Vari*Lite® VL1000™ ERS
Vari-Lite Inc. has introduced a very different automated luminaire; one that promises to raise the bar for its competitors. The Vari*Lite VL1000 ERS luminaire combines the functionality of one of the most popular conventional lighting tools — the ellipsoidal reflector spotlight — with the versatility of an automated luminaire. It won an Honorable Mention for Lighting Product of the Year/Entertainment at LDI and had a lot of buzz, and rightfully so; it is definitely a new tool many lighting designers will want to add to their equipment lists.
Features include a CYM color-mixing system that can go from the lightest pastels to fully saturated colors, a five-position plus open, indexing, rotating gobo wheel, a variable diffusion stage that can soften the image all the way out to a complete wash, a zoom lens that ranges from 19° to 36°, and a super zoom function out to 70°.
The unit also features accurate, repeatable, and smooth pan and tilt and a unique calibration sequence to allow for minimum spacing when the full pan range is not required. The pan range is 540°, and tilt is 270°, with a resolution of 0.1°. Full range of motion will require the luminaires to be hung on 26.5" centers. The unit will calibrate to support close hangs (yoke-to-yoke), allowing hanging as close as 18". The luminaire weighs 60lb (27kg).
Incandescent versions VL1000T and VL1000TS use a 1,000W tungsten lamp to deliver over 10,000 lumens with a 3200K color temperature. Models VL1000A and VL1000AS use a 575W arc source to produce even more output and a 5600K color temperature. These models also include a mechanical dimmer and a truss-mounted, convection-cooled ballast.
Models VL1000TS and VL1000AS include an automated, four-blade shutter mechanism that provides control of all shutter functions like conventional ellipsoidals. Each blade can translate across 85% of field and rotate up to ±35°. The entire shutter assembly rotates ±45°.
Vari-Lite Inc.
www.vari-lite.com
The Top 400
SGM Introduces the new Giotto Spot 400, Wash 400, and Profile 400 automated moving-head fixtures designed for entertainment applications in concerts, theatres, and television studios. The features include: a 400W hot re-strike MSR lamp, 9°-24° motorized zoom, and an electronic ballast (90-245V). The fixtures are compact and lightweight, designed for quiet operation and ease of maintenance. The Spot and Profile feature motorized focus and variable iris, color temperature correction, strobing shutter, and indexing rotating gobos. The Spot has 30 color combinations and a customizable effects wheel. The Profile adds a rotating shaper and color wheel. The Wash includes CMY color-mixing, a color wheel, a linear color conversion filter, and internal rotating shutters.
SGM Elettronica
www.sgm.it
Be Bop Deluxe
Altman Lighting introduces the Jazz Strip, using a wide range of 12V MR-16 tungsten halogen lamps. This luminaire is available in four standard lengths, related to the number of color washes desired. It is lighter and has a shorter profile than its predecessors. Narrow spot, medium, and wide flood lamps are efficiently incorporated into the luminaire without trapping appreciable light. Recessed front-mounted neon indicator lights note lamp failure. Spring-loaded lamp holders provide secure positioning of the lamps to hold them in place while touring. This narrow luminaire allows it to be used in closely spaced battens or in tight spaces where a general wash of light from the top, side, or bottom is desired.
Altman Lighting Inc.
www.altmanltg.com
Translation Please
Lowel-Lite has added an IR/DMX Translator module to its Fluo-Tec line of fluorescent fixtures. Lowel has an IR DMX Controller for the line that allows control of up to 64 dimmable Fluo-Tec fixtures without a console. The translator increases the flexibility of this controller by allowing communication with any DMX controllable dimmer. The compact IR/DMX Translator module is connected in-line at the start of the DMX dimming chain and allows the controller to send commands to dim any DMX fixture or device. The Fluo-Tec line of fluorescent fixtures are also now CE-approved.
Lowel-Light Mfg., Inc.
www.lowel.com
Be Very, Very Quiet
Clay Paky introduces the SV versions of its broad Stage range of automated fixtures, including the Stage Color, Stage Zoom, Stage Profile, and Stage Profile Plus. The SV versions are noticeably quieter, which will be a boon to theatre and television LDs who want to add these fixtures to their toolboxes. The Stage Profile Plus SV is a standout in this expanded line of products. Its patented beam-shaping system has four independent blades for beam shaping, can form quadrilaterals and triangles of any shape and size, and can make possible a “curtain effect” with the shutters. The fixture can also move the shuttered image, at any speed, without moving the head. The unit has a linear zoom, two rotating gobo wheels, CMY color-mixing, frost, and CTO and CTB correction filters. A more basic version is available as the Stage Profile 1200 SV. The new Color Cyc accessory can be easily fitted to all the Clay Paky 575W, 1,000W, and 1,200W wash lights. This accessory provides a wide 80° beam of light.
Clay Paky
www.claypaky.it
Drop In Sometime
Design & Drafting is adding idrop™, a new AutoDesk® technology that will be embedded into its members-only web pages. It is scheduled to be up and running by June. It will give you the ability to drag design content from the Design & Drafting web page directly into your drawing. For example, you require a specific fixture, truss, table, or chair to embed in your LD Assistant Ac, AutoCAD®, or 3D Studio VIZ® drawing. This will provide a library of blocks and objects from which you can browse, then drag the appropriate object into your design session. Forget about the days of downloading then inserting it. Now you can drag any DWG or VIZ file from the website and drop its geometry and all of its information directly into your design. idrop will require AutoCAD 2000i or 2002 and LD Assistant Ac V2, which is currently in beta-testing and was scheduled for release in March.
Design & Drafting
www.design-drafting.com
X-Ray Vision
Laser Studio launches the latest addition to its new I-scan Performer range of DPSS (Diode Pumped Solid State) lasers. Its new 1W color unit currently offers eight modulated color outputs, with future development aiming at developing the system into a 256 fully modulated color system. This product represents a major change in laser technology and is an important step forward in replacing older equipment that required complex cooling and hefty electrical supplies. The new laser weighs just 69lb (31kg), is approximately the size of a carry-on suitcase, and plugs into a 13A outlet. This DPSS laser has an efficiency of 10:1 over ion technology, and the diode lifetime is expected to be in excess of 10,000 hours.
Laser Studio, part of the i-Vision Group
www.ivisionuk.com
Double Jointed
Total Structures' Omni, winner of an LDI Product of the Year award, is a rotating, hinging, removable fork-and-spade truss-connection system. The Omni connector allows trusses to hinge in either plane, along with the flexibility to bring three trusses together in a Y shape, or whole series of trusses to come together as 3D structural assemblies. Its first incarnation is as a standard fork-end connection that can also be used as a hinge. You can also rotate the forks through 90° and use it as a hinged corner. Other features include a double taper shear pin for ease of alignment, stainless steel construction, and no fasteners protruding beyond the truss geometry.
Total Structures
www.totalstructures.com
Brand New WYG
Cast Lighting's new WYSIWYG boasts an innovative interface and a range of tools that simplify the design process, and is not only bundled and sold differently but also has a new user interface that adopts a streamlined and task-oriented approach to its operations, allowing for easier navigation through the product, especially during the CAD process. Other new features include importing and exporting DWG/DXF; the ability to layer all library items; a shortcut bar to enable quick access to frequently used functions; and an error-checking function which detects mistakes automatically. Another new feature is the ability to go to a multi-monitor visualization workspace, with multiple WYSIWYG windows running simultaneously. The new family of products includes Report, Design, Perform, and Learn.
CAST Lighting Ltd.
www.castlighting.com