NZ leading light with big screens

New Zealand isn't just joining the digital revolution, it's helping create it. Auckland-based company ICE AV, has spent the past 11 years pushing the boundary in audio visual technology.

Founder Kevin Andreassend said one of his projects was mounting a large LED screen next to a indoor swimming pool in Invercargill. Swimmers will be able to watch videos, and pretend to swim with fish or be chased by pictures of sharks.

"The deep south is very innovative. I take my hat off to them."

Andreassend is currently working on building two large LED screens to be attached to two buildings, one in Waikato, the other in Wellington. He said these projects were still in the early stages.

"It's early days in New Zealand. There's not a lot of this technology yet, apart from the screens in rugby stadiums," he said.

However, there is a large demand from overseas clients for his technology.

A client in the Middle East has requested an LED screen to be attached to the centre of a building. Made entirely of glass, the building is shaped like a doughnut with a flat base. The client wants an LED screen attached to the building's centre, or the doughnut hole.

A client in New England in the US, who is building an ice skating rink, requested a 60 x 60m LED screen to be placed underneath the ice, so users could skate over videos, graphics, or have lights follow them as they skate.

Andreassend started ICE AV in 2003 with the intention of "pushing the envelope" in audio visual technology.