LOS ANGELES — Lighting and video designer Breckinridge Haggerty has been using MA Lighting’s VPU (Video Processing Unit), the media server for still and moving images that’s fully integrated into the MA system.
More details form MA Lighting (www.malighting.com):
VPU is MA’s solution for controlling, live- accessing and altering video, stills and 3D objects in realtime. A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive distributor of MA Lighting in North America.
“I’ve used grandMA lighting consoles to control Tool’s video show since 2002 and have always enjoyed a comfortable relationship with the system and the people behind it” says Haggerty. “They’re well-engineered, reliable consoles that have been excellent over the years.”
“When I was recently auditioning DMX media servers, I was pleasantly surprised by MA’s VPU Video Processing Unit. The new hardware features beefy internal shock-mounting, and a very useful touch-screen on the front panel. The VPU has some great features that drew me in, and the system integration sealed the deal. The software integration of the VPU media server with the grandMA2 range of lighting consoles is unprecedented, and they have ambitious plans for the future.
And it goes beyond that; The integration of grandMA2 and VPU means one-stop technical support, and Bob Gordon’s team at A.C.T Lighitng has been answering my 2am calls consistently for well over 15 years, so committing to the VPU was an easy choice.”
Haggerty worked with Delicate Productions Inc. to ensure a total of four VPU are available for his work. Haggerty has been the video designer for the band Tool for 11 years, and works with artist such as Sting, the Beastie Boys, Puscifer, Eminem the Foo Fighters, on projects ranging from systems design to production design. He also has credits for broadcast TV.
Haggerty notes that, “The VPUs did very well on short notice through Australia and New Zealand. The show was rebuilt in 5 weeks and thrown in a shipping container. The VPU saved us time on our only setup day on many fronts. I was able to get my dark programming time and a good night sleep.”
He cites the VPU’s video inputs as a feature he likes. “Live video inputs are a requirement for my work, and the VPU video input cards are quick. There’s very little delay pushing two 1080 HD streams through. I personally use the inputs for external playback, but these inputs are fast enough for live cameras. Maybe the grandMA2 is the next great live video desk?”
Haggerty finds that the VPU works well with LED and projectors alike. “The warper is useful for projection adjustment and mapping, but it is also great for pixel-perfect segmenting of LED displays.” he says. “The warper, pixel mapper, and content manager all update themselves system-wide in real time, and everything can be manipulated with a laptop at FOH where the changes can be seen directly. The net result is less stress and more creative programming time.
“The Tool video show took a big step forward with the incorporation of A.C.T Lighting’s MA VPU video processors. It was a sea-change on short notice, and both A.C.T and MA were very responsive through the whole process. MA’s VPU technology is excellent and evolving fast, and ACT’s technical support is going the extra mile as always. I’m on board.”
For more from A.C.T Lighting, go to www.actlighting.com
