Dennis Laff Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Many people buy their pixel nodes from China. A good company to buy from is Ray Wu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ineedmorelights Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Will these lights with with the LOR pixel controller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iresq Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Don't know about lor pixel controllers but plenty of others play well. I use SanDevices and liking what in reading about Falcon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenie95125 Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Okay so I have been a die hard LOR customer for six years. I want to venture into pixels or dumb rgb but I don't see how to do this with LOR without spending thousands of dollars or being one of the lucky few random people in the summer sale. I was about ready to pull the trigger of hc, but after reading this post I figured I'd ask you all.I'd like to do a decent amount of set up for a pixel mega tree, but at ~$160 per 100 bulbs and estimated 800ish bulbs to make a decent tree - that's a hefty price. It's not just a tree, but maybe a few other props like arches. I truly want to stick with LOR, but I also want RGB without breaking the bank. CCR is a good solution but even more expensive. I've seen dozens of you with great rgb displays... How do you do it?!In my case, I went with Holiday Coro. I knew exactly zero about e1.31 when I started, but David's videos are excellent, and his email support was great as well. I have no regrets at all. So each person's mileage will vary. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMurray Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 I had ( 1 ) LOR 16 channel controller last year. Now I have ( 5 ). I had ( 0 ) RGB / pixel / strip last year. Now I have a 12 strip DMX tree, 4 led strip DMX circles, a 12x50 smart pixel tree, and 4 RGB singing trees, and 16 RGB hexa trees, with power supplies and controllers....ALL from Holiday Coro. Other than a few hiccups with the learning curve and some hardware issues fixed with updates. I have had ( 0 ) issues. I am very happy with HC. I've probably spent a 1/3 of what it would have cost with LOR. It's just the cost of what I wanted to do. More bang for the buck. LOR is a great company with great customer service. I just don't have that kind of money and just too darn impatient to save the money it would cost for LOR CCP or CCR equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrotech Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 So, I've been sitting on the sidelines reading about everyone's experience with the two companies (LOR and HC). Look at DevMike's quote.... Just for the record, Holiday Coro does not like us and makes general blanket statements like that. That does not make them true. Come on? Really? Of course HC doesn't like you. And...you don't like him very much either. You are competitors! My personal experience with both companies... I have been at this for many years. Like most of you, It all started with LOR. I have great respect for this company. They have excellent customer service and they stand behind their products. This is undisputed! I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars with them (just ask my wife). BUT...last year was probably the last dollar I will spend with them unless they bring their pricing down to realistic levels. They are way behind the curve. The industry is moving at a lighting fast rate and they are the lame horse limping down the track struggling to catch up. Now, HolidayCoro is not perfect by any means. Yes, their warranty is disgusting, but they are catering to a different market. They are all about the DIY'er. If you are up for tackling the more complicated pixel stuff on your own, then HC is fantastic. The vast amount of documentation and how-to videos are excellent. This year I spent a boat load of money with HC, jumping into the deep end head first. Yes, I took some lumps (pretty big learning curve), but I was able to overcome every one of them. One of the reasons for my success was David at HC. Now, I did have some pretty ugly moments with HC, but, luckily it worked out in the end. For example...I built two mega-trees this year (pixels), and I bought nearly 400 bucks worth of clear pixnode strips. This was a disaster! After all the work of installing thousands of pixels, splicing the strips together, and installing the trees, the strips literally disintegrated right before my eyes. They were brittle and almost all of them would break with the slightest gust of wind. We're talking major disaster. I thought I was screwed. I called up David expecting a fight. I was ready to dispute my CC charge, blast him on social media, etc. Instead, he very quickly acknowledged the problem (by the way...those clear strips are discontinued!), and immediately refunded my money. I changed them out to the black strips which are much more durable. The last thing I will say is if you are someone who is a DIY'er, HC is not a bad option. All of the stuff he sells is just off the boat from China. That's why it's so cheap. But...where do you think all that LOR stuff is coming from? Look at this comparison... A 12 CCR mega tree.... LOR - $249.95 x 12 = $2,999HC - $26.95 x 12 = $323.40 (strips) + $109.95 (controller) + $37.99 x 2 = $75.98 (power supplies) Total = $509.33 Seriously....$2,999 VS $509.33 ??? For me, I ended up purchasing over 200 sets of pixel nodes, 10 pixel strips, 5 AlphaPix controllers, 20 power supplies, a box of waterproof extension cords, a pixnode net, and pixnode strips. My show's been running since Thanksgiving night and my only problem has been those clear Pixnode strips and I had one random pixel staying on. I cut it out, spliced in a new one, fixed. Remember...you are reading this on an LOR forum. Know your limitations. If you want something plug and play, go with LOR. If you want to feed your kids at night, go with HC! Tim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sticks4legs Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Will these lights with with the LOR pixel controller?Yes, you can order pixels from China or many suppliers that work with LOR pixcon. Just check the specs for the protocols that all work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmmienLightFan Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 The only thing I have thought about getting from HolidayCoro were their Pixnode nets and strips. They look really good. Their pixels are really expensive compared to Ebay and Ray Wu, and LOR's Pixcon16 is only $10 more than their AlphaPix4 and the lights won't randomly flicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 (edited) Their pixels are really expensive compared to Ebay and Ray Wu, I have to totally disagree with this, their pixels are very competitively priced with other vendors. Their pre-sale has $19 smart pixel ribbons and $15 smart pixel strings which is an excellent price. The main thing I have against HC is their warranty which is only 60 days. If I purchase something in March and don't use it until next November I am screwed if it doesn't work. Also if you want support for a product you have to pay for it. As far as the Alphapix, the v1 was $189 which was pretty good for a 16 port controller but they have now come out with the v2 which is $209, more towards the higher end. I have two of the Alphapix controllers which I purchased last spring before LOR came out with the Pixcon and I have had absolutely zero issues with them. However, now that the Pixcon is out and the prices are similiar I will be going with the Pixcon next time for the better warranty and support. Edited December 20, 2015 by Mr. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenie95125 Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 The only thing I have thought about getting from HolidayCoro were their Pixnode nets and strips. They look really good. Their pixels are really expensive compared to Ebay and Ray Wu, and LOR's Pixcon16 is only $10 more than their AlphaPix4 and the lights won't randomly flicker.With with the current firmware, the Alpahpix products no longer produce the random flicker. So that's a non-issue. Also, see Tim's post above comparing prices. I saved close to $2500 on my 12 strip tree going with HC. I'm not sure what pricing you are comparing. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed K Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 As usual, there’s so much good content in these LOR forums, including this thread. Always some great insight and tips. I’m new to LOR this year, and have only had excellent support from them. I only had one question about all of their LOR software modules, and that required a personal call from one of their key developers who figured out the answer. None of their products have broken down (but using the CCRs do require very careful handling). pyrotech says HC is more about DIYers. If DIY means assembling the electronic devices on my own, I guess HC is not for me. It’s much more cost effective for me to purchase pre-built from LOR and CreativeLightingDisplays.com. I don’t build my own PCs, either, but that’s just me. I’ve always been a dedicated software guy, and never really a hardware guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflights Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I've built 16 strand DIY megatree with HC #700 RBG pixel strips. Same strips are now in their second season, and will be used for a 3rd. No waterproofing issues, no cold weather operational issues. Very satisfied with the quality of their pixel strips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aesl1982 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I haven't bought anything fri holiday coro poxel wise yet. I have been thinking about it. But I'm leaning towards the pixcon as well. I wish por offered the pixcon with pigtails attached and power supply all connected in a case as an option as well. Along with the extensions etc. But holiday coro looks like they changed warranty to one year according to their presale page now. I'm also planning on a lot of pixels going in this year. But the lag kills me. Last year I struggled to run 9 ccps and 10 regular controllers even split across three networks. Only response I got was too much data through network. So hoping e1.31 and a new computer will fix my issues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryk5 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Looks Like HC is giving a one year warranty now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkDr Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I just completed my second season with the HC 16 string smart ribbon and Pixlite 16 controller package with zero problems. I, too, was a little worried about the DIY side of things, so I opted to buy the fully assembled kit and paid right around the $1000 mark. Haven't needed any HC support or warranty so cannot speak to that. I did have some trouble with the Pixlite controller, but it was entirely of my own doing (things just don't work when you plug into the wrong jack on the board...Duh!) and their support (and good humor) were fantastic. With a comparable setup using LOR equipment coming in at nearly $4000, the LOR stuff is well beyond the "saving a few dollars" that DevMike alludes to. LOR's customer service is world-class as always and were it just double the price of the HC stuff, I'd own the LOR. But at 4X, you'll just have to decide for yourself where the value lies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 It is probably just for this pre-season sale because it is so early in the year and most won't use what they purchase until the end of the year. Check and see if the next pre-season sale which will be in May has a shorter warranty when it comes around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryk5 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Well it does say it starts when the customer gets the product. The earliest would be late Feburary, which would carry the warranty well past the Christmas lighting season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Normally their warranty states 60 days or Jan 1, whichever comes first. So if you received an item on Oct 1 the warranty would expire before the Christmas season. If you received an item on Dec 1 then the warranty would only be 30 days. Maybe they have changed it, we will have to wait and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryk5 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 That's what it looks like. Looks like he may be listening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkDr Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Larryk5, is your show still up and running through New Year's? Dad winters in Lake Suzy and is looking for shows in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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