01.12.2020 | DSH Producties of the Netherlands offers broadcast-quality Elation KL Panel

Audiovisual technology supplier DSH Producties of the Netherlands has acquired Elation's broadcast-quality KL Panel LED softlight, a full-color-spectrum and color temperature-adjustable light panel that fulfills the demanding requirements of broadcast productions including the growing market for live streaming.

DSH Producties has 15 years of experience serving festivals, events, theatres and broadcast. The unique market situation this year has meant the company is putting more focus on corporate and broadcast projects, including online events, seminars and pop-up studios, thus the need for a high-quality softlight with color temperature and green/magenta shift adjustment.

While looking for a solution, Bert Schmeits, Key Account Manager Benelux at Elation, emphasized to DSH Producties co-owners Serge Hillegers and Maaike Hillegers that Elation would soon be expanding its offerings with the KL Panel. When the first sample was available, Schmeits immediately organized a comparative test in the Elation showroom, testing and comparing the KL Panel against other LED softlights on the market.

"The LED array in the KL Panel is very efficient and if you look at the other types of panels we did a shootout with, it has a very good output to size ratio," stated Serge Hillegers. Using a highly efficient RGBW + Lime + Cyan LED array, the KL Panel outputs 24,000 lumens from a small form factor to create wonderfully soft white or full-color washes. Color rendering is of the highest quality and importantly for the camera, the KL Panel has a high TLCI value, meaning that both to the eye and to the camera color re-creation is extremely accurate with little color shift.

DSH Producties is familiar with the specific requirements of audiovisual facilities in the broadcasting and recording world and according to Serge, broadcast is more light critical with other criterion to consider such as adjusting for light that shifts away from pure white towards green or magenta. With the KL Panel, additional color tuning is possible through a green shift adjustment and a virtual gel library.

"It was hard to find a panel that can do a green-magenta shift," he states. "With the KL Panel, you can match the white balance for the camera. Outside or inside, even in fluorescent light, we can easily shift the color temperature. It makes it quite easy. Otherwise, you have to work with a lot of plus/minus green gels and filters." Additionally, the hertz LED refresh rate of the KL Panel can adjust so there is no flickering when used with high-speed cameras. "That combination is rare to find and you usually have to pay a lot to get it but not so with the KL Panel."

The KL Panel enables for the stepless selection of color temperature in the range from 2,000 to 10,000 Kelvin and LED refresh rate is adjustable from 900-25000Hz for flicker free operation. Control options include DMX, Art-NET and sACN with handling made even easier for film and TV via manual control of intensity, color temperature, green shift and other settings via encoders and easy-to-use OLED display. Adjustable 8-leaf barn doors are included. For even greater convenience, the KL Panel also works well wirelessly from a stand position and using a 24-36 VDC battery (not included).

DSH Producties purchased the KL Panel in July and have had them out on several projects, most recently on a green screen broadcast. The KL Panels join other Elation gear in DSH Producties inventory including SixBar 1000 IP™, Fuze Wash Z120™ and Fuze Wash Z350™ luminaires, as well as Obsidian controllers. The KL Panel is covered by Elation's extended five-year warranty on the LED engine and warranty coverage on fixture components is three years for products used in registered indoor fixed installation projects.