GM PLS Entertainment Group at Philips Lighting Richard Schmit picked up the award for the VL4000 Spot from PLASA Governing Body chair Ed Pagett at a glittering ceremony presented by PLASA. Philips Selecon and Strand Lighting Product Segment Manager Bill Richards accepted the award for the DMX Emergency Bypass Switch, which was also presented by Ed Pagett.
Every year, PLASA recognises products that demonstrate progress, through attributes like a new style of thinking, an improvement in technical practice, new technology, materials or techniques, or an improvement in safety. The entries were considered by an expert judging panel comprising Tim Atkinson, Scott Burges, Jonathan Burton, Richard Cadena, Jenni Harris, Tapio Ilomaki, Steve Moles, Nick Read, Ben Rogers and Ed Manwaring.
The judges said: "The VL4000 Spot is a great one-head solution to the age-old question of 'Which automated lights should I keep in inventory?' It solves a lot of problems for hire companies by providing a range of features and functionality. The judges were impressed by its colour animation wheel, the 'intuitive timing' feature, the quietness of the studio mode, the multi-point connections that allow it to be hung at various angles to the truss, and its overall performance."
Moving onto the Philips Strand Lighting Emergency DMX Bypass Switch, the judges said: "The judges feel that the Philips Strand Lighting Emergency DMX Bypass Switch addresses an important safety issue that have previously been overlooked. By providing fault-tolerant DMX for emergency lighting situation, it enhances the safety of venues and provides reassurance during emergency situations. It's a well-designed turnkey solution for using DMX in an emergency system."
The VL4000 Spot offers an array of exciting features, including high-resolution optics, which ensure remarkable centre-to-edge focusing and an unprecedented contrast ratio, and a 5:1 zoom covering an amazing 9 to 47 degrees without sacrificing output or clarity.
The VL4000 Spot also boasts an entirely new colour mixing system, which is ultra smooth whether operating in a slow fade or instant snap, as well as variable CTO colour temperature correction and dual five-position colour wheels. The dual opposing fixed colour wheels achieve unique colour effects, providing a multitude of combinations.
With its standard output of 33,000 lumens output and an ultra quiet 25,000 lumens Studio mode, the VL4000 Spot luminaire is the ideal tool for creating dynamic and useful lighting on any stage. It's also incredibly easy-to-use with intuitive DMX mapping and its battery-backed full-colour LCD display.
