standard lighting controller using only 12 channels of DMX512. Both ImageCue and BMD have been featured in Richard Cadena's Video Matters column in LSi magazine - ImageCue in November 2015

USA - As a leading lifestyle brand focused on making yoga and fitness accessible for everyone, Gaiam currently has a worldwide network of approximately 38,000 retail environments with 18,000 of those located within existing retail locations.

When Macy's began a new initiative to transform a retail location into the 'Store of the Future', they approached Gaiam with an opportunity to create a completely new retail environment meant to achieve a higher level of customer engagement. Understanding exactly how they wanted to capture the attention of Macy's shoppers, Gaiam began working with Reflect who chose to incorporate FLEXLite NXG 3.9mm LED video technology from Nashville-based PixelFLEX into the new retail environment.

"As a fitness and wellness brand partner of Macy's, we were very excited about the opportunity to take part in their technology renovation and feature a spa

Germany - Rental company In Phase Event has deployed Nexo's STM Series modular line array system for the Enchanted classical event in Nuremberg, using other Nexo product families (Geo S and M6) to extend coverage over a 280m audience area for 60,000 people.

The Classic Open-Air Music Festival in Nuremberg, Germany, is one of the biggest of its kind in Europe. The series of free outdoor concerts, organised by the city, features the Nuremberg state orchestras on stage in the Luitpoldhain park. As a mark of respect to the tragic events in Munich this summer, two July dates were cancelled, but an enthusiastic crowd of 60,000 gathered for the next scheduled concert, with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Shelley and featuring organ soloist Cameron Carpenter.

In Phase Event is one of the primary rental suppliers of Nexo systems in Germany. CEO Ernst Sieber

UK - A user of Yamaha digital mixing consoles since being founded in 2006, London-based Storm Events has recently celebrated its tenth anniversary by increasing its inventory of QL5, QL1 and TF1s, which are ideal for the diverse array of events that the company supports. Two of the most recent saw Yamaha consoles mixing the sounds of safari and sport.

Safari in the City was a charity gala dinner hosted by the Zoological Society of London at Regent's Park Zoo. Held in a large, tepee-style tent to raise money for the fight against the poaching of rhinos, elephants, tigers and other wild animals, the key audio requirement was to provide enough coverage and volume for a gala evening, without any unnecessary spill.

"We used a QL1 because of its comprehensive facilities in a very small footprint. A Rio1608-D i/o unit was positioned by the lectern to keep the XLR cable length to

USA - El Monstero, which was formed in 1999 by former members of the Capital Recording Top 40 band Stir, pushes its Pink Floyd shows into overdrive, calling on a cast that reaches 75 to create spectacles that include bold scenic elements, costumed performers parading through venue parking lots and, in one recent instance, an eruptive lightshow created by Chip Self including a range of Chauvet Professional fixtures.

Logic Systems, Self's company, provided over 75 Rogue, Legend, COLORado and COLORdash fixtures to send light across the stage from every conceivable direction at the band's sold-out performance at the 20,000-capacity Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis.

Flying fixtures from six truss structures that spread out diagonally from the center stage like extended overhead fingers, he was able to hit the band and audience with down washes and beams. He also hung

UK - HSL supplied lighting and rigging to Earth Wind and Fire's recent UK and European tour which included a closing headline slot on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury 2016 as the second show.

Lighting was designed by Merle McLain who has worked with the band for 23 years. He was on the road operating the key and conventional lights and also directing and switching seven robo-cams as well as keeping an overview on all-things visual. Running the moving lights was Robin Seefeldt. Lester Cobrin was HSL's project manager on the road, with everything at the warehouse end managed by Sean McGlone.

Earth Wind and Fire, one of the most successful bands of the 20th century have embraced many musical genres including soul, funk, jazz, hip hop, R'n'B, pop, rock, Latin and African - and have a huge and eclectic fanbase as a result. Their live shows are known for their vibrance and en

UK - Chris Brown's recent One Hell of a Nite UK and European tour featured a production design by Tom E. Marzullo from Out Of Our Minds Creative Services, LLC, developed in collaboration with Christie Lites' Robert Roth and Robert Achlimbari from staging specialist All Access. The design included two lighting pods which were moved using a Kinesys automation system supplied by HSL from Blackburn UK, also the tour's lighting and rigging vendors.

The Kinesys elements comprised eight Elevation 1+ drives working in conjunction with one tonne Liftket motors capable of 12m a minute movement, controlled via Kinesys Vector software operated by Paddy Neilly and the set-up included a Kinesys PD-ES power distribution and Emergency Stop system.

The two lighting pods were both loaded with a 6 x 6 grid of Elation SIXPAR 200s with 16 x Clay Paky Sharpys around the perimeter of each. They

UK - Named in memory of Tony Gottelier, the renowned industry innovator and commentator who passed away in 2006, the annual Gottelier Award aims to recognise those product developers who have made significant long-term contributions to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology - whether in audio, lighting, rigging, staging, or any other related field.

Voting in the Gottelier Awards is only open to PLASA Members, registered readers of LSi magazine and pre-registered visitors to PLASA 2016. All will receive an email with a unique code inviting them to place their individual vote via the PLASA Show website. Voting closes on Friday 9 September 2016 and the winner will be announced at the PLASA Show at Olympia, West London, on Monday 19 September.<

UK - Trade distributor JHS & Co. Ltd. Has launched its new website (www.jhs.co.uk). The fast, responsive site allows mobile, tablet, PC and Mac users to access a whole host of new features in a fresh and stylish interface - making it easy to navigate all 70+ of JHS' represented brands and almost 6000 individual products with descriptions, comparable specifications, images and masses of video content.

New features also include social media and manufacturer website links to enhance the user experience with further information on products, and an up-to-the-minute news section with additional useful links including products articles, shows & events, designer backgrounds and even career opportunities at JHS.

An interactive Dealership Locator with contact info, directions and street view facility can be accessed directly at product level for consumers to find their nearest stock

China - Production company Stage Tech Limited has discovered the many creative uses of Milos truss and how it can be used to deliver on their customer promise of "highlighting your ideas, enchanting your guests and making special occasions even more memorable".

They have used the Milos M400 range of truss to realize custom installations in various public places in Hong Kong. Among their many creations is a hanging sculpture in Pacific Place shopping mall for its 25th Anniversary celebration and a hanging goat display at the PMQ Goat ARTventure exhibition gallery.

(Jim Evans)

South Africa - Date Jonkman from Prolyte recently came to South Africa for the first time, visiting local distributor DWR Distribution and Prolyte users in Johannesburg.

"We met up with a lot of clients, really nice guys," said Date. "I felt very comfortable with them. The funny thing is that typically when you walk into a rental company, no matter if it's based in North of Europe, Holland or Spain, the people are always the same."

Date has been with Prolyte since 2002. "Like many other people in this industry, I was a DJ at the time, playing records and that is how I came to meet the former owner of Prolyte," Date recalls. "We had a beer together and he said I should work for his company."

Robert Izzett from DWR has met with Date many times over the years. "He is an amazing guy and we appreciated the visit," said Robert. Date is temporarily filling in for Paul-Erik Ha

USA - Times, tastes and celebrities may change, but the grandiose Beverly Hilton has continuously embodied chic California cool since it opened in 1955. From Marilyn to Madonna and on to Miley and Pink, the rich, famous and beautiful have congregated at this swank spot.

The hotel's AquaStar Pool is where A-Listers fresh from the Golden Globe Awards, Oscar Nominees Luncheon or one of the 100 or so other red carpet events held here annually frequently gather to mingle. Now the famous pool deck has become even more dazzling, thanks to a collection of Chauvet Professional and Iluminarc fixtures installed by AMP'D Entertainment.

The new lighting system is intended to give the iconic pool deck an updated, vibrant look. Given the variety of top drawer functions that take place at the pool, flexibility (along with a generous serving of colour) were the key factors in selecting the

Russia - Allen & Heath's dLive digital mixing system was selected to manage audio requirements at the concert of opera baritone, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who was performing in Barvikha Luxury Village concert hall in Moscow.

The concert was to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II. Hvorostovsky's performance was accompanied by the 60-member choir and orchestra of the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs of Russia.

The orchestra included strings, woodwind, brass, drums, accordions and rhythm section. Alongside the orchestra, the Quintet of Russian folk instruments, The Style of Five, from Saint Petersburg were special guests invited to perform alongside the opera star.

The dLive system used at the concert consisted of a DM64 MixRack and S7000 Control Surface. All 64 inputs of the DM64 were employed for

USA - Twenty One Pilots puts on the kind of live show you have to see to believe. Singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun emerge from backstage in ski masks. They crowdsurf on a platform while playing drums. Joseph crawls through the crowd inside a giant red hamster ball. Dun does a backflip off of Joseph's piano. Joseph climbs the stage to nerve-wracking heights, singing all the while.

The difficult to define duo - with music falling somewhere between the genres of alternative rock, electropop, hip hop, and indie - has captured worldwide attention since its wildly successful 2015 release Blurryface. Inevitably, this has led to playing bigger shows than the band has ever seen before.

Right now, Twenty One Pilots is in the midst of a massive 11-month tour dubbed the Emotional Roadshow World Tour. The band performs at venues ranging from amphitheaters the size of Ber

UK - Robe lighting was a technical partner in the 2016 MIRA digital arts festival, staged for the first time in Berlin. The event focuses on the intersection between electronic music and live visuals and presents a selection of invigorating collaborations, special projects and the opportunity for artists working in all areas of music and visual arts to imaginer works that can be enjoyed and appreciated by all.

Lighting designers Alexandr Letcius and Alexandr Sinitsa from the Russian based Tundra Collective utilised 34 x Pointes and 10 x Robe Strobes for their large scale sound and lighting sculpture, Hyperjump, presented in Recording Hall 2 of the Kultursaal Funkhaus which hosted the 2016 MIRA event.

The Funkhaus is a massive former factory building on the banks of the River Spree in downtown Berlin which served as the active HQ of the former GDR national radio broadcaster

USA - As one of the most successful bands over the last 25 years, the Dave Matthews Band has a string of hits to their credit with over 30m in record sales worldwide. The popular jam band is also known as a must-see summer touring act and this year are playing amphitheaters and select arenas across the US beneath a rig that includes Elation Colour Chorus Series LED battens and SixPar 200 LED Par lights.

Lighting and scenic designer is Fenton Williams, who has been with the rock group since the band formed in 1991. He has been handling the designs for lighting, scenic and video since 1995 when the band began to carry its own production.

Draped behind the band and a series of horizontal trusses is a large backdrop curtain that required a wash of coloured light. "We're using Colour Chorus fixtures to uplight the backdrop behind the band and the SixPar 200s as truss toners in

Singapore - VYV Photon media servers were used to achieve the world's largest real-time motion-tracked 3D projection mapping, in celebration of Singapore's 51st National Day at the New Singapore National Stadium.

For Singapore's National Day Parade, VYV and partner Hexogon Solution provided a 360-degree real-time tracked 3D projection mapping for two scenes - a large moving boulder that was to be split into eight pieces, and a floating city made up of 15 collapsible fabric towers totalling 99 objects, which stands 20m tall and 60m in diameter.

Hexogon Solution deployed a total of 40 tracking cameras, 66 projectors each producing 30,000 lumens, 250 VYV Copernic tracking emitters and 12 VYV Photon servers for this task.

Accurate tracking, quick and painless automatic calibration and dynamic edge blending were all essential ingredients to the success of this record-shatte

USA - LMG Touring has supplied a full lighting package including over 200 Elation ACL 360i beam effect fixtures for rappers G-Eazy and Logic's co-headlining The Endless Summer tour.

G-Eazy's production designer Sooner Routhier developed the design concept for G-Eazy's set. She comments, "We needed a small, lightweight fixture that we could use to populate a series of pods upstage. Management wanted to see a wall of lights behind G-Eazy that could create a lot of EDM style effects and the 360i ACL fit the bill perfectly."

Each compact single-beam ACL 360i light houses a single 60W RGBW LED and projects a narrow 4° beam. With the ability to rotate continuously 360-degrees, the large matrix of beam fixtures makes for a creative and eye-catching show of ever-changing rays of light.

The all-star rap tour features 568 lighting fixtures in all. "We wanted to make sure tha

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