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Tech Notes
Catalyst Media
Server
Moonshine Lighting
has been in the Catalyst business now for about a year and a
half. The Digital Media Server is a brand new idea to
most. I would like to take a few lines to explain what it
is and how it can be integrated into your production.
The Catalyst is a G-5 computer with Catalyst software and a
hardware interface. The hardware interface allows us to
connect a lighting control console to the Catalyst and program it
into our lighting cues. The programming consists of calling
up digital media files from the hard drive and then being able to
further manipulate them with an arsenal of effects.
The digital media can be movies, pictures or even live input from
a camera. The Catalyst comes from High End Systems stocked
with an array of media. This media includes all of the gobos
you would find in all of their moving lights and a large
selection of DHL gobos. It also comes with media from
Artbeats, Digital Juice and others.
Moonshine Lighting
also purchased with the Catalyst, its co-product the DL1.
The DL1 is a Digital Light Projector. It is 5k projector
in a moving yoke fixture. So now with the two we have the
ability to call up any digital media we want at the touch of a
button, then move it anyplace in the room we want. WOW!
The potential
creative power with these two products is a bit overwhelming at
first. We have been
finding that the clients love the ability to customize their show
to their liking. The footage and media that comes with the
Catalyst is very useful and often is what is needed to get the job
done, but we are having a great time, and finding it necessary to
build our library beyond the stock complement that is provided.
Being able to pull up some F-14 footage or a shuttle launch is
huge when you are on the spot to have what the client wants to see
in his vision of the show.
To sum all this up I would like to say that we are very satisfied
with the Catalyst as a production product. We trust it and
promote it as much as we can. It opens up a whole new world
in the productions we have used it in. The client is always
impressed and ready to use it again in the next creative venture!
See some of our work on the High End website -
Valvoline, Orlando
Robert Dicken |
