High End Systems Celebrates a Decade of Digital Lighting

This year marks a monumental milestone for High End Systems, a Barco company. As of February 2012, High End Systems has been selling digital lighting products for 10 years; no other company in the industry has the same level of experience in this market segment.

The industry's largest portfolio of digital lighting currently includes the DL.3, DL.3F, DML-1200 w/Axon, Axon Media Server, Arena View System, and the all new DLV. In celebration of the decade, High End Systems is offering special promotions on all digital lighting products through June 2012.

The first DMX controlled media server and Orbital Mirror Heads were sold in 2002 and the digital lighting revolution began. Back then, the Catalyst media server provided designers with the ability to control and manipulate media content from any lighting console. Prior to the release of Catalyst, video control from a lighting console was merely a dream for most designers.

Within a year after the first product was sold, the DL.1 Digital Light was released. This self-contained unit was a video projector on a yoke with a direct connection to a Catalyst media server located away from the moving head. Suddenly designers were able to incorporate their own "fixture" and move away from using large video projectors with moving mirrors.

2004 marked the release of the innovative DL.2 Digital Light. This unit truly defined the digital light moniker by providing designers with a single product that included a video projector and media server packaged together in a lighting fixture. With no additional connections required, the DL.2 fixtures could be installed and operated just like any other lighting fixture.

Development of the DL.2 software led to the release of the Axon Media Server in 2006. This new media server provided the playback and manipulation power of the DL.2 to be used with any type of video device. Furthermore, 2006 also saw the release of the updated Catalyst V4 Media Server.

In early 2008, High End Systems released the DL.3 Digital Light that provided higher output and new software features. In addition, every DL.3 was outfitted with a built-in camera and infrared illuminator. The purchase of High End Systems by Barco in mid-2008 added the DML-1200 Digital Light to the product line.

Since the release of the DL.3, High End Systems has continued to add software features to the digital line such as the collage generator, increased layers, digital shutters, and more. In 2010 the DML-1200 was upgraded to use the Axon Media Server, and it too received a host of new features.

High End Systems continues to grow as a leader in the digital lighting market with the release of the DLV Digital Light in early 2012. This new, small unit retains most of the capabilities of the full sized DL.3, according to the company at a smaller size and reduced cost.

"As an innovative company, we are pleased to be the leader in digital lighting," said Richard Belliveau, High End Systems CTO. "The ability to manipulate light without mechanical devices is very intriguing and there is much more that can be done with digital technology. Even after 10 years, we have many more ideas to implement to help designers be more creative."