Lightware U.S.A., the US distributor for Budapest-based Lightware Visual Engineering, is pleased to announce the introduction of double-slot, twisted pair MXD-HDMI-TP-IB and MXD-HDMI-TP-OB boards for Lightware’s modular matrix frames.

The MXD-HDMI-TP-IB input board and the MXD-HDMI-TP-OB output board are an upgraded version of the company’s MX-HDMI-TP boards. They accept HDMI 1.3 and 3D signals over two CATx cables and provide a bi-directional RS-232 link. Each port de-embeds digital audio from the HDMI stream and outputs via an S/PDIF connector locally while maintaining the audio content to the router’s main crosspoint board. The double-slot input and output boards offer HDCP compliance.

Lightware U.S.A.’s Greg Byrnes comments, “These boards allow the insertion of RS-232 control signals onto the CatX transmission directly from the router frame, instead of via an external HDMI to CatX transmitter with RS-232. What that means is that previously, to do HDMI with RS-232, one needed to route the HDMI out of the matrix, then connect it to the input of an stand alone HDMI to CatX transmitter that also had RS-232. Now this is done in one step, directly at the output of the router.”

Specifically, the input board offers RS-232 control over twisted pair for each input port and the output board offers RS-232 or S/PDIF over twisted pair on each output. They accept and transmit HDMI 1.3 and DVI signals over CAT5, CAT6 and CAT7 cables and have 3D signal compatibility with frame packing, side-by-side and top-bottom formats.

The boards support all HDMI audio formats, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. They offer advanced EDID management and pixel accurate reclocking. The boards have automatic or adjustable color range conversion and the output board also offers color range conversion. Conversion between DVI, HDMI and deep color signals are dependent upon the capabilities of the attached display.

The new boards require a two-card slot in the matrix frame and are compatible with Lightware’s MX-FR80R, 65R, 33R, 33L and 17 frames.

About Lightware U.S.A.

Lightware U.S.A. is the US distributor of professional AV products manufactured by Lightware Visual Engineering in Budapest, Hungary. For more information on these products, visit www.lightwareUSA.com.

Times Square came to a standstill, and it wasn’t even New Year’s Eve. Ten of thousands of fans turned out to watch superstar singer-rapper Nicki Minaj perform live and celebrate the launch of the Windows-based Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone in North America at an event featuring audio and lighting support from WorldStage, the new brand for Scharff Weisberg and Video Applications Inc.

Minaj, a native New Yorker, sang a three-song set, then the show segued into an exclusive remix of her current hit “Starships,” performed live by DJ/producer Doorly. The remix was accompanied by the transformation of the American Eagle building on the corner adjacent to the stage, into a giant video screen with choreographed bold CG imagery.

“It was a large-scale, top secret project,” says senior account executive Michael May of the WorldStage Nashville office. “We got the call to put everything together five weeks prior to the event. We could only work in Times Square for the three nights prior to the show and couldn’t reveal the upcoming event to passersby” who were curious about the blue cube of a stage under construction.

IncrediBull, a brand communications company in London and San Francisco, conceived the event, which was shrouded in mystery until they put word out via social media, and Minaj fans quickly packed Times Square for the free concert.

Technical producer Doug Murray of Cue1Go production services in Larkspur, California assembled the players on the production team and selected WorldStage for its technical and logistical expertise. “Working in Times Square is never an easy feat,” notes WorldStage project manager Josh Perlman. “There are security issues, space concerns and, for this event, we could only work overnight.”

The audio needs for the event were extensive requiring sound coverage for a large area from the stage to 48th street plus Duffy Plaza. “We also needed to cover a very wide area with a digital intercom system – Broadway from 44th to 47th Streets,” Perlman points out. We brought in Tommy Nicks as the A1 for the project.

In addition to the PA and intercom package WorldStage supplied three WinVision 8mm LED walls to act as Countdown Clocks on the sides of the blue box stage. On the morning of the show they also furnished a pair of Christie Roadie HD30K projectors to display Nokia’s Twitter hash tag. Sean Kelly was the head LED tech and Juan Mateo was projectionist.

WorldStage also supported lighting designer Charles Foster, of Lightswitch, with fixtures for the performance. Lighting effects also made the blue stage glow for three days, building anticipation for the event. WorldStage provided a number of moving lights, including 25 Martin MAC Auras and 10 Clay Paky Sharpys; 75 LED fixtures, including 30 Chroma-Q Color Force LEDs; and a standard array of conventional lights and dimming. The show’s lighting was driven off a Martin M1 console.

Project manager John Healy handled the lighting end of the event and played host to the crew that traveled in from California to prep the show. “We had a crew of seasoned production electricians who split shifts around the clock to make the job happen,” says Healy. Our staff production electrician Drew Decorletto was one of the heads in the field.”

Atomic Design, a frequent WorldStage partner, provided the scenic and incorporated the LED Countdown Clocks into the set. Production Glue’s Matt Richman and Jack Hilley handled the technical direction and city permitting. Christine Smith of 22 Twelve was the executive producer.

“We’re proud that WorldStage met the challenges of scale, time frame and scheduling to support such a unique event in the heart of New York City,” says Michael May.

WorldStage Inc., the company created by the merger of Scharff Weisberg Inc and Video Applications Inc., continues a thirty-year legacy of providing clients the widest variety of entertainment technology coupled with conscientious and imaginative engineering services. WorldStage provides audio, video and lighting equipment and services to the event, theatrical, broadcast and brand experience markets nationally and internationally. The Owners and Employees of WorldStage believe that all clients deserve the WorldStage Experience

There are two sides to every story, as the tag line for the Mob Museum in Las Vegas reminds us, and Alcorn McBride is helping the city’s newest attraction tell the tales of both organized crime and law enforcement. The Mob Museum is utilizing a full inventory of Alcorn McBride equipment for audio, video and show control throughout its historic 1930′s location, a former federal courthouse and post office.

The museum, which opened in February, showcases the notorious battle between organized crime and law enforcement with high-tech theater presentations, iconic artifacts – including the actual brick wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre – and interactive exhibits and environments, including FBI wiretap surveillance and weapons training. The project was designed by Ray Kent, Westlaske Reed Leskosky. AVI-SPL was the primary AV integrator, with programming support by Kevin Ruud. Ryan Markus and Nester Ramos, Mob Museum’s AV/IT staff, handle ongoing maintenance and system programming.

“We have three floors of exhibits, and a large portion is content. Visitors start at the third floor with the birth of the mob and continue down to the first floor, which documents the mob today,” explains Ryan Markus. “There’s so much amazing content: The average leg walk [for visitors] is two hours. Most of our equipment is controlled by Alcorn gear – we have several racks full – and it’s been awesome.”

Five Alcorn McBride V16Pro frame-accurate show controllers for serial and network devices control six Digital Binloop HD’s, which play loops of a diverse range of video content tailored to particular exhibits. One exhibit calls for visitors to pick up a rotary telephone that sends a tone to one of the V16Pros telling it to play a certain audio track. The tone in turn signals an Alcorn McBride AM4 Digital Audio Machine, a professional MP3 and WAV audio player.

A total of 10 AM4s are in use in the museum; some provide playback for phones that give visitors an idea of what ‘mob speak’ sounds like.

Show control via more V16Pros comes into play in a courtroom exhibit featuring a seven-minute, four-projector show. The system opens and closes the courtroom door and rolls up the screen when the show concludes.

A LightCue DMX recorder and four Alcorn McBride DMX Machines control over 1,500 lights in the museum. “Almost all of the lights in the building are controlled with the DMX system,” notes Markus.

The Mob Museum currently uses ShowTouch, Alcorn McBride’s touch panel interface for Alcorn McBride show controllers with Ethernet, for tour guide presentations. But it will begin to deploy the company’s new ShowTouch for iPad, a touch panel interface app for the popular Apple platform. “The private guides and tour operators use iPads, and soon they will be able to use Touch for iPad to pause and restart equipment as they give their presentations,” Markus explains.

Calling the Alcorn McBride gear “awesome” and “rock solid,” he notes that the system “has come back online without any issues after a couple of power outages. It’s really great!”

About Alcorn McBride:
Founded in 1986, Alcorn McBride is the leading manufacturer of show control, audio and video equipment for the themed entertainment industry, and a rapidly growing provider of audio and video systems for retail environments and transportation applications. Staffed by some of the industry’s best engineers and backed by outstanding customer support, the company has demonstrated great agility in bringing new designs to market. A hallmark of Alcorn McBride products is their durable, zero maintenance design. The company’s products provide consistent, reliable operation for audio and video playback applications worldwide. For more information, visit www.alcorn.com.

A.C.T Lighting is pleased to announce that Mike Gillis has come on board as a salesperson for A.C.T Lighting Canada, the company’s new office, which opened in suburban Toronto in May.

“We’re excited to have Mike join us,” says Andrew Beck, general manager of A.C.T Lighting Canada. “Mike has a solid reputation in the industry and excellent customer service abilities. His knowledge of the cable business and the relationships he has developed over his years in the Canadian market will serve us well.”

Gillis launched himself in the lighting industry when he was a teenager providing local labor, tour support, rentals and lighting design; he went on to own four small- to medium-sized rigs, which he supplied in a package with crew, gear and trucking.

In 1987 he opened Phase Lighting with Michael Stone in Windsor and Concord, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan. “We were primarily a resale location and did installations, some touring and rentals, and provided rehearsal space for the top 40 Canadian bands of the day,” Gillis recalls. Phase Lighting was a leading distributor of the Kupo line of products.

Gillis launched Profile Technologies in 1993 and continued to distribute Kupo products; he also established Canadian distribution for Christie Lites until 2000. At that time Gillis was hired by TMB where he remained until March.

About A.C.T Lighting

A leading importer and distributor of lighting products, A.C.T Lighting, Inc. strives to identify future trends and cutting-edge products, and stock, sell and support their inventory. The company provides superior customer service and value for money to all of its clients.

For more information call 818-707-0884.

Christie today announced the expansion of its 3-chip DLP platform with the introduction of the

, and new 14,000 lumen Christie M Series models. The new projectors target a variety of applications that require high brightness, superior performance and vivid, clear images.

Award-Winning Christie M Series Adds New Brighter Models
The popular M Series – including three new Roadster models and three 3D-enabled Mirage models – feature SXGA+, HD and WUXGA resolution, portrait mode capabilities, and 14,000 lumens – the highest brightness available at 110V. The projectors are designed for auditoriums, boardrooms, conference rooms, houses of worship, post-production, and live event applications that need the reliability of 3-chip DLP technology and high brightness for piercing through ambient lighting.

Featuring built-in Christie Twist, the new M Series models are equipped with two hot swappable mercury lamps for additional cost savings since the high brightness is achieved with two lamps instead of four.

“The additions to our award-winning M Series platform offer higher brightness than previously available at 110V, and with the dual lamp system, customers are receiving unparalleled performance and the best return on their investment,” said George Tsintzouras, senior director product management, Business Products, Christie.

Christie D4K25 Provides High-Brightness Solution
The Christie D4K25 targets high resolution markets including amusement parks, automotive designers, planetariums, and applications where native 4K resolution for precision image detail is critical. Featuring the ability to use different lamp powers – extending lamp life and reducing cost of ownership – the Christie D4K25 is equipped with automated image alignment for maximum lamp output and brightness.

“With this 3-chip DLP offering, Christie now has a 25,000 lumen projector with 4K resolution powered by 220V to meet the market demand for applications requiring high resolution and high brightness,” continued Tsintzouras. “DLP offers darker blacks and brighter whites for a more true-to-life images and has superior lifecycle performance. In launching the new M Series models and the Christie D4K25, Christie is thrilled to be pushing the boundaries on what DLP technology brings to the market.”

The Christie D4K25 and the new M Series models have a three-year parts and labor warranty and ship in July 2012.

Christie is introducing six new 3LCD projectors across two platforms at InfoComm 2012. The Christie LW401, Christie LW551i, Christie LWU421, and Christie LWU501i feature wide screen capabilities and provide from 4000 to 5500 lumens along with professional functionality and complete the product line introduced earlier this year with the Christie LX501 and Christie LX601i.

* Christie LW401, 4000 ANSI, WXGA 1280 x 800
* Christie LW551i, 5500 ANSI, WXGA 1280 x 800
* Christie LWU421, 4200 ANSI, WUXGA 1920 x 1200
* Christie LWU501i, 5000 ANSI, WUXGA 1920 x 1200

Designed for small-to-medium sized venues in higher education, houses of worship, corporate environments and government agencies, the newest models are packed with high-end features, yet affordable for various venue applications. They feature both Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture, allowing end users to display two input signals or video teleconferencing for collaboration. With the lens memory recall, users can to lock-in and quickly recall up to three lens positions for use with multiple protection locations.

“Our customers now have the full range of offerings across our 3LCD spectrum,” said Frank Anzures, senior product manager, Business Products, Christie. “And the ability to have wireless capabilities is something our customers have asked for and Christie has met market needs with this platform.”

Benefits of New 3LCD Category:
* Wireless connectivity optional (achieved with wireless dongle).
* Two digital outputs.
* Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture.
* Hybrid filter design for up to 20,000 hours with no moving parts for easy maintenance.
* Premium (“I”) versions feature a built-in LCD display showing setup menus and diagnostics.
* Quick Stacking capabilities for temporary displays, to double your brightness output
* Built-in security features.
* Suite of optional lenses with repeatable lens recall allows greater projection placement flexibility and multi-screen presentations.
* Environmentally friendly using less than 0.35W in power saving mode.
* Closed Captioning for NTSC video signal support.
* Digital keystone functionality with 8-point geometry correction, perfect for curved screens

“This new platform is an excellent transition from our existing, LW400 and LWU420 models. We are expanding the feature set by providing a full suite of optional lenses, lens memory recall, wireless capabilities, and advance networking features to provide content over the network, as well as instant messaging functionality,” Anzures added.

Christie LX41 and Christie LW41 Make Their Debut
The Christie LX41 and Christie LW41 provide bright, full featured at affordable cost in XGA (1024 x 768) and WXGA (1280 x 800) resolutions that meet the ProAV requirements in today’s small to medium sized venues. Both projectors feature 2000:1 contrast ratio and are excellent choices for higher education, corporate AV, and house of worship applications requiring a full-featured portable XGA or widescreen projector in the 4000 ANSI lumens range.
“The Christie LX41 and Christie LW41 feature 3D Keystone(tm) technology, an 8 point geometry correction for quick and easy image set up as well as built-in speakers to provide a full and rich solution for presentation needs,” said Anzures. “This platform also enables the administrator to send a text message – globally to all projectors or a single projector on the network – for important announcements such as emergencies or evacuations.”

Benefits of Christie LX41 and Christie LW41
* Economical widescreen (16:9) and 4:3 aspect ratio choices.
* 1.7x manual zoom lens for greater flexibility of installation options.
* Designed with 3D Keystone(tm) geometry correction technology, with (simple) curved screen capabilities.
* Multi PC display option for collaborative presentation display (up to four PCs).
* AMX Device Discovery.
* High resolution HD content capabilities.
* Built-in speakers.
* Easy setup.
* Compact size for portability.
* Low maintenance filters and long lamp life (up to 5000 hours in eco-mode).
* LAN networking for asset management, monitoring and content delivery.

“The two new platforms address our customers need for affordable, performance projectors with added-value features,” Anzures concluded, “and they now have numerous options to meet not only their brightness and resolution needs, but also their venue and presentation needs.”

Both projector platforms come with a three-year parts and labor warranty and ship in summer 2012.

The annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, with its 24/7 schedule and desert location, poses a challenge for performers and their lighting and media crews alike. So when the lighting designer, lighting programmer/director and media programmer for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg opted to use Prelite Studios’ previsualization services prior to the show they gained some distinct advantages.

With the sun rising early, boiling temperatures throughout the day, no chance for atmosphere (fog/haze) due to the high winds and dust storms, and opening acts starting at 10 am, it’s tough to lock in a show without previs. Brian Jenkins, teamed with production designer Demfis Fyssicopulos on Dre and Snoop’s set. Add to the mix that they were not the only artists performing and other LDs needed time for their shows as well, and the technology from Prelite became a no-brainer. The team couldn’t imagine the nightmare if they had only programmed some elements in rehearsals and waited to do the other elements on-site at Coachella.

Jenkins, Fyssicopulos and media programmer Matt Shimamoto spent about seven days in rehearsals at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar where Prelite principal Tom Thompson set up the system. Jenkins, who was new to the Prelite experience, had begun coordinating with Thompson about two weeks earlier on plots, unit numbers, patches, fixture orientations and a few required revisions. The team arrived on site in Santa Monica, plugged into the Vision software and were running.

The biggest advantage for him during rehearsals was having the entire Coachella lighting rig six feet in front of them while I was programming. Budget, space and trim height restricted them to a certain amount of physical gear that could be used in Santa Monica.

Prelite had top-notch machines running Vision, with internal parameters adjusted for the best performance. The show translated perfectly from partial previs at rehearsals to the actual rig at Coachella. Everyone was surprised how well the machines handled the large inventory of moving lights and LED components without bogging-down.

Dre and Snoop’s set was divided into segments: Dre and Snoop together, Dre alone, Snoop alone and each with guest artists.

All of the previs and programming was based on the fact that set up on site would begin after the sun was setting and the miscellaneous field lighting from merchandise booths, palm tree lights and carnival lights was shut off. The team gives kudos to Neil Ryan and the Coachella staff for turning off the lights – it was helpful to have the environment set for the entire performance, and it was extremely crucial to have total darkness for the Tupac segments.

It was a monumental task for the stage crew to perform an extreme makeover from night to night, allowing each headliner to load in their entire show. There were 24 universes of control between moving lights, LED products, miscellaneous site lighting fixtures and video control for the Hippos. It was a big Brown United roof, so there was lots of space to put fixtures and elements of the set.

Instead of programming unnecessary lighting cues that would never translate onto the stage, they created big, bold looks – along with the necessary hits and sweeps, of course – and let video push the envelope. For the majority of the performance, video content was the driving portion of the show because they were outside, in the desert, and atmosphere was hard to control and maintain.

Custom video content, timed to the beat of the songs, was displayed on a main upstage WinVision LED wall, the band riser (which was wrapped in flexible paper LEDs hugging the curve and rigid LED tiles for the straight portions), and IMAG screens located stage left and right.

Sometimes the LEDs were supportive elements for lighting. For some songs they’d tone in color on the riser to match the lighting scheme for a cohesive look. At other times, like the beginning of the set, which featured an iconic downtown LA open, all the LED elements and the IMAG screens played as one for an engulfing experience. The stage was completely overtaken by LA imagery so Dre and Snoop could claim it for their home turf in an artistic way.”

Unlike Jenkins, Shimamoto was a Prelite veteran, having used the previs system on Eminem’s and Jay-Z’s Home & Home Tour, a Little Wayne tour and for the Activision booth at the E3 convention. Prelite helps paint a picture of what everyone has been talking about for months – lighting, color, content, you get to see it all come together. The team was fortunate to have the LED wall at rehearsals so we were able to use Prelite to show Dre and Snoop what things were going to look like when we got to Coachella.

The team spent long hours in rehearsals locking cues into timecode and stepping through the show song by song. A few songs used static imagery on the LED surfaces and Fyssicopulos turned Jenkins loose to cue out a song.

At Coachella, Shimamoto, at front of house, had four Hippo HD media servers, two grandMA full systems for video and another two grandMAs for lighting at his disposal.

Curtis Battles served as production manager for Dre and Snoop’s set. Derek Burt of Upstream Touring supplied the video package and crew in conjunction with VER. Matt Waters was the media tech during rehearsals. Loren Barton was head FOH and Hippo tech for the show.

About Prelite

Prelite was founded in San Francisco February 2000 by Tom Thompson and Norm Schwab as a place for lighting designers and programmers to use technologies to previsualize lighting projects. Its success led to the launch of Prelite NY in June 2001 by Kim Grethen and Rodd McLaughlin. The bicoastal company provides studios where previsualization and creativity take center stage away from the distractions and interruptions of a chaotic work environment and where clients save time and money and minimize stress. Prelite also offers on-site previsualization services for those who prefer the convenience of working at the venue. For more information, visit www.prelite.com or contact Thomas Thompson at 415-883-7727.

Look Solutions’ Unique2.1 hazer made its debut with the Penn State Thespians when the theatrical company recently premiered the musical “Aida” in a four-performance run at the 946-seat Schwab Auditorium on campus.

Founded in 1897, the Penn State Thespians marked their 200th show with the staging of the musical version of the Verdi opera. “Aida” won a 2000 Tony Award for Best Original Score by Sir Elton John; Tim Rice is the lyricist.

“The haze was used for atmospheric effect during select scenes,” says lighting designer Andrew Markosky. “I chose the Unique2.1 because of positive reviews I read online and the reputation of Look Solutions. I also liked the ability of the Unique to vary the amount of haze autonomously.”

The Unique2 haze machine offers minimal warm up time, minimal noise and minimal fluid consumption. Its new, more efficient fan quickly distributes haze in a room, and its variable output can achieve any desired effect from the finest mist to a thick haze similar to fog.

Markosky reports that the hazer “performed well overall” and delivered on its price-performance promises for the run of the musical.

About Look Solutions

Based in Germany, Look Solutions manufactures high-performance fog machines, haze machines, battery-powered mini-foggers, low-foggers, accessories and fluids at reasonable prices. Look Solutions USA, located in western Maryland, serves customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. For more information, or to request a demo machine for evaluation, visit www.looksolutionsusa.com or call Hunter Totty, Director of Operations, at 1-800-426-4189. Look Solutions’ Technical Service line is 646-300-0520.

Once again Clay Paky lighting fixtures turned out in force for the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), this year at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Show designer and director Stephen Lieberman of SJ Lighting, Inc. chose a large complement of Clay Paky Sharpy, Alpha Spot HPE 1500 and Shotlight fixtures for all the moving lights on the EDC’s main stage.

Now a three-day event, the roving EDC has become the largest electronic dance music festival in North America. Lighting and video are set up to run live all night and the visuals and stage designs are critical components of the audience experience. Upwards of 45,000 people were reported to have attended the event just outside New York City.

“For this show the design philosophy was ‘Go big!’ Big structure, big lighting, big video,” says Lieberman, who deployed a large Clay Paky inventory at last year’s EDC in Las Vegas. “All the moving lights on the main stage were Clay Paky, and they were used for everything from lighting the stage to creating visual looks for the audience.”

Despite some weather issues that slowed things down, Lieberman’s crew “muscled through” the event and performed “at the highest level,” he reports. As for his Clay Paky inventory, there were “no issues at all – that’s why they continually get spec’d on my shows,” he says.

“I love their optics and advanced feature set. The new Shotlights presented a great opportunity: I was able to strobe the stage looks whereas, typically, my strobe details are pointed into the audience.”

Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky Area Manager for North and Latin America, adds, “We’re pleased to see that we are providing such a wide range of lights to Mr. Lieberman. He is a great designer and producer and one of the first users of our new Shotlight. We look forward to working with him on future projects.

A.C.T Lighting is the distributor of Clay Paky in North America.

Hailed as “the first great musical of the 21st century� by the Toronto Star, “American Idiot: The Musical� is now on national tour with AV support from WorldStage, the new brand for Scharff Weisberg and Video Applications. Playing dates in Los Angeles, Dallas, Seattle and San Francisco in the recent and upcoming months, the tour commenced directly after the Broadway run of the show, which is based on Green Day’s Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album.

“American Idiot: The Musical� features an extensive amount of video with more than three dozen flat-screen monitors, provided by Vizio, suspended in frames throughout the obliquely angled warehouse-like living space by set designer Christine Jones, who netted a Tony Award for the Broadway show. The set’s walls also serve as large projection surfaces.

WorldStage was tasked to provide a cost-effective video package that would satisfy and support the sophisticated design requirements and which could also withstand the harsh and rigorous environments of a touring show. In the end, the delivered package was comprised of a specialized playback system, a high-brightness projection configuration, and a one-to-one signal distribution system capable of delivering the bold and brilliant imagery created by projection and video designer Darrel Maloney.

Maloney crafted hundreds of video images for the show. The stream of images conveys the influence of media on society, set an emotional underscore and help tell the story. Imagery for each song ranges from Iraq war footage and clips of Britney Spears to graffiti art, home movies, test patterns, paint splatters, color bars and live video.

“I’ve always respected WorldStage a lot, and when it was time to do this show I had to put together a package that would be extremely road-worthy,� says the tour’s technical supervisor Rhys Williams. “I needed a team that could support me and everything I needed to get accomplished. WorldStage, with Lars Pedersen and TJ Donoghue, was the perfect complement to what I needed.�

According to Williams, all the video elements “make a really strong impact on the show.� Before the tour’s current technical team came on board it had been determined that front projection could not be used for the show. But Williams thought that point deserved reconsideration. After meeting with Maloney and members of WorldStage’s New York City office, Williams felt it was indeed feasible to do front projection for a tour that would play a variety of different theatrical venues from coast to coast.

The president of Charleston, South Carolina-based Technical Theater Solutions, Williams set up the show’s walls and a trio of Christie Digital S+16 projectors from WorldStage near his shop to test the projection system they devised. “I felt we couldn’t do front projection from a balcony rail since we wouldn’t always have a balcony rail in the theaters on the tour,� he notes. “We needed a system that would work and be within our envelope. WorldStage instantly translated our desires into a working system within our budget.�

He points out that the stage set used on tour, which is black with gray and white elements, is “much darker� than the one used on Broadway. “We had to have projectors strong enough to pop against the dark background,� he says. One of the Christie S+16 projectors is mounted stage left and projects onto the right wall of the set. Two S+16s are mounted stage right and project onto the larger left wall. “Nobody can tell that there isn’t one projector shining from the front,� says Williams. “Three images appear on stage as if they are one – it’s pretty amazing. I have no idea how they do it, frankly.�

A major dilemma for the WorldStage team centered around finding an economical solution to meet Maloney’s desire for an independent feed for each of the monitors and projectors. In total, 40 channels of video were required to feed the various display devices. Initially, budgetary constraints looked as if they would restrict the design to just six or eight discrete feeds to the monitors – a major limitations for Maloney’s design. “But by working with Lars and other members of the WorldStage team we were able to get 37 discrete images on 37 monitors,� says Williams. “It’s amazing what that does visually for the production.�

WorldStage’s solution? Three United Visual Artists’ D3 4ru quad-output media servers each outfitted with a 4x multi-display adapter. Two United Visual Artists’ D3 2ru machines served as main and backup masters and provided additional video feeds. WorldStage also designed the signal distribution system including the aforementioned 4x units, a large matrix router and various signal converters. Since fragile and expensive fiber optic cable was not a practical option for a touring show, the company opted for HD-SDI via coax, which is proving to be a robust choice.

“Thanks to the collaboration of Darrel, WorldStage, D3 and [UVA’s] Ash Nehru we were able to come up with an extremely good solution,� says Williams. “The system is rock solid and does more than we ever hoped it could. We believe we’re doing more video more aggressively on tour than on Broadway. That’s partly because the set’s walls are a little over half as tall as they were, but there are still the same number of monitors so their density is greater. As a result, they have a bigger impact.�

Williams reports that every time he sees the show he’s amazed by “the quality of the production and how solid it has been – we’ve had very few issues on the tour. We’ve got a system that works, is within our budget and delivers a product that’s just unparalleled.�

At WorldStage Lars Pedersen was the account executive on the project, TJ Donoghue was project manager, Barry Grossman design engineer, Raoul Herrera media server technician and Dennis Alfonso projectionist.

Robert Allen is the touring video manager for the show.

WorldStage Inc., the company created by the merger of Scharff Weisberg Inc and Video Applications Inc, continues a thirty-year legacy of providing clients the widest variety of entertainment technology coupled with conscientious and imaginative engineering services. WorldStage provides audio, video and lighting equipment and services to the event, theatrical, broadcast and brand experience markets nationally and internationally.