While still recovering from the over-exuberance of the ATE event, the Stinger made its way to the regular attendance to the premier Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) industry gathering.
The lighting, audio, show and theming extravaganza is the equivalent in size to ATEI in the Earls Court showcase – perhaps an interesting window onto what the future holds for ATEI? The event, previously operated for the trade by Clarion-Events was handed back this year to a newly-formed trade association exhibition group looking towards future opportunities.
Where amusement has just gotten used to single-user touchscreen units, on the PLASA floor at least one major advance on this was shown: desks that incorporated multi-point touchscreen. As regarding LCD application the first full walls were on show, as well as the cheaper and more ambiguous LED wall clusters -- the ability for full wall display from a video source expected by the end of the year to a level of flat-screen clarity.
New screen technology was not slouching, with the company Evolvision showing their 'Pyramid' screen, offering the Illusion of a flat screen with varied depth, giving a perceived 3D effect with four outputs on one screen. The company showed passive experiences, but was already looking at alternative visual sources.
The crossover from the public space and attraction sector was not lost on the projection companies at the event. A number of the latest 3D processes were on show with new polarized glasses systems. The application of this technology into 4D cinema systems is an expected implementation.
One of the new developments at the event that could have the greatest impact to the amusement and entertainment industry came from Israeli corporation YCD. The ‘MuMa – Music Machine' and their ‘SMS Jukebox' offered the ability for a patron to use their mobile phone to text their selection on the facility's jukebox. This virtual jukebox offers a simplistic ‘select' – ‘text' – and ‘play' methodology, with a much wider ability to use Internet-based storage.
This represents the biggest technological threat, since the ‘iPod Party', to the conventional (physical) connected and non-connected jukebox systems; the ability in a cost-effective package from YCD (and thers) now available as an alternative to the limitations of an actual jukebox system. This could remove a complete element of the amusement sector and change the whole way that Public Space on-demand music is supplied. It is surprising that such a momentous system has not received greater coverage by the trade?
Breaking Stinger News - In the explosion of 'Augmented Reality' entertainment, Walt Disney has as always been a trailblazer in the application of new technology. In a secret experiment, Disney Imagination has deployed the first cellphone-camera-augmented theme park attraction.
Based on the 'Kim Impossible' cartoon franchise, a selected group of guests are given special mobile phones, which they use to capture pictures of selected clues related to the attraction storyline, a race to capture all of the clues in this updated treasure hunt concept.
The special phones use Global Positioning and WiFi to track their movement, offering an interactive attraction element that is totally configurable to the venue, without having to redevelop the park. An invisible attraction to those not using their 3G phone, and opening the door to thinking of deploying this style of venue ‘technology-treasure hunt' in retail and mixed-use entertainment venues, encouraging visitation and venue based competition (and the added foot traffic this would bring).
News Story with thanks to Kevin Williams, please visit
www.thestingerreport.com for the full story and others.
