Creative LED products have been around a while in various shapes and sizes. Products like Barco’s MiSTRIPS, Element Labs’ Versa TUBEs and Mega Systems Inc.’s Mega-Lite Bright Stripe are examples of products that let the user essentially map video content to LEDs to create unique visual effects. An LED product that takes mapped low-res video content even further in terms of configurable flexibility is the Solaris+ LED Video curtain from G-LEC. Solaris+ builds on a network of flexible strings with 360°-viewable LED pixel spheres. Unlike fixed LED displays, Solaris+ can be gathered up to form 3D shapes; hung in drapes; or attached to moving hoists, enabling the video display to transform its shape in 3D space.
Despite the wide range of design possibilities, Solaris+ is surprisingly easy to set up and use, an important consideration for touring productions. The cabling, processing, and signal design is simple and well-thought-out. Not a lot of gack in the way between your media server and the Solaris curtain means less that can go wrong during the show!
Hardware Specs
The basic components of the Solaris+ system are 40mm diameter balls (similar in size to a golf ball) mounted at 120mm centers on a flexible cable providing both power and data. A single line is 96mm long and includes 8 balls and weighs less than 1lb. Up to eight individual lines can be connected using a quarter-turn connector for a maximum of 8 meters/64 spheres.
Each of the “pixel spheres” are covered with a white opaque diffusion globe offering 360° visibility. Brightness is not an issue either, with 0.5W per pixel at full output. And recently, G-LEC also released two new sphere configurations: single sphere (one ball on a cable) and double sphere (two balls on a cable). These smaller options expand flexibility in system configuration even further.
With a strategically-spaced bracket, each providing sufficient power and data for up to four 8-meter lines, rigging the Solaris curtain is surprisingly easy. The user simply hangs the bracket from a pipe or truss, then connects the individual Solaris strings to the bracket. No additional measuring is required for a clean and even placement of pixel spheres.
Additional system components for the Solaris+ system include the Solaris+ Manager, which feeds data to up to 16 brackets, and Solaris+ PSU feeds, each of which powers to up to 160 lines (40 brackets).
S-Drive Processor
The Solaris+ S-Drive processor is used to configure the Solaris+ system and to receive input from a video source like a media server. An optional laptop or PC computer connected to the S-Drive can be used to change settings and adjust pixel mappings and then it can be removed once the set up is complete. The S-Drive processor takes a DVI-D video input, which is then transmitted to the Solaris+ strings via a fiber optic cable insuring a fast and clean transmission of video signal.
At PLASA 2011, G-LEC also announced a new control interface as part of the S-drive software that will allow for easier and faster configuration of the system and provide some 3D mapping functionality.
Recent tours featuring Solaris+ LED Curtain include The Chemical Brothers (check out clips from their performances of “Galvanize” on YouTube, http://plsn.me/cbgalvanize) and Train.
G-LEC Solaris+ LED Curtain
What It Is: A low-res network of LED fixtures comprised of golf ball-sized LEDs on flexible cable. The system can be used for low-res video-mapped content.
Who It’s For: Concert/touring productions, corporate events, nightclubs, themed environments, other applications
Pros: Solaris+ seamlessly integrates with other G-LEC products including Phantom and Chimera. It can also be used like a chandelier, or as a 2D wall, plus a wide variety of 3D designs.
Cons: Limited availability; transport casing could be improved in terms of durability.
How Much: Tour Pack 1: $49,995 (MSRP)
More Info: Go to http://www.plsn.me/glecLDI2011
