Digital Lighting technology isn’t a new thing. It’s been used in large scale concert tours and shows for a few years now, but unless you’ve worked in the entertainment lighting industry you probably aren’t familiar with it. However, you should be as it is one of the sexiest things ever created. Forget the calendar with 12 months’ worth of half-naked men to look at, leave me alone with a digital lighting fixture and I’ll be occupied for hours.
The DL.3 fixture manufactured by High End Systems is one of the best available fixtures on the market. So, why is this fixture so groundbreakingly hot? First of all, the DL.3 creates a beautiful union between real-time 3D graphic rendering, lighting, and video. These three elements are combined into a 140-pound gorgeous and enormous moving head unit. The reason for the large size in the DL.3 is the need to house a projector inside its head. A Sanyo PLC XP200L projector with a 2000 hour, 330W NSH lamp to be exact. Honestly, it wouldn’t matter if the projector was Sanyo, Christi, or Sony because they’re all identical (literally, the motherboards are identical and the only difference is the name printed on the outside) at this size. Another reason for its large size is the onboard Intel Core 2Quad processor, 2 GB of memory, 750 GB Seagate hard drive, ATI Radeon video card, Decklink SDI high Definition capture card, and the embedded Windows XP (even though I’m a Mac girl, I’m willing to let the OS slide).
What does all that stuff mean? It means that when you take away the exterior casing of the fixture you have a yoked projector with the ability to move left, right, up, and down, sitting on top of a souped-up computer. It means that any sort of content you put on that computer (videos, still images, movies, logos, etc.) can be projected through that little Sanyo and then moved to be displayed wherever and however you want it.
However, we’re not done yet. I have yet to mention the Super HAD onboard camera system with 18x optical zoom and auto focus. Now, we have a mobile projector sitting on a big ‘ol computer full of content with a video camera to boot! Yowza! Is it hot in here or is it that 330 W lamp? This camera allows you to input and output live video feed quickly and easily. On top of that, this camera is accompanied by an infrared illuminator system that allows it to continue to capture live video feed even in blackout situation. No one wants to stop using your camera just because the lights go out, right? All of those features together in one place give you the ability to make some truly badass lighting and video effects. I found that the DL.3 gave me the ability to paint with light. Yep, now you know I’m serious about the sexy part.
What does all this fancy pants hardware mean for the user? It means you get an entire library of content with your fixture as well as the ability to make your own. You can choose from a variety of 2D or 3D images and manipulate them by moving them along the X,Y, and Z axis, rotate them, increase or decrease size, and layer them with custom or provided video content. You can apply color effects, or RGB/CMY color mixing. You have zoom, brightness, and opacity between layers at your fingertips as well. Masks can be applied as well as digital shuttering, edge fading, and keystone correction, and most amazingly, it all happens in real time. The rendering is instantaneous.
However, despite all this sexiness, there is one shortcoming I have to tell you about. Sadly, the only way to make one of these fixtures brighter is to put a bigger projector in the head; however, the added weight and size of a bigger projector would only slow down the pan and tilt functions of the unit. You might think slow is okay when it comes to being sexy, but speed and accuracy of an automated lighting fixture is enormously important. Put a DL.3 next to some of the latest automated fixtures and all the video rendering and graphics it outputs fade into the 1500W lamps currently used. The benefits and possibilities the DL introduced into the lighting industry make it worthwhile to sacrifice brightness.
Digital lighting completely changes the way technology can be used as an artistic medium, and it gives designers and programmers countless options when putting together shows. In this day and age, the technology of theatrics moves forward at an alarming rate. DL innovations make it easy for us to keep up and raise the bar.
[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca7EHAxQBJs’]
As you can see from the video, the DL.3 can make shows go above and beyond what you expect of them. We have been given the ability to paint our shows with light and video and to manipulate our choices and create visually spectacular images.
How much does all of this sexiness cost? Oh, only about $40,000. That’s not a small number to you or I, but to multimillion-dollar clients with touring concerts, it’s a small price to pay for sheer sexiness.Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a cigarette.
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