News

Watch Peter talk about Square One at NAB 2013

 

Third party review

A review we have found about our Highlight 440's by Reel9 can be found here

                                    

 

Photon Beard to Introduce Full Spectrum, Compact Light Panel at NAB 2013

NAB 2013, 8-11 April, Booth C11432: Photon Beard, the UK lighting solutions specialists for broadcast, film and video will launch a new one-foot square fluorescent lighting panel that produces more light, and is more economic than other 1'x1' fixtures in the marketplace.

The panel includes eight 5/82 diameter fluorescent tubes that deliver optimum broadcast-quality illumination using the same Osram daylight or tungsten balanced phosphors that have become industry standard in television studios around the world. This provides predictable colour results with fewer spikes and spectral variations typically associated with similar LED-based fixtures.

At only 64W, Photon Beard's new panel delivers similar output at three meters to comparable fixtures pulling 100W;it is dimmable and can be from powered from either mains or a 'V' mount camera battery for around one hour.

According to Photon Beard Managing Director Peter Daffarn, "While not aimed at studio lighting applications, the consistent, high quality light, portability and low heat benefits are ideal for both broadcast and film, either for on-the-fly pieces to camera or in relatively confined spaces like, for example, a car."

Photon Beard will also feature a broad selection of lighting solutions from its complete range. For more information, see Photon Beard on Booth C11432 or visit www.photonbeard.com.

 

IBC 2012

Come and see us in Hall 11 stand C45.  Want to see what we offer? We will be delighted to see you there.

NAB 2012

Come and see us on Stand NO. C7342.  Looking forward to seeing you there.

 

Cinec 2012

Here is Peter Daffarn at Cinec 2012 explaining the characteristics of the New Nova.

 

Photon Beard are pleased to re-launch the Nova 270 Plasma light at IBC 2012.                                       

As with most new technology there were some challenges to bringing this exciting economical light source to the broadcast and film lighting markets. Photon Beard are known for their build quality and attention to detail.  Following some field trials with the original Nova design we identified a few areas where the beam quality was not optimal and rather than launch a less than perfect product we took the Nova back into the R&D lab.

The Nova has gone through a major redesign over the last few months and the result is a unique approach to the implementation of Plasma lighting for TV and Film.

The Nova retains all the original energy saving benefits of the original product and is now housed within an extremely rugged housing to ensure it withstands the rigors of a tough live in the entertainment world

                                            .

 

NAB 2012

We were pleased to be exhibiting at NAB again this year.  It was good to see so many of you. Our next Exhibition is at Cinegear in LA USA on 2-5 June 2012.

 

Nova Modifications

There have been some technical issues with the basic plasma technology that we have needed to solve before going into production with the Nova. We have now found solutions to these technical issues and are working towards a re- launch of the Nova around the middle of 2012. So far this is on target, and we are expecting to ship the first units by the end of June.

Post IBC

We are delighted to have just heard that we have won a 5th award for the Nova 270.  This time from TVEurope's Best of IBC2011 Editors Awards.  It is very encouraging that so many knowledgable people think that our new light is a winner.  Below is an interview with Pete (of beard fame!) by TV Bay Broadcast at IBC.

 

IBC 2011

In the words of Baldrick of Black Adder fame we dont have 1 award, or 2 awards or even 3 awards; we now have some awards!  We are delighted to be awarded the Broadcast Engineering Pick Hit Award IBC2011 in recognition of the innovative technology of the Nova 270. The prestigious Pick Hit Awards are the industry’s longest-running product technology awards for broadcast and production. They are selected by a panel of independent judges who tour the convention floor looking for innovative products and technology. The judges then meet to make their selections based on several criteria, including the technical and financial improvements the product can bring to a facility’s operation.

Broadcast Engineering’s editors and publishers have no vote in the selection process, ensuring the winners truly represent outstanding achievement in the eyes of a group of people who are representative of those making TV happen.

At IBC Photon Beard are awarded the IABM Award of Excellence for Design and Innovation

          award

The designer of the Nova, Simon Larn (left) and the Managing Director Peter Daffarn (the famously hairly one!) receiving the award.

 

September 2011

Photon Beard has done it again! 

We have won a top 5 finalists award for the IABM Peter Wayne Award for Design & Innovation. 

 

The IABM Awards for Design & Innovation recognise innovation within the broadcast supply industry and are open to any company to apply.


There are 5 awards in total: the IABM Peter Wayne Award for Design & Innovation named in honour of Peter Wayne, past IABM chairman and key influencer within the broadcast supply industry and 4 IABM Awards for Excellence in Design & Innovation.

All entries are judged by our international panel of independent judges who draw up a shortlist of 10 candidates. These 10 are then whittled down to 5 finalists. Each finalist is visited by the judging panel during the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam and asked to give a product demonstration of their entry. The winners are announced on the Saturday evening of IBC at the IABM Awards reception.

Winners announced! Top 5 Finalists (in alphabetical order)

April 2011

We are honored and elated to have won TWO awards at NAB this year!!!

The first was the "Star" award from Editors of TV Technology this year at NAB. Now celebrating its 11th anniversary, TV Technologys STAR Award is designed to honor and showcase the outstanding technological innovations available to the broadcast industry.

Our second award is the first-ever Videomaker Best of NAB 2011! We are so elated to have been selected.

The interest this light has been shown is phenominal, with many many people who are famous in the industry drawn to see what all the buzz is about.

March 2011

Okay we are now ready to provide more information on our new luminiare.

The range will be known as the Nova Family and our first offering is the PhotonSpot Nova 270 which can be found here - PhotonSpot Nova 270

The first opportunity to see it action will be NAB 2011 - Booth No C3346.

 

2011 is looking like it will be interesting year for us.

At NAB we will be launching a brand new concept in location lighting featuring what is probably the most efficient source of light currently available.  The quality of the light is something we care about and the new luminaire will be daylight colour temperature with near continuous spectrum.  The highly efficient source produces similar amounts of light as a 2000W tungsten Fresnel unit but draws less than 300W.  At this point of time we are able to provide more information be assured we will post the information here as soon as it is available.

The Wi Light range will be completed with the addition of the "break out box" to allow control of non PB devices.

2010 News

The PB team have been busy over the summer with some new projects, products and holidays.  There are some press releases below to show some of what we have been doing and now with IBC and CINEC shows behind us and having had an extremely successful launch of our Wi Light system we are all back to work.

The R&D lab is working on an exciting new luminaire which we plan to launch at NAB in April.  We can't say more than that just now but once we can it will be posted.


IBC 2010 where we  Launched of Wi Light click the link for a review

Click here for September Newsletter 

IBC TV Interview

 

Photon Beard Illuminates Liverpool FC.TV


IBC 2010, 10-14 September, Stand 11.F51: Professional lighting specialists Photon Beard today announced the installation of its Highlight 110 and Radiant 170 studio lighting systems at LFC.TV, the dedicated official channel for Liverpool Football Club.

Photon Beard's Highlight 110 Fluorescent Lighting fixtures form the foundation of a fluorescent lighting system and are adaptable and versatile 55 watt reflectors with light control accessories.

The Radiant 170 is a true fluorescent spotlight, ideal as a key or back light, or wherever long throws are required. The soft edge beam and 4000K lamps are particularly flattering to skin tones and texture. The Radiant complements the Highlight series by offering the same advantages of low power consumption and cool running.

Lighting Specialist Paul Maddox said, "I am very impressed with Photon Beard's fittings. I had to fight intrusions by outside light in the studio and was concerned that I would not have enough level, but with Photon Beard's spots I had more than enough. With the DMX-controlled version of the Radiant 170 all soft spot light levels can be set with a touch on the consol, and the reflective barn doors available for the Highlight 110's are ideal for concentrating the beam and limiting side spill. This is a very good lighting package."

Photon Beard Managing Director Peter Daffarn said, "We aim to provide a cost effective, professional and quality product whilst maintaining our UK manufacturing base and it's always gratifying to know that our products exceed expectations."

September 2010

Photon Beard Shines Wi Light on the World from IBC

IBC 2010, 10-14 September, Stand 11.F51: Professional lighting specialists Photon Beard today announced the worldwide launch at IBC 2010 of Wi Light, a new, low-cost concept in control for studio lighting systems.

Despite the presence of wireless communication devices in everyday applications, the professional lighting industry continues to use multiple, wired data links to carry the universal DMX512 stage lighting and effects control standard. This is suitable for conventional incandescent lighting, but the basic DMX512 standard sends data continuously even when nothing has changed. This redundant data is extremely wasteful in a wireless system, so Wi Light transmits only the data that has changed using a special protocol designed to make best use of wireless control in a lighting application.

According to Photon Beard Managing Director Peter Daffarn, "Our approach with Wi Light is cost-effective and reduces - or in some cases eliminates - the need for traditional wired DMX-controlled systems, which are time consuming and messy because of multiple cable requirements for each luminaire."

Wi Light consists of one master transmit/receive module, which can be located at studio floor level. Individual receive modules (dongles) can then be added to each light source or dimmer. The master unit can also be configured as a receiver for point-to-point links or as a repeater to cover wider areas.

Transmitter range can vary but is generally 1-300 feet, which is adequate for most installations but can easily be extended with repeaters if necessary.

The small receiver module fits to the base panel of the Highlight on the outside of the casing using only a small screwdriver. All further set-up instructions are either automatic or transmitted via wireless from the master module.

The master unit provides the entry port for the system and takes a conventional DMX512 data stream from a standard control desk. An assignable block of channels are selected from the input stream and transmitted via wireless. The original address positions of each channel in the block are preserved. This means the user can set the receive address on each light source in the usual way.


All parts of the Wi Light system are bi-directional; this means that the master can request information from a receiver and receive an answer.

Each Wi Light unit contains a unique identity that is added to all transmissions. To close the network and eliminate interference, each receiver can be remotely set to respond to only one transmitter.

Daffarn added, "Wi Light is robust and also includes in-built error checking, which is not part of the DMX512 standard. Moreover, its 2.4gHz operation and compliance with FCC regulations mean that it can be installed worldwide, including the USA."

This is the first of a family of products that will be introduced to Photon Beard range designed to provide cost effective and easy-to-install control options for small- to medium-sized TV studios.


August 2010

Photon Beard Highlights Autodirect

Leighton Buzzard, UK, 26 August 2010: Professional lighting specialists Photon Beard today announced the implantation of its Highlight 220 lampheads for Ireland's first online car retailer, Autodirect.

According to Autodirect Managing Director Anthony Gaffney, "We needed to soften the light and reduce reflections on our retail cars, so our photographic Consultant, Bob Conn, brought in eight of Photon Beard's Highlight 220 fluorescent lampheads. The results have been remarkable."

According to Conn, "The lower running cost of fluorescents is also significant advantage when you're shooting cars to their best advantage all day long. We're very impressed, not only with the quality of the lighting but the functionality. I was originally going to use studio flash, but the Highlight lamps are a much better option."

Photon Beard's Highlight Fluorescent lighting range is specifically designed for energy efficient studios. Energy efficient lighting or "cool lighting" has many benefits for small and medium sized studios, and can be very cost effective and financially beneficial. Running costs are significantly lower than tungsten lighting and there is the major advantage that you can change colour temperature quickly and easily by the simple replacement of lamp or tube within the luminaire.


July 2010

Photon Beard Sheds Light on Green Screen

Leighton Buzzard, UK, 26 July 2010: Professional lighting specialists Photon Beard today announced the creation and installation of new studio lighting for "Green Screen Soho" at London-based arts and entertainment advertising agency Media Junction.

The self-contained, 1100 square foot studio includes a bespoke U-shaped floor-to-ceiling infinity cyclorama by chromakey supplier VFX that features the energy-saving Photon Beard "Highlight" cool lighting fluorescent lighting system, which has the advantage of low power consumption and, therefore, less heat.

Media Junction's Head of Post Production Rob Nixon said, "Photon Beard has a reputation for high-quality, custom-made lighting systems. The system designed specifically for us provides consistent and even illumination throughout the new studio while requiring no special adaptations."

Photon Beard Sales Manager Mike Perry said, "Like many installations we work on, the site for the Green Screen Studio is on the second floor of a venerable building in Central London. The flexibility of our Highlight lampheads enabled us to create an evenly illuminated studio."

Green Screen Soho's new screen and photographic studio is designed for broadcast multi-camera interviews; TV commercials; music, theatre and TV promos; web presentations and streaming; as well as castings and auditions.