Product News

The new Xtreme Value Rack/Tower Series (XVRT) Uninterruptable Power Supply from Xtreme Power Conversion provides power protection including battery backup, line-interactive voltage regulation, noise filtration and surge protection. The series is comprised of four models: 1000VA, 1500VA, 2200VA and 3000VA. All models are available in a variety of physical form factors including tower mount, rack mount or wall mount. Features include an LED display, 50/60Hz frequency auto sensing, 1-in/1-out RJ45 surge protection and UPSMON monitoring software. Included are three 8AH batteries in the 1000VA unit, two 9AH batteries in the 1500VA unit and four 9AH batteries in the 2200VA and 3000VA units.

A new version of Martin Professional’s ShowDesigner™ (MSD) lighting and set design software is now available. It includes a new 3D graphic engine with “near rendering quality” in real-time. Some updates include: fixture beams with true-life light distribution; animated smoke with adjustable density and evenness; camera animation with time-line control; new user interface with sidebar for quick access to all features; drag-drop of object and fixture onto 3D space; ISO camera view for easier manipulation of objects in 3D view. Five versions include: Gold, Live, Live-4, Silver and Live-LJ.

The Chauvet Colorado Batten 80i is an RGBW DMX-512 LED color strip with 80 1-watt to 3-watt LEDs. Control modes vary from three to 80 channels and it produces color washes with 4.2 billion color combinations. The output is 5,918 lux at one meter in standard operation or 11,373 lux at one meter in Hyper Color mode, which drives the LEDs at a higher current. Standard features include RGB, RGBW and HSV control modes, vector settings and pixel mapping with control over individual LEDs, allowing the display of low-res video, in 80-channel mode.  Color temperature presets range from 3,200°K to 10,000°K.

The new Wholehog DMX Processor 8000 from High End Systems is designed to manage up to 16 DMX universes with the Wholehog control system. The unit outputs DMX and ArtNet and it is 50 times more powerful than its predecessor, the DP2000. Version 3.0 software for all current lighting console products is also now available with support for the DMX Processor 8000 and Art-Net output from the DMX Processor 8000 and Road Hog Full Boar console. Many network configuration windows, patch windows and other dialogs have changed to add new functionality or improve existing functionality.

ETC announced the release of the newest version of ETC SmartSoft, now compatible with all ETC SmartFade consoles. Previously only compatible with the SmartFade ML console, SmartSoft now supports connection to and simulation of the SmartFade 1248, SmartFade 2496 and SmartFade 1296 lighting control consoles with screens customized for each version of the product. This version is compatible with Windows XP/Vista PCs and Macintosh OS X computers. It can also be used offline with Capture visualization software from Capture Sweden (www.capturesweden.com). The SmartSoft software and release notes are available for free download from the ETC Web site.

The ColorBug is a pocket-sized wireless color- and luminance-testing device from Ocean Thin Films, a division of Ocean Optics. It measures CIE color values and luminance in lux or footcandles for theatrical, studio and architectural applications. Its software allows technicians to wirelessly share data with their iPhone or iPod touch via 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi. The ColorBug can be mounted on walls and other fixtures to assist in taking measurements remotely or hands-free. It’s smaller than a typical mobile phone and features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and mini USB connectivity.

Specialist LED lighting manufacturer Anolis has launched its new Anolis ArcPad 3-48, an LED RGBW “brick” fixture with 48 Luxeon Rebel LEDs, a standard 25° lens array and convection cooling.  The fixtures dimensions (6-3/8 inches by 8-1/4 inches by 3-15/16 inches) enable it to be recessed in small places. It has an average life of 60,000 hours and it is IP 65 rated for exterior use. The cast aluminum head has a manual pan range of +/-46° and a tilt range of +60/-90° and the base can be floor or wall mounted. The Anolis ArcPower 48 driver provides control with RJ45 connections.

Analog Way’s new Di-VentiX II is a high-resolution mixer/scaler/seamless switcher with keying, universal analog and digital input/output and high-resolution digital processing. It offers numerous live effects including keying and moving PIP as well as three different operation modes: multilayer mixer, stand alone embedded edge blending and 8×2 seamless native matrix. In a multilayer mixer mode it uses one output as a preview and the other (main output) for the audience. The preview allows viewing 100 percent of what the main output will display. It can display up to seven layers: four live sources, two frames and one logo.

Mbox Extreme v3 Media Server from PRG features increased speed, streamlined user control, new hardware and enhanced input and output options. The custom dual I/O module, which provides two discrete outputs for each server, is packaged in a road case with a UPS, Auxiliary Input panel, keyboard and trackball. Up to six layers of content can be displayed simultaneously and content can transition on the same layer, making the effective equivalent of 12 layers. It features 1080 pixel playback and playback of embedded audio tracks from selected movies as well as AIFF files of 16bit, two-channel stereo with volume control.

Sharp’s new PG-F255W is a wide-XGA (WXGA) projector that can display 720p sources and 1280-by-800 (16:10 aspect ratio) WXGA resolution using DLP BrilliantColor technology with multi-color processing. It features 2500 ANSI lumens, 2200:1 contrast ratio and an expanded color palette including red, green, blue, yellow, white, magenta and cyan. The filter-free DLP sealed system prevents dust, dirt and smoke from entering core parts of the optics and a wireless remote includes wireless mouse control when a USB cable is connected between the projector and a PC or when used with the optional AN-MR2 Remote IR Receiver.  It weighs 6.4 pounds.

Da-Lite Screen Company’s new 3D Projector Stackers, constructed from aluminum extrusion with steel projector cradles, are designed for front or rear projection stereoscopic 3D displays.  They are available with two shelf sizes, either 10 inches by 19 inches or 19 inches by 33.5 inches and they will accommodate the most common projectors in the market.  Each unit has two cradles to mount two projectors in either a tabletop or inverted format.  Because projector alignment is critical to a 3D display, each cradle offers a host of fine tuning adjustments to make image alignment simple and efficient.