Among the attention getters were two new trail-blazing fixtures from the Ovation line: the Ovation ED-190WW ellipsoidal and the Ovation FD-165WW Fresnel wash, both of which have the unique ability to work equally well on constant power dimming systems (as incandescent fixtures do) as well as DMX systems (as LED fixtures typically do).
This breakthrough technology allows end-users to add dimmable LED fixtures to their rigs one unit at a time without making a costly investment in new infrastructure. "The most common question Ben Dickmann, our product manager for Ovation, got after demoing the fixtures to large crowds at LDI was, 'when can we have them?'" said Chauvet, noting that the new Ovation blended dimming products will be on the market in early 2015.
Also attracting considerable interest was the new Rogue RH1 Hybrid. Combining the best of beams and spots, the new fixture commanded immediate attention with its intense output (111,000 lux at 15m), vivid colours (its colour wheel has 13 vibrant hues) and tight beam angles of 1°-45° in Beam Mode and 3°-10° in Spot Mode.
The Rogue RH1 Hybrid won instant friends at LDI with its "LD's dream collection" of visual effects. For starters, there are two prisms - a five-facet and an 8-facet - which are independently controllable and can be overlapped to add dazzling depth and layers. There is also a Frost feature that can be layered with the eight-facet prism to morph into a distinctly different, but equally dramatic opaque look. The Frost adds the versatility of a wash effect to this already feature-packed fixture. For added creative options, the fixture is equipped with two gobo wheels, one rotating and one static, for dynamic image projection and morphing.
At the centre of it all was a diamond shape truss display with a collection of pixel mapped Next NXT-1 moving LED panels in the middle of the Chauvet Professional booth. Featuring 25 pixel-mappable Quad-Color RGBW LEDs that brilliantly display pixel mapped images and punch through haze, the Next NXT-1 runs on Art-Net, Kling-Net, and DMX protocols. The panels can be controlled with lighting consoles or media servers to provide the ultimate in flexible control integration options.
"Time at LDI went by very fast for our team because we were so busy, we hardly had a chance to catch our breath," said Chauvet. "We left Las Vegas tired, but very exhilarated by the response we received at the show. The enthusiasm of our visitors was contagious! On behalf of everyone at Chauvet Professional, I want to thank them for making it a great show."
(Jim Evans)
