Wireless lighting control in the film & television production industry has for a long time been fraught and complex.
The majority of existing systems use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi technology along with a companion smartphone or tablet application. Sure, they may have fancy user interfaces and gimmicks that might rouse an owner-operator, but in the world of professional film & television production – they do not constitute a realistic option. For starters, Bluetooth & Wi-Fi have a limited working range, restricting the distances at which fixtures can be controlled – not forgetting that each light uses its own dedicated application, making universal control a distant pipedream.
Cinelex – a UK designer & manufacturer – instigated a rigorous market analysis, with the ultimate ambition of developing a universal standard in wireless DMX lighting control. Following in-depth consultation with lighting manufacturers and international rental houses and months of meticulous engineering, Cinelex have unveiled the fruits of ‘Project Spectre’.
Their flagship product is SPECTRE-TRX – an all-in-one transmitter & receiver that enables wireless control of any DMX-capable light. As a receiver, the unit mounts between the light and battery using the fixture’s V-Mount or Gold Mount battery plate. Power is simultaneously supplied to SPECTRE-TRX and the light itself. Once mounted, powered & synchronised to a transmitter – SPECTRE-TRX receives and relays all signals to the light through the light fixture’s DMX input.
Uniquely, SPECTRE-TRX can switch between ‘receive’ and ‘transmit’ modes at the touch of a button. In ‘transmit’ mode SPECTRE-TRX becomes a wireless DMX transmitter. Once tethered to a lighting control desk, SPECTRE-TRX beams all signals wirelessly to its synched receivers – giving a new lease of life to existing equipment.
Cinelex have also developed their own “Go Anywhere” portable wireless DMX control desk – SPECTRE-DESK-TX8. It can be powered from 4x AA batteries and the unit supports control of 8 channels across 512 unique DMX IDs. Designed to be lightweight and portable, SPECTRE-DESK-TX8 is the ideal solution for a truly wireless experience.
The latest model in the Cinelex line up is SKYNODE, a USB-powered wireless DMX receiver – designed for effortless integration with Arri SkyPanel. It docks neatly to the DMX XLR input on SkyPanel and draws its power from the USB-A port directly below. Once synchronised to a transmitter – either a SPECTRE-TRX in transmit mode or SPECTRE-DESK-DX8 – wireless control becomes a straightforward reality. SKYNODE is remarkably compact, the largest component being its 5-pin XLR connector – when connected to a SkyPanel, it remains discreet.
All Cinelex products are cross-compatible – incorporating LumenRadio protocol – and meet international regulatory standards including FCC, CE & RoHS.
Through these products, Cinelex have redefined DMX lighting control, bringing universal wireless DMX to the production industry for the first time.
