Electrosonic Founder Director Robert Simpson will host a session at InfoComm 2012 designed to end confusion about today’s high resolution display options. “Technology Trends in High Resolution Displays” will be held June 14 in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The 90-minute course will identify what level of resolution is required for various situations, explain the differing needs of users of high resolution displays, update participants on the current status of the main display technologies and help them understand the scope for further developments. The session will also include news of the latest display developments from the SID symposium in Boston that will have taken place just before InfoComm.

Simpson will also discuss NHK’s 33 million pixel 85-inch LCD, “electronic paper,” current OLED status, the differences between LCD, LCOS and DLP as the basis of projection, and why the presentation of 3D images without glasses is so difficult.

A frequent lecturer on audio-visual and lighting control topics, Simpson opened the 2012 InfoComm Future Trends Summit at the Integrated Systems Europe Exhibition (ISE) in Amsterdam with this presentation. Simpson was the recipient of the InfoComm Distinguished Achievement Award in 2009.

“Training and education are very important components of the continuing development of our trade. It’s a pleasure to participate in this session and contribute to InfoComm’s ongoing activities,” says Simpson.

Electrosonic’s InfoComm exhibit will be situated at booth N1133 in the North Hall. Simpson will be available for further discussion at the booth following the education session.

InfoComm 2012, which runs from June 9-15, will feature more than 925 exhibitors and 300 educational sessions. It is expected that 34,000 AV professionals will attend the most comprehensive AV trade show in the world.

About Electrosonic
Electrosonic is an international audio-visual company that creates tailored, state-of-the-art solutions for a wide range of markets including theme parks, museums, video conferencing and control rooms. Since its founding in 1964, Electrosonic has built a strong reputation for working on complex projects, both large and small, and has developed lasting partnerships with customers and suppliers. Beyond complete integrated systems, Electrosonic provides a comprehensive scope of services including technical design, projector lamp sales, maintenance and operational support.

Learn more about Electrosonic. Visit http://www.electrosonic.com

High Resolution Systems has announced that HRS Control Pro from Apple’s App Store has gone live. The new app for High Resolution Systems’ UDC (Universal Device Controller) software gives users of Apple devices another interface option and reinforces the company’s commitment to the concept of open systems for maximum client flexibility.

“We’re big supporters of the Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) trend, which finds customers using Apple iPads, Apple iPhones, Apple iPod Touch and other tablets and smart phones for AV control,” says High Resolution’s Drew Taylor. “Customers have been using our web-server feature for these devices. But now Apple users have their own dedicated app, HRS Control Pro, for extended control of all versions of iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch in landscape and portrait modes.”

The new app follows the debut of a Windows 8 client controller app for extended control of Windows-enabled devices.

Both the Apple and Windows controller apps offer the ability to download different UDC configurations and store them for offline viewing. “This allows customers to use them in a demo mode; it’s a very useful sales tool,” says Taylor.

He notes that it’s the goal of High Resolution Systems to “support any tablet or smart phone – to leave the options wide open for the customer to use any hardware they choose as their control platform. We advocate giving the customer the flexibility to get really creative about how they integrate hardware,” in contrast to closed control systems on the market which offer proprietary-limited hardware choices.

About High Resolution Systems
High Resolution Systems, a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers is a company with a strong systems engineering and applications background. Its founders have decades of experience in the audiovisual rental and staging industry, broadcast applications, A/V installations and system design. This combined experience allows them to provide the highest possible quality solutions to its customers in the most efficient manner. For more information, visit www.hrscontrol.com.

The Boss is back on tour in support of his 17th studio album, “Wrecking Ball,” with an electrifying series of concerts featuring a number of technical innovations to enhance the experience. Las Vegas-based Morpheus Lights is providing MDG AtmosphereAPS hazers, Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures and a grandMA lighting control platform for the US and European tour of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. A.C.T Lighting is the distributor of MDG, Clay Paky and grandMA products in the U.S

Morpheus Lights worked closely with Springsteen’s lighting designer, Jeff Ravitz, of Los Angeles based, Intensity Advisors, to meet his specifications for the look The Boss likes to present to his sold-out audiences. But for this tour the look took some new directions.

“For years we have avoided atmospherics – we were told that Bruce didn’t want them and didn’t like the idea,” says Paul Weller of Morpheus Lights. “But this year, with the addition of Clay Paky Sharpys to the lighting inventory, the question of haze came up. One of the main reasons to use haze is to enhance the effect of the Sharpy fixtures. You really can’t see the beams of the Sharpys unless you have somthing that helps them “paint” the air.”

Ravitz agrees that haze “allows for lighting to have a little more tangible quality. But hazers have never been permitted because of the vocal issues, and that has forced us into a particular style of design. Nevertheless, over the years Bruce has done shows in misty rain and smoky arenas and we could see the advantages: The haze makes for interesting visual compositions. So when we put the Wrecking Ball Tour together, the management asked me to use haze subtly.”

Weller talked to MDG about the benefits of its AtmosphereAPS hazer, which has become the industry standard in haze generators. Atmosphere is known for is extremely quiet operation and long hanging times. It produces continuous or momentary haze emission, has a DMX interface and features an exclusive Automatic Purging System to prevent build up and clogging.

“The Atmosphere is a mineral oil-based hazer that puts out very fine particles, comparative to other units” Weller explains. “The smaller particle means that the haze “hangs” longer so you need to put less of it into the air, and that means the performers are affected less. We’re told that the MDG Atmosphere is more singer-friendly than glycol-based hazers which can dry out the throat and affect the performers voice.”

“It was crucial that the haze be voice friendly,” Ravitz emphasizes. “Bruce gives his voice a very thorough workout on stage. Research showed that MDG hazers were considered tried and true equipment on Broadway where the voice is so important. So we brought them into rehearsal and set them pretty far from the stage to fill the arena in a very even way. They enhanced what we had done; we weren’t using them as a crutch. Bruce and the other performers didn’t object to the MDG Atmospheres and, in fact, recognized the hazers were taking a well-composed show to another level.”

Weller calls the Atmosphere “a very solid unit that’s performed very well. The Automatic Purging System means there’s no heavy maintenance.”

The hazers are used in tandem with 28 Sharpys – 16 positioned below the stage shooting up through plexiglass windows that replace part of the deck on the custom-built Tait Towers stage plus 6 Sharpys each on two vertical side trusses shooting from left and right.

“Historically, the show’s design had been oriented very horizontally to allow for maximum sightlines from every angle,” Ravitz points out. “We decided to add some Sharpys in a vertical “stack” so we could play around with something we never really had before. We found positions to place two twenty-foot vertical trusses that give us a very dynamic look. And now that we’re adding haze, the Sharpys really pay off.”

Ravitz notes that Springsteen’s look is still about subtlety, however. “We’ve forced ourselves to be minimal, but we’re still having a lot of fun with the Sharpys. Sometimes they’re used with no color, sometimes with deep color, and sometimes we ballyhoo them. We feel we’ve found the right balance.

“The crew tells me that the Sharpys are pretty bulletproof and are working great every day,” he adds.

The grandMA continues to perform loyal service to Springsteen’s tours, acting as the automated lighting control console for the Wrecking Ball concerts.

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.

High Resolution Systems will be showcasing a number of new features for its popular UDC (Universal Device Controller) software at InfoComm12, Booth N668. The innovations include new user interface options, Windows 8 and Apple iOS apps, and a renewed dedication to the concept of open systems for maximum client flexibility.

“It’s our goal to support any tablet or smart phone – to leave the options wide open for our customers to use any hardware they choose as their control platform,” says High Resolution’s Drew Taylor. “We’re big advocates of giving the customer the flexibility to get really creative about how they integrate hardware,” in contrast to the closed control systems on the market which offer only proprietary or limited hardware choices.

With that in mind, High Resolution Systems supports the Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) trend, which finds customers using Apple iPads, iPhones, iPod Touches, Android and Windows tablets and smart phones for PRO AV control depending on venue and convenience factors. The introduction of UDC Controller Groups now enables customers to build multiple versions of the same page in their control system, specify them as a controller group and have different resolutions and aspect ratios automatically available for a range of control devices as needed.

“A customer might want to use an iPod Touch in a meeting room or boardroom for basic AV control and also want to have the option for finer control with an iPad with more buttons,” Taylor explains. “Once the customer sets the Controller Groups, UDC automatically sends the appropriate page to the connected device based on resolution; the iPhone will get the iPhone resolution pages in the controller groups and the iPad will get the higher resolution controller pages, all automatically handled by UDC,” Taylor explains. “As with all other features in the UDC Software, this new Controller Groups feature is available on every device through our built in Webserver as well as our new iOS app and Windows Tablet app.”

This new feature for UDC comes on the heels of the debut of a Windows 8 client controller app, available from High Resolution Systems, for an extended feature set on Windows-enabled devices.

A new dedicated iOS app, HRS Control Pro, for extended control from all versions of iPhone, iPad and the iPod Touch in landscape and portrait modes, has just become available in the Apple App Store.

Both the Windows 8 and Apple iOS client apps offer the ability to download different UDC configurations and store them for offline viewing. “This allows customers to use them in a demo mode; it’s a very useful sales tool that allows our customers to take their control systems projects anywhere they go and have ready for demonstration,” says Taylor.

At NAB the company introduced new UDC variables, logic and slider features, which work with existing UDC macros to provide very powerful options for configuring UDC control systems. “Powerful, advanced features that you would normally find when custom coding an app are now part of UDC’s user interface for quick implementation. And they are very easy to use,” says Taylor.

Customer requests for sliders prompted High Resolution Systems to roll them out for the entire UDC user base. A slider is typically used for volume and lighting control and is one more step for us beyond simple button based control.

Variables and logic work together when customers need to execute complex strings of commands. Buttons set the variable, which is typically a value for recalling a preset or control for a device such as volume level. Another button will send the command using the current value of the variable. UDC Logic enables the user to compare variables and extend them further, sending commands to apply variables simultaneously across the board in advanced executions.

Taylor notes, “Variables and Logic are part of our ongoing set of feature updates designed to support advanced applications and programmers that are used to custom coded solutions. We are providing the advanced features programmers need to build complex control systems while making the job of control system configuration and management available to all AV and IT technicians.”

At InfoComm, toggle switches and lists have been added to user interface design options. Toggle switches offer simple on/off functionality. Customers may now also build their own custom lists and define the display name and value of each item control Pro Av equipment. In addition, they can create lists of from supported devices, such as image processors and media servers, and execute the functionality – to play clips or pre-sets, for example – tied to those devices. The new lists also work on UDC’s web-server feature and Windows 8 and iOS apps.

“What’s particularly cool about lists in UDC is they utilize our ability of querying a device,” says Taylor. “Customers no longer have to reconfigure UDC when clips or presets are added to their controlled devices; lists can refresh with new items automatically and update all connected tablet controllers.”

Taylor notes that “these new features all have one goal: to build more powerful choices in the user interface and control system design. They allow customers to have more options when designing, configuring and maintaining their Pro AV control system. With the addition of five new user interface elements, UDC software now offers options to build everything from basic to the most complex user interface-based control systems. Our goal is to support a wide range of applications and empower the Pro AV and IT integration market”

About High Resolution Systems
High Resolution Systems, a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers is a company with a strong systems engineering and applications background. Its founders have decades of experience in the audio visual rental and staging industry, broadcast applications, A/V installations and system design. This combined experience allows them to provide the highest possible quality solutions to its customers in the most efficient manner. For more information, visit www.hrscontrol.com.

It was a case of perfect harmony when WorldStage successfully delivered a complex projection and audio solution for “Song1,” artist Doug Aitken’s ambitious multimedia piece, which premiered on the cylindrical façade of the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

WorldStage, the new brand for Scharff Weisberg and Video Applications, devised a system that enabled Aitken’s fluid video images to cascade across the entire surface of the Hirshhorn’s 725-foot wide circumference. “Song1″ has been called the first work of 360º convex-screen cinema on this scale.

Aitken has said he wanted “Song1″ to be an exercise in “liquid architecture,” and the Hirshhorn’s cylindrical façade seemed to disappear when it was transformed into an urban canvas for fluid images of rippling water, floating boats and cars streaming down liquid-metal highways. Accompanying the projections were other-worldly singers performing a loop of arrangements of the 1930′s song, “I Only Have Eyes For You.”

WorldStage became involved with “Song 1″ two-and-a-half-years ago when the company met with Aitken to discuss the feasibility of the project. Following a partial-scale test, WorldStage determined that, despite the size of the images and the obstacles to overcome, they could make the artist’s vision come to larger-than-life.

“We’ve been working with WorldStage on major installation projects for the last 6 years,” said Chris Totushek, Producer, Doug Aitken Workshop. “Not only have they approached each project with experienced consideration and creative problem solving, but they take on each one of our large-scale installations as if it were one of their own. We’ve done enough with them to consider them family.”

The WorldStage solution required splitting Aitken’s images into 11 overlapping sections, one for each of 11 Christie Roadster S+20K DLP projectors. A total of 41,500 feet of fiber-optic cable transmitted the images from four Coolux Pandora media servers in the Hirshhorn’s basement to the projectors mounted on the museum’s perimeter wall.

WorldStage also provided and programmed the Pandora media servers and provided and installed the extensive outdoor audio system for the public art event. The company designed and fabricated custom mounts for the weatherproof equipment enclosures to ensure smooth operation in case of inclement weather.

“The Hirshhorn’s has done a number of innovative exhibitions recently but Song1 is by far the most technically complex,” says WorldStage President Josh Weisberg. “The project faced many challenges but the result places the Hirshhorn among the top tier of media-adept cultural institutions.

According to Weisberg the museum’s cylindrical façade was not that problematic in itself. “The actual façade is rather uniform and we’ve mapped projections to far more complex shapes in the past” he explains. “But the Hirshhorn’s façade is obscured in places by foliage, trees and the two large sculptures Snelson’s Needle Tower and Lichtenstein’s Brushstroke. After many hours working with a virtual 3D model of the site I was able to locate 11 projectors and predict that they could cover the entire façade seamlessly, with minimal shadowing.”

For the demanding application WorldStage selected 11 Christie Roadster S+20K DLP projectors, which boast 20,000 ANSI lumen output, for their brightness and reliability. Christie Twist Pro was used to warp and map images in conjunction with the warping and blending provided by the Pandora media servers.

Weather was another consideration for this outdoor project. To battle the elements WorldStage custom engineered and fabricated structures to adapt the Tempest Lighting Cyclone enclosures to the museum’s perimeter wall. The weatherproof enclosures are equipped with heaters and high-velocity fans to keep the ambient temperature within the projectors working range.

Since sound was a major component of “Song1″ WorldStage was also tasked with designing an audio system that would cover a wide area surrounding the museum, while providing clean sound quality at high levels. “We used 12 large Technomad BERLIN and eight small Vernal loudspeakers that are entirely weatherproof,” says Weisberg. “They were mounted to the wall using custom designed and fabricated mounts and arranged and zoned to preserve left/right orientation. You could hear them well from a quarter of a mile away.” Weatherproof Technomad PowerChiton amps were also employed.

After the successful premiere of “Song1″ Albert Masino, Director of Exhibitions at the Hirshhorn stated, “We were always confident that we were in good hands with WorldStage. They had a firm grip on all the requirements from the beginning. The design was great and the implementation was handled well.”

Totushek concluded, “Due to the nature of projecting flat imagery onto a curved surface that measured 50′ x 700′, we were worried that the image would not blend together in a natural way. But the whole World Stage team worked with extreme diligence, putting in long and late hours, to bring the project together. We were very satisfied with the result.”

At WorldStage TJ Donoghue was the project manager; Dennis Alfonso and Jeff Gottesfeld projection techs; Paul Clements installation supervisor; Barry Grossman systems designer; Michael Kohler media server programmer; Hector Vega installation tech; Richard D’Amato mechanical fabricator; and Brian Davis mechanical designer and engineer.

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

Live Design magazine has named the Clay Paky Shotlight Wash one of its 2011-2012 Products of the Year. The award winners are chosen annually by a panel of prestigious designers and programmers in the lighting, sound and projection fields. Clay Paky’s Shotlight Wash was cited in the Luminaire category.

“We are very proud that our Shotlight Wash has been honored with this important award,” says Pio Nahum, Chief Commercial Officer at Clay Paky. “We are especially pleased that Live Design has recognized our products two years in a row: Sharpy won the 2010-2011 Product of the Year award in the same category.”

Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky Area Manager for North and Latin America, Spain, Japan and Korea, notes that this latest award signals the impact the company’s lighting fixtures are making in the U.S. “It’s very rewarding to be honored for the Shotlight Wash, which is capturing the attention of lighting designers in the U.S.,” he says. “Just like Sharpy before it, Shotlight Wash is making a name for itself in this key market.”

Clay Paky’s Shotlight Wash is a totally new kind of projector that combines a 1500W discharge lamp washlight and a 3000W Xenon lamp strobe in one fixture. The wash/strobe functions are perfectly integrated and can be operator controlled with either simultaneous or separate operation and special effects.

The washlight’s optical unit offers extremely high luminous efficiency; electronic zoom; CMY color system, two color wheels and a linear Golden CTO; ovalizing, diamond effect and frost filters; and three-phase pan/tilt motor for silent operation.

The strobe section is provided by two semi-circular Xenon lamps, which can flash together or separately at different frequencies. Strobe and strobe/wash effects can be pre-set.

“The Shotlight Wash is unique, and American lighting designers are beginning to discover all that it can do,” says Bob Gordon, President and CEO of A.C.T Lighting, the number one Clay Paky distributor in the world and the exclusive distributor of Clay Paky lighting in North America. “Clay Paky is known for introducing innovative fixtures, and Shotlight Wash richly deserves Product of the Year honors.”

Steve Lieberman is an American lighting designer who has already added Shotlight Wash to his repertoire. “A strobe on the front of a moving light: Genius!” he declares. “This light is a perfect fit for my shows. It offers high visual impact with a knockout punch that will have you seeing stars. I’m using 26 of them on my next show.”

Live Design’s Product of the Year Awards will be announced in the May issue and presented during the Broadway Lighting Master Classes on May 22 at a reception at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City.

There’s a grandMA in the house for “WICKED,” the Broadway musical about the untold story of the Witches of Oz. The long-running show at the Gershwin Theatre recently switched to a grandMA2 console for lighting and special effects control. A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive distributor of the grandMA in North America.

“It was time to replace our previous system due to its age, and it made sense to update to a grandMA2,” says Brendan Quigley, show electrician. “All of the ‘WICKED shows worldwide are on the grandMA platform, so it was our turn to move up. The grandMA is proving to be both agile and rock solid.”

He notes that reliability is critical for a production that does eight shows a week and more than 400 performances a year, not counting rehearsals. “The previous control platforms were approaching 20 years old, so it was time to ensure that we had a stable system moving forward. We need a desk we can call on day after day to deliver the show our audience expects and wants to see.”

In an understatement, Quigley notes that the grandMA controls “a lot of gear” for the show. The lighting inventory boasts approximately 650 conventional fixtures; 78 VARI*LITEs, including 3000 Spots, 2000 Spots and 2000 Washes; and more than 250 scrollers of varying sizes. The console also controls a pair of Barco R6+ projectors using Catalyst software and Catalyst moving mirror heads, three SS6K dry ice machines, two Aquafog 3000 dry ice machines “and a smattering of other ancillary equipment,” says Quigley.

Even with all that gear, “we really aren’t pushing the limits of the grandMA2,” he reports. “We’ve only replicated the original show that was programmed on other systems. The grandMA2 has far more power than we will ever need or want. We’re very happy with it and know it will be state-of-the-art for the remainder of the run of ‘Wicked.’ It’s a stable desk that will serve our needs for years to come.”

Look Solutions’ foggers and hazers are enhancing The Holy Land Experience for visitors to the Orlando-based living biblical museum and park. The attraction, a mission of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, brings the world of the Bible alive through educational, inspirational, theatrical and historical elements.

The Holy Land Experience has invested in an array of Look Solutions products, including six Viper NTs, a Viper 2.6, two TINY CO7s, and two Unique 2.0 hazers.

“We use the hazers in our theatrical presentations,” says lighting director David Parks. “For our live show, ‘We Shall Behold Him,’ which is the story of Jesus, we use the hazers during the crucifixion scene to add to the effect of a thunder and lightning storm. Then we use them to make fog come out of his tomb.

“We also use the Unique hazer and some foggers onstage in our new Church of All Nations,” he adds.

The TINY CO7s are employed to give extra menace to a Satan character appearing in one of our shows. “The TINYs are so small that we’ve strapped them to the actor with his mic packs and use a remote trigger to make fog pour out of his hood and cape,” says Parks. “He looks like he just came out of Hell!”

Look Solutions’ 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.

The Viper NT fogger unites current digital technology with proven technique and power. It features DMX 512 as standard, has an internal timer and easy-to-use LED-display panel, and offers fine adjustment of the output to produce everything from a tiny fog cloud to the thickest fog.

The Viper 2.6 combines a very powerful output with simple handling, DMX 512 and the ability to connect an external fan.

The TINY CO7 is the modified successor of the Tiny Compact. The handy, compact, lightweight fog generator is battery operated and offers easy handling and quick start up – it can easily be triggered with one hand.

The Holy Land Experience began acquiring Look Solutions products with the purchase of two Viper NTs, “then I just started ordering them until they replaced everything else,” Parks explains. Other foggers and hazers he tried “did not have the same output or longevity of fog. The Viper NT’s bursts are stronger and go farther. They seem more powerful than numerous other brands.”

He also notes the industrial foggers he used before “needed constant maintenance. Look Solutions’ products work fine – you turn them on and they go. And the company’s technical support has been great.”

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.

Lightware U.S.A. will unveil its groundbreaking 25G Hybrid Matrix router at INFOCOMM 2012 in Las Vegas, NV, June 13-15. The company will have the product on hand at its booth, N669, as well as providing an in-depth overview of the system for press and attendees on June 14 at 10:00 AM in Room N207.

With its 25G Hybrid Matrix Lightware reinvents the meaning of the matrix switch. Until now systems have operated in two dimensions, with inputs and outputs. But Lightware has now added a third dimension – media layers – and set a new standard for the AV industry.

Lightware’s new system is not only a matrix, but a complete signal architecture: a cloud that supports eight media layers: video, audio, Ethernet, USB KVM, USB 2.0, IR, RS-232 and CEC channels. All layers are supported by 25G Hybrid signal management; inside the cloud all the layers are independent for switching and extending all signal layers separately.

25G Hybrid signal architecture allows video, audio and media layers to be transmitted over a single fiber or one CAT5 cable so AV professionals can build a very simple system, which still supports all eight media layers. The 25G Hybrid Matrix has 160 inputs and 160 outputs and a total throughput of 4TB per second. It offers exceptional 25 gigabits per second data rate switching for transporting next generation video signals, such as HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2, and handling all future video and audio standards, including 4K resolution and stereo 3D formats.

Each video port is equipped with a separate audio input and output connector forming a 320×320 S/P/DIF crosspoint switch. It manages stereo and multichannel audio as well as high bitrate formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Optional multichannel to stereo downmixing is available.

25G Hybrid technology is more than just a switcher, however. As a comprehensive line of digital matrix switchers, transmitters and receivers, 25G Hybrid combines switching with a powerful suite of diagnostic software tools for the digital age, delivering a superior user experience.

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.

Alcorn McBride Inc. will be making headlines at InfoComm 2012 by introducing three important products, announcing a product upgrade and hosting a Manufacturer’s training session and cutting-edge technology seminar. The company’s booth, C9225, will be located in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In product news, TourTraXX, RideTraxx and AMI/O will make their debut at InfoComm and ShowTouch for Apple iPad will get an update.

A GPS-triggered multi-channel vehicle audio player designed for up to 16 audio tracks, TourTraXX is ideal for pre-recorded bus tours, trolleys, shuttles and trams. It stores clips in MP3 format on CompactFlash for a rugged, reliable and maintenance-free solution to playback needs. It is lightweight (4 lbs.), sized to fit almost anywhere and, with no moving parts, works in high-vibration environments. Once programmed with the free and easy to use GPS Builder, TourTraXX steps through cues automatically as it moves through defined geographical zones.

Spot-logging capabilities turn TourTraXX into a revenue-generating opportunity: Advertising spots can be logged and time-stamped with data stored on the CompactFlash card for later verification and uploading. The system comes with a dynamic microphone/aux input for push-to-talk paging and other real-time announcements.

RideTraXX is a new 10-channel synchronized MP3 player with Ethernet and line/mic input. It’s synchronized playback feature, rugged design and compact size make it the ideal audio source for vehicle-based applications including dark rides and roller coasters requiring multi-channel audio in a form factor that is going to stand up to the high-inertia found in these types of rides.

Alcorn McBride will also introduce an AMI/O Distributed I/O solution for use with its Pro line of show controllers. Available in a variety of configurations, AMI/O allows integrators to distribute inputs and outputs around a facility with only an Ethernet cable between the central show controller and the field I/O. AMI/O communicates via ModbusTCP and is easily configured using WinScript Live, the programming software for Alcorn McBride’s V16 Pro and V4 Pro show controllers. AMI/O is available in modular configurations from 4 24VDC inputs or outputs to 32 24VDC inputs and outputs in one unit.

The newly-upgraded ShowTouch for iPad, a touch panel interface app for Apple’s iPad, will also be shown. Available from the App Store, ShowTouch for iPad offers another level of flexible control for Alcorn McBride’s Pro line of show controllers and is tailored for theme parks, museums, live shows, cruise ships and transportation.

Easy to use and customizable, the app interacts remotely with the V16Pro/V4Pro show controllers and instantly loads the script for portable show control at the customer’s fingertips.

Free Touch configuration software is downloadable from the Alcorn McBride website. Customers can use the built-in tutorial to design a user interface; add buttons, sliders and security codes; and upload images. When ShowTouch for iPad is activated the app will automatically retrieve the interface files from the show controller.

Alcorn McBride will also be active at InfoComm off the convention floor. A closed training session will be held on Friday, June 15 from 1-2:30pm for introductory-level show control programming. It is approved for one CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) RU credit.

The company’s COO, Jeremy Scheinberg, will host a Mobile Technology session on Thursday, June 14 from 2:30-4:30pm. The seminar, “Mobile Technology: Personalized Experiences in a Group Environment,” is part of InfoComm’s Education and Certifications program.