Claypaky's K-EYE HCR marks ‘new era for LED’
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With Claypaky's high colour rendering (HCR) algorithm, colours and textures of costumes and props retain richness and scenic finishes show off a depth and lustre never seen before under LED light. Skin tones appear more natural and in a world where entertainment is increasingly seen up-close and personal through the eye of a lens, the K-EYE HCR technology ensures performances are lit with integrity.
The HCR algorithm, newly developed by Osram and Claypaky, ensures the K-EYE HCR family of wash lights deliver an unprecedented degree of control over the quality of white or coloured light. The white light that the fixture produces has been heralded by some lighting designers as the 'closest to tungsten outside of the conventional lighting fixtures'.
Claypaky CEO Pio Nahum comments, "We know that our most demanding customers, particularly in the sectors of television, film and theatre, have long felt the need for a lighting tool that differed from others in the marketplace for the 'quality' of the light it produced. Achieving this desired 'quality' is no simple matter. Light quality is the sum of multiple factors, including diffusion uniformity, colour temperature, colour control features and, most of all, a high colour rendering index. To meet these requirements, Claypaky and Osram have developed HCR technology."
The heart of the K-EYE HCR wash light is its six-colour LED light source. In addition to the basic red, green, and blue colour emitters, Claypaky has added amber, cyan, and lime LEDs to create a source which provides “the widest colour range with unrivalled colour spectrum coverage”.
Already an award-winning line, the K-EYE HCR range collected a PLASA Award for Innovation at the PLASA Show in London in September 2017, rewarded for its introduction of innovative new technology and its clear improvement of technical practice. Speaking of the K-EYE HCR, the PLASA Innovation Awards judges said it was, "An LED wash light that delivers a new approach to accurate color rendering, starting at chip level, rather than manipulating existing sources."
The K-EYE HCR range includes two moving head models: the K-EYE K20 HCR, with 37 LED emitters, and the K-EYE K10 HCR, with 19 emitters. In addition to the moving head fixtures in the range, Claypaky has recently added static versions: the K-EYE S10 HCR and the K-EYE S20 HCR.
(Jim Evans)
