Like most of you, I’m burning with LDI anticipation. Just a few days away now, we’re packing up and heading for the airport. It’s our chance to see old friends and new technology. I’m a bit nervous about having to blog, but I’ve been assured it is easier than passing a sobriety test at the TMB booth. Today I give you a super-sized six-pack of familiar manufacturers that are setting up their booths as we speak.
The folks at Pulsar have a pair of new LED offerings featuring their TriColour Technology, the ChromaInGround 50 and ChromaLink. The ChromaInGround 50 has 15 TriColor devices, each containing three LEDs, one each red, green, and blue. The IP65-rated unit is fabricated from 316 marine-grade brushed stainless steel or anodized aluminum with a 10mm (0.4”) toughened glass, allowing it to be walked or driven over. It is available in five beam angles, and a ground mount is supplied to facilitate fixing in poured floors or walls. Meanwhile, the OEM-friendly ChromaLink features six TriColour devices, each with three LEDs. It is linked from end to end using its WAGO Cage Clamp connectors and ChromaFlexLite cable. Up to 10 ChromaLinks may be linked to one ChromaZone (17W) output or up to 30 to a ChromaZoneX3 (50W) output.
Rosco’s new DMX Iris is a cool way to take control of your leko’s beam spread. A complement to the I-Cue Intelligent Mirror, this 24-leaf motorized iris unit can be used with ETC Source Four, Selecon Pacific, and most other lekos currently on the market. Unlike iris units that have 18 or fewer leaves in the aperture, the DMX Iris creates an even-edged, perfectly round aperture down to its smallest diameter.Using one channel of DMX512, the movement is smooth even along very slow cross fades. A microprocessor controlled stepper motor connects to the mechanical arm of the iris unit; a manual knob lets you use the DMX Iris without DMX control just by dialing in the aperture size, just as you would a conventional iris unit.
Vari-Lite is showing off the newest addition to the Series 3000 product line, the VL3500™ Wash FX luminaire, as well as two prototype high efficiency, long lamp life fixtures, the VL500™ CMH and VL1000™ CMH. Available in black or white, the VL500™ CMH and VL1000™ CMH luminaries utilize a 350W ceramic metal halide lamp with an extended lamp life of 8,000 hours. The VL500™ CMH has an output greater than 7,000 lumens, and the VL1000™ CMH puts out more than 8,000 lumens, while still maintaining a color temperature of 3,200K. The VL3500 Wash FX luminaire offers an FX pattern wheel that holds four rotatable and indexable 50mm glass effects patterns. In conjunction with the use of the Plano-Convex ULTRA clear front lens, the pattern wheel provides for dramatic rotating aerial beam effects. The unit also features a 1,500W lamp, CYM color mixing, variable CTO color temperature correction, two-five position color wheels, a dual blade strobe mechanism, and an independent glass dimmer wheel.
Selecon is showing their full product line of theatrical lighting fixtures: Acclaim, Rama, and Arena Fresnels and PCs; the Pacific range; traditional Acclaim Zoomspots, Hui and Aurora Cyc / Floods; and the Performer range of followspots. One product of note is their Rama 6" Fresnel with the new Osram 575W BTH lamp. Footcandle light output readings taken at spot focus are only 21.5% less than those recorded with the 1000W lamp and, at flood focus 36% less - an impressive 42.5% reduction in energy consumption. Also up for oogling is the Hui Work Light, a popular addition to the Hui family.Fitting the Cyc with wire safety mesh instead of safety glass means that the air flow system works in any position for extended operating hours required for over stage or rehearsal applications. Plus, there’s the eight-leaf barn door and a new and improved rock ’n’ roll type color changer for the Performer Series range of followspots.
Gerriets is bringing five new textile products and their faux wall covering to LDI. The five new fabrics include Camouflage, Macau string curtain, Megastretch, Eventmolton, and Soundmolton. All textiles and fabrics are flame retardant and in process of being tested to NFPA 701. The Wall covering is available in the versions brick and rock, made from Neopor, a lightweight, newly developed Styrofoam®.
Though not a new product launch, Serapid, Inc. is showing the award-winning LinkLift that accommodates high trim lifting applications quietly, smoothly, and safely. The square links work like building blocks to form a tower stack, with the shape and locking technique making it capable of extra-high rigidity and strength. The LinkLift is capable of absorbing tensile forces, such as those found through seismic vibrations or the wave motion on a cruise ship. Serapid also provides stage wagon transfer systems that feature high transfer speeds and low noise levels.