'Jaw dropping' is one way of describing the Panasonic 152" Plasma, 'stunning' is another, and in the UK it is now available to rent or buy from Reading based company PSCo.

First unveiled in 2010 as Panasonic's preferred partner for their Large Format Display range, PSCo is the only company in the country to have the £549,999 screen for both sale and hire, and the decision to invest was made easy with the financial support of Fineline.

Launched in the UK in June 2011, the 152" Panasonic Plasma is a Full HD display boasting 4K by 2K resolution and Active 3D technology. It is the jewel in the crown of the Panasonic professional display range. Unsurprisingly the screen has already been booked out for a certain sporting event in 2012, as well as worldwide motor shows, air shows and major corporate events.

PSCo is in a unique position, as the only company in the UK with a 152" Plasma available both for rent for events and exhibitions, as well as offering the screen for sale. The screen occupies pride of place in the demo area, allowing people to view its size and picture quality first hand.

Stuart Holmes, CEO of PSCo comments; "We really wanted to bring this screen to the UK and knew we would need a go-to-market strategy based on technical knowledge. We are working closely with Panasonic and our integrators to devise specialist lifting equipment and stands for the screen, as well as providing the necessary site surveys and planning for its installation."

Holmes continues that having been inspired by the screen and the creative opportunities it could bring, they then needed to find the money for it, "in our current guise we are a relatively new company, however we spoke to John Bartlett at Fineline and worked closely with him to enable us to buy the 152" Plasma and bring it to the UK market."

The screen will also offer high-quality 3D images and as Panasonic says "when characters in the screen approach the viewers in life size, the new panel creates an overwhelmingly immersive experience."

www.psco.co.uk

Everyone in the AV world knows the name Saville. They are the oldest, largest and one of the best conference equipment suppliers in the industry and in the last ten years have won over 30 awards. So Fineline were delighted to work with them on their recent investment in new radio mics.

Driven not only by the OFCOM rulings but also a need to consolidate its radio mic systems to one brand with the latest technology, Saville purchased over 100 new Sennheiser G3 Wireless systems. The £390,000 investment was financed by Fineline and the systems were distributed throughout the company's 12 UK branches.

Due to the nature of Saville's business they are being used worldwide, in this quarter alone the company has worked on 31 overseas events. These have ranged from awards ceremonies, webcasting, conferences and include clients in blue chip companies, government organisations, universities, hospitals and the armed forces.

So when the time came to change the mics it was important for them to use one brand to enable the 12 centres to borrow systems from each other when needed. Sennheiser was chosen as the preferred brand as they felt they offered the best technology, support and finance package. Fineline came recommended by Sennheiser and Saville has been very happy with them, especially with their technical knowledge and speed of processing the orders.

www.saville.co.uk

The Digital TV Switchover (DSO), which will be completed in September 2012, doesn't just mean that you need to persuade Auntie Mabel to buy a shiny new digital box. Since certain frequencies will no longer be used for broadcasting, the DSO also means that anyone in the audio visual sector using those frequencies will need to replace their equipment with kit that comes into line with the new JFMG (Joint Frequency Management Group) licencing regulations.

One such company is Convergence AV. Based in Epsom, the 16 year old company is a specialist supplier of audio visual equipment, production and logistics for corporate events, with clients ranging from local businesses to blue chip companies.

"We conduct all kinds of events, including road shows, award ceremonies and conferences, throughout the UK, Europe, Far East and the US," says Pete Metcalf, Business Manager at Convergence AV. Recent projects include a telepresence event for a multi-national company, with participants in Dubai, Paris and San José addressing a 500-strong workforce in London.

With instant team communication at the heart of events organisation, the DSO affects Convergence AV quite significantly as it requires the company to replace the walkie talkies, wireless talkback systems, in-ear monitoring equipment and radio microphones that are on the affected frequencies.

"We recently purchased 48 replacement Radio Microphone Kits from Shure UK," says Pete. "We selected Shure equipment because we consider it to be the best in both quality and reliability. The specific mics we chose were the closest to our existing equipment, which meant there wouldn't be a big learning curve for the team."

Convergence AV made its purchase with assistance from Fineline. "We hadn't worked with Fineline before, but Shure was offering a deal and recommended Fineline as the leasing company," explains Pete. "We looked at other finance options but chose Fineline because of the ease and willingness they showed in putting the deal together. They didn't put up any obstacles and managed all the details so that in the end, all we needed to do was sign."

Duncan Payne worked with Convergence AV on the purchase. Pete says, "Duncan was great to deal with. He made himself available at all times, and was totally positive throughout."

The new equipment will be racked out in kits, PAT tested and configured ready for Convergence's next busy period starting in September – so the company is in good shape for the official Digital Switchover next year.

www.convergenceav.co.uk

As covered in the last issue of Preview, in the wake of the frequency changes many businesses are upgrading their equipment under the OFCOM subsidy deal. AV supplier Conference Craft has taken up this offer to purchase Shure radio mic systems.

Conference Craft is one of the UK's leading AV rental solutions and events production companies and has been in business for over 25 years. Clients are based in the UK and Europe and include Merlin Entertainments Group, Babcock International, Marriott Hotel Group, Sky, Amazon and Hilton Worldwide.

Having had a busy year the company decided that because of the frequency change and with funding from OFCOM and Fineline, they would upgrade all their existing systems especially those used for large events; this included 30 full microphone kits with a 6 way and 10 way rack system and 14 individual kits of lapel and hand held.

Fineline was recommended to them by their accountants Richard Morgan Associates who knew Fineline through their support of Vision Charity. Nick Jerram, a director of Conference Craft comments on why they chose to use them; "Unlike other capital investment companies, Fineline fully understood our business and were able to facilitate accordingly. We hope to have the opportunity to use them again in the future."

www.conferencecraft.com

In the last year alone Worcestershire based DB Systems supplied equipment to over 300 Exhibitions, Conferences and Live Events across UK and Europe, including the biggest ever Farnborough Air Show.

Managing Director, David Bulley says, "Exhibitions and Conferences are sales showcases for our clients. Creating the right impression and providing the right presentation vehicle is vitally important in terms of attracting visitors and prospects to the stand. Last year we worked in over 35 countries, and in the UK alone we supplied equipment into over 200 exhibitions at every UK exhibition venue. Our success is based on being part of the team and supplying the best and latest equipment."

As part of that strategy DB Systems is the first rental company in the UK to acquire the new Infinite M-PDP 42" modular seamless plasma panels.

David continues, "We first made contact with Fineline after receiving a previous copy of the Preview newsletter. We operate in a competitive marketplace and we need competitive pricing to be profitable. It was therefore worth approaching Fineline to see what kind of deal they could come up with and compare with our previous finance route of the banks."

Chris Biggs from Fineline adds to the story, "To win the business we had to beat the keen interest rates of the banks and demonstrate the speed and flexibility of our service. We also recommended keeping the banking facilities for working capital, rather than tie them up in the acquisition of equipment."

As an example of their work David mentions the recent Farnborough Air Show, "This has been our biggest ever Farnborough. We installed over 160 plasma screens, 30 LCD projectors, 15 PA systems and over 250 PCs & LCD screens, as well as staff to back it all up. In the meantime, we also had other large jobs in Berlin and Bangkok, so we had to make sure our logistics, equipment levels and crew requirements were right. With such extensive commitments and such demands on our equipment we need fast and reliable access to finance as and when we need it. Fineline provide that service."

www.dbsystems.co.uk