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Vista Systems' Spyder helps Bon Jovi Have A Nice Day tour
Phoenix – February 10, 2006 – Vista Systems’ Spyder hit the road with Bon Jovi for the band’s
“Have A Nice Day Tour” in support of their new album of the same name. Three Spyder 353
units are part of an HD video system, which is believed to be a touring-industry first.
“Various acts have used HD playback but Bon Jovi is the first to carry an HD camera and
playback system with them for the length of the tour,” says David Lemmink, director of
engineering at Nocturne Productions, the tour’s video supplier.
In addition to Spyder, the system features seven Thomson/Grass Valley LDK6000 and Ikegami
HDL-40 HD cameras, a Grass Valley Kalypso video switcher, a custom-built 40-foot wide Saco
V9 HD LED wall, Mainlight SOFT-LED curtains which display video, Saco V9 LED ‘fingers,’
which extend behind the main HD wall, and Barco G8 projectors for side screens.
“This is the first tour where we’ve integrated video and lights so all video playback and
manipulation is controlled from the lighting desk via a DMX interface to the Spyder,” Lemmink
explains. “With the Spyder we can create six full resolution HD screen spaces -- on the LED
wall, curtain, fingers and HD side screens -- and manipulate 15 layers of 1080i HD video.”
Inputs, all of which are HD, include program feeds, the individual cameras, 4 channels of Grass
Valley Turbo IDDR and 3 channels of Hippotizer. Every input runs through a 64x64 router and
is processed by the Spyder. Custom hardware and software feeds the unique 50 x 1.5-foot
‘fingers,’ which can mimic pyro effects and display multiple images.
“Since we have random access to anything and anywhere, Spyder gives us the capability to
layer on demand,” Lemmink reports. “It’s my new favorite box, a real trouper. Spyder works
like a 15-channel DVE with the added bonus of real-time control via DMX. And we’re talking
about 15 layers of HD/SDI video! When you see the HD video signal 40 feet wide, it’s nothing
less than stunning.”
Vista Systems’ switchers have become the industry standard for live multiple-destination video
and data mixed signal switching. For more information on Vista Systems, visit their Web site at
www.vistasystems.net.
For more information on Bon Jovi, visit www.bonjovi.com For more information on the
Bon Jovi 'Have A Nice Day' Tour, please visit http://bonjovi.aeglive.com/