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Martin Releases New P3-200 System Controller for LED Screens

The P3-200 System Controller is a new addition to Martin Professional’s P3 System Controller family for LED screens. It combines all the celebrated features of Martin’s advanced P3-100 video signal controller yet adds SD-SDI, HD-SDI and 3G-SDI input capability for optimized use in TV/broadcast environments.

The P3-200 retains all the advantages of the P3-100 System Controller like built-in scaling and de-interlacing, multiple video protocol and resolution support, built-in graphical user interface, and direct DMX control of brightness, color, pixel mapping and more. It works with all Martin LED display systems (LC Series with P3 Upgrade Kit, LC Plus Series and EC Series) and is software and show file compatible with the P3-100 System Controller.

Martin P3 controllers allow full integration with lighting control via DMX512. Users can finally treat LED screens like lighting instruments with direct cue-by-cue control of brightness, image rotation and position, color temperature – and more. P3 System Controllers give full control over the video signal before the image is displayed on screen, and all at 16-bit color depth per color for perfect image quality without artifacts.

P3 System Controllers cover a wide variety of video input, enabling all possible video sources to be fed into Martin LED screens including composite video, S-Video, component video, DVI-D, SD-SDI, HD-SDI, 3G-SDI and even video straight off your desktop.

For more information, visit www.martin.com.

Review: Wybron Cygnus VN100 LED Fixture

Wybron Cygnus VN100I knew Wybron was launching a new light- some articles can be found herehere, and (of course) here. I remember seeing it at LDI last year, but to my fault I passed it over. I was not prepared for the light that I pulled out of the box that UPS handed me.

Spec wise it’s got it goin’ on. At full on it pulls 105w with 12 RGBW LEDs pumping 2205 lumens. The built in color correction has a beautiful range from 7000k all the way down to 2800k. The optics have a set beam angle of 13° and a field angle 25° and 4 lenses to choose from (narrow, medium and wide floods, plus an elongated lens) to modify the beam. Data connects through 5 pin DMX, is daisy chain-able and RDM compatible.

Four profiles give you a range of usability from 8 and 16 bit color mixing to the option of a white LED or an intensity master. The built in strobe functions are impressive and could very well rival actual strobe fixtures out there. Probably one of the coolest features on this light is the high speed mode which is optimal for HD recording (see below).

The first thing I noticed about the light was its construction. It was a bit bigger than I expected at 10″ long and 6.5″ wide- about the same size as a Source4 PAR with a clamp. The housing is constructed from aluminum and at just over 9 pounds I didn’t feel like it was going to break in my hands like a lot of new LED fixtures I’ve used. The tilt knob was also large and sturdy feeling allowing me to crank down on it without the fear of cross threading. I was very happy to see a dedicated loop for a safety cable attached right to the fixture.

The next thing that caught my eye were the LEDs. All 12 of them. All integrated RGBW units. All very blinding (I may or may not have peaked down the barrel while it was on). The dimming on the fixture has  3000:1 ratio and is comparable to an incandescent light.  The next obvious thing to do is to test the throw of those very blinding LEDs. Since I didn’t really have a stage at my disposal, I used the next best thing: The apartment building across the street.

The distance of the garage to the third floor windows is close to 75 feet, if not more. And it punched. The color and intensity were bright and crisp. After putting the lenses in I was impressed with how little they cut the output and still flooded out the light. Shadows, both multiple and rainbow, were minimal at most.

For the quick and dirty there are a couple of cool stand alone features like 8 recordable scenes and a master / slave configuration.

The only downside for me is it’s rated at IP20 so that means dry indoor locations only. This is a bit of a bummer for me since I do a lot of outdoor work.

What I thought I was going to review was a small fixture meant for display installations. I was mistaken. Big time. I was given a light that I’m sure will give  a lot of conventional wash fixtures a run for their money. From the smooth Dimming of the LEDs all the way to 0 and a strobe that would make any rave the place to be this light packs some serious heat in a small package.

The Cygnus VN100 has an MSRP of $1,547. The Cygnus family also comes in a VN200 and MF200 model at 200 watts and very narrow and medium flood respectively.

Do I really have to give this thing back?

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Lehigh Set to Launch Rendition II Desk at USITT

Lehigh will be introducing the Rendition II at USITT. This console includes both hardware and software upgrades to the original Rendition console series. Hardware features include 1.6 GHz processor, 2 GB compact flash hard drive, dual monitor and touch screen support, four USB ports, and fader wing support. New software features include cue level parameter timing for FCBI, independent channel timing, and color gel lookups. Automark, Move-in-Black and the addition of the Carallon fixture library (4000+) fixtures are slated for Q2 of 2011.

Rendition II consoles include dedicated channel and paged submaster controllers to provide classic theater control plus the latest moving light software features. The separate channel and submaster faders provide ease of use over the shared fader configurations of most other consoles. The Rendition II is available in 24/48 and 48/96 models with 24 paged submasters in 125, 250, or 512 conventional channel configurations.  Each console includes an additional 1024 channels for moving lights, LEDs, and scrollers.

Ethernet-based fader wings allow expanded submaster or channel support for local or remote control and are available in 2 x 12 and 2 x 24 configurations. Learn more about the Rendition II by visiting Lehigh’s website at www.lehighdim.com.

Milos Debuts x.Truss & T12 Modular System at Euroshop 2011

Milos Concepts will be in attendance at EuroShop 2011 in Düsseldorf Feburary 26th to March 2nd.  They will be debuting two new products, the x.Truss and the T12 Modular System. Düsseldorf.  x.Truss, the intelligent line of accessories compatible with QuickTruss systems, allows simple mounting of diverse materials – visibly or invisibly, horizontally or vertically, sustainably and effectively. Brackets, clamps, fabric profiles, and panel clips offer clever, simple solutions to increase QuickTruss’ versatility and aesthetic appeal. Image features curved cladding panels and fabric profiles from x.Truss accessories line.

T12 is a new modular system that blurs the line between light source and structural element. LED lights are integrated into the structural tube profiles to create backlit displays, luminescent counters or spaces contoured with light. Standard components include curved profiles to add flourish to any space.

To learn more about x.Truss or the T12 Modular System, visit Milos website at www.milosgroup.com.

Barco Offers Upgrade Kit for Lamp-Lit Walls to LED Technology

Barco offers an all-in-one technology refresh program to upgrade its lamp-based video walls to its latest series of LED-lit rear-projection video walls, enabling customers to maximize their initial investment in Barco control room visualization technology for critical 24/7 applications. Barco’s video wall upgrade kit enables customers to bring their existing Barco display models up to the latest high-quality standards. By converting existing video walls from a lamp-driven to an LED-powered engine, owners of Barco’s video walls can build on previous investments and achieve enhanced image quality, improved reliability and lower total cost of ownership with minimal effort.

The introduction of the upgrade kits follows the launch of Barco’s new family of LED-lit rear-projection video walls in 2010. Thanks to a liquid cooling system, these new video walls offer up to 80,000 hours of LED lifetime and a brightness level that is 20% higher than any competing system. The new video walls are also equipped with Barco’s proprietary Sense6, a unique auto-calibration technology that ensures brightness and color stability over time and across the entire display, eliminating the need for manual adjustments.

Barco now has a technology refresh program for three generations of video walls (OV-D2, D1 and p-Si), ensuring customers that an investment in Barco technology will last them many years. Barco’s advanced LED technology is available for display cubes with a 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio and screen sizes up to 80 inch. The DLP-based LED-lit projection systems offer an ergonomically excellent viewing experience, featuring the richest, saturated colors, ranging from XGA (1024×768) to full HD (1920×1080) resolution. Designed for an entirely maintenance-free operation over several years, without any need for consumables, the new video walls are the most efficient and reliable LED video walls for 24/7 applications today.

Review: BrickBlaster Pro RGBW LED Fixture

I mentioned the BrickBlaster Pro LED fixture a couple of weeks after LDI this past year in Vegas.  My late writing about the BrickBlaster Pro is a prime example of how large industry trade shows can be.  I totally missed seeing The Black Tank company on the show floor.  Lucky for me, a friend emailed me about the company and their brand new BrickBlaster Pro LED fixture.

The Black Tank company was kind enough to send me a demo kit of the brand new fixtures in order to provide you a review of the BrickBlaster RGBW LED fixture.  Lets start by taking a look at what the BrickBlaster is.  It is a small, I mean really small. It’s an LED fixture housed in a 4″ cube with Red, Green, Blue and White LEDs.  The Black Tank company is using 16 Luxam Rebel, 3 watt LEDs to produce 1200 lumens of max output with all the colors. That would be four LEDs per color. Each LED has a life expectancy of 50,000 hours. Pretty impressive for the size, number of LEDs and the output.

In addition to the RGBW BrickBlaster, The Black Tank company also produces a Variable Color Temperature BrickBlaster that can produce a white light from 2700 kelvin to 6500 kelvin.  Although the Variable Color Temperature, (VCT) fixture wasn’t available for my review, It would be safe to say that the VCT fixture has to have a higher output of lumens compared to the RGBW fixture.  Information on those numbers haven’t been made available yet, but should be ready soon.

Lens System

Taking a closer look at the RGBW version of the BrickBlaster Pro, there is a lot happening in this small cube. First has to be the lens system.  Like many LED manufacturers out there, to offer different beam spread with the fixture, there are lens over lays to widened and narrow the beam. The BrickBlaster Pro uses this same sort system and offers a 20, 40 and 60 degree lens option. What is unique about the lens system is how they attach.  Rather than a slide clip, the lens have four holes in the corners that line up with the thumb screws on the fixture which will certainly keep the lens in place.  A downside of this type of lens holding system is the small thumb screws.  Not that anything is wrong with the thumb screws, but the fact that they are small pieces. I think it is some unwritten law of the universe that at some point a small piece or part will go missing or lost.  Just something to be mindful of when changing out lenses.

Speaking of changing things out, the BrickBlaster Pro has an interesting design when it comes to how the fixture is designed inside.  While I would love to show you what I am talking about, it is something The Black Tank company wants to keep under wraps for the moment.  It has to deal with the exchanging of the entire LED board. Lets say and LED or two are failing on your fixture.  Rather then swapping out or having to carry extra fixtures around, bring some spare LED boards with you.  Just a couple screws, the board comes out and disconnect it, re connect the new one and put back the screws and done.  The brains of the BrickBlaster Pro, which stays with the housing, knows which type of LED board you placed in, whether it be the RGBW, Variable White or a custom LED array that you had built.

The Menu System

Controlling and configuring the BrickBlaster Pro is fairly straight forward.  The menu system on the back is easily readable and provides helpful information such as the current temperature of the fixture.  Now I am one of those people that like to jump right in and start playing… manual, who needs a manual?!  The BrickBlaster Pro was easy to get started and up and running and spitting out lumen goodness.

Within the onboard menu system, you have three different modes that the fixture can run in, DMX, Color Wash and Manual Mode.  The DMX mode is pretty easy to understand, set the DMX address and either 8-bit or 16-bit mode and away you go.  The other two modes are for control at the fixture.  With Manual Mode, you can set any of the four colors to a specific DMX value from 0 to 255 and leave it, no DMX console or control required.  The last mode, Color Wash has all kinds of control and function for a set-it-and-forget-it running.  You have the ability to control the speed and colors of a wash that will keep scrolling until you turn the fixture off.

In addition to the menu system on the back, you’ll find a 5 pin DMX in and Out to daisy chain fixtures together.  You’ll also find a Neutrik Powercon connector for powering up the fixture.  I personally would have like to seen a powercon pass through connector for powering up multiple fixtures at once.  But with the 4″ cube size of the fixture, that might not be possible.

Built into this small package is a fan that help keep the LEDs cool.  The fan is fairly quite, I really only noticed the fan running when I was adjusting settings on the menu and a breeze from the fan was coming out the air vent on the back of the fixture.  As with any LED fixture, the LEDs must be cooled in order to prolong their life.  The on board thermal management helps keep the temperature in check and assures they keep pushing lumens out for their life expectancy.

Conclusion

Over all I was highly impressed with the output of the fixture.  Would would have guessed that four LEDs per color would be able to produce so much output in such a small package.  While the distance that I was throwing the LEDs was less then 20 feet, the area that I was hitting was well covered and super saturated. The RGB white was like many LED mixing towards white, not the typical “white” that we preserve as white, but more of a pinkish hue.  Thus the addition of the white LEDs.  Adding those in softened the white and made some paler and pastel colors which make me giddy with joy.

The BrickBlaster Pro holds up fairly well and packs a punch for such a small package.  The fixture can find use in a wide variety of venues and situations where color, small form factor are essential.  Since the fixture is not sealed from the elements, dry locations are a must. The BrickBlaster Pro would fit into almost any type event for uplighting and washing where control is not necessary, but maybe simple color changing to static colors are.

I enjoyed my time with the BrickBlaster Pro.  Thank you to The Black Tank company for allowing me time to experience the fixtures.  Again, sorry I missed you at LDI. Next time, that will not happen! Look for some enhancements and up grades to the fixture as well as new LED fixtures from The Black Tank Company. To learn more about the BrickBlaster Pro, be sure to visit The Black Tank’s website at www.theblacktank.com.

Your Thoughts

Have you seen the BrickBlaster Pro in person?  What did you think?  I would love to hear your thoughts about the fixture in the comments section of the review.  While you’re writing something, what did you think of this review? Did it help, did you feel it was informative? I always love to hear what you think!

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City Theatrical Launches PDS-375 TRX Power Supply for CK Fixtures

The imaginative minds of City Theatrical are at it again.  The crew from New York have done it again, they have taken something well proven and used in the industry and made it even better.

City Theatrical has just launched a new power and data supply unit for Philips Color Kinetics LED fixtures, the PDS-375 TRX.  The PDS-375 TRX is the little brother to City Theatricals most recent addition to the line, the PDS-750 TRX.

Here is more from City Theatrical:

The unit can be controlled with all popular Ethernet protocols including Streaming ACN, Art-Net, or KI-Net, as well as wired and wireless DMX512, and is fully RDM enabled. Every unit includes a built-in SHoW DMX ® receiver.

The PDS-375 TRX provides full control capability for the new Philips Color Kinetics five color RGBAW ColorBlast 12 TRX, as well as 16-bit and 8-bit ColorBlast 12 TRs, iW Blast 12s, conventional 8-bit ColorBlast 12s, ColorBlast 6s, ColorSplash 2s, and other CKDMX fixtures. Each of the six outputs can be individually configured for the quantity of DMX slots required and the starting DMX address.

Other features include a built-in three port managed switch to provide an Ethernet pass-thru to down stream devices, and a built-In Ethernet node gateway which when using one of the Ethernet control protocols allows the assignment of any of the six outputs (or the DMX output) to one of two virtual DMX512 universes.

The PDS-375 TRX can also reconfigure Philps Color Kinetics LED fixtures remotely via RDM control of Zapi features. To learn more about the brand new PDS-375 TRX power/data supply, visit City Theatrical’s website at www.citytheatrical.com and click on What’s New on the top left.

GLP Prepares to Launch Impression SpotOne LED Profile Moving Head

GLP or German Light Products is preparing to launch their latest LED moving lighting into the market, the Impression SpotOne.  The SpotOne was shown at LDI 2010 in Las Vegas. A few short months after, GLP is ramping up production and preparing to release the SpotOne into the wild.

The SpotOne is a 400 watt RGB LED chipset producing close to the same output as a 700w discharge lamp.  All the while only a max of 400 watts of power. The fixture is auto sensing from 100-240v and 50-60Hz.

The SpotOne had 8 or 16 bit resolution with 24 channels of DMX in basic mode or up to 33 channels in extended mode. The fixture include not only 3 pin in/out, but 5 pin in/out and a Neutrik Ethercon connection for Art-Net.

Features included in the SpotOne:

  • Motorized zoom: 10-32
  • Full RGB mixing
  • Gobo wheel 2: 5 x glass, 2 x metal; rotating and indexable
  • Effect wheel
  • Iris
  • Prism, rotating, indexable and interchangeable
  • Mechanical dimming from 0% – 100%
  • Mechanical shutters

GLP has yet to update their website with the SpotOne.  Look for the fixture to start shipping in early February. Visit www.glp.de to learn more about the Impression line up of fixtures.

Martin Professional Releases Maxedia 4.40 Software

The latest software release for Martin’s user-friendly Maxedia™ media server brings the Maxedia feature set to a higher level. Aligning simplicity of use with complexity of execution, Maxedia 4.40 shows how the most powerful media server on the market can also be a user-friendly one.

Highlights of Maxedia version 4.40 include:

Cuelist:  Similar to lighting consoles, Maxedia now features a cuelist for automation. From simple drag and drop of cues through an intuitive user interface, cuelists are quickly built and ready to play back. Cuelists can be triggered manually, automatically using Wait and Follow time, or even using external timecode. This makes Maxedia the perfect media server for permanent installations as well as large events.

Timecode:  Complementary to the new cuelist is new timecode input. MIDI and SMPTE timecode can be used to synchronize one or multiple Maxedia systems together. Not only will Cuelist cues be triggered at the right time by following external timecode but the actual video content of cues will also follow timecode. This means that video playback is exactly where it is supposed to be when the user jumps forward or backward in the timecode.

Up to 8 HD inputs:  The Maxedia engine now supports up to 8 HD SDI inputs simultaneously. Using the newly added MCC capture card, latency is kept as low as 2 frames per second, turning Maxedia into a super powerful video switcher. In addition to the high speed capture, the video input can make use of frameblending for smooth 50/60 HZ conversion, a unique feature of Maxedia. A choice of Dual HD-SDI and Dual DVI MCC capture cards is available from Martin Professional.

New Output remapper:   When using several video walls and creative LED video curtains there comes a time when breaking, scaling, rotating and repositioning the engine output into sections is necessary. This task is easier than ever with the new Video Output Remapper. A portion or the entire video content can be sliced and diced anywhere on the actual video output.

More 3D warping and Keystoning possibilities:  Keystoning, edge-blending and 3D warping are now available on both engines, which makes each server really act like two servers. 3D warping in combination with keystoning and edge-blending can be done over six video projectors using a single Maxedia Broadcast and up to three projectors on a Maxedia PRO and Compact. Large scale projections onto buildings have never been easier or more cost effective!

A bundle of new creative effects: A dozen new, high-quality effects and plugins have been added to Maxedia 4.40. All the new effects allow for more control and better tools for the ultimate creative mind. Included is Framing borders, Chainer, Color Motion, Sepia, Advanced Chromakey and more.

For more information and to download the new Maxedia 4.40 software, visit www.martin.com.

Time Square Lighting Introduces LED21P, LED Architectural Projector

Time Square Lighting recently announced the arrival of another LED architectural track fixture to their already impressive line up, the LED21P.

The LED21P delivers the lighting equivalent of a 75-watt pattern projector utilizing a 21-watt LED module. The rewards are 10 times the lamp life as well as 70% energy savings. The LED21P projects stock or custom patterns (gobos) and is equipped with four framing shutters for precise beam shaping.

Numerous mounting options are available. Standard finishes are black, white and silver. Custom colors are available at an additional charge.

Some stats on the LED21P

  • 120 and 277-volt available
  • 30º-50º Beam spread
  • 50,000 Hour lamp life
  • Dimmable with external PWM dimmer
  • Framing shutters included
  • Stock or custom, steel or glass patterns
  • Numerous mounting options and accessories

For more information on the Time Square LED21P, visit their web site at www.tslight.com.

Martin Releases v2 Software for P3-100

Martin Professional announces the release of V2 software for the P3-100 System Controller that puts this award-winning LED video screen processor even further ahead of the competition. Martin has added a host of new and advanced features, including an improved user interface, to make it even easier to use.

The V2 software will run on any P3-100; no need for any hardware upgrades.
Highlights of the V2 software:

  • LED video screens with different pixel pitches (resolutions) can now be combined on one P3-100 System Controller. The P3-100 (V2) does all the scaling for you.
  • Easily adjust the color temperature (white balance) of the screens to match them to other screens.
  • Undo and redo buttons allow any changes to be easily undone or re-done.
  • Now users can freely rotate the content on any video panel or group of panels to any angle, not just in steps of 90 degrees, opening up a host of creative possibilities.
  • Easy-to-select groups of panels can be created for easier and faster handling of big and complex setups.
  • Layout and quick-addressing wizards help to configure and set up all key parameters with a minimum of time and effort.
  • Even more video-presets have been added to save and recall settings without limitations.
  • A much improved (and very intuitive) DMX-control patching GUI makes for easier setup of live control from your favorite control console.
  • A free-of-charge P3-100 Offline Editor allows for pre-programming of a setup/show on any standard PC.

With the P3-100 and any control console users can control fixture position, fixture rotation, intensity, color temperature, video preset recall, blackout, etc. in real-time, on a cue-by-cue basis for perfect lighting and video synchronization.

Martin has added predefined DMX control sets that match with personalities found in the major lighting consoles, including the popular new Martin M1 lighting console. And, to help users focus on the creative aspects of the show, a DMX Setup Wizard has been added to facilitate fast and easy creation of many DMX control options.

Learn more about the new software from Martin for the P3-100 by visiting their web site at www.martin.com.

JR Clancy Makes “Hiding” Rigging Chain Easier with AlphaChain

We have all been there. We have needed to rig something to hang and had to use some trim chain. But the standard trim chain is a shiny silver surface so we had to spray paint it black to help mask it. Talk about time consuming!

JR Clancy has heard your cries for help and has introduced AlphaChain. It is designed specifically for theatrical and entertainment rigging. At first glance you’ll see the difference between AlphaChain and regular trim chain… AlphaChain is black!

Key Features of AlphaChain:

  • Black chain eliminates glare and reflection
  • Hardened alloy chain, meeting OSHA requirements for sling usage, OSHA 1910.184(e)(5)
  • 3.250 lb. working load limit (based on manufacturers 4:1 safety factor)
  • 7mm chain
  • used with standard 1/4″ hardware
  • Marked with JRC on every link
  • Date code on every 10th link for traceability

There are three options when ordering the AlphaChain from JR Clancy

  • 36″ Black Trim Chain with 5/16″ shackle and 1/4″ thimble (015-1191B)
  • 36″ Black Trim Chain with 1/4″ shackle and 1/4″ thimble (015-1192B)
  • 36″ Black Trim Chain with 1/4″ shackle and 3/6″ thimble (015-1193B)

Learn more about JR Clancy’s AlphaChain by visiting their web site at www.jrclancy.com.

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