Austin's High End Systems Hog 4 Controls Olympic Opening Ceremonies

The elaborate three-hour opening ceremony that unveiled the 2014 Winter Olympics Games in Sochi, Russia was a breathtaking marriage of art, history, patriotism, and technology. The opening ceremony's 18 chapters necessitated the use of over 1,100 lighting instruments, all controlled by High End Systems' Hog 4 lighting console.

Lighting designer Al Gurdon created the stunning lighting visuals for the event, with equipment provided by PRG, and programmer Ross Williams specified the use of High End Systems' latest lighting desk. High End's director of product management Chris Ferrante comments, "We are very proud to announce that our Hog 4 console successfully controlled the opening ceremony in Sochi for the Winter Olympics. Sochi shows that the Hog 4 system is time and again being chosen to control the largest shows. We have seen the platform move from strength to strength since its launch just over a year ago, and are very excited to continue to roll out the platform, with more features and product just around the corner."

Robbie Bruce, HES director of control systems Development adds, "We have worked closely with Ross Williams over the past year in anticipation of this event. We knew the rig would be very large, and the amount of programming would push the current product limits. Ross was very specific on what he needed to be successful. We understood the challenge, and with his help, the Hog development team was able to expand the performance and enhance functionality of the Hog 4."

High End's Hog 4 can also be seen on tour with Kanye West, Daft Punk, and Rod Stewart.