I have attended perhaps five LDI conventions over the years. Usually I see a lot of rehashed products mixed in with a few new ideas. 2014 seemed to bring a big reversal in this trend; I viewed so many new products that I felt like a kid in Disneyland. With more than 300 exhibitors and 8,000 people in attendance, it was certainly a packed house. There was never a dull moment as I ventured from booth to booth.
Our industry has advanced so far and, to be honest, I could find a use for practically everything I saw on the floor. As I walked the aisles, I carried a notebook just to log down all the interesting gear I saw represented this year. The following companies showed me some great products.
For videos of Nook Schoenfeld on the LDI show floor, go to www.plsn.com/tv
AC Lighting showed the latest updates in the Jands Vista series of consoles and ArKaos media server. Also on display was Chroma-Q’s new LED par product, the Color One 100, boasting a truly homogenized beam.
A.C.T Lighting displayed their series of MA2 consoles they distribute as well as being joined at the Clay Paky booth. A.C.T Lighting is the American distributor for all Clay Paky and Robert Juliat products.
American DJ debuted 25 new products this year. Among the items I found impressive were the Fog Fury Jet that shot quick streams of smoke up into the air for a great visual effect. The Inno series of lights revealed their miniature wash light called the “Pocket Wash” as well as the Spot Twin, which had two moving heads on one base. The new DOTZ series of pixel mappable COB lights were also on display.
Altman Lighting showed their series of Phoenix LED ellipsoidal fixtures. The new 250W model is available in four colors. Also on display was their Spectra series of pars, cyc and cube lights. In addition they displayed the UV LED black light series.
Analog Way displayed their Ascender 48 line of Multi-screen media switchers. Each offers 12 seamless inputs along with 42 input plugs. Also displayed were the Vertige Remote Console to control their switchers and the smaller Saphyr media switcher.
Antari showed their latest version of atmospheric engineering, the F-7 Smaze. Built sturdy for touring applications, this unit is a hybrid designed to emit an even haze as well as fog effects. Built into a durable road case (complete with fan) this item can run from DMX and boasts a self-cleaning system. They also showed their great bubble and confetti effects machines.
Apollo Design Technology introduced their Avere 4UV product. A small head with an LED source, that provides 356nm of black light waves. It is self-cooling and has no fans. They also offer something unique called the Perma Penny, a truss protector that fits right over all C-clamps. Of course they still are a leading manufacturer of all gobo products. Apollo Design Technology also launched a new company geared for industrial design, Avid Labs (pictured right).
Avolites displayed their line of Ai media servers complete with the first lighting console dedicated to media and camera switching. They have a new way of projector blending that is unique and game changing. The compact Quartz console was revealed to the masses as a small console that can travel in any lightweight bag, but still possess all the powerful functions and OS of the larger Avo consoles.
Ayrton/Morpheus Lights: Morpheus is the sole U.S. distributor of the Ayrton product line. Included in their vast arsenal of new LED products were the Magic Ring R-1, Magic Ring R-9, the upgraded Magic Panel R, MagicBlade and their line of NandoBeam LED wash lights. The IntelliPix-R displayed in a dance floor was a big hit with the crowds.
Blizzard Lighting showed the RokBox EXA, a 9-inch square that packs in 18 15W RGBAW + UV LEDs. They now have the Hot box as well, and a whole series of small light fixtures is designed to fit anywhere. The Switchblade series added a new miniature pin spot model.
Bulbtronics continued their quest to be the Brightest Source on Earth. They carried light bulbs for entertainment as well as industrial, commercial and medical applications. On hand to answer any of the customers needs, they indeed strive to be the one-stop shop for all bulb and LED needs.
Canto USA celebrated their first full year as North American distributor for LDR luminaires and followspot products. The Canto 2000 TH has been re-engineered to give the user all the benefits of the 2000W tungsten halogen lamp. Also showing were the smaller models such as the Canto 1500 MSR and the Astro 200W LED, which utilized an LED chip to offer a brighter follow spot than any conventional 1kW tungsten fixture.
Chauvet displayed the Rouge series of lights, including the RH1 Hybrid, combining a beam and spot in one unit. Chauvet’s DJ GIG BAR was impressive, offering a combination of four different lighting fixtures mounted on a single control bar. This bar includes a pair of LED effect lights, a pair of LED pars, a laser and a strobe effect.
City Theatrical featured their new line of wireless DMX technology. The SHoW DMX Neo boasts Maximum Bandwidth Technology, allowing the DMX to change from frequency hopping to Wide Band Digital Modulation. Also on display were the battery operated Qolor Point LED uplight with built-in SHoW DMX radio capabilities and a line of small consoles perfect for a showroom.
Clay Paky showed impressive new products including the SuperSharpy and Mythos hybrid moving light. The Mythos is part of their new family called The Projectors. Also unveiled was the Stormy, an LED strobe built into the chassis of a conventional reflector-type strobe where an LED replaces the Xenon light.
Columbus McKinnon showed the latest in their truss and rigging control system, including hoists and rigging hardware. Their signature products included; the CM Lodestar, Prostar, S.T.A.C. Chain, and theatrical shackles. They offered training on all of their products.
Creative Conners displayed their line of stage automation systems. Included was the Curtain Call, which is designed to work with your traveler track, and the Pushstick, devised for pulling objects such as a wagon across the stage. Also included was the Spotline Hoist, a product designed to lift up to 500 pounds of set pieces. All can be run off of the Showstopper system from one computer.
Creative Stage Lighting showed the HDT-8 heavy-duty towerlift from VMB, as well as their Entertainment Power Systems line of portable power distribution, Northern Case touring cases, and Dura-Flex cable and cable assemblies. They introduced a new variety of Dura-Flex with a Seoprene jacket. This jacket is lighter than cables commonly used in production today. They carry High End Systems gear including the Hog 4 and ShapeShifter series of fixtures. They also featured the Axon HD media server.
d3 Technologies showed their updated software for their media server, including the playback of 24 4K media files simultaneously. They unveiled a revolutionary content mapping system that can project in 3D on any object.
Daktronics gave us a look into their ProPixel free-form products. This comes in two forms of LED: the PSX, which is basically a video stick; and the PCX, referred to as a video puck. The pixels are RGB, and the items can be easily mounted to a thin lightweight mesh material — ideal for curved shapes that need video applied to them.
Drape Kings was there to offer sale and rental products that they’ve developed and tested for everyday use. They offer a full complement of related theatrical drape and equipment, including traveler tracks, ropes, stanchions, kabuki drops, and event carpet. On display were their molded plastic hampers, pipe cases, and the Versatop Pipe and Drape 2.0.
Draper displayed their wide variety of projection screens including portable and permanent models. These included motorized, manual and rear projection products for installs. Their TecVision Engineered Surface Technology was offered in six exclusive formulations.
Elation’s booth was packed with new products including the Sniper, which is a multi-effect light and laser simulator. Also on display were the Protron 3K, a high-powered LED strobe; the Platinum BX Pro, a compact and powerful beam luminaire; and the Platinum Profile LED, which is a moving head LED with framing shutters.
Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) unveiled the Source Four LED Series 2, featuring the addition of lime LED emitters to increase lumen output. Daylight HD and Tungsten HD arrays create warm looks, even with an LED head. ETC also featured the addition of Vortec rigging products to the expanding array of ETC rigging options and featured the ETC Nomad and Nomad Puck on-the-go lighting control system.
Enttec Americas, LLC featured their new Plink (pixel link) control hardware and their Pixel Solution products. Their LED products on display included their LED tape (flexible) as well as rigid strips and dots. Each contained RGB LEDs that used the Plink protocol to address each LED individually, as opposed to having it come on as one big solid unit of LED.
ExtraPro’s Patch Player is a wireless media playback system developed for the Android operating system. There is a control app that can communicate to each server, telling them which media to play, as well as cue up single video or playlists to run on up to 250 media servers.
GLP (German Light Products) unveiled the X4 XL, utilizing an array of 55 RGBW high-output LEDs with a 0-50 degree zoom range. Also unveiled was the X4 Bar 10 and X4 Bar 20 line of batten lights.
Grid Show Systems showed off their unique set of opto-splitters. The TourSwitch 8 has 8 DMX ports with cable monitoring input or output and is RDM compliant. The TourSwitch 12 comes complete with a real-time network cable monitoring and fault diagnostic and location info. In other words, this device can tell you whether a signal cable is broken or unplugged as well as how far in cable length this break is from the actual TourSwitch 12 location.
Group One Limited/elektraLite displayed elektraBars, a linear LED fixture that can be linked seamlessly and sports 18 12-watt LEDs with variable lens kits. The product’s 6-in-1 LEDs (RGBAWI) deliver the full color spectrum. Also new was elektraLites’ Dazer RGBA, an upgrade of the Dazer RGB.
High End Systems displayed their line of ShapeShifter LED products to the masses as well as their other new movers, the SolaSpot Pro 1500 and the SolaSpot CMY LED. Crowds lined up to see the Hog 4 series as they unveiled the much-awaited pixel-mapping feature on this series of console.
I.A.T.S.E. Local One showed their support by attending LDI 2014. They were available to discuss all labor scenarios in their native NYC area as well as answer all questions about how any producer can benefit by hiring the qualified stagehands from this theatrical union.
iWeiss was there to provide their finest in and rigging solutions, automation and other custom creations in our industry. They showed their Sound Control banner system, showcasing a new roll drop that featured easy roll removals and internal leveling for fabric up to 15 by 25 feet (WxL).
Inoage Madrix: I noticed Madrix solutions presence in quite a few booths at LDI 2014. Madrix displayed their powerful, yet easy to use lighting control software utilized with the company’s own LED lighting controller. The system is both an effects generator and media server that can display real-time effects and stunning visuals using pixel mapping and voxel mapping (3D).
J.R. Clancy: These rigging specialists displayed their flying hardware and control systems for curtains and draperies. The SceneControl Rigging Console ran the hardware. They also displayed their new acoustic doors and paneling to turn a stage into a finely tuned acoustic band shell.
Kvant spol displayed the ClubMax 3000, an ultimate RGB show laser system for night clubs, discos, DJs and laser hire companies who need a professional level laser light that is low cost, maintenance free and which can provide them with enough laser power and quality. KVANT has added the new ClubMax 1800 as a smaller model.
Le Maitre USA showed all their latest ranges of machines to product haze and low-lying fog. Also on display were various flame projectors and confetti machines. Their booth included a 20-year-old Le Maitre fogger that still worked flawlessly.
The Light Source displayed their line of original clamps, devised for hanging anything off a truss, including the Clamp, Claw, and Mega-Coupler lines. Also displayed was their 100W dimmable LED Fresnel and dimmable utility lights. They announced a new 120W RGBW model coming early next year to complement their all white version.
LightParts released customizable, front-serviceable FLEXGrid LED Tiles and offered seminars in automated lighting repair, this company can find hard-to-get parts to service old lighting gear and consoles.
Lightronics showed a few of their LED products including their new models of LED ellipsoidal and pars. Their custom dimmer and AC racks were also on hand. Most impressive was their LED strip light called the Color Bar.
Lightwave International unveiled the lightweight Phenom, a moving head laser. This compact fixture is DMX controlled, full-color and capable of audience scanning.
Litepanels offered their selection full-spectrum LED lighting for the motion picture and television industry. On display were full-spectrum LED Fresnels, available in daylight or Tungsten color temperature. Also unveiled were the high-output Hilio panels and the Astra 1×1 Bi-Color LED panel.
Look Solutions USA, which offers products delivering various smoke effects, unleashed their latest piece of gear, the Cryo Fogger HP, at LDI. With six units mounted on a truss, they provided a quick steam effect that was truly impressive. This unit has instant release of the effect and leaves virtually no residue on the stage components surrounding it. They also make the Viper and Tiny series of fog machines.
LPS-Lasersystems put on display their creative, unique laser show. From their SimPleX range to their SkyLaserBeam, this company offers a wide array of every laser product imaginable.
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of remote-operated AC panels, showed off the latest in their line of circuit breaker panels that can be remotely accessed by any kind of mobile device.
Martin/Harman displayed their new M-Touch and M-6 consoles, as well as their new Quantum Wash and Spot fixtures. Also available to review was the Martin line of Rush products, featuring the MH5, the new LED spot model. A MAC Aura XB was also introduced as a brighter version of their original LED wash fixture.
Mega Systems, Inc./Mega-Lite featured their PR XRled 1200 fixture. Also on display were their Dicolor I-series of LED display panels and RGBlink video processors.
OmniSistem displayed a wide-range of theatrical equipment, from road cases and truss to mirror balls to Onyxpro series of moving lights. The Chromadance LED video floor in the booth was amazing. Also impressive was the WiDMX transceiver and receiver for DMX-512.
Osram was celebrating the completion of their purchase of Clay Paky fixtures. Osram also designed a revolutionary new bulb for the Robe BMFL fixture called the Osram HTI 1700W-1500W/ 60 P28 Lok-it. This bulb can run in 1200W, 1500W or 1700W mode. Also unveiled was the RLD6, an LED bulb made for architectural down light. Through its Osram Optronics system it can dim down to 1% intensity and boasts of glare free optics.
Philips displayed their four divisions of lights, showing a wide-variety of gear, from their Selecon division of conventional fixtures and the Strand lighting dimmers, to the Neo control systems and their showcase of Vari-Lite Luminaires. The VL 4000 spot was a major draw.
PixelFLEX showed off their 2mm hi-def, curve-adjustable LED panels, capable of creating concave or convex curves up to 10 degrees in one single tile. The FLEXUltra concept incorporates strong aluminum frames, designed for touring and installation. Also shown were their standard array of LED tiles ranging from 4-16mm and soft LED curtains.
PRG garnered a lot of buzz with their new Best Boy wash light as well as the first-ever spotlight handle designed to attach to either their Bad Boy or Best Boy series of lights. The handle allows the operator to override the console DMX values for personal control of the shutter and iris. Also unveiled: PRG’s new RH+A ReNEW LED Retrofit Assembly. PRG has come up with a way to attach their own LED source head with on board dimming to the barrel/lens tube of an ETC Leko.
Prolyte Group unveiled their Prolytestructures H30 Series, a lightweight, medium-duty truss, available in standard or custom made lengths, including circles, arches and several types of corners. Also shown: the RT-H30V Rigging Tower, designed as a stand-alone tower to support PA clusters and audience lighting.
RC4 Wireless, an industry leader in wireless DMX, showed off their RC4Magic System of transceivers and receivers. This includes the world’s smallest two-channel wireless dimmer — tinier than your little finger. It has an internal antenna that is omnidirectional. Fed by a DC battery, this remote dimmer can power up to 8A non-continuously or 4A steadily. It can be run as a non-dim or with a linear curve.
RGB Laser System displayed their variety of different sized laser series gear including the Compact mini, a silent operational very small fixture that can emit up to 5W of laser power, to their newest model, the Pictor PRO. It boasts a pure white laser beam that is powerful enough to emit a 30W beam.
Robe showed off their latest game changing spot, the BMFL (Bright Multi Functional Luminaire). Also offered up were the new miniPointe model and the Robin 1000 LEDBeam. A wall of CycFX 8 and the new CycFX4 were on view, their line of moving LED strip lights. Lastly, they featured the MiniMe RGB LED miniature moving spot fixture.
Roe Visual Co. displayed a wide-variety of LED products. In the forefront was the Black OnyX, a glare-free, hi-def, LED product. Also shown was last year’s revolutionary product, the hybrid LED consisting of a 3.4mm wall of LEDs backed by an 18.75mm low-res wall that mixed together for an exciting effect. Also included were the versatile MC LED Panel, the flexible Linx LED curtain, and the soft LED mesh.
Rose Brand represents U.K.-based Triple E Ltd. and featured that company’s chain-driven ERAIL system along with Triple E’s SDRIVE motor and new TDRIVE motor for Unitrack and Unibeam, touting their simple “plug and play” setup and operation. Also featured was a new online selection tool for picking out fabrics and colors. You can design a new cloth and with one mouse click, and Rose Brand will send you a sample.
Serapid displayed their Telescopic Mast, which has been designed as a ground support, stand-alone system that is chain-driven. The Mast is designed to lift props, lighting, sound, and anything else to a height desired for a given performance while maintaining an extremely stable position for indefinite periods. They also displayed chain-driven systems to lift heavy-duty set pieces from a hidden place to a stunning on-stage reveal.
SGM had a unique concept where they actually poured a constant stream of water over their new light fixture called the G Spot. It worked flawlessly for 3 days under rain. They also displayed some other new models such as the Q2 and the Q7 series. The Q7 featured 864 RGBW LEDs that could be divided into three separate groups.
Shenzhen Absen’s Absen video tile products loomed large in Media Visions’ booth. They featured Absen’s 2.5mm hi-def product called the A2. From 10 feet away I could not tell this wasn’t projection. They have a revolutionary system for swapping the processor guts in the back of each individual tile with a quick snap-in replacement part.
Stageline snagged two awards at the 2014 Parnelli Awards, held at the MGM Grand on Nov. 22, including the “Indispensable Technogy: Staging” award (for their SAM750 mobile stage) and for Staging Company of the Year. At 70 by 50 feet, the SAM750 is the largest mobile stage in the world. It requires no cables or anchoring and can withstand up to 90 mph winds. It also has a 75-ton load bearing capacity.
Stagemaker displayed their line of SR hoists designed for the entertainment business. Their variable speed motors run through the Raynok Motion Control System and technicians were quite busy as they taught visitors how simple it was to program their gear.
Staging Concepts unveiled the Bravado Acoustical System, a band shell system designed to turn any room into an acoustical environment. With towers designed to be easily moved on and off stage with a wheel dolly. Included is a ceiling shell complete with built-in lighting fixtures. Also shown was their sturdy, yet lightweight aluminum barricade system.
Staging Dimensions displayed their line of choral risers, rolling risers, main stages, etc. Also unveiled was the revolutionary Truss Picks, a new way to attach trusses to motors without span sets for a low-profile rigging solution. They are clamps designed for attaching truss to any shackle, motor or chain hook.
Swisson, which makes a wide-range of DMX and RDM products, released the XSH Hybrid DMX and Power Splitter. This includes such items as optical splitters, mergers, record playback units, and devices designed to test and control products. The company’s XPS DMX line of opto-splitters are completely ETL-listed now.
Take 1 Insurance was on the floor to talk about any insurance needs an event services firm could possible need. From rental equipment to staging gear, they are dedicated to protecting live events.
Tomcat built a large 3D structure that showed the strength of their truss by resembling an erector set of sorts. The booth served to alert the masses to the fact that James Thomas engineering had joined forces with them making them stronger in their quest to cover the globe with their products.
Tyler Truss displayed their various wares including their series of “Green” products. The Tyler GT truss is designed specifically to house moving lights. This relieves techs of the need to independently hang each fixture; the lights and jumper cables are mounted in each individual truss section.
Ultratec Special Effects showcased their new Fog Generator, which features DMX control and RDM functionality. The new machine, which uses drop-in fluid bottles, also has a remote that can be plugged into the DMX port to make it run continuously. Ultratec also displayed the Ice Jet-3, a fogger that works with either low or high pressure CO2 tanks.
Ushio America’s Takumi 2000 Xenon followspot made its U.S. debut. The company also featured the Zylight F8 Fresnel, an LED/reflector Fresnel that folds up like an accordion to take up 2 inches of width. Also on display: the company’s 2×2 LED panel, with built-in dimming and color temperature controls for movie and television applications.
Vaddio displayed the SHOT family of robotic cameras. They are motorized zoomable cameras that can zoom from an 82 degree wide shot to a nose hair. Also on display: the company’s family of quick-connect camera interfaces that can connect the camera directly to your laptop via USB.
Vectorworks Spotlight: These CAD program giants revealed VW2015, their yearly release of new software coincides with LDI and they bring down plenty of teachers to show off the new tools. Vectorworks is working in conjunction with ESP, the previz software company as well as Maxons’ Cinema 4D to make high-quality renderings of any theatrical or architectural design.
Whirlwind showed off the latest in their PLR series of AC Distro products. These racks are custom made of all kinds of modules related to the entertainment world. Also on display were samples of their OB series of fiber couplers and terminators, as well as their Battleflex fiber cable.
Wildfire, Inc., makers of UV lighting equipment, unveiled their latest LED product. It contains six individual UV LEDs and was proven to be quite effective in transferring four white screens into a beautiful mural of a Las Vegas scene.
Xtreme Structures and Fabrication (XSF) was on hand with a large truss structure and plenty of people to discuss what unique services they offer. XSF has bonded with Parasol who provide a unique system of automation to move lights along a track attached to both straight and circular trusses.
More 2014 LDI photos by Nook Schoenfeld:
More photos by Jacob Coakley:
