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[Physltest] [Phys-L] Re: LED mini-flashlight price break



--- Jack UrUretskyjljluEP.ANANLOV> wrote:

Google gave me thousand of hits on something like
"LED stage lighting".


I have a friend who does professional lighting for
Broadway, off-Broadway, and other events in and around
New York City. He says that stage lighting is
converting to LEDs as fast as possible; the main
hindrance is the cost.

He says that the advantages are numerous, but two
stand out. First and most importantly, the light can
change color smoothly during a scene. Essentially a
bank of LEDs can do the work of many other lights that
would have to be gelled separately. Additionally, when
going on the road or running a musical event, the fact
that the lights can be tuned to the optimum color
without the need for special gels is pretty handy.

Second, the temperature of the lights is much, much
lower. As everyone who's anybody knows :), only a
small percentage of the energy that goes into an
incandescent lamp ends up as visible light. The rest
of the energy heats up what the lamp is pointing at,
including actors. It can be very warm on-stage,
playing havoc with makeup and costumes. Actors
frequently complain about this, and a few are
genuinely made sick by it. LEDs provide much more
visible light for the same amount of energy.

Expense is the biggest downside. Bright LEDs sell for
$1 each and it can take hundreds to equal the
brightness of a single 300 or 500 watt halogen lamp.
The lighting boards also need to be rewired for
controlling the color of the lamp.

Another significant downside is the raw size of a bank
of LEDs. A bright filament is nearly a point source of
light, given the distance from the lamp to the stage.
This means that the lamps can be far away, but still
aimed precisely and even made to have defined edges.
LEDs are directional, but it takes a lot of them
side-by-side to make a bright light, and so the light
ends up being diffuse. This is sometimes an advantage,
but often isn't. There are some work arounds, but if
the light needs exact placement, LEDs don't work well.

Marc "Zeke" Kossover
The Jewish Community High School of the Bay




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