Since moving to Las Vegas a little over two years ago, I've had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects including corporate industrials, conventions, private casino parties, televised broadcasts and concerts. One thing that I've seen consistently is that production quality continues to improve with technology. As this evolution occurs, so does the integration of video into scenery, or in particular, LEDs. Set designers constantly explore interesting ways to incorporate video into scenic elements. And one of the most common LED/image display devices is the VersaTube (or the LED workhorse, as I like to call it).
What's a VersaTube?
The VersaTube is an LED display fixture developed by Element Labs, which was acquired by Barco. Each tube contains a row of 36 RGB LED pixels. The tube has a special diffusing lens ensures smooth light output and durability. They can easily be mounted to any surface and in pretty much any configuration. There are a couple of options for tube lengths ranging from half a meter to one meter in both standard and HD resolutions. While not a new fixture by any means – it has been around since 2004 – it has little direct competition.
What Makes It Unique?
As some might describe this LED fixture, it's like having a fluorescent tube that can display a row or column of video images. What that means is that instead of a single tube of color, you get moving colors, patterns, and dynamic visual effects. This is what makes the VersaTube unique.
How Does It Work?
VersaTubes work by allowing pixels from an image to be mapped directly to the pixels in the tube. The tubes are connected to one of two types of image processors called a VersaDrive. VersaDrive C1 is more of a stand-alone image processor with content onboard. VersaDrive D2/D3 is the more commonly used processor and allows an external video source to be mapped to the array of Tubes connected to the output ports of the drive. A pixel map must be created using proprietary software called RasterMapper, and it is easily uploaded to the D2/D3 via RS232. Once the map has been loaded, the D2/D3 accepts an incoming video signal and then displays it across the VersaTubes according to how the pixels in the tubes have been mapped.
Applications
VersaTubes are well-suited for just about any application where a low-resolution video display is needed. Recently, I've seen them used on shows including Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band featuring Cheap Trick, David Foster and Friends, and the ESPN "ESPY" awards show. On the Sgt. Pepper's/Cheap Trick show, the VersaTubes were arranged around the perimeter of a two-story set, much like a frame. The VersaTubes added both solid color outlines as well as visual energy to the stage framing the band. On David Foster and Friends, five custom-built aluminum racks of VersaTubes – two tubes wide by 48 tubes high – flanked both sides of the stage, creating LED walls surrounding the orchestra. Because of their prominent location onstage, the racks became a virtual set without the use of flats or drops. And on the ESPY Awards, multiple large racks of VersaTubes six tubes wide and approximately 10 feet tall were positioned prominently upstage beneath large video display screens to provide visual backdrops that supported the images on the main screens.
Mapping Pixels
When you are creating a pixel map, careful attention must be given to pixel flow direction. If not, the results will be incorrectly displayed and chaotic looking. For instance, the pixel map created for the Cheap Trick show required the tubes to be mapped in three sections so that the VersaTubes on the individual sections of the set could chase colors and patterns independently from the rest of the set. And the pixel map for the David Foster show required the tubes to be mapped flowing horizontally so any image applied would flow either downstage or upstage on opposite sides of the stage while a center vertical section of VersaTubes had to be mapped vertically so that the pixels flow upwards and downwards independently of the tube racks onstage.
Media Server Friendly
VersaTubes can be used with practically any video device once it is converted to DVi. In the lighting world, more and more LDs are specifying media servers. When they are combined with VersaTubes, it makes a great LED display package. For instance, the VersaTubes on the Cheap Trick show were fed content directly from a Barco/High End Systems Axon media server controlled via an MA Lighting grandMA lighting console. The video control providing images on the David Foster show was a Martin Maxedia being controlled by Martin's new M1 lighting console. And on the ESPY Awards show, the VersaTubes were driven by a PRG Mbox media server.
For many reasons, the VersaTube is a practical choice for an LED fixture, and it is finding its way into more and more stage and lighting designs as designers seek to create more excitement onstage. Its flexibility and versatility mean that it can be configured into a design in a multitude of ways and always with dramatic impact. And for an LD, having such a reliable workhorse in the toolkit is always welcome.
