WorldStage recently upgraded the infrastructure & systems at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where it is the exclusive vendor for AV, to reduce set up time for shows and increase system flexibility. The Nickelodeon upfront and the gala honoring Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World were the first large-scale events to utilize the venue's improved technical capabilities.
At Jazz, WorldStage installed a centralized control facility with an extensive equipment roster, which can handle multiple shows efficiently and cost-effectively without bringing in full equipment packages for each event. A built-in Vista Spyder X20 screen-switching system is at the core of the control room along with a multi-viewer monitoring system.
"It's a very comprehensive approach," says WorldStage president Joshua Weisberg. "Having screen management capabilities built into Jazz allows us to manage images displayed on multiple screens as part of productions. The built-in Spyder offers flexibility and power combined with superior image quality."
Productions also save time and money by utilizing fiber-optic cabling run by WorldStage to maximize production efficiency and provide the best signal transmission.
While the upgraded centralized control facility features a very complete equipment roster, WorldStage continues to customize productions as required with gear from its large rental inventory. "It's rare that we don't need to supplement the built-in equipment with gear specific to a job," Weisberg says.
The engineering department at WorldStage, where Barry Grossman is the company's head of engineering and Michael Cruz director of QC, designed and implemented the new centralized control facility, which is housed, along with comprehensive QC monitoring, in a tech room adjacent to the Rose Theater.
Doug Hosney, Vice President, Frederick P. Rose Hall, concluded, "Eliminating the repetitive equipment loading in and out of the facility streamlines the process and allows the engineers to focus on the client's needs much earlier. Time that was being spent on load in and set-up is now focused on taking care of the client and helping them reach their production goals."
WorldStage Inc., the company created by the merger of Scharff Weisberg Inc and Video Applications Inc, continues a thirty-year legacy of providing clients the widest variety of entertainment technology coupled with conscientious and imaginative engineering services. WorldStage provides audio, video and lighting equipment and services to the event, theatrical, broadcast and brand experience markets nationally and internationally.