XL Video In Tune With The Brits

For the sixth consecutive year, XL Video supplied all screens and video playback PPU for The Brits 2008 last night at London's Earls Court.
They also provided additional video 'specials' kit for three of the performing artists - Kylie, Mark Ronson and Rihanna.
XL's project managers were Chris Saunders and Paul Wood. Saunders co-ordinated the cameras and control side, while Paul Wood managed the screen elements and specials.
Both worked closely with the event's technical production manager Mick Kluczynski and his team from MJK Productions, lighting designer Al Gurdon, set designer Nicoline Refsing from Stufish and The Brits TV production.
The central screen measured 8.4 metres high and 6 metres wide, and the Punk Stage screen on stage left was 18 metres wide by 4.6 metres high, both screens were made from Lighthouse R16 16mm resolution LED panels.
XL also supplied two flown 20 x 11 ft relay screens each side of the stage in the auditorium, using Barco FLM R18 HD projectors.
The PPU was based around a Grass Valley HD Kayak mixer and GV LDK 8000 HD Cameras, three of which XL supplied for the show.
Ten further HD feeds from the broadcasters, directed by Hamish Hamilton via facilities company CTV, were fed into the XL system and used for the live stage IMAG mixes, cut by Chris Hilson.
These were in turn fed onto the centre stage screen, Punk Stage screen and relay screens via one of XL's Barco Encore control systems, programmed and operated by Richard Turner who, amongst many things - pixel-mapped and formatted all the artist-supplied images and content that was used in the show.
The control system additionally received VT play-ins from the broadcasters and integrated custom playback content into the show, including graphics, Awards nominations packages and announcements, all produced by Hello Charlie.
Custom playback material and the artists' content was stored on four dual channel Grass Valley Turbo hard drives and two Catalyst digital media servers and cued via the Barco Event Controller.
(DS)