The South African live events industry has snapped up 2 080 (520 Square metres) Absen PL2.9 lite LED panels, each upgraded with a NovaStar A8s-N receiver card, shipped to the country by DWR Distribution. It started when Cape Town-based Marcel Bezuidenhout, owner of Audio Engineering, wanted to find like-minded technical suppliers who would invest in the same LED panels to enable sub-hiring when needed.
Marcel previously owned Absen D2V panel and while satisfied with the product, he was an island regarding larger batches whenever he needed additional stock for larger set-ups or multiple events. More recently, he was in discussion with someone who suggested buying panels in batch which could reduce the cost of the initial investment and provide a larger hire pool. “I was after the Absen PL2.9 based on our previous D2V panels that did well for us,” Marcel explains. “There is space in the market, especially in Cape Town, for larger panel quantities and this solution would further enable us to help our partners needing this screen pitch. For me it was important to choose equipment that would be backed up by service and support. I decided to contact Duncan Riley of DWR Distribution, thinking that surely a few other rental companies would be interested to jump on board.” DWR’s support team include Bruce Riley, Tyler Pugin, Dylan Jones and of course Derek Kruger who painstakingly handles repairs. Having a facility to repair screens at the DWR premises really brings peace of mind to investors.
With live and hybrid events gaining momentum after the two-year Covid-19 pandemic, Dylan Jones, Absen brand manager at DWR, also noticed that many of his enquiries were for the indoor Absen PL2.9 lite screen. “It was a great idea to ship in as many panels as possible, enabling the industry access to one of the largest LED batches in South Africa,” said Dylan Jones. “We decided to buy an additional 400 units for stock, but the entire shipment was sold in the blink of an eye!” Customers amongst others include Audio Engineering, MGG, Stage Effects and The LED Hire Company.”
The LED Hire Company offers a wide range of LED screen hire solutions. They commented, “With this addition of a premium product from DWR we can carry on servicing the industry to our usual high standards of intricate designs and inspiring visual solutions.”
The versatile PL2.9 lite is a mobile LED panel known for its easy and quick assembling and dismantling qualities, ability to curve and strong cabinet design allowing for front and rear maintenance. “As the name implies, the panels are lightweight making them easy to handle and build into screens,” Dylan adds. “Because they are not heavy, you could safely hang 20 panels in a vertical column from a truss piece. The connectors are also great with etherCon instead of the standard RJ45 connector.”
While the budget-friendly PL2.9 lite offers value for money, DWR was able to secure a receiver card upgrade, the NovaStar A8s-N, which added to the hype. “That was our way of giving the best quality we could to the end client,” Dylan comments. The NovaStar A8s-N is a high-end receiving card, small in size with a loading capacity of up to 512 x 384 (PWM IC) pixels overall, delivering increased brightness and colour level, smoother image pixel calibration and an improved visual experience. For technicians the benefits include easy deployment, stable operation and efficient maintenance.
It has been a great relief for Duncan Riley to see the industry dusting itself off, ready to run with a vision for the future. “It’s wonderful that our clients have placed their trust in us as there are many other LED screen suppliers in this competitive market,” Duncan concludes. “What a privilege to see the Absen panels on all the top shows in South Africa. Thank you for your support.”
