Element Labs Stealth LED display on-stage at American Idol Finale

Date Announced: 10 Jul 2008 Santa Clara -- On Wednesday May 21st, the finale of American Idol, this year also widely referred to as “The Battle of the Davids”, aired live to a record breaking audience of 31.7 million viewers. No less spectacular than the show-off between the two crooners was the stage design of this year’s show, developed by Idol veteran Andy Walmsley.Walmsley, renowned for his previous production designs for Pop Idol in the UK, turned to California-based Sweetwater Video to supply all video equipment for the show, including the 340 panels of Element Labs STEALTH™ LED displays used to grace the stage during the finals in the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.The STEALTH panels, configured to form four strips upstage centre and additional strips above and below the main LED screen, allowed Walmsley to create a design in which video and lighting integrated seamlessly within the overall set design. “The Nokia Theater has an enormous stage that requires a significant volume of equipment in order to look ‘dressed’. Element Labs’ STEALTH is a very visual product that ties in seamlessly to lighting to allow for limitless looks and effects to keep the attention of the audience without dominating the set,” states Ron Drews of Sweetwater Video.In a recent interview with Live Design’s Marian Sandberg, Walmsley commented: “…I'm actually very proud of the fact that the set is not dominated by video. It's about scenery with video complimenting. It drives me insane how video has totally replaced the art of set design, particularly on TV.”Since its initial release in 2006, the STEALTH™ modular video display system has quickly become the industry standard for lightweight, portable video displays. Robust yet lightweight, STEALTH can be assembled into extremely large displays whether flat or curved, horizontal, or vertical. Minimal framework provides an entire structure with virtual transparency. Over the past few years, Element Labs STEALTH displays have stood centre-stage on many of the world’s biggest entertainment gigs, including tours by Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Muse and Linkin Park.Ron Drews of Sweetwater Video concludes: “This is a stunning application of the Stealth panels that really demonstrates the product’s versatility. Because of its transparency, the STEALTH LED system can also easily be aesthetically integrated into creative set designs such as the one Walmsley wanted to realize for the American Idol finals.”About STEALTHThe STEALTH system is comprised of modular panels, integrated power and data distribution, rigging hardware, and video processing. The panels are 40 cm square, weigh less than 1 kg (3 lbs), and contain 56 pixels on a 25 mm pitch. The latest version of the STEALTH system, STEALTH 2.5, has a very flat LED panel, which ensures it displays incredibly smooth video that remains consistent—regardless of the angle at which the panel is viewed. In November 2006, Element Labs was awarded the “Live Design International Product of the Year Award” for its Stealth™ LED Screen at the LDI 2006 exhibition held in Las Vegas, NevadaAbout Sweetwater ProductionsFor more info, please visit http://www.svptv.com/ About Element LabsElement Labs, Inc., headquartered in Austin, Texas with offices in Germany and the UK, is a global leader in design, manufacturing, and support of cutting-edge LED video technology to the entertainment, architectural, and signage industries. Their award-winning products and customized solutions give designers the freedom to innovate and realize their creative visions.

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