NEWS PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS Toyota Unveils 2009 Venza and A-BAT with LED Video DETROIT — Toyota chose the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit to unveil its 2009 Toyota Venza and Toyota A-BAT, but the technical innovations on display were not entirely automotive in nature. The unveiling was supported with full video, dynamic color transitions and virtual scenery made possible through Creative Technology (CT), a major provider of audio, video and staging solutions, and Daktronics Inc., using Daktronics’ PT-4 modular LED video display technology, recently added to the ProTour product line. The 2009 Toyota models were both were unveiled at Cobo’s Riverview Ballroom during the NAIAS event. Event marketing <strong>com</strong>pany George P. Johnson Co. and CT equipped the stage with PT-4 modular LED video displays. “The product’s high contrast level and Video screens show off Toyota’s latest models at the NAIAS show in Detroit. quiet design made it the ideal choice for the event,” said Jeff Meyer, general manager, CT Chicago. The modular panels were built to form two 3x5 meter video screens. The screens displayed corporate logos, graphics and video content to a full room of attendees during Toyota’s opening press conference. “The client was impressed with the image detail shown on the screens and the overall quality of the displays,” said Meyer. With its image processing capabilities, picture quality, LED layout for contrast and fanless design for silent operation, the PT-4 was well suited to the event. The Daktronics PT-4 joins other ProTour models, including the Daktronics PT-6, PT-8, PT-10 and PT-13 modular LED video display systems. Ad info:http:// www.plsn.<strong>com</strong>/instant-info Video, Lighting Multiply Impact of BBC’s One and Only continued from <strong>page</strong> 45 Several layers of video give Kenyon and the show’s director a varied array of narrative images. Camels, roads, mountains, cityscapes, water, rain and thousands of ambient and abstract effects are all at their fingertips. The Catalyst-driven video and digital lighting effects appear on five main surfaces around the studio. At the rear of the set are two curved surfaces made from the new Martin Professional LC21<strong>40</strong> panels. There are a total of 28 of these 2 x 1 meter panels, with a <strong>40</strong>mm pitch. The central screen — masked by the set to appear round — is made up of Barco 6 mm high res LED panels. A 25mm video wall under the circular stage floor also receives Catalyst input. The fourth Catalyst driven area includes six curved scenic fins strategically positioned around the stage perimeter, filled with semitransparent Barco MiTrix modules. Catalyst also drives a series of four ChromaQ ColorWeb borders rigged above the stage. The furthest downstage has a 2-meter drop and the other three have a 1-meter drop. These mask the studio roof from where the audience sits and appear as sparkling, animated banners. One Catalyst machine is dedicated to the ColorWeb and capitalizes on the system’s PixelMad pixel-mapping capabilities, outputting 14 streams of DMX sent via Artnet from the gallery back to the control position. The second and third Catalysts, each capable of running on 12 layers and outputting 10 streams of DMX, drive the LC, the MiTrix fins, the 6mm central screen and the 25mm video floor. Kenyon and lighting designer/director Will Charles were early adopters among TV lighting designers to use Catalyst systems. They now have three machines that are used regularly and upgraded frequently. Catalyst reseller Projected Image Digital supplied the systems. Roger Williams operates the Catalysts used for the show with a Compulite Vector lighting console. Mark Nicholson, Rob Bradley and Julia Smith round out the visual team. The lighting includes over 150 moving lights and additional LED sources. That equipment and the video LED for the show were supplied by a <strong>com</strong>bination of two rental <strong>com</strong>panies — RML and Finelight. The MiTrix, the Barco 6mm screen and the 25 mm LED ensconced in the floor were supplied by CT. 46 <strong>PLSN</strong> March 2008 www.<strong>PLSN</strong>.<strong>com</strong>
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