digital lighting

[Joe Bleasdale]

hi all,

I have been downloading some podcasts today from high end some about the digital era and some about the showpix etc (I know I'm sad).

 

I was wondering whether any of the BR members had any interesting opinions on this new era? I myself am very new to all of this and currenly striving to learn more. I know we have had a few small discussions on here about whether automated fixtures will ever take over from generics completely. So I wondered to myslef whether digital fixtures could "outrun" automated ones. By this I mean that instead of all the big shows having a mix of generic, automated and digital, maybe we only have generic and digital? or maybe all digital?

 

having never used any of this digital equipment I cant give my opinion on it, but I wonder what you guys think?

 

 

thanks

joe

[mac.calder]

I love "digital lighting" - that said, the current generation of lighting consoles do tend to fall down when it comes to media servers. The convergence factor is an interesting one that many companies are trying to work out at the moment - when does 'it' transition from lighting to video. Moving head projectors are also very lack-luster at the moment - the Barco DML-12000 will be something to see though - it will actually be able to cut through moderate light levels.

 

One of my ice shows aboard this ship has a set almost entirely projected using two static projectors and Axon media servers. For my first 4 weeks aboard the ship, there were no media servers - the show was good... but by adding the media servers, all of a sudden, the show had context. By using projected images, we could use less set pieces (always a bonus on ships), and convey a lot of context with great ease.

 

With bands etc, you can create fairly easy "wow" with very little work. I love it. But the control really needs to break away from "position, intensity, colour, beam, focus" as the sole pallet types, and instead create a different system of creating pallets - I don't know what would work, but for media servers, those few flags to not generally work - after all, there are about 20 or so "beam" items on a single layer of most media servers - so masking by beam encompasses too much.

[timmeh]

Hi

 

Not keen on the term 'Digital Lighting' at all. That's what they called these newfangled DMX-controlled lighting systems fifteen years ago.

 

As for myself, I have experience using DL2/3s. The advantage of the onboard server is that you can eliminate the need for a video op. Plus the units are capable of doing things that no standard projector can do; apart from the pan/tilt you've got complete perspective correction, can project onto spherical surfaces, or create massive images by blending the unit's outputs together, with no loss of clarity or lux.

 

Barco bought High-End purely with the idea of getting their hands on the technology; so far they've terminated production of the DL2s, and reverse-engineered it into the DML12000, which is just one of their obscene-output units inside a moving yoke. I'm slightly concerned because the DLs use the awesome Christie LX55 and 65 projectors. It's fairly obvious that they will try to redesign the DL3 to use a Barco unit, which IMO aren't as good.

 

All the best

Timmeh

[mac.calder]

WTF????

 

A) The DL3 already existed, before the merger occured - the DL2 was terminated because high end released the DL3. The DL3 still uses a Christie projector to the best of my knowledge.

 

B) Barco already had all the technology they needed for the DML12000 and a prototype had been released long before the acquisition of HES. The DML12000 is a completely different optical design to the DL3 - it is not just a projector slapped where the head is meant to be on a moving light. It runs Hippotiser - not the Axon media server... So I don't see where the reverse engineering comes from in your post.

 

If anything, I believe the HES acquisition is more to do with the LED fixtures that HES has been developing - like showpix.

[son of lx dad]

I have to backup Mac.Calder, I used four DML12000's on a show long before the buyout.

[RobOwen]

To be honest, I think that products like Showpix and the DL3s are well within Barco's huge technical knowhow. I should think that the merger was more to do with the business side of things, such as High End's huge customer base and following in the US. In merging the R&D departments it could make High End more profitable and probably extremely good value for money.

[timmeh]

WTF???? <snip>

 

Hi

 

I concede your point; I thought the DML was released after the takeover; the first time I ever heard of it was when it appeared on High End's website. The DL2 was available until June 2008.

 

It will be interesting to see if Barco continues to buy Hippotiser engines for the DML when they can now get Axon for free.

 

All the best

Timmeh

[cedd]

"Digital lighting" brings some new tools to the toolbox. It also means a far bigger toolbox though!

 

I'm very lucky to be involved with 2 amateur theatre companies who have good sized lighting budgets and like to try new things and treat lighting as a major part of the spectacle of their shows.

We've used Robe digitalspots (can't remember the model number, I just know they were heavy to rig!) to great effect several times. The most succesful to date was the transformation in Jekyll and Hyde. Projecting Hyde onto a gauze with smoke behind and allowing him to move around the stage. Took lots of careful filming and choreography, but worked spectacularly well.

 

That said, I was rather fed up of scaling the ladders with a USB dongle to upload the next attempt at getting the video right, and the next, and the next, and the next.

 

We bring somebody in to program ours. Little too complicated for us at the minute!

[Pete McCrea]

Barco bought High-End purely with the idea of getting their hands on the technology; so far they've terminated production of the DL2s, and reverse-engineered it into the DML12000, which is just one of their obscene-output units inside a moving yoke. I'm slightly concerned because the DLs use the awesome Christie LX55 and 65 projectors. It's fairly obvious that they will try to redesign the DL3 to use a Barco unit, which IMO aren't as good.

 

All the best

Timmeh

 

My Two Pence.... That above statement is your thoughts on the subject, not actual fact.

 

Owning both LX50's (5000 lumens to the 5500 of the LX55) and Barco CLM R10's (10,000 Lumen), the R10 pi$$es all over the LX series, and yes twice the light output helps, but also does good video black, high contrast, 1400x1050 resolution and sealed DLP optics. I would call the LX series good. Definitely not awesome.

 

The DML is built on the same projection engine as the CLM series. Liquid cooled, capable of being used at pretty much any angle, and featuring a 4 lamp system, with a well built chassis, I expect the DML to set a bench mark for Moving Yoke projection. The DML has been knowledge to me for about 9 months, and I tried to get them out for a tour in April this year, but they weren't past the testing phase, so they rightfully wouldn't release them as they wanted to make sure it lived up to the hype.

 

The image below (hopefully!!) is the CLM on a 10'x7'6" screen. Front light- 4 2Kw fresnels, probably not at more than 50%. It needed to be black when we needed black, but looked stunning the rest of the time. We'd quoted the LX50, but bought the CLM along as we felt it wasn't going to be anywhere near good enough, due to light output, and that we wanted to show them what we're capable of, and I wanted to play with my new 'toys'

Acceler8 Image

Lighting by Sam O'Riordan at TSL Production:av were working for AudioMSG at Acceler8

 

Back to the Original topic.... I think the Generics will continue to be used for years. Why use a sledge hammer to crack a nut? But that said people are being given more tools to achieve their vision. The skill may come in actually stepping back from technology where required, not just throwing the latest greatest at it.

[Joe Bleasdale]

This is rather interesting... http://www.highend.com/news_events/news/ne...asp?news_id=517. Not just Martin MACs and Grand MA's at the olympics ehh.

 

 

joe