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Chris Gille |
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In this edition of Church Production Magazine Online Update, we speak with Chris Gille, chief systems engineer at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. Chris provides insight into what's required for building a better mix, identifying frequencies in feedback, and discusses how to listen with a critical ear. For more information go to www.churchproduction.com to read Chris' article (Ear Training and Critical Listening) and for further information on FreqGeek go to www.freqgeek.com.
Technical support for this Podcast courtesy of D&M Professional (www.d-mpro.com), Audio-Technica (www.audio-technica.com) and Blue Sky (www.abluesky.com).
Lake Grove Missionary Baptist Church Leads With Hitachi
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Lake Grove |
Sound Hill Technologies of Holden, Louisiana, recently designed and installed the A/V system at the Lake Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Located in in the downtown area of the city, Lake Grove holds congregations of up to 877 people.
Due to the high-energy services offered at Lake Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Sound Hill Technologies needed to provide a dynamic video element to the church's A/V system. Therefore, they installed a Hitachi CP-X1250 LCD projector in the main worship space, projecting onto a Da-Lite Cinema Vision screen. The Hitachi CP-X1250 projector offers a brightness of 4,500 lumens and features interchangeable, bayonet-style lenses for different throw distances.
"We have found Hitachi projectors to be the most precise in the industry," Hill added. "When projectors are put side by side, there's no variance between them; this is not the case with other brands. Hitachi projectors have been workhorses for us. We have installed several dozen Hitachi projectors and have never experienced any problems."
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LEPRECON: THREE DECADES OF ENTERTAINMENT LIGHTING
For three decades, Leprecon has provided lighting control, dimming and interfacing solutions for the performance industry. Leprecon has always existed "to bring enjoyment to peoples' lives through the application of technology to entertainment lighting."
Leprecon manufactures a wide range of lighting products that illuminate not only touring and theatrical productions, but also corporate environments and houses of worship. Leprecon continues to be a highly respected member of the lighting industry, having built a strong reputation for making useful, durable, "road tough" products. Through the years, we have developed close working relationships with some of the top touring companies, theatrical houses, and lighting consultants in the industry.
"Technology provides powerful tools to the entertainment lighting designer, but the complexity of control threatens to destroy creativity. We have worked hard to develop equipment that allows operators to easily and quickly program, and control systems of both moving lights and conventional lights. It's our goal to help designers and operators get the most out of a system quickly and efficiently, to keep the complexity of the system from bogging down the creative process, and to help designers make entertainers look great."
This is in keeping with our philosophy to sell solutions, to enable the creative process, to promote interoperability, and allow lighting designers to work effectively with the best combination of tools they can put together.
The ESTA Foundation and USITT Announce Lighting and Console Fundamentals Training Sessions
The Joint Training Initiative of The ESTA Foundation and USITT offers Lighting and Console Training Sessions to be held at Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Michigan State University, East Lansing Michigan. This event is being hosted by The Wharton Center and IATSE Local 274 in East Lansing, Michigan.
The four-day schedule of courses is designed for lighting programmers, technicians, and electricians at a basic to intermediate level. Sessions will be held July 28th through July 31st in the Wharton Center Pasant Theatre on the campus of Michigan State University. The courses will be taught by ETCP Certified Entertainment Electrician and ETCP Recognized Trainer, Eric Rimes, professor of Lighting Technology at North Carolina School of the Arts.
These Lighting and Console Fundamentals Sessions include an introduction to the mechanics of stage lighting, instrument maintenance, control boards, color media, basic electricity, and implementation procedures. These classes will prepare students for the work required during the implementation of a lighting design. Through lecture and practicum, students will be taught how to perform on lighting crews both in performance spaces and an electric's shop. In addition, the basic principles necessary to understand stage electrics, lighting design, and crew structure will be discussed. The material will be presented in a lecture format and all classes will include "hands-on" work.
www.estafoundation.org/seminars/schedule.php
Barco Acquires High End Systems Inc.
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Pictured are, from left: High End Systems Chairman Merritt Belisle, Barco's Filip Vandamme, HES Co-Founder/CTO Richard Belliveau and HES Co-Founder/Director Lowell Fowler. |
Barco announces the acquisition of High End Systems, Inc., a global technologyprovider of automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls. With the merging of two strong industry players, this acquisition reinforces Barco's leadership position in the fast converging video and lighting segments.
Eighty percent of High End Systems' sales are realized in the events (rental and staging) market, which makes it a perfect match for Barco High End Systems will be fully integrated into Barco's Media and Entertainment division.
Stephan Paridaen, president of Barco's Media and Entertainment division states: "We are proud and excited about joining forces with the leading player in the digital lighting market. High End's differentiated product line-up and recent product introductions are clearly proof of their market-led vision and strong R&D focus. We look forward to introducing many new and exciting products into the converged lighting/video space together."
"The acquisition is a great outcome for the employees of High End Systems and we are confident that the combined creativity and customer focus of Barco and High End Systems will deliver superior technology for the global entertainment markets," said Merritt Belisle, chairman of High End Systems, Inc.
www.barco.com | www.highend.com
Lighting Pros Invited to Second Round of Focus Groups
Wybron, Inc. will host another series of focus groups in New York City to gather feedback on its existing products and to preview some new ones. President Keny Whitright, Director of Technologies John Sondericker, and Director of Marketing, Miles Dudgeon will be spending the day at the event.
Wybron's first round of focus groups yielded valuable suggestions for the company's Infogate software, which transmits feedback from a user's lighting equipment to his or her laptop. “By gathering suggestions from these focus groups, our company wants to make Infogate as practical as possible for the lighting professional who demands nothing less than a perfect show every night," Whitright says. “Instead of putting out fires when equipment breaks down, Infogate warns you before the problem occurs," he says. “This will prevent a lot of headaches for our customers.
Church Production Magazine announces the fourth annual Video Production Awards
The Video Production Awards recognize and encourage excellence in in-house video production in today's houses of worship. The award winners will be announced during WFX—Worship Facilities Conference and Expo being held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas, November 5-7, 2008. Churches may submit videos of up to six minutes in length, and attendance at WFX is not required to win. Categories of videos include Drama/Skits, Video Promo (for an event or outreach), Music Video, Sermon Illustration, and Other. Awards for churches with average attendance under 600, between 601 and 2,500, over 2,500, and for Other Religious Non-Profit Organization will be presented.
Partnering with Church Production Magazine on this year's awards is Sony Creative Software, providing four grand prizes to be awarded to the best video in each of the church size contest categories plus Other Religious Non-Profit Organization categories. Sony Creative Software will offer each of the four winners their choice of two prize options: a copy of Sony Vegas and a copy of Sony Sound Forge; or a copy of Sony Vegas and a copy of Sony Cinescore with two Cinescore theme packs. Each prize package is valued at approximately $1,000.
Entries must be received by October 1, 2008, to qualify, and must be accompanied by the entry form. Winning entries will be shown at WFX at the Church Production Magazine booth.
Jim Kumorek, online editor for Church Production Magazine, says, "We're so excited to offer the Video Production Awards for the fourth year in a row, and for the sponsorship of the awards by Sony Creative Software. The awards give us an opportunity to showcase great examples of video production and are designed to inspire and encourage video teams giving their time and talents to their local church. They also help demonstrate to those churches not yet doing video production how video can be a powerful medium for getting a message across to their congregation. These days, high quality video work can indeed be done on a budget using software like that created by Sony Creative Software."
Gepco Features V-Con Multi-Channel Video Connector System
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Gepco International is setting a new standard for multi-channel video connectors with the introduction of its V-CON Connector System. Designed to withstand the harsh environments posed by staging, remote, and touring applications, the V-CON system provides the bandwidth and electrical performance for multi-channel HD interconnects in an all-weather design.
The core of the V-CON system, Gepco V-CON connectors feature an all-metal body, locking set-screw, and integrated cord grip. The 3GHz coaxial elements are constructed from stainless steel and 50u gold-plated contacts to prevent corrosion and ensure long mating life. Through a configurable insert, the V-CON connectors are available in three- to six-channel versions, as well as 10-, 12- or 16-channel versions. This performance and flexibility enables V-CON connectors to be used for both component video and high-density, uncompressed HD video applications.
“Using feedback from users in the field, our V-CON connector system was designed to meet the specific needs and demands of portable and staging applications," says Gary Geppert, Gepco's founder and CEO/CTO. Built in a heavy gauge aluminum chassis with a recessed top plate, the V-CON breakout boxes provide exceptional durability and connector protection. For easy access and patching, each coaxial channel in the V-CON connector is wired to a female BNC connector. Breakout boxes are available in a variety of channel versions.
V-CON distribution racks are available in a variety of configurations and sizes. Each contact of the V-CON is wired out to a BNC female connector on the back panel for up to 160 coaxial channels. To meet the specific needs and space requirements of each installation, the distribution racks vary and are available either with three V-CON connectors in a 2RU height, five in a 3RU height or 10 connectors in a 4RU height.
Audio-Technica Displays New Wireless Bundles
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Audio-Technica offers a series of new bundles featuring the Audio-Technica AT892cW MicroSet headworn microphone with the A-T 2000 and 3000 Series wireless systems. These bundles offer a cost-effective, all-in-one, turnkey solution for wireless needs.
Intended for a wide range of applications, the AT892cW subminiature headworn condenser microphone combines maximum audio quality, minimum visibility and an under-ear design. The AT892cW utilizes a condenser capsule with a diameter of a mere 2.5 mm, while providing the quality industry-standard Audio-Technica sound.
The 2000 and 3000 Series True Diversity Wireless Microphone Systems deliver increased versatility. The 2000 Series is a 10-channel frequency-agile UHF wireless system, and the 3000 Series is 200-channel frequency-agile. They are both designed for a variety of wireless applications, employing Audio-Technica's Tone Lock squelch, as well as touch-button operation and easy-to-read LCD information displays.
Samsung Introduces Digital Signage LCD Displays
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Samsung Electronics America announces the addition of the MX series of professional LCD displays. The MX series features a range of specifications built to support optimum performance and image quality. The MX series incorporates a quick access menu, auto video detection, direct input selection, advanced black-level extension, and 450 nits brightness with ambient light sensors that automatically adjust the screen for viewing based on room lighting.
With a physical native resolution of 1366 x 768, 700cd/m(2) of brightness, 3000:1 high dynamic contrast ratio, and a fast 8ms response time, the displays offer a built-in fan and speakers, wide 178-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles. In addition, the MX series features brightness levels up to 500cd/m(2), Samsung's standard Multi-Display Control software and RS232 interface, allowing video wall capability and remote control from a single computer. The line also incorporates VGA and DVI PC inputs, CVBS and HDMI video inputs for color clarity and professional distribution of information.
Additional offerings included in the MXn line include a built-in Windows XP operating system, 1.8GHz CPU, and 512MB memory DDR1 with 1 GB FDM storage. As well as Samsung's proprietary technology, MagicInfo(TM) content management solution, for improved network connectivity, contents play, and overall performance. Also included is Samsung's content scheduler, diagnosis menu, and global network displays.
Like all Samsung displays, the MX series large format displays are backed by a three-year limited warranty on labor and parts, including the backlight, as well as toll-free technical support for the life of the display.
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