Road Tests

The DLV, the newest fixture in High End Systems’ line of digital lighting fixtures, combines media server technology with a 4,000-lumen projector in a compact yoke luminaire designed for small venues like clubs and theatre. Based on the same software platform as the larger DL.3, the DLV programs and operates with very few differences from the DL.3.

HD to SDI, SD to SDI, VGA, YUV, RGB, HDMI, 3G — I find myself converting a lot these days. Because of the plethora of video signals that have developed in the last few years, techs, roadies and designers are having to come up with creative ways to get signal from point A to point B — on time and under budget.

I’ve worked with plenty of small consoles over the years. Some were single universe models, others consisted of various wings and gadgets attached to a laptop. Problem was, I never felt comfortable trying to program a show.  Well, that all changed when I stepped behind Martin’s new M2GO. For the first time ever, I didn’t find myself hunting and pecking on a new desk for parameters and ways to record cues. From the moment I sat behind this console, it all made logical sense.

A lot of what we do as video professionals is nebulous to the uneducated and usually is perceived as being in the world of black magic. But it almost always involves making an image look pristine somewhere in the rig, whether it’s a display monitor, a projection, or part of an LED set.

In today’s video production industry, vendors and designers have been looking for an impressive, all-purpose LED video panel. A number of video panel manufacturers have answered the call with products that are brighter, more durable, easier to work with and higher-resolution than ever before.

Lighting control is an evolving proposition. As our demands for control and functions increase, so must the flexibility in our control solutions. If you have spent any time in the lighting industry, you know the acronym, ETC. Electronic Theatre Controls has been one of the top lighting control manufacturers for the past 30 years. Throughout the company’s existence, they have released control products aimed at controlling lights that users required and requested.

City Theatrical, the industry’s go-to company for innovative accessories, has also been working for more than a decade to develop its WDS and SHoW DMX wireless technologies. Last year, the company introduced SHoW DMX Neo, and the new SHoW DMX SHoW Baby is built on the same wireless technology.

Recently, I worked with Chauvet’s latest contribution to the world of small LED moving heads, the Legend 412. It is a 10-pound fixture that could easily fit inside a one-foot cube. But to me, the most exciting feature is the price tag. They are selling one heck of a moving light for $949. That is not a typo.

Ever since the venerable Icon M made its LDI debut nearly nine years ago, the lighting folks have wanted to have a piece of the video action.  The industry has made some great leaps forward, and now just about anyone with a big enough piggy bank can own a media server to hook up to their lighting console and “make video happen.”  But the legions of LDs quickly learned that video has a lot going on, and just because you can program a rig with 100 moving lights doesn’t necessarily mean you can just pop a video in and make it work well, or look good, for that matter.  Likewise, the video people can’t just expect to grab a piece of software and start controlling the light rig — it’s a different language and vibe altogether. For quite some time now, the lighting folks have had the upper hand when it comes to control, but the application of content (not to mention the production of content) is still squarely in the video realm.

Recently, I received a large Pelican case from Ocean Thin Films down in Largo, FL. There has been a solid calling for certain hybrid fixtures on the theater and film circuit as well as architectural installs. So they have provided me with a fine example here. By hybrid, I mean they are combining different elements from separate manufacturers to build one solid fixture. So inside my case were parts of lighting fixtures complete with multiple attachments — all packaged in a perfectly-cut foam traveling case.

As the “video guy,” I get asked to wear a lot of hats, and it’s not just because I’m a nice guy who says “yes.” There are a lot of factors to keep track of — not the least of which is keeping a decent image onscreen. If you’re touring, you’re usually just trying to keep the gear from being destroyed. If you’re in corporate, you have the constant harangue of having to edit presenter imagery. If you’re in trade shows, well — that list is too long.

Protecting an asset as valuable as our hands is important in a field like ours. We work with our hands daily. We are a hands-on profession.  If we have injured digits, it can cost us, not just money but our ability to work. Protecting our hands is a simple as putting on a pair of gloves.

Sure, you can pick up a cheap pair at any hardware store, but you get what you pay for. I have gone through countless pairs of simple leather gloves working focus and pushing my fair share of cases. They never seem to hold up past one season.