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Wacken Open Air (WOA), is one of the largest heavy metal festivals in the world, hosted in Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. This year saw some of the festival’s worst weather in many years. Elation’s Proteus series of weatherproof lights showed its advantages under the adverse weather conditions, with 72 Proteus Maximus and 48 Proteus Excalibur fixtures an integral part of the lighting design. For a festival of this size, the primary aim is to provide the most multi-functional set-up possible to suit the various bands, yet added focus is placed on the recognition value of the festival. “Visitors should know at first glance that they are at Wacken. The look and feel of the festival must of course be continued from year to year. This is a very clear wish of the organisers,” explains Jerry Appelt, a lighting designer who’s been associated with the festival for 20 years. This also included the long- distance effect from the two powerful main stages. “For Wacken, we always create an overall lighting architecture that works across the entire square,” the designer continues. “That’s why we still use the good old searchlights here, which you can see from the motorway 15km away.” A MEETING OF METALHEADS
Yet another generative AI tool has been launched into the mix. This time, it’s a service that offers unbiased advice on digital signage to anyone holding a ChatGPT Plus licence. Digital Signage Advisor GPT was thought up by Jason Cremins, founder and CEO of Signagelive. Launching the industry-specific tool in the new GPT Store, Cremins commented: “Over the last few weeks, I’ve dabbled with OpenAI’s GPT Builder to create a Digital Signage Advisor that, hopefully, provides unbiased and non-company- specific advice for those interested in digital signage.” The specialist AI tool’s advice does not mention any individual company or product, as there are plenty of platforms, such as G2, where product comparisons can be made. Digital Signage Advisor is expected to improve over time with the release of future versions of OpenAI’s GPT product, and through the ability of its GPT Builder to further optimise responses by training the GPT model. AI BREAKS INTO SIGNAGE
ACT ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES TVONE
AV projects with servers, digital displays and other essential products. ACT Entertainment covers six different markets: live events and experiences, pro AV and broadcast, retail and e-commerce, film and TV, houses of worship and industrial wire.
North American distributor ACT Entertainment has acquired tvONE, signalling further expansion into the professional audio-visual sector. Manufacturer of video processing, signal distribution and media playback solutions, tvONE provides
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