USA - Following the opening of the new Pixera UK office in London last month, Austria-based AV Stumpfl has announced that Pixera, its real-time media server platform, is expanding its physical presence in North America as well. With continuing growth across all target markets in the US, as well as the company’s strategic priority to provide more responsive support and active participation with current customers, prospects and key industry partners, it has added a west coast office in Santa Monica, CA, to complement its eastern presence in Atlanta, GA. The high concentration of users and industry partners made opening an office in Los Angeles a natural choice, says the company. The expansion coincides with the promotion of Conor McGill to director, Pixera USA. Having overseen the highly successful growth of Pixera from its introduction in the US market to its c
UK - Global investment group CDPQ has acquired a minority stake in Solotech. The goal of this transaction, which represents the largest investment in the company since 2013, is to support Solotech’s acquisition and organic growth strategy to expand its presence in various markets and create more value for its customers. “With this investment - the largest in the last decade for Solotech - CDPQ will support the company in its next growth stage. Aligned with CDPQ’s priorities, this means not only shifting activities into high gear, but also facilitating the company’s global expansion and promoting its audiovisual and technological know-how,” said Kim Thomassin, executive vice-president and head of Québec at CDPQ. “CDPQ’s commitment is a gauge of confidence in our business model, and their financial investment will allow us to seize new business
UK - Brompton Technology has announced the promotion of long-serving team member, Adam Callaway, to the role of global lead, virtual production & broadcast. In his new capacity, Callaway, formerly technical solutions manager, will spearhead Brompton's initiatives in the dynamic virtual production and broadcast markets, helping to identify opportunities for the rest of the team and delivering even better support in these rapidly evolving domains. “This new role reflects the heightened focus and support we are poised to provide to our virtual production and broadcast customers and partners worldwide,” remarks Callaway. “As we continue to provide new and innovative solutions and platforms to both the virtual production and broadcast markets, we are focused on placing the right people in the right places. By doing this, we are continuing to build a team that wil
Germany - From sporting events and shows to parties and concerts - whatever happens at the Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, up to 12,700 spectators can be on hand to cheer on their idols. The venue is extremely popular with spectators and event organizers alike - not only because of the great variety of events on offer, but also because its size and central location in the Ruhr area. To ensure that event goers continue to benefit from the highest standards of safety and security, the arena´s technology was recently updated - with a team of experts from Bosch Building Technologies playing a key role. The project involved upgrading the fire alarm, intrusion detection, public address, and voice alarm solution that Bosch originally installed when the arena was built in 1996. What’s more, this time round, the venue operators also opted to install a networked video security an
South Korea - Situated in the vibrant and ever-evolving metropolis of Seoul, Vive Studios specialises in visual AI-based metaverse content, ‘leveraging cutting-edge technologies to shape the future of virtual production, virtual humans, hyper-realistic immersive content, and CGI’. Part of its offering is a 1,200sq.m Virtual Production facility featuring a large LED wall powered by Brompton Technology LED processing. According to CEO Stanley Kim: “Vive Studios has forged collaborations with prominent partners spanning diverse industry sectors, including entertainment, automotive, e-commerce, gaming, government, and more.” The VP studio empowers clients to unleash the full spectrum of their creativity during shooting sessions. Moreover, the company offers its exclusive virtual production integrated operational solution, meticulously designed for auto lens calibration,
UAE - Italian luxury fashion house Bulgari recently relied on the power, brightness and reliability of Digital Projection’s Titan and M-Vision range to give Dubai’s Gate Building a serpentine makeover in celebration of the 75th anniversary of its Serpenti collection. Founded in 1884, Bulgari is famous for its luxury jewellery, watches and accessories. This year, the brand celebrates the 75th anniversary of Serpenti, a snake emblem that has exalted almost every Bulgari watch and piece of jewellery, with a worldwide tour. Between 15 and 24 September, Dubai played host to Serpenti: 75 Years of Infinite Tales, a celebration of the grandeur of Serpenti’s heritage. At the heart of the milestone event held at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) gate, was an immersive projection mapping show, implemented by Dubai-based projection mapping expert company Artabe
The Netherlands - Kramer has announced the appointment of experienced AV and unified communications and collaboration (UCC) channel executive, Brooke Ellingworth, as its first-ever director of EMEA channels. Adding over 16 years of top-level AV/UCC knowledge and experience to Kramer’s growing international team, Brooke will play an instrumental role in the company’s ongoing business transformation and growth strategy, with closer and more aligned channel partnerships, key to achieving its ambitions. Brooke is an accomplished sales and channel leader, with a proud track record of delivering exponential growth to some of the world’s leading technology firms. These include Logitech, from whom she joins and Ingram Micro and Cisco, among others. Reporting to Peter Baxter, senior vice president (SVP) at Kramer, Brooke – a recent Cambridge University Graduate
UK - Brompton Technology is strengthening its leadership team by promoting Joanna Muggeridge to director of marketing and Lotta Schiefer to director of sales. Both roles are essential to driving Brompton’s global strategy as the company advances along its growth trajectory. Following more than three decades in the entertainment industry, working with global manufacturers such as Barco, Vari*Lite, and Wireless Solutions, Schiefer brought her years of experience to Brompton in early 2023 and will now help expand its sales reach. “The opportunity to lead the sales team for such a strong and trusted brand is a huge honour,” says Schiefer, “and even more so when the team consists of such highly dedicated people, always striving to deliver the best possible outcome for our customers.” In her new position as director of sales, Schiefer will closely collaborate
Australia - Advatek Lighting, makers of PixLite addressable LED pixel controllers, has appointed two experienced lighting industry professionals to spearhead growth in the UK, Europe and Middle East regions. John Jarrard, based in London, will head Advatek’s business development initiatives in the United Kingdom. Prior to joining Advatek, John was general manager for lighting control manufacturer Enttec in UK/Europe, which included the establishment of a European operation and managing through the Brexit process. Ian Debski will lead European and Middle East business development for Advatek. Based in Frankfurt, Ian has extensive experience in the professional lighting industry, most recently with Glamox GmbH and previously with groups such as ES-System S.A. and Optiled. “We are delighted to have Ian and John join the Advatek team,’ says Luke Taylor, Ad
South Africa - Norwood Productions, a technical supply company based in Johannesburg, has announced the recent acquisition of Absen NT2.9 panels. This development significantly enhances their capacity to provide LED panel solutions, particularly catering to larger venues such as the prestigious Sandton Convention Centre. Chris Norwood, owner of Norwood Productions, had already integrated Absen NT2.9 panels into the company's inventory during a strategic acquisition in August. Now, in November, an additional influx of these hardworking units has been warmly welcomed, thanks to a collaboration with DWR Distribution. Anticipating continued growth, more shipments are expected in the coming months. "Our stock is growing rapidly and is pushing us to the next level," says Chris Norwood. "Before we could cater for up to four hundred people but now we can supply the much larger
Europe - Italian manufacturer Prolights has chosen Brompton LED processing for its recently introduced KappaPix LED screen series. Designed for virtual production and XR applications in the film and television industry, the KappaPix series serves as Prolights' flagship LED screen. “Our Film & TV division has consistently proven to be one of the most successful units within our organisation,” says Fabio Sorabella, managing director of Prolights. “Over the years, we've solidified our presence on some of the world's most prestigious stages and studios, primarily through our comprehensive range of ECL lighting fixtures. Expanding our video product line to include specialised LED screens was the natural next step to meet the elevated standards of the XR and virtual production sectors." The KappaPix series boasts a 2.6mm pixel pitch and is meticulously crafted to m
Poland - VuFinder Studios just launched its new studio, boasting to be Poland's largest Virtual Production LED Volume. Since its establishment in 2022, the studio has already completed more than 30 commercial film productions for international brands, such as BMW, One Plus, Veet, and Bosch. "As we started to investigate the possible options, we found the BP2V2 has been adopted by most of the world's largest virtual production studios, such as NantStudios and Amazon Studio. We quickly realised ROE Visual's LED solutions could make a difference for our studio and offer our client base a reliable, high-end solution,” says Melania Kulczycka, founder and client services director at VuFinder Studios. “After closely collaborating on this installation, our choice for ROE Visual has been strongly confirmed. Their support throughout the entire project was incomparable and h
USA - The Austrian AV technology manufacturer AV Stumpfl will present new Pixera 2.0 media server features and their Blackpeak projection screen surface at LDI (booth #783) in Las Vegas. One of the highlights of AV Stumpfl’s Pixera version 2.0 is its multi-user workflow capability, which will allow media server operators to be much more flexible and efficient when working on complex installations or show environments. Users now have granular control over how they collaborate on Pixera projects. They can opt to share only a single portion, such as a projection warp or editing a compositing timeline, or they can open up the entire project to the other users connected to the system. Another upcoming Pixera feature highlight is Content Remapping, which makes it possible to define multiple areas within a content frame, and to position them separately in the composit
Australia - BBC Earth Experience is an immersive exhibition that promises to transport visitors on a journey through the natural world, narrated by David Attenborough. Following the popularity of the inaugural BBC Earth Experience in London, the attraction has recently opened a second site at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. HIVE’s BeeBlade and BeeBox products were chosen to bring this captivating experience to life through seamless media playback. “We are introducing a new technological era into the industry with the BeeBlade series, and when TDC in Australia contacted HIVE for the BBC Earth Experience in Melbourne we could not have been any more excited,” recalls Mark Calvert, co-founder at HIVE. “The natural world, preserving it and the beautiful documentaries of David Attenborough have inspired the entire HIVE team for many years.” Produced
UK - LED display brand Absen has been chosen by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) as the LED display partner at Lord’s Cricket Ground to provide high performance screens as part of an extensive refurbishment spanning five years, at the historic St John’s Wood cricket venue. As part of its ongoing £200m ground development programme, Lord’s, ‘The Home of Cricket’, owned by Members of MCC, is not only striving to provide its members and visitors with modern stands and exceptional facilities, but also to improve the overall match day experience for stand spectators throughout the season. As a result of these efforts, MCC selected Absen to initially provide two new outdoor screens, situated within the main playing field. After being impressed with the first implementation, MCC asked Absen to continue the ongoing partnership, by providing a larger third screen as part
USA - ROE Visual is promoting the fine-pitch rental solution, Topaz, among other products for the live events market at LDI 2023. The ROE booth for the 2023 show focuses on the touring side of the live events space, with a comprehensive stage setup reminiscent of the many stage designs involving ROE Visual panels over the years. Attendees will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the panels, with a multitude of configurations at their fingertips. LDI is the first North American show to exhibit the new, all-purpose live events LED panel, Topaz. This new series comes in three versatile versions - Topaz flat, curve, and cube - allowing event organisers and AV rental companies to ‘unleash their creativity while still achieving a superior return on investment’. In addition to Topaz’s unveiling, the show will be the locale for other technology
Europe - Designed by Axel de Beaufort and Guillaume Verdier and the first of its kind, Artexplorer is soon to set sail. As a project that encompasses both culture and environment, it aims to raise awareness of contemporary issues by utilising a revolutionary LED tunnel, made possible by visualisation technology specialists, Leyard Europe. Since its inception in 1995, Leyard Europe has collaborated on many innovative and transformative assignments. However, Artexplorer presented the company with an opportunity to be a part of something different. Artexplorer is a one-of-kind work of art, featuring Leyard Europe’s LED tunnel as the main event. At 46m long, it is currently the largest sailing catamaran in the world and built to the highest environmental standards. Enlisted by Guy Butterati, Co-Founder of AV-IT systems integrator Akumendo, which spearheaded the t
UK - MCS Rental Software, provider of rental management solutions, has announced the launch of a new, innovative feature that will ‘revolutionise the way customers pick equipment to hire’. The new feature introduces checklists to the picking process, as part of the pre-delivery inspections (PDIs), allowing users to perform comprehensive equipment assessments. This feature includes the ability to add specific notes for the picker(s), prioritise certain tasks for faster processing, and the creation of custom checklists. The checklists are versatile, supporting tick boxes, drop-down lists, as well as photos. Nick Thomson, sales director at MCS Rental Software, explains, "We're excited to introduce our ground-breaking pre-delivery inspection feature. It's all about elevating efficiency and empowering our users to enhance their operational processes. With specific not
Lithuania - Christie RGB pure laser projection and Vive Audio technology deliver powerful cinematic experiences at Apollo Kinas, a new premium multiplex at Vilnius Outlet shopping centre. Christie partner BMK installed a Christie CP4425-RGB and five CP2415-RGB Real|Laser illumination technology, each accompanied by a Christie Vive Audio sound system, to immerse audiences in its six screens. “This cinema is fully equipped with many innovations to elevate the theatre experience for Vilnius moviegoers, including three chair selections in each auditorium, comfortable recliners, food delivery, self-serve shop, and most importantly top-notch laser projection and immersive audio system,” says Donatas Ivoška, head of Lithuania marketing department, Apollo Kinas. “We are very happy that we chose Christie and BMK as our partners. They completed everything on time and the
China - ROE Visual has announced the release of its ROE Calculator APP. This application is a complete upgrade of the previous ballast calculator and has added many new options to create essential technical calculations for LED screens. Key features include ballast calculation, pixel calculation, power requirement analysis, user-friendly interface and comprehensive data library The ROE Calculator APP is connected to the ROE Visual website - you only require one login for the website and the APP.
UK - Virtual production facility Racquet Studios has partnered with Video Screen Services (VSS) to offer dynamic solutions for virtual productions of all types and of all sizes Having launched in June 2023 and located in Eastbourne’s Devonshire Quarter, , Racquet Studios has been rapidly evolving to cater for a range of traditional and virtual productions across its facilities. Racquet Studios has been developed to support existing businesses and production companies through technical innovation to produce world-class creative content while creating a progressive creative economy, bringing investment, education and skilled year-round jobs to the region. Having delivered market-leading solutions for films including The Batman, Barbie and The Marvels, VSS also provides installations for TV productions including Strictly Come Dancing and
Mexico - Xcaret is one of Mexico’s leading tourist attractions. At the end of 2021, the park’s technical team upgraded a problematic projector-based video system in its main Tlachco Theatre with ADJ LED video panels. The new setup not only improved the clarity of the video content shown as part of the venue’s resident production but has also proven to be far more reliable than the previous system, following over a year of continuous use across daily shows. Opened in 1990, Xcaret is a visitor attraction on the Riviera Maya that celebrates Mexico’s present and rich past. Located on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, 5km south of Playa del Carmen and 75km south of Cancún, the park showcases an area of natural beauty. Beneath a jungle canopy are a network of underground rivers and cenotes (flooded sinkholes) as well as ancient Mayan buildings, while on the coast is
USA - Christie MicroTiles LED took the stage with Something Corporate during the band’s headlining reunion show at Las Vegas’ House of Blues on 20 October and their main stage performances at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on 21-22 October as part of the When We Were Young festival. Vocalist and pianist Andrew McMahon performed on a piano fully wrapped in Christie MicroTiles LED, which displayed images and lyrics from the band’s catalogue. Kevin ‘Clutch’ Page, principal, Procraft Media, who is also the bassist in Something Corporate, led the integration of this one-of-a-kind project. Something Corporate returned to the stage after a 13-year hiatus. The performances also marked their first shows in 20 years with the band’s original line-up. Bassist Clutch recalls the history of the band, and how they vinyl-wrapped McMahon’s piano with album artwork
Italy - Vivitek reports that its DU8395Z, DU9800Z and DU9900Z projectors have been chosen for use in immersive projection experiences created by Playartmultimedia. The scenographic project has been enlivening events ranging from private wedding events to public town activities in over 150 venues across Italy. Immersive projection experiences are much in demand, thrilling audiences with their fusion of colour, vivid images and punchy soundtracks. As with many modern artistic endeavours, the immersive rooms – or ‘Sala Immersiva’ - marries a labour of love with the latest in AV and IT technology to bring the visual extravaganza to life. The driving force behind Sala Immersiva is Giuseppe Casciello, art director, Playartmultimedia. Commenting on the concept, he said: “My inspiration is spurred by the necessary and continuous evolution of this wonderful art form. F
