Ok, here's me opinion and maybee some will agree? Well I look at High End's lineup and I'm wondering what happend to all the real concert/ stage lights. I mean the Showgun is bright but it is limited and I feel already getting old. The LED stuff is a great add however still does not pack the punch of that a high powered spot fixture will ,such as air effects. I mean Martin now has the MACIII and if you look at Martin's lineup you may get the feeling that it looks as if Martin is kicking High Ends a** when it comes to product lineup. I mean the only light that High End has like the Mac is the Spot 575, and what a nice light it is but outdated because it's not bright enough. I've seen alot of shows lately in person and on TV and I am seeing less and less of High End and more of Martin and other brands. Also as far as the cyberlight, well no one likes scanners that much anymore, so why do you even still make one??? I hope things will change, as I always liked High End and their customer support is great. I hope something great comes out soon cause right now looks a little boring in my eyes.
Martin are actually trying to catch up with high end. Are martins fixtures ethernet ready..? Have they any LED hybrid automated/digital lights..? Where are martins equivelent of the DL3 or DML 1200..? Martin are rapidly pumping money into research for all of these. As for martins other fixtures like the 575 and 700 especially, they are just awesome. We should all have realised by know that getting little bits of metal and glass front of a beam of light is very analogue, i remember somebody said in one of the HES podcasts that high end are finnaly pushing us into the digital era, where we realy need to be. But high end and barco are still miles ahead with consoles, software, digital and LED. I also believe that high ends products are better quality. There is a video of a drop test for the showgun and showpix on the high end website somewhere. I dont see martin having one... They arnt confident enough to have two butch guys shove their £16,000 fixture off a platform are they? As for the mac 3, well i think time will tell about that.
You say nobody likes scanners anymore, but to tell the truth, I get more compliments on a well programmed show utilizing scanners, than your average moving head show. Scanners can do things that moving heads can't, just as moving heads can do things scanners can't. I actually prefer a show to use both, as nothing beats the speed of a good scanner. I do mostly nightclub shows, and I wouldn't recommend any club owner install just moving heads, I always recommend some trackspots or technobeams as well as a smaller number of well positioned moving head spots. Also underrated are wash lights, and I think, although I haven't had much of a chance to use them, that the Studio Command is one of the most interesting wash fixtures out there.
I would have to agree with Jeff on the scanners. Mirrored moving lights are infinately faster than moving heads. And in 2 of the industries that I work in, that makes a huge difference. I know that myself and many others (including companies) have been asking about an improved Cyberlight type fixture for a long time. I love the Cyberlights I have even though they may not be the newest item on the market. But don't get me wrong either. I love the power of a Showgun as well.
In my humble opinion, High End is on the up swing in technology and innovation, and I look forward to what they have to come out with on the market in the next few years.
What HES needs to make is a 2.5kw moving mirror fixture with all the trimmings, and whatever neato tech innovaton of the month that Belliveau comes up with in a Cyberlight size body.
If talking to me, yes, with the newer brakes. This was on an install about 2003, so unless they've changed the brakes again since then. This was also a long throw with the narrow lens kit, but still annoying.
