Cast in cool hues from the rig of Best Boys tracking above, a tour of the PRG booth at LDI 2016 was a treat for attendees looking to get up close and personal with a variety of mic-drop-worthy lighting innovations. Throughout the three-day event, hands-on demos at the packed PRG exhibit let attendees experience the power of the growing family of GroundControl™ products, the refreshing user interface of the new Mbox v4 software, and multiple applications for the new ReNEW-LD line dimmable LED Retrofit Assembly.
The most revolutionary new product introduced at PRG’s booth was the preview of the GroundControl Longthrow™ (GCLT), the most advanced automated luminaire soon to be on the market. At nearly 200 lbs less than a traditional longthrow followspot, GCLT’s slim profile is far from its only selling point. Built from the ground up to have a small footprint, big feature set and high output, GCLT is fully optimized for longthrow followspot applications like award shows, arenas, stadiums, and key FOH spot. It’s remotely controlled by a GroundControl Followspot Controller from up to 2000’ away. By changing the dynamics of safety, rigging, accessibility, and even trucking costs, the GCLT changes the fundamental way in which big long throw followspots are employed.
PRG’s GroundControl™ Followspot System also includes the GroundControl Best Boy Spot HP, GroundControl Bad Boy Spot HP, 4-way switch box, and the new v3.0 software. All Ground Control Spot Luminaires have cross fading CMY color mixing along with multiple color correction options–giving designers the ultimate in flexibility to dial in and tune the GC Luminaire to their exact needs. The GroundControl™ family of products allow designers huge design and operational flexibility while eliminating or minimizing “seat kills”– a revenue bonus for venues.
Visitors to the booth also got to engage with Mbox product managers for a firsthand look at the recently released Mbox v4 software. Mbox v4 which includes a major update to the underlying code along with new features that significantly improve performance and flexibility without impacting ease of use or speed of programming. Recently used on the Drake ‘Summer Sixteen’ tour, Mbox v4 is ideal for any media server user looking for a simple, robust solution that provides professional results. One of the most significant upgrades to the Mbox software is the heavily revised playback engine. The switch away from QuickTime technology to AVFoundation has unlocked new potential within the software, enabling more layers for simultaneous playback, better playback smoothness, both 4K playback and output, and more outputs. With these updates, the software can more efficiently and effectively manage additional pixel mapping capabilities like group mastering and merging, plus the new configurable sources for pixel mapping.
The new RH+A ReNEW-LD was also showcased at the PRG’s booth. The PRG RH+A ReNEW DMX and the newly released ReNEW-LD (line dimmable) assembly are the perfect LED retrofit solutions designed to work in conjunction with the lens tube and shutter assemblies of the Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC®) Source Four® ellipsoidal. Exchanging the tungsten light source of the Source Four with the LED source of either ReNEW offerings reduces energy consumption and HVAC costs while producing lumen output that exceeds a 575W HPL lamp. The ReNEW DMX draws 196 watts and the ReNEW-LD 196 watts at full power. Typical applications are all theatrical venues, houses of worship, museums, broadcast studios, and retail and themed environments where standard Source Four® ellipsoidal are installed.
There is much more to come on PRG’s LDI features. Want more now? Visit prg.com for more information on the PRG products introduced at LDI and other PRG services.
Quick Reference:
The GCLT will be available in February. For sales and demo inquiries, please contact Chris Conti at [email protected].
For Mbox inquires, contact Matt Corke (United States) at [email protected] or Anthony Headley (Canada) at [email protected].
For ReNew-LD and Retail Hospitality + Architecture inquiries, contact Gary Leonard at [email protected]