News

FORT ST. JOHN, BC — The northern skies above this town of 18,000 along the Alaska Highway may give off one heckuva light show on occasion, but there isn’t much in the way of big city nightlife in this neck of the woods. That’s changed with the installation of new Martin gear at the On the Rocks Nightclub and Bar.

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD — The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, at 470,000 square feet one of the largest non-gaming facility of its kind in the eastern U.S., opened earlier this year with ETC control products at the heart of its lighting system.

NEW YORK — The New Year’s Eve Ball that starts its slow descent from atop Times Square on Dec. 31 will itself be new this year: a 12-foot geodesic dome, double the size of previous balls. The 11,875-pound sphere will be covered with 2,668 Waterford crystals and lit by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDS.

LARGO, FL — The Nemo, now available from SeaChanger by Ocean Optics, uses a LIFI plasma source to deliver 15,000 lumens on 180 watts of power. That measures out to be about 83 lumens per watt, or about six times the efficiency of other color engines with conventional bulbs yielding closer to 12 lumens per watt.

SUNRISE, FL — Chauvet broke ground on its 65,000-square-foot headquarters building, which is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2009. Chauvet Lighting owners Berenice and Albert Chauvet are pictured here, flanking Roger Wishner, deputy mayor of Sunrise, during the ceremony.

HOUSTON — When Coldplay decided they wanted “Magic Balls” for their Viva la Vida World Tour, XL Video turned to Pufferfish Ltd. to provide a custom solution. Experienced in digital spherical displays and immersive media, Pufferfish Ltd. designed and delivered six “PufferSphere XL” touring units within two months.

The new Christie LX700 with 4DColor technology is a four-panel LCD projector that offers 7,000 lumens and XGA resolution. The 4DColor technology provides a 20 percent increase in color gamut over previous three-panel LCD models. The projectors’ features include a contrast ratio of 2,200:1; an AutoFilter system that rolls out a new filter every 1,000 hours for up to 10,000 hours; digital connections with AV inputs; optional lenses; and a built-in shutter.

INDIANOLA, MS — Bowen Technovation selected Christie projectors to introduce the career of blues legend B.B. King — 60 years and counting — to visitors at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, a 20,000-square-foot facility that profiles the artist and the musical traditions of the Mississippi delta region.

KNOXVILLE, TN — In the midst of their own separate tours, ZZ Top and Brooks & Dunn came together for a 17-date run across the U.S. and into Canada. The result: a merger for ZZ Top’s “In Your Face” tour (shown here) and Brooks & Dunn’s ongoing “Cowboy Town” tour, which continues on its own through the end of the year. The challenge for the two LDs was to keep the looks for each band as distinctive as their respective musical styles.