Seen previously at PLASA, the ArtDC dimmer is a clever stand-alone unit which works from a DC battery supply. Wireless and eDMX enabled, it offers an ideal solution for dimming in remote, inaccessible places. Incidentally, Avo's Rik Salzedo reports good growth in dimming markets in the UK: ART2000 dimming is enjoying success in the film world, having been used on the Harry Potter films, as well as Tomb Raider, Bridget Jones, Die Another Day, The Italian Job and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, among others. The success is down to the units' reliability and ease of use, as well as Avo's support and ability to customise, say Salzedo.
New features for the Pearl console included a new 7" clip-on screen, which is retro-fittable to any Pearl desk. New software, Pearl Desktop offers Ethernet capability, and compatibility with all the WENDI protocol-based systems (eDMX, mDMX) and also talks to ArtNet and Pathport for networking flexibility.
V1.5 software for the Diamond 4 offers direct connection to media servers, further facilitating the convergence of lighting and video. The new Active Personality feature enables the console to work with any fixture that will talk to the console, and Colour Picker is now accessible as a 'soft' tablet on the desk's display. A 2-preset mode is now available on the D4 for simple, generic applications.
With the latest Visualizer V7.0, any fixture patched into the the desk automatically appears on Visualizer, while selected fixtures are now indicated by a change of colour in the fixture icon on the Visualizer screen. Another nice advance by the company is that all its Sapphire and Azure consoles now include reverse-printed, hard-wearing polycarbonate fascia panels - so you'll be able to tell what all the knobs do forever.
