RGB strips vs. LED strings

[Chagoi]

Ok, so I drove about 45 min to someones display last night. It was all RGB strips. To start off, it was spectacular. Well done all around, and I am not just saying that because it is someone that posts here...it really was done awesome. I have never seen RGB strips in person so it was a joy to finally see it. The only problem is, when I left, I felt completely different about RGB strips.

Maybe I am biased from all the research and doing this for a few years, but I was on the track to go all RGB strips until last night. I was completely turned off by how they look. They do not "feel" like christmas lights to me. It feels more like a theater show. The lights were so straight, small, and not as bright as I had imagined. I liked the strips on the windows, house, and doors, but hated the RGB strips on the arches, trees, and other items.

I really did not expect the reaction I have had and wondered if others feel the same way or if maybe I need to smack myself in the head. What say you?

[edvas69]

I can understand your feelings as they are very different, My show consists of 100% RGB lighting and ive decided to call it a Colour Christmas light show instead as I feel its very different to the traditional lighting displays. The lights used are new technology and with that it opens up a whole new world of new ways to sequence and create effects. It may not be everyones cup of tea but what i have discovered is that colour can be a very strong effect creating many emotions in the viewers and the more colour used the better. So its more like a Christmas themed colour show.

So its a very similar argument in some cases with Incandescent or LED, coloured lights or white lights poeple will have their prefrences. All im doing is something different and I know that it wont be what everyone likes.

So in my belief its not worth doing if its not what you like, just because it may be the latest technology doesnt mean it may be right for you

[friskybri]

omg, I quit. That just takes it over the top. I dont see a single dumb strip in that display. They all look like smart strips. the programming alone must be a full time job. Really nice job. Cost an arm and a leg.

[edvas69]

friskybri wrote:

omg, I quit. That just takes it over the top. I dont see a single dumb strip in that display. They all look like smart strips. the programming alone must be a full time job. Really nice job. Cost an arm and a leg.

Believe it or not on the actual roof lines, windows and tiles were just done using dumb strip and modules through a DC controller, the gutters were the only digital strip on the house lines and i also used floods so it gives the illusion of being all pixels when in fact it isnt. Your not the only one who has thought that

[PMC]

edvas69 wrote:

I can understnad your feelings as they are very different, My show consists of 100% RGB lighting and ive decided to call it a Colour christmas light show as I feel its very different to the traditional lighting display. The lights used are new technology and with that it opens up a whole new world of new ways to sequence. It may not be everyones cup of tea but what i have discovered is that colour can be a very strong effect creating many emotions in the viewers and the more colour used the better. So its more like a Christmas themed colour show.

So its a very similar argument in some cases with Incandescent or LED, coloured lights or white lights poeple will have their prefrences. All im offering is something different and I know that it wont be what everyone likes.

So in my belief its not worth doing if its not what you like, just because it may be the latest technology doesnt mean it may be right for you

http://vimeo.com/33438566

Bravo on your display, I could watch this all night and trust me I am a member of the short attention span theater group,

Great mix of music too. makes it even more fun to watch because you don't know what your going to do next. unlike the stale holiday songs where you can almost predict whats going to happen next

Love the matrix display, you programmed that with LightShow Pro v2? have you tried SuperStar Editor? and if you have can I have your opinion on what you like about LS Pro? and not about SSE

I love the RGB's, but I still mix my lights with incan & LEDs with the 12 CCR's

[beeiilll]

Bravo on a job extremely well done for sure.

I like the look of it and the change ups keeping everything moving and exciting.

But I still like the more traditional look of lights as well. My idea is that I want to use the RGB or Pixels around my windows and doors but still use my LEDs for the roof lines and the yard part of the display.

Partly because I really love the clean straight look of lights around windows and on the house but a bit of the random for trees and bushes keeps it in balance as well.

But you are to be commended for that work of art for certain.
Bill

[scubado]

Shouldn't we all be out watching our displays or something, I've been in this forum waaaay too much today. My brain is still spinning from watching some RGB videos this morning. I feel like I should be outside fixing something, but the rabbits haven't chewed anything lately. I did get to blind one with a lazer this morning, I couldn't shoot it because it was in my neighbors yard with snow on the ground. I didn't want to leave tracks.

[edvas69]

PMC wrote:

http://vimeo.com/33438566
Bravo on your display, I could watch this all night and trust me I am a member of the short attention span theater group,

Great mix of music too. makes it even more fun to watch because you don't know what your going to do next. unlike the stale holiday songs where you can almost predict whats going to happen next

Love the matrix display, you programmed that with LightShow Pro v2? have you tried SuperStar Editor? and if you have can I have your opinion on what you like about LS Pro? and not about SSE

I love the RGB's, but I still mix my lights with incan & LEDs with the 12 CCR's



Thanks its appreciated. I use LSP V2 because i started doing this last year and there was nothing else that would achieve what i wanted to create so LSP was the choice, Im a beta tester and I know the program inside out and can utilze most of its great features to the fullests so that is my choice of software. I havent played with the superstar software but i use the E1.31 protocol and DMX in my display so LOR would not run what i needed. I do have a mix of LOR, DMX and e1.31 controllers within my display and the LOR controllers are running in DMX mode.
But i do believe that if LOR does what you want then i dont see a reason to change.

[scubado]

BTW, two weeks till tear down. December is going way too fast.

[harrison0550]

I agree that the look is different and I'm not fond of the way they look when the entire strip is on at once. However with that being said I plan on converting everything to rgb strips for next year. I know that sounds like I'm not making sense but my plan is to use mostly pixel/smart based strips and keep a portion off in between the LEDs to give the illusion from the road of traditional Christmas lights with the added benefit of chases and color changes all in one strand. I think if it's done right they can look amazing like the video above or for example the CCR's on Crackers roof line in his Halloween videos. The possibilities of different affects is endless and thats what attracts me to them.

[friskybri]

Does anyone feel that the smart strips are the future in this game? If so then purchasing smart strips and buying more each year would be the way to go.

[PMC]

No, the future isn't in RGB lighting per-say, the future is doing your sequences to CHR or Contemporary Hits Radio music and hopefully you stumble on a up and coming song and you get the props and your display impresses the kids

RGB is great when used in moderation. CCR's are great too but they are part of the show in my world, not the show itself
I could do my whole house in CCR's but it would get dull after a few songs even if I created the most visually attractive CCR/RGB effects, those will tire quickly too

Some have created a great mix of the 2 worlds with Incans & RGB's/CCR's in their light shows, that's where the magic will be in 2012.

I still hanging on to my incan C9's and C7's and I'm going to custom build 100 amp 16 channel LOR controllers, and beg the electric company for leniency in January 2013

[edvas69]

friskybri wrote:

Does anyone feel that the smart strips are the future in this game? If so then purchasing smart strips and buying more each year would be the way to go.

Its not the future is a new option and with all new options there are some that will love it and others that dont.

[Chagoi]

PMC wrote:

Some have created a great mix of the 2 worlds with Incans & RGB's/CCR's in their light shows, that's where the magic will be in 2012

I think that is what I have came up with as well. I thought, until last night, I was going all RGB strips for the future, but for me, I think I will incorporate it in certain elements. Glad I could see it in person.

by the way edvas69, holy smokes that is awesome. I wish I had 1/10 your knowledge to expand my show.