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Cool new moving head coming out


bhays

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I have been looking around at moving heads as I plan to add another pair to my existing two for this year. I just ran across this one coming out from American DJ...

accuspot2503.jpg

It has a Luxeon LED ring around the main aperture... a poor man's HES Showgun.. It's going to be called the AccuSpot III and will be street priced around $900... didn't find any other details yet.

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I was actually thinking that was pretty reasonable for a moving head with a 250 watt discharge lamp.. only thing really cheaper with good features are Elation Focus Spot 250's for about $750 street price. I have a pair of those and am pretty pleased with them.

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The Intimidator Spots use a halogen lamp while the Focus Spot and Accu Spot use discharge lamps. side by side, the discharge would be brighter than the 250 halogens in the Intimidator Spots.

Will Sanders

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AcWill Sanders wrote:

The Intimidator Spots use a halogen lamp while the Focus Spot and Accu Spot use discharge lamps. side by side, the discharge would be brighter than the 250 halogens in the Intimidator Spots.

Will Sanders

Actually, a 150 watt discharge lamp is as bright if not a bit brighter than a 250 watt halogen, plust the colors are totally different with discharge lamps much more true.
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Keep in mind this is a Christmas Display and not a rock concert. You do not need anything really that bright and overpowering just enough to add effect and a good wash and a more practical light that is cost effective would be the Intimidator Spots. 250 watts is a good amount of light which also doesn't pull much power. You can get 4 of them for $1020.00 and the long life bulbs for $20 or the regular bulbs for $10 versus 4 Accu Spots for $2000 and then you will pay $120 for each bulb. Yes they might be brighter at 575 watts but you are also going to need more power to run them.

So if you are going to pay $900 on one 250 watt fixture then a more practical solution would be the Intimidator Spots. They are just as good as a Studio Spot 250 from High End which is $4200 just for 1 fixture.

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Texan78 wrote:

So if you are going to pay $900 on one 250 watt fixture then a more practical solution would be the Intimidator Spots. They are just as good as a Studio Spot 250 from High End which is $4200 just for 1 fixture.


Uhhh.... If you say so. Experts would beg to differ.

I know that I had a pair of 250 watt halogen moving heads and in my application, placed about 40 feet from the house, they were terribly dim and looked more like a weak wash light. I wanted the appearance of a circular spot light sweeping across the house, not just a general color. I can do that with a floodlight bulb.;) I sold those and bought my Focus Spot 250's which are discharge and it was like night and day. I would agree that 575's would be overkill. The halogen fixtures were not up to the challenge in my particular display at all, but I can foresee applications where they would be just fine. Another thing to think about if you want to use custom gobos of say, Santa or Merry Christmas, etc. not all moving heads have replaceable gobos and the ones that come with the light don't fit a Christmas Display at all IMHO.

It all comes down to what works for you. In general, however, you get what you pay for. I wouldn't want someone to see a Studio Spot in person or on video, then order up an Intimidator spot and expect to see the same brightness and performance. Not gonna happen. :)

Keep in mind this is a Christmas Display and not a rock concert.

There is a good point made by that statement, however. Other than the LED par cans to wash the house, I use my dmx fixtures sparingly when sequencing. Used only at the appropriate moments, they make a huge impression. I know they were a huge hit with the visitors this year, getting more comments than my leaping lights or 18 foot z-tree. I try to do as professional and impressive a display as I can given available resources. Next season I will have 2 or 4 moving heads, 3 dmx snow machines and a 200mw laser (yes I am applying for a variance). When brought in for a few seconds at the appropriate time in sequences, I think it will be very impressive. If you left them on all the time, it would just be cheesy and ridiculous.


This is all just my opinion, however, and those vary.
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I own two of the Intimidator Scanners (1.0 and 1.2) and I feel they are good for my needs. Sure, maybe a brighter bulb would stand out more/be more accurate in colors etc. but remember that it is just an effect. The way you use the effect is probably the deciding factor for the light you choose. I have not seen a discharge moving head in person at a Christmas display but I have seen them used in other applications, including Medieval Times and WDW. For their needs and budget, the bright moving heads are great: Bright, smooth motion with many effects and the ability to change gobos. For me, all I want to do is do a little sweep across the house, shine on the mirror ball, and (in 2008) aim at the audience. I'm not concerned with how bright the light is, because I have it positioned close enough to the house that you can see it very well. If I had the budget, I would probably go for a moving head, but since I didn't, I still got to wow the audience with my Intimidators. I bought the item I could afford, and I MADE IT WORK for me.

Greg

P.S. Your display can be a rock concert, If that's your style :P

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bhays wrote:

Uhhh.... If you say so. Experts would beg to differ.


Being a LD for 12 years I would kindly consider myself to be an expert on the matter. When I said they would be a more practical solution I was more referring to as cost wise. I just can not justify buying or putting out 4 fixtures adding up to $17,000 in my front yard to be used for 25-30 days for Christmas just because they are brighter when I can get the same effect with the Intimidator Spots. Like Greg mentioned it is how you use them. Sure they might not be as bright as a Accu Spot or a Studio Spot but they are most cost effective solution for a Christmas Display and they use less power to operate. So yes, if you are going to pay $900 on one 250 watt fixture then a more practical solution would be the Intimidator Spots. They are just as good as a Studio Spot 250 from High End which is $4200 just for 1 fixture because they both use a 250 watt lamp.

A lot of people who use DMX lighting for Christmas don't really take the time to understand how to maximize the use of their fixtures. Dip switch setting 12 is the bulb intensity. If you only have 9-10 dip switches then it will be the last one. It is like a energy saving mode for the fixture and the lamp. Those are shipped most of the time with them set to on. If you turn it off you will get the max 250 output of the lamp. You also have to keep in mind that if you had them set 40 feet from your house then you are going to get light wash from the Christmas lights and other lights which is going to make them appear dimmer then what they are and take away from their intensity. It's not that the 250 watt light is a bad light. You were just not using it in your application correctly to acheive the full effect you were looking for. I use mine about 8-10 feet from the house and they work perfectly. Even with a 150W discharge lamp set 40 feet away from the projected object it is going to be dim.

So for the avg joe who is on a budget and wants to add DMX to their show then the Intimidator Spots is a practical solution if used correctly.
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I wasn't trying to start a pi55ing match :?

With the driveway configuration at my house, the moving heads have to be that far from the front of the house, so a 250 watt msd bulb is what I need to do the job. If I could place them closer to the house, I would agree that a dimmer bulb would do the job. I wouldn't use HES fixtures in my front yard, either.

Bottom line, use what you need and what works for your application. I am an attorney rathed than an LD, but it's going to be a challenge to convince me that an Intimidator Spot HTI is just as good as a studio spot 250 because they both have a discharge bulb (studio spot is a 250, Intimidator HTI is 150)... a Yugo with a Corvette engine is no Corvette.

The Studio spot has (and the Intimidator does not have)
an Iris... huge feature if you ask me (would be awesome in my case)
prism... also huge if you're going to use gobos
dmx macros for figure 8's etc, would save a ton of time in sequencing

Plus 375 watts isn't really a huge difference from 312 watts for the Intimidator, actually it has a 384 watt inrush...

Now, I doubt any of us are going to run out and buy Studio Spots for our display, but if it was in the budget, I sure would love to.

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LightsByGreg wrote:

Bhays, I think I know what an Iris is (can adjust the width of the beam, right?) but what is a prism?

Greg

Yep, that's an iris.

A prism lets you have more than one image from a gobo. The image on the bottom right below is an example. A 3 way prism is most common, but some, like the Studio Spot, have an infinite prism. Honestly, probably not really needed for a Christmas display unless you have a specific plan, but still a cool feature.

accu-spot-300.jpg

I am not meaning to be argumentative with Texan78, I just don't agree with his statement. :P
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Mountainwxman wrote:

So... that's why attorney fee's are high.:P

Thanks for the revelation.;)


Or as some of my divorce clients will tell you... 'Divorce is so expensive because it's worth it' :(
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bhays wrote:

I wasn't trying to start a pi55ing match :?

With the driveway configuration at my house, the moving heads have to be that far from the front of the house, so a 250 watt msd bulb is what I need to do the job. If I could place them closer to the house, I would agree that a dimmer bulb would do the job. I wouldn't use HES fixtures in my front yard, either.

Bottom line, use what you need and what works for your application. I am an attorney rathed than an LD, but it's going to be a challenge to convince me that an Intimidator Spot HTI is just as good as a studio spot 250 because they both have a discharge bulb (studio spot is a 250, Intimidator HTI is 150)... a Yugo with a Corvette engine is no Corvette.

The Studio spot has (and the Intimidator does not have)
an Iris... huge feature if you ask me (would be awesome in my case)
prism... also huge if you're going to use gobos
dmx macros for figure 8's etc, would save a ton of time in sequencing

Plus 375 watts isn't really a huge difference from 312 watts for the Intimidator, actually it has a 384 watt inrush...

Now, I doubt any of us are going to run out and buy Studio Spots for our display, but if it was in the budget, I sure would love to.


I am not trying to argue ether and I understand what you are saying. For some this light might not fit their application like in your case. A Studio Spot is a far superior light by far, I know this and would argree. From a cost stand point though you can not argue with Chauvet Intimidator Spot as an overall good vaule if used in the correct application.

After reading your last post though I think you are confused to the light I am referring to. I am talking about the Chauvet Intimidator Spot not the Chauvet Intimidator Spot 2.0 HTI, which is 250 watt light output not 150 that would be in the Chauvet Intimidator Spot 2.0 HTI as you stated above. Here is the light I am talking about.

http://www.chauvetlighting.com/fixtures/intimspot_fix.shtml

And you can get them here for a really good price...

http://www.cheaplights.com/eshop/home.php?cat=4

The 312 watts I am not sure what you are comparing that to. That is a lower wattage then running a higher output lamp which will overall save you power. It also has dmx macros for figure 8's etc like you aske for. You can change out the gobos which I haven't done it in a long time because I just make my own now, but I use to know a place where you could get custom ones made.

Now a Yugo with a Corvette engine is no Corvette you are correct, but it will still get you from point a to point b correct? Just like this light will do what you need for a Christmas Display for most as a cost effective soultion. So most of the stuff you are comparing it to are just luxuries and are not needed, atleast not in my application and I am sure in most. If I put my Studio Spots 575 out side in my size yard it would be so much overkill you wouldn't even see the Christmas lights.

So for an overall value the Intimidator Spot is a good light if used properly in the correct application. Infinite prism, 3 way prism, all that is not needed for a Christmas display. I agree very cool feature and if you want all that in your display it's your own deal. IMO, I think that is a liitle much and overkill. I want people to see my Christmas lights more then they see my intelligent fixtures. Intelligent lighting should only be used for effect and that extra wow factor. It should compliment your Christmas display, not take it over. These are just my opinions and I am sure others may feel different. No need to bring a gun to knife fight you know what I mean....:D



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bhays wrote:

Mountainwxman wrote:
So... that's why attorney fee's are high.:D

Thanks for the revelation.:)


Or as some of my divorce clients will tell you... 'Divorce is so expensive because it's worth it' :D


They say marrige is grand, but what they forget to tell you is divorce is 30 grand...:D
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