Arri LED-based Lighting Products

With a high color-rendering index, Caster-generated colors appear more vivid than comparable LEDs, according to the company. Price: Upon request

It's not much of a surprise that LEDs are coming into greater prominence for production. Their low power consumption, low heat output, and light weight make them a good choice for location shoots.

What might be a bit more surprising is the move of a well-known name, Arri, into LED lighting. At NAB Show 2009, the Munich, Germany-based company announced a new Arri LED Systems division and introduced four LED-based lighting products: the PAX Panel, the Background Lighting Module (BLM), and two tuneable white-light units, the LoCaster and BroadCaster.

True, these aren't primary lighting units, but they have already been selling in Europe for backgrounds, rear-illuminated panels, and cycloramas in the studio and on location. Arri still positions the long lamp life and low power consumption of its Ceramic technology for Fresnels and other critical main-source lighting, according to John Gresch, vice president of Arri's lighting division.

The kit-based BLM might be the most straightforward approach for those just getting into secondary set lighting, with either RGB or warm/cool white modules. The PAX Panel, meanwhile, offers greater control of up to eight Leo modules (Arri's name for the LED light engine), which are controllable via wireless as an option. Finally, the Caster series employs a tuneable white source that offers adjustments over a range of color temperatures.

"Arri continues to research advanced LED technologies to support power reduction and variable color within various optical systems," Gresch says.

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