Europe - Digital control specialist ArKaos has announced its support for software-driven IP workflows using NewTek NDI Network Device Interface protocol. Joining the industry’s largest IP ecosystem of products, and a rapidly expanding number of companies enabling IP-based customer workflows, ArKaos has integrated NDI into its MediaMaster PRO, MediaMaster Express, Grand VJ and Grand VJ XT products, which are all now recognizable as a source by other NDI-enabled applications and devices connected via a standard Ethernet local area network. The ArKaos Ecosystem allows for the maximum and most flexible control of lighting and video, in one easy-to-use comprehensive tool. ArKaos hardware and real-time video software is present in every major market sector and industry, from IOT / architectural and architainment installations to LED applications and media solutions
USA - Matrix is supplying their PPU, camera systems and LED to the North American segment of the Phil Collins tour - Phil Collins Not Dead Yet, Live (see LSi September 2017 for a production report). This is the first tour Phil has performed in the US, in 12 years. The North American region forms part of the Worldwide tour which runs for three weeks from 3-28 October. The concerts commence in Fort Lauderdale, travelling up the west to Canada, into the Mid-West and onto the West Coast – all in all 15 shows in 25 days. Phil Collins and the band will be supported with a range of Matrix supplied equipment - most notable is the PPU, camera systems and LED inventory. The Matrix PPU with Ross Carb
USA - 311’s Unity tour is criss-crossing North America with a full video rig powered by Avolites’ Ai. The American rockers worked with production designer Bobby Grey, from Sightline Design Group, who created a video-focused show to add dynamic and fast-paced eye-candy. The band is backed by a 38'x16' 5.9mm upstage LED screen and considerable lighting rig. “For this tour, the band and their management felt strongly about bringing hi res video into the mix,” says Grey. “Touring with full video is somewhat new territory for 311, and the song catalogue that they pull from nightly is well over 120 very different sounding songs. This means that while we have mainstays that are frequently used in the set that we can plan for and timecode, there are also some deep cuts that require some fast, on the fly punting.” To find the right solution, Grey teamed
UK - Studioforce, a new company specialising in the provision of production and technical freelancers to the film and TV industry, launched on Monday, 3 September. The London business is spearheaded by former ITV Studios head of scenic and lighting, Dave Stevens. It offers a network of personnel for the broadcast and production sector, including gaffers, lighting electricians, camera operators, scenic supervisors, sound engineers, studio engineers and lighting console operators. Studioforce is also offering a service to facilitate and administer payroll contracts and handle recruitment for any clients who are looking to outsource certain roles, easing the process to make it more time and cost efficient. Stevens comments: “When the recent changes at ITV Studios were announced [the broadcaster is closing its London studios], I needed to look for a new opportunity. I’
Europe - Architectural LED lighting manufacturer Anolis and real-time visual processing technology provider ArKaos have announced a collaboration which will see the two brands team up on several product developments. Anolis’s LED lighting, pixel-based fixtures and other hardware will feature ArKaos’ cloud-based communications protocol An-Ki, which enables remote control of digital content projected on LED mappable surfaces from anywhere in the world. The deal will also involve “a fluid bi-directional commercial relationship” between the two companies, where ArKaos products will be distributed by Anolis, and Anolis fixtures will share sales resources with ArKaos. ArKaos’ MD Agnes Wojewoda comments: “This will add huge value to installation designers working in all fields. It offers the possibility of fully flexible and stable control which will be add
TMB has introduced the first ethernet patch cable with verified performance up to 100m.This one-of-a-kind, stranded, flexible CAT6a patch cable is suitable for all portable networks up to 10-Gigabit, and features renowned ProPlex durability, reliability, handling, low skew, noise rejection, and data transmission characteristics. In entertainment applications, ProPlex Cat 6a Extended cable is especially useful for front of house cable runs, where the industry standard lengths for sound, lighting, and video are typically either 100m or 300ft. Prior to the introduction of this cable, no portable, stranded Cat 6a or Cat 5e cables providing 100% verified performance were available to support these lengths. Drawing upon over 30 years of experience and over 15 million feet of ProPlex Data Cable sales, ProPlex CAT6a Extended combines the highest data transmission integrity with the
UK - Technical production event specialist Saville AV has re-branded its conference and live event division to Sparq and its AV/IT wing, to Visavvi. Both brands will sit under Saville Group, the parent organisation. The move is part of a wider investment strategy to “future-proof the business and ensure it continues to effectively evolve its technical event production service offering for clients in the UK, Europe and the USA”. Sparq offers a full production service, from creative design and staging to technical crew and kit hire. Visavvi delivers all aspects of IT/AV project for business customers - from consultation through to design and install and maintenance and support. Colin Nixey, joint MD of Saville Group, comments: “Saville has been a familiar face in the live events industry for over 40 years. However, we recognised it was time for a change
USA - Created to bring the high-energy of Lucha Libre professional wrestling to the United States, the sports and entertainment media firm Aro Lucha produces a number of live events and television productions. Led by founders who have already achieved success in the professional wrestling industry, the production team understands they must create a dynamic environment that can match both the passion of the fans and the wrestlers taking the ring. Working with their partners at UNO Branding, Aro Lucha decided to enhance the impact of their design even further with the addition of a high-resolution video wall using a FLEXCurtain HD 6.25mm LED video solution from PixelFLEX. “This is a relatively new production design as we only started the company in late 2017,” says Jason Brown, chief executive officer, Aro Lucha. “When we decided to launch the promotion, we wanted
China - When car maker Audi introduced its A8L luxury saloon to the Chinese market, technical service company Redline turned to the BlackTrax real-time motion tracking system to help deliver the wow factor to the launch show. Each of the cars featured in the show was fitted with ‘BTBeacons’ which transmitted the exact position of the vehicles as they moved around the stage to ‘BTCams’, which then relayed the information to the lighting console so that any lighting look could be designed while automatically following the cars on the stage, regardless of speed or direction, with an accuracy that would not have been possible to achieve manually. Another big part of the reveal, was the futuristic graphics projected on the floor and not only accented the car, it also helped explain some of the A8L’s new built in technology and features. The mapped projection int
Malaysia - Mahajak Trio recently outfitted the Kota Kinabalu Marriott hotel with a custom Harman Professional Solutions audio system to deliver an invigorating entertainment experience for guests. This project was collaborated together with the AV system integrator Eastern Global Sdn.Bhd. Kota Kinabalu Marriott Hotel is a premium five-star resort located at The Waterfront entertainment centre on the South China Sea. Known for hosting opulent events held in their Grand Ballroom, Kota Kinabalu Marriott hired Mahajak Trio to install an audio system capable of delivering world-class sound throughout the resort. Mahajak Trio designed a complete Harman Professional Solutions audio system made up of JBL Professional speakers and power amplifiers, AKG microphones and BSS signal processors. “Kota Kinabalu Marriott needed an all-new state-of-the-art audio solution capable of
UK - Adlib has had a busy summer after making substantial investments in touring and rental video in the first half of 2018. The major purchase has been the addition of Unilumin’s UpadIII H5 5mm indoor/outdoor LED screen, which has been designed for quick and safe assembly with the demands of touring and concert style events in mind. Other new purchases include new broadcast quality camera channels, PPUs and Green Hippo KARST media servers, allowing Adlib to offer large scale video production options to all its clients, as well as versatile single solution technical packages for those wanting to source video lighting and sound equipment and expertise from one supplier. BBC Music's Biggest Weekend, the event which generally kicks off the UK festival season was expanded to multiple sites this year, Adlib supplied sound and lighting to both stages at Scone Palace
UK - AV technology provider BUK Solutions (formerly Brähler ICS UK) has announced an expanded product range, which now provides its customers with access to thousands of products from leading brands including Crestron AV, Polycom, Sony and BlackMagic. Simon Sainsbury, managing director of BUK Solutions, comments: “This exciting development brings us increased flexibility, enabling us to explore a wider variety of solutions that meet our customers’ exact AV requirements, no matter how complex, while providing more cost-effective solutions for customers.” Business development manager, Duncan Conway, adds: “It’s a win-win for all of our customers – not only do they have access to a vast range of excellent audio-visual solutions, but they’ll also benefit from all of our industry-leading expertise which we have built up over 30 years. We have recognised a d
UK - Event production and equipment specialists Light Fantastic Production Services partnered with award-winning international innovation festival Unbound to deliver an immersive two-day experience at The Old Truman Brewery, London. Supplying a complete production package covering every aspect of the event, LFPS provided full installation, technical infrastructure and management of the busy two-day programme attended by over 5000 visitors and featuring presentations from a host of world leading brands. Working within the ‘blank canvas’ interior space of the Truman Brewery, the LFPS team transformed the entire first floor into a series of high-tech zones, including the Main Stage, Future Stage, Networking Zone, Partners Lounge, Exhibition and VR/Interactive area. Handling every detail, LFPS provided lighting, audio, video, rigging, draping, set design and co
EMEA - Production Resource Group (PRG) and VER have completed their merger in Europe and the Middle East, becoming the largest entertainment and equipment and services provider. The entities will be controlled by The Jordan Company, GSO Capital Partners and PRG Management.Jere Harris will serve as chairman and CEO of PRG and VER, and Stephan Paridaen will be president and COO. Harris comments: “For more than 20 years PRG has been diligent in offering its clients the best production service and equipment in the entertainment industry. Growth across disciplines, markets and geographies has always been a key part of our strategy. Now, our ability to support all types of entertainment productions globally will take on new meaning, raising an already high bar to an unprecedented level.” According to a statement, combining PRG and VER’s strength will now offer
USA - Ed Grabscheid has joined the executive team at Atlona as chief financial officer (CFO), effective immediately. Grabscheid has spent more than three years at the company as its vice-president of finance and administration. In his new role, he will report to CEO Ilya Khayn and look after all aspects of Atlona’s strategic investments, reporting functions, human resources, and tax and treasury requirements. Grabscheid’s finance experience spans more than two decades, including leadership positions with several Silicon Valley technology companies. Prior to joining Atlona, he served as VP of financial planning and analysis at ServiceMax; and senior director of finance at Intermolecular, where he built and managed the financial reporting function through the transition from a private company to a successful IPO. Among other management positions over his career, Gra
South Africa - Kilowatt AV has taken productions up a notch since acquiring 200 Absen D2V indoor panels. The panels have been on shows continuously for the past eight months on events including Ultra Music Festival, Adidas Product Launch, Food Lovers Market Annual Conference and a long list of others. “We were the first in Cape Town to see the Absen demo by DWR and the first in the Cape to place an order,” comments Neil Zaayman, chief operating officer at Kilowatt AV. “As with most new products there were initial teething hurdles, but it was more around understanding how the screens like to be programmed rather than product issues. The screens have been amazing and have added huge production value to our events. “The biggest motivation for the purchase was the pitch, and black face LED. We've seen high-res LED on the rental market for a while, but the Absen sol
Colombia – The 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games (CACG) kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony at Barranquilla’s Roberto Meléndez Stadium, featuring projection mapped visuals to the stadium pitch and huge LED screens using Avolites Ai RX8 servers. The opening ceremony’s most famous performer was Latin superstar Shakira, who was born in the Games’ host city. During the ceremony, the 47,000-capacity crowd experienced a video concept based on a story of time travel from the future to the present, offering a perspective of Barranquilla, which highlighted local culture, folklore and its vibrant music scene. The ceremony was produced by Victor Ariza from Performa SAS. Miguel Carrillo from Foro IQ designed the stages. The main stage was backed by video-mapped content, displayed on a 664sqm LED screen. “We needed to manage a lot of pixels
USA - This year’s Electric Daisy Carnival, known to most as EDC, powered into action with a three-day flagship festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. Winner of the Festival of the Year award at the Electronic Music Awards 2017, EDC has grown since its 1991 launch to become one of the world’s leading electronic dance music festivals, and this year’s event, held in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, cemented EDC’s position as North America’s largest EDM festival. Over 400,000 visitors flocked to Vegas and EDC organiser called upon Tenfeet to help deliver visuals to match festival goers’ expectations. Working alongside Insomniac and LEG, Tenfeet was responsible for the lighting design, media control and supply, as well as programming and operating. Following on from the Vegas event, EDC goes global with Tenfeet adjusting the design into a touring version. Tenfeet knows Gre
UK - Video production company Media Flare has added three Hippotizer V4 Boreal+ Media Servers to its hire stock of nine Hippotizer V4 and Hippotizer V4+ media servers. Media Flare’s freelance TV lighting designer Tom Sutherland comments: "Our Hippos have never let us down, and with the V4+ models' new features and enhancements providing even more creative flexibility, for us it was the only way to go. It's great that I can rely on a media server which can cover such a range of productions and budgets." Freelancer programmer Nick Hansen adds: "Hippotizer Media Servers are so user-friendly. The Output Manager side is incredibly powerful and flexible, enabling us to handle things when a show's technical needs can change quickly during production. Also, we are really excited by the potential of Notch, which we will definitely be using on future projects to manipulate c
UK - PLASA Show, the worldwide event for entertainment technology, is returning to London Olympia on 16-18 September with a whole host of industry leaders and influential brands primed to deliver popular products, inspirational talks and expert training. The exhibitor list has been rapidly growing with international brands spanning lighting, audio, AV, rigging and staging, and the programme is filling up fast with critical updates, exclusive panels and the latest projects. In association with LSi, respected lighting designer Rob Halliday and entertainment architects Stufish will present Giudizio Universale - Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel, revealing the technical secrets of this stunning €9m immersive stage show created by Marco Balich, now at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome. Having worked on the show, Rob Halliday will discu
USA - At the grand opening of their 338,000sq.ft, $166m Athletes Village, the University of Minnesota ushered in a bright new chapter in the history of their Athletics programme. Comprising three new buildings, the university wanted to create a memorable experience for their recruits, fans and the 700 student-athletes. Looking for a dynamic visual environment, which included the creation of their Letterwinner tribute, the University called upon the experiential design specialists at Advent who installed an immersive LED video display using 3.9mm FLEXLite NXG from PixelFLEX. “The overall vision was to create a unique digital experience inside the new University of Minnesota Athletes Village with slightly different approaches in a few key locations,” began John Downie, VP of experience at Advent. “For the Football Hall of Fame area, we used the LED video in a very
UK - Event design and technical production company Maestra London has expanded its team in readiness for a busy autumn season. Joining MD Justin Hammond and the London team are Matt Spark (senior project manager), Euan MacLeod (business development manager) and Cameron Pullar (warehouse assistant). Spark started working at festivals and events like SW4 and the Isle of Wight and other international events, as well as becoming a freelance production assistant for a succession of artists. This experience took him to Australia for three years where he worked with a raft of brands including Star Wars, Quantas and Disney. MacLeod worked in New York and Woodstock before relocating to Scotland to take a degree in Events & Entertainment Management at Glasgow Caledonian University. Pullar worked at a Scottish LED company whist still at school and then studied M
UK - ADI supplied in excess of 900sq.m of LED screens across 12 competition and non-competition venues to the Glasgow 2018 European Championships for the benefit of over 250,000 spectators and brand partnerships. The largest sporting event held in Scotland since the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games featured a combination of ADI’s mobile and modular LED screens - in addition to plasma displays - to suit the specific indoor and outdoor locations. Nick Robinson, ADI’s director of screen rental, comments: “Nine months of planning have come to fruition with diverse, tailored solutions across a variety of sports and cultural venues. We’ve been able to add value through centralised project management of the screens and HD video signal distribution across all 12 locations. Our delivery of market-exclusive mobile and modular LED provides the very best quality to enhance
UK - Cambridge-based conference technology provider Brähler ICS UK has rebranded as BUK Solutions. The change comes as the company marks 30 years of trading and enters a new phase that incorporates new distribution partnerships and a more diverse range of suppliers. The company is also offering enhanced complementary event services as part of its rental portfolio including consultancy, interpretation and translation. Launched in the late 1980s, Brähler ICS UK operated alongside German parent company Brähler ICS Konferenztechnik AG until 2012. It then became independent but remained a member of the global Brähler ICS Network until recently. Simon Sainsbury, managing director of BUK Solutions, comments: “The success of our expanded portfolio, which now includes several new non-Brähler products and services, prompted us to redefine our identity in the marketpl
