L IGHT CONTROL | FEATURE
DMG APP
but that’s only useful if the output has good colour quality. Sheer output, measured one metre from the face of the light, is around 2470 lux at 3200K and 2210 lux at 5600K, equivalent to about an f/11 at 1/50s exposure on an ISO 800 camera. Intensity is controllable down to 0.1%, although, as with many LEDs, there’s a small step between the lowest level of output and none at all. MORE INFORMATION: The output was tested at 7500K, 6500K, 5600K, 4000K, 3200K and 2850K using the UPRTek CV600 meter. Measurements included colour temperature accuracy and the quality of the white light according to the television lighting consistency index (TLCI), a more stringent measure than the older colour rendering index (CRI). Each colour temperature was tested at 1%, 25%, 50% and full power, to identify any problems with maintenance of colour over a range of intensities. These tests were carried out in white-emitting mode, although the colour-emitting mode, with the saturation set to zero, performs equally well, avoiding any issues when using carefully desaturated colours.
The Mix series naturally includes DMX control, but also talks to the MyMix smartphone app over Bluetooth without requiring any extra hardware. The Android version of the app used in this review, marked version 0.9, was described as ‘in beta’ by the company and was a little incomplete, with only a few of Rosco gels and lacking the interesting Source Match option, which allows users to select a colour from a photograph taken with the phone’s camera. There are issues with how accurate that can ever be, given that a smartphone’s camera is not a precision colorimeter, but it’s an interesting feature nonetheless. In general, the app seems well designed, with large active areas for dragging to control the various parameters or the option of numeric entry for specific numbers. It’s also intended to talk to Rosco presence on the Internet, delivering updates for the app and new firmware for the lights (sensibly, updates to the lights must be manually confirmed). Users can also save and share colour swatches, an idea that might find particular favour with big lighting teams on big productions. The feature set, then, is pretty comprehensive,
ASTERA APP
Targets, which creates groups of lights, assigns positions and selects which lights receive commands. Schedules Standby switches lights into power-saving standby and schedules them to wake-up when the production starts. Dynamic PowerBoost makes the light able to display the maximum brightness at all times and intensifies non-white colours. Green/Magenta Correction will adjust green/magenta during content creation to reduce post- production work. Emergency Lights switches to white light when AC power is cut to keep your event safe. Finally, DJ analyses the beat and matches programs to it and Flash buttons can trigger special effects while being held down.
The Astera App offers control of complex lighting set-ups with fully customisable programs and effects. The app is also used to prepare Astera lights for wireless DMX by sending colour profiles to them, while lamps can be diagnosed, updated or reset from the app. Features include: Talkback+, which detects all available lights, sets them up, checks their status, configures DMX addresses and DMX profiles; Seamless Runtime, which sets the length of your production and checks that your lights won’t run out while still getting the maximum brightness and Effects, which can build programs out of colours and effects, trigger them or make them match a beat. There’s also
EXALUX CONTROL ONE
We can call Control One an app even though it’s not downloadable from the standard App store. It is, however, a new all-In-one wireless DMX console from French company, Exalux. With the Control One, Exalux is looking to provide gaffers with a new multi-function tool that is essential on sets to control all types of DMX devices. It’s battery powered with a rugged build and a five- inch capacitive display. CRMX is by LumenRadio transmitter with full DMX control and eight memory DMX recorder / player apps.
NOVEMBER 20 1 8 | DEF I N I T ION 61
Powered by FlippingBook