Mapping the Future: Green Hippo Super Users Assemble

	Members of the Green Hippo and AC-ET teams welcomed Hippotizer Super Users to the event at AC-ET's premises in Leeds. Photo Credit: A.C. Entertainment Technologies

Green Hippo, specialist in the design and manufacture of hardware and software for real-time manipulation of video for the AV industries, welcomed 18 of its most advanced Hippotizer practitioners to its latest UK "Super User" event in July.

A regular fixture in the Green Hippo diary, the event was hosted at the Leeds office of exclusive Hippotizer dealer A.C. Entertainment Technologies, giving the product team an opportunity to bring these leading Hippotizer experts up to date with the latest features, developments, and initiatives. What's more, it provides a forum for the exchange of highly-informed feedback and ideas from those working most closely with Green Hippo's technology in a broad array of show environments.

"We run these events every six months or so," says Tom Etra, senior technical sales manager at Green Hippo, "and they're incredibly useful, both for us and our users. They're an open forum for discussion and feedback with users who know our products inside and out."

He adds, "They work in various different disciplines - touring, theatre, installations, attractions -- and they have great real-world experience and insight into where we're going with the products. It's a really productive environment -- an amazing cross-fertilization of ideas."

The day began with the Green Hippo and AC-ET teams presenting the latest features in Hippotizer software V4.5. From AC-ET's video division, Chris Beardwell showed the new VideoMapper and BeatBridge features, while from Green Hippo, Suzy Stenning discussed the Object to Output workflow, within Hippotizer's 3D Mapping environment and Zep Mouris demo'd Hippotizer's latest auto alignment capabilities. Green Hippo product manager Ryan Brown presented new lighting console integration features, and NDI -- the new network capture protocol - along with some of the latest features and integration with Notch.

The day was also a chance to assess response to future ideas and discuss new customer initiatives, such as Green Hippo's new hardware replacement and software assurance schemes, designed to help customers to protect their Hippotizer investments as product development progresses.

Hippotizer super user Neil Trenell, creative director of Fix8Group, comments, "It's a very important opportunity to see the diverse user base, people using Hippotizer in many different ways and environments -- there's not one specific way to use the product. Understanding how other people use it, sharing that knowledge and that user experience with each other and with the manufacturer, is important because that's how it becomes a more considered tool. Also, I get to meet the other users and exchange ideas - it helps us to push each other that little bit harder."

Etra says, "The super users play a big part in furthering development -- their ideas and creativity drive our products forward. Many of the features we've designed and implemented in the past were born from discussions at these events -- BeatBridge, for example, came from our festival users asking for audio-to-video capability. Our super users play an absolutely crucial role in our product evolution - they're part of the team."