COLOGNE, Germany – More than 220 AV professionals from more than 20 countries gathered in Cologne for the second coolux connect conference, held Jan. 8-9 at the KOMED in Cologne’s MediaPark. During the conference, coolux CEO Jan Huewel presented a sneak peek at future developments in the world of coolux Pandoras Box.
IOWA CITY, IA — The University of Iowa theatre department recently turned to PixelFLEX and its flexible and portable LED Curtain systems to enhance the school’s live productions. The department recently installed a PixelFLEX 30mm LED Curtain to provide video and graphic elements to the three distinctive venues on campus.
LAS VEGAS – Chaos Visual Productions celebrated the New Year with shows on both ends of the Las Vegas Strip. Performances from The Killers and Red Hot Chili Peppers entertained at The Chelsea Ballroom in The Cosmopolitan Hotel, while Beyonce rang in the New Year at The Wynn Hotel. Dick Clark Productions’ Rockin’ New Year’s Eve was also on the calendar of Chaos.
LAS VEGAS – Blue Man Group are putting a lightweight screen, digiTHIN, to use when they appear to materialize from a video projection in their latest production. The screens, developed by displayLED under its digiLED brand, are worn by the artists who perform rigorous routines animated by visual effects. Says BMG show director Bill Swartz, the effects illustrate the group’s creative idea that a hybrid space exists between real life and the technical world of phones and texts. “We call it 2.5D space,” he says.
LOS ANGELES – When the Hollywood Wax Museum refurbished its on-the-street lobby to attract the attention of passers-by, Electrosonic was called upon to design and install a number of HD video displays to capture the interest of strollers on Hollywood Boulevard. Electrosonic project manager Dan Laspa says the job posed the usual challenges for “an old Hollywood building,” including obtaining seismic certification for the monitor mounts. “We worked only at night when the museum was closed so we wouldn’t impede business in any way.”
LONDON -The latest UK arena leg of Mumford & Sons’ ‘Tour of Two Halves’ world tour featured 2,547 of XL Video’s latest product, the FX-200: small opaque plastic balls encasing LED clusters which can be fitted together and configured to suit any design.
ORLANDO – When Faith Assembly Church moved from their main campus in Orlando to a nearby significantly larger 300,000 sq. ft. space, the organization planned to make their megachurch technically savvy on a tight budget. Included in the list of new equipment installed and key to the church’s video production is a For-A video switcher set in the video control room. The Encore Broadcast Solutions team, led by Jeff Cameron, provided systems integration services including the design, sales and installation of all audio, video and lighting systems.
LINKOPING, Sweden – German electro pop pioneers Kraftwerk will use the interactive and 3D features of Dataton Watchout multi-image and presentation software for all on-stage digital scenography at their 2013 concerts. Fredrik Svahnberg, Dataton marketing director, says, “Kraftwerk are known for their use of bold graphics and colors. They are using our technology in a very easy to use, yet powerful way to engage audiences around the world.”
LONDON – XL Video supplied full video production and crew to Madness’s recent UK arena tour. “Luton” Pete Hosier’s stage and video design fused circus and theatricality. He used a large Stealth LED screen upstage, 30 panels wide by 17 deep, with more panels positioned around the curved front and mid trusses to create a crowning effect.
NEW YORK – For Election Night 2012 TV coverage, ABC brought in Vista Systems’ Spyders for easy image delivery to a set designed for hosts Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos. John Mims of J3 Productions in Austin, TX, chose the Spyder platform to manage digital video signal distribution and pixel mapping for the background video displays seen on the ABC set in Times Square. Mims selected two Spyder X20 1608 systems running in a parallel configuration to handle Election Night tasks.
LONDON – When BBC One’s The One Show was chosen to launch the BBC One Christmas line-up, they commissioned arts and technology collective, seeper, to produce a large scale projection onto the front of the BBC. The projection displayed a specially-produced promo film of the BBC’s upcoming Christmas shows on to the building in Wood Lane, West London. To satisfy the requirement for a high lux output, XL Events specified the newest Barco projectors.