From Stuttgart, Germany, HB Laserkomponenten were demonstrating the two main systems which they have developed and use regularly. The LightCube 3 is a 3W RGB system with full-colour and graphics capabilities for indoor use. The LightCube 8 is a high powered system for external applications. Their multimedia control platform, Titan, handles lighting, lasers and sound and is suitable for time coded and sync'ed shows.

MDG showed its full line of products, including the MM Series (foggers), ATM Series (haze generators), MAX Series (fog generators), Ice Fog Series (low-lying fog generators), and the Professional Modular Fog System.

Spanish company VMB Effects highlighted their well-known and loved Towerlift range, plus the new PIRAM range line array lift, which was flying its own Lynx line array speaker system. Also showing were their VMB trussing, dimmers and digital processors.

White Light's stand was the launching point for a range of new products from the various manufacturers it represents (see other entries), including ELC, LDDE, Robert Juliat, Look Solutions and LSC Lighting - for which the company announced its appointment as exclusive distributor to the UK and Ireland at the show. The stand also served as a showcase for the company's own products - including the Digital Festoon System, the VSFX and the Tubular Ripple. Also very popular was the return of the 2way-15amp adapters or Grelcos (designed the old-fashioned way), plus the latest edition of its Catalogue and Reference Guide

Lightstorm Trading showed products from TDE Light-Tech in Holland and Amptown among other manufacturers. The stand was made up of TDE Light-Tech's RGB Dancefloor Tiles, which are solidly constructed with a weight loading of 1200kg, measuring 1m square and divided into 16 sections, allowing readable text to be scrolled across a length of them at a height of 2m or more. Amptown showed its latest 600W tungsten and HMI 575 moving lights, both of which have CMY colour mixing and a motorised focus.

New additions to the capabilities of MA Lighting's GrandMA desk through GrandMA Video (a software media server launched last year) include a pixel-mapping function. Can also playback most media formats frame synchronous throughout the network. Other features include multi-layer preview giving a 3x3 display of all six layers. GrandMA video can also follow blind programming of the console from additional PC or laptop while the desk output is unaffected.

MA also support Schnick Schnack Systems and showed their new LED panel, the Paneel C100, in 1m square panels - a backlight fixture for use behind a projection screen (optimum distance 3") to create full-colour mixing than can be smooth or tile pixelated. Needless to say, it's fully DMX controllable.

Osram showed a variety of new bulbs. The 4ArXs HCD ceramic metal halide lamp for creative architectural lighting and the double-ended Baby SharXS HTI, with a length of just 93mm were shown alongside new lamps in the aluPAR family, billed as being 66% lighter and up to 10% brighter than conventional halogen PAR 56 lamps for stage and show lighting. The HMI 18000 W/SE is a new addition to the company's range ofhigh-output single-ended metal halide lamps; the 575 W HPL Long Life (1,500 hours) burns nearly four times as long as the standard lamp, while the 750W version lasts up to five times, the company says. Another addition to the HPL Series is QXL Quick eXchange - thanks to its unique twist-and-lock cap, the lamp can be replaced without opening the luminaire. The company's new series of mains voltage halogen lamps for the entertainment, show, and stage sectors are manufactured in

LED (Lighting Effects Distribution) had their latest colour-changing x-Chip multi-coloured LED strip light on the stand, a large quantity of which has just been used to kit out a TV studio in Athens. They also have a new LED truss warmer using 12 x 1W emitters, specifically designed to fit into standard triangular MiniBeam trussing. LED has also just started distribution of GLP (German Lighting Products) moving lights.

Apollo Design Technology reported an excellent response to the Right Arm (which made its debut at PLASA) - its design enables it to add pan and tilt capabilities to a wide variety of lighting, video, and projection devices up to 40lb. Repositioning previously stationary gear via a console can reduce equipment and labour costs, as well as possible safety hazards, making the Right Arm a good choice for numerous applications. Shipping from January 2007. The company also showed its Smart Move Vertical - its latest 'Smart' gobo product. The (patent pending) Vertical features motion, time, and speed presets that create vertical movement of patterns or text - ideal for subtle movement of corporate logos and other retail, architectural, and theatrical applications.

Besides the usual upgrades and tweaks to its existing product lines, Robe Show Lighting introduced three new products - Digital Spot, StageQube 324, and the 700 Series.

StageQube is an LED videowall module, 800mm by 800mm, with an add-on diffusion cover for soft lighting type effects. Modules fit together through tapered spigots, weigh just 20kg and are IP54-rated. No IP address is required - it's done automatically in the software, just daisy-chain power and Cat 5 connectors.Low-resolution VGA input to the Qube software works best; the software can change focus through Gamma control, as well as access all the usual parameters.

DigitalSpot is a 5000 ANSI lumen moving head projector with QubeMedia Server resident in the head box above the moving yoke. On board, two digital gobo layers, 120 effects, full CMY, strobe, analogue and digital iris, with 80Gb hard disk. Digital keysto

Swedish gobo manufacturer Beacon displayed their new high definition digital gobo range, issued as two series, each containing 12 clips. They are available in QuickTime, photo-JPG and 1920x1080/25 PAL code formats. Beacon also had their standard digi gobo ranges on display, and were specifically highlighting their customised digital content service.

ADB Lighting Technologies unveiled two new luminaires from its award-winning Warp series: The HMI Warp/Daylight - available in motorised and manual versions featuring electronic flicker-free ballasts and light output angles of either 12-30° or 22-50°. The Warp/Ceramic - based on the Philips Ceramic ST 250 HR discharge lamp - offers extremely long lamp-life, has the colour temperature of a tungsten halogen light source and produces the same output as a 1000W tungsten halogen lamp for only 250W power consumption. Two new dimmers were also on show - the Eurodim Sine Wave series and the Erack 50 Plus economy dimmer rack.

Besides its well-known comprehensive range of moving yoke wash and spotlights, SGM now produces three models of LED colour mixing washlight based on high output Luxeon LEDs - Palco3, Palco3 Mobile and Genio Mobile, displayed on the stand of UK distributor, Lightfactor Sales. All use the same combination of RGB LEDs with interchangeable lenses to give 8°, 25° and 40° spread. All three are also available fitted with just white LEDs for simple floodlighting requirements. The two Mobile models have moving DMX-controlled yokes; the Palcos are both IP65-rated, the Genio IP33.

PLASA also saw the official UK launch of SGM's Pilot 3000 lighting desk - 1024 DMX channels, 2 DMX outs, 1 DMX in, TFT touch screen select, and it comes with 64MB Compact Flash back-up, and is fully Ethernet compatible. It also features four jog wheel encoders plus trackball, six programmable faders a

From RVE (on the ESP stand) was a new sine wave rack-mount installation dimmer, previewed in prototype at Siel, and now in production. The 2 x 3kW plug-in modules will dim any type of lamp. Expect 1 x 5kW models in early '07.

Micro battens are the latest addition to the PixelRange line of LED lighting products from James Thomas Engineering. Micro W is a powerful flood unit with 22 high intensity Luxeon LEDs; Micro E contains a dense field of 174 RGB LEDs. Both are housed in IP20-rated 205mm by 84mm enclosures.

A batten that is essentially designed to run video streaming is yet to be named: linear in construction, it is six pixels wide and is scalable in 12 pixel-long modules - a 72 pixel-long strip was on show. Self-contained with data and power in/out connections, up to 20 modules can be linked in a single run; input is DVA, patch into a media server, all will auto address and away you go. Will run DMX and ArtNet - use ArtNet to alter parameters.

USA - The grandMA has hit the road with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers as the band celebrates its 30th anniversary with the national Highway Companion Tour. A pair of grandMA consoles, supplied by Ed & Ted, are currently in use on the third leg of the tour, which runs through the end of October.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are selling out concerts and breaking house records across the country. The band has sold more than 50 million records since its formation, received 16 Grammy nominations and was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the first year of its eligibility.

The tour's production designer, Jim Lenahan's approach to lighting and video is "very much a combination of super new, and old school," reports programmer Stan Green. "There's no video director: everything is programmed into the lighting cues and controlled by the grandMA. The grandMA's ver

Abstract AVR's main show focus was the CRX motorised LED strip light and their brand new LED helicopter light. The pitching LED strip is an 800mm long LED strip containing 1W emitters. Also highlighted were other AVR club and dancefloor lighting effects and their CRX AR 1-11 wall LED fixtures.

Following the Genlyte Group's acquisition of Strand Lighting and the subsequent shut-down of the UK operation, Strand Lighting Inc was on stand to reassure existing customers of its continued commitment to the European market. The company also launched its new Palette lighting console. Strand's Ed Twentyman reported that the Palette was "superbly received and generated huge interest". Visitor numbers to the stand were excellent and the level of enquiries very good, said Strand.

Also sharing distributor White Light's stand LDDE displayed its 100% dimmable colour changing fluorescents - the SpectraConnect T5. LDDE also introduced its SpectraLed*144 - the first LED colour-mixing unit with an RGBAW configuration of 144x1W high-power LEDs. It offers flicker-free fades from 0-100% intensity and can be run inline with the SpectraConnect T5 units.

Yet another eclectic spread of products on the A.C. Lighting stand: in no particular order, a new 15A Grelko that cannot be cross/half-plugged; the new Chroma Q+ colour scroller which can now handle 20 frames; Cross Pole from Manfrotto - as the name implies, a gaffer's pole for horizontal mount between adjacent walls, to rig lights from, with a 75kg capacity at 6m; the DTS range of lamps from Italy - everything from Par cans to the new Delta range of colour mixing floodlight fittings rated IP65.

DTS had their own stand and were also exhibiting the new XR9 and XR8 moving head projectors. DTS's Pierluigi Gasperoni said: "Year after year we experience that PLASA is the best stage to show our news and to meet professionals from all over the world. PLASA is a top level event that attracts the best audience we could look for, that's why D.T.S. always introduces its new products d

German company All4Light BV prides itself on its almost indestructible LED fixtures. New products on show included: CrystalColor 5 (ColorMotion) - a DMX-controlled colour-changing IP68-rated fixture; CrystalColor 5 -a colour-changing IP68 fixture that simulates white light ranging from 2750°K to 8000°K; CrystalColor 7 - a small IP68 spot featuring multi-mirror precision lenses, supporting various beam angles from 12° to 120° x 140° - and WaterVision WV15 - a new underwater fixture which exceeds the light output of a 300W PAR 56 Halogen spotlight!

Renowned German laser production company Tarm Showlaser highlighted their range of services with a funky new brochure and DVD. This was their second PLASA Show, and reflects the growing international nature of their business. Major display projects for the company this year have included the opening of the Winter Olympics in Turin and a World Cup show at the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin.

The latest thing at the TMB stand was Toplight, an integrated, hanging lighting system from FinnLight, run by noted US television lighting director Bruce Finn. Toplight provides high-output illumination from six PAR 64 lamps, with configurable diffusions for a variety of soft light looks.

TMB also showed products that build on existing product lines. The company's DecoPAR range of pinspots and floods now includes PAR 16 and PAR 20 versions. Also, the ColourPix range of large-scale LED video displays now features new high-resolution modules comprised of interlocking panels that are custom-configured for pixel-pitch and size. The ProPower HPS 24- and 48-way Hot Patch Systems allow the use of rackmount dimmers with flexible output options. Also, the ProPower RPD Rack Panel Distribution systems can be custom-configured for each customer or application. The ProTester DMX tool checks

Italy's Goboservice announced the appointment of Projection Advertising as its exclusive UK distributor in July 2006. Goboservice is a totally bespoke service and does not offer standard gobos.

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