FUTURETECH Featuring ETC - Lighting Up the Future with ETC's Dataflash 5000

0:19 Hey folks, welcome back to Geezers of Gear Future Tech. I'm Chris. And alongside me in the virtual studio is the always delightful Lacey. Today we've got a bit of a stunner for you. ETC Just dropped the new High End Systems Data Flash 5000 and yeah, it's causing a bit of a buzz across the live events circuits. Yeah, and you know, I got to say, Chris, even with my expertise, and that's in quotes, in lighting gear, this thing looks wild. So who's this data Flash 5000 really for? I mean festivals I'm guessing big outdoor stages. Spot on ET CS aiming straight at the big guns. Outdoor shows, festivals, anywhere you need to light up a crowd and do it no matter what the weather's doing.

1:03 This thing packs a punch. 52,000 lumens. I mean, that's well, properly bright. Not just for effects either, but for reliable show control in gnarly conditions. It's IP65 rated, so basically you could dunk it in a puddle. Not that you should, but you know what I mean. Does it come with like all the usual rainbow lighting tricks or is there something special here? Glad you asked. It's got this clever set up, a full RGB LED array wrapped around a variable white light center so you get both bold color and tunable white from warm 3200 up to cool 7500 hundred Kelvin.

1:45 It lets designers kind of dial in the look for any moment, which is ace for the creative folks and keeps the techies happy too. You know, Chris, I remember you saying something about weather headaches at Glastonbury a few episodes ago. Does this change things? Oh Blimey, Glastow nightmares. Mud up to your knees, rain coming sideways and every cable a river. So yeah. Honestly having an IP65 rated beast like the data flash 5000 could be a total game changer. Before it was always a risk. Light storms roll in, you scramble to cover equipment or pray the weather gods are with you now. Fixtures like this mean fewer heart attacks for us and a much more reliable show outdoors.

2:29 OK, let's talk about how this thing looks. I peeked at the photos. Round face, the domes somebody at ETC. Was thinking outside the box. Chris, what's the deal with these domes? Right straight in you get 2 Dome accessories. The reflector Dome clips on to boost those strobes for puncture. Looks like proper atmospherics. Then there's the transparent one eye candy Dome. That one's all about letting those wild colour effects shine through, which is fun if you want to really show off the fixture itself as part of the visuals. And with the face being round, well, you've got more options for sort of eye candy moments. Matt Stoner, he's the automated lighting product manager, said he's expecting designers to use it for those high energy, visually interesting sections of a show. It's very much giving all the colours all the time. I mean, for concert tours or like EDM festivals, I can imagine someone using what rapid chases, those crazy color shifts.

3:28 So basically, you're not just locked into plain white strobing, right? Exactly. The central white can go anywhere from a tungsteny 3200 K up to ice cool 7500 K, and the RGB array adds all manner of vibrant saturated hues or subtle blends. Throw in the Dome accessories and designers have loads of new ways to create dynamic hues. I reckon for shows aiming for those peak energy moments, big drops, bass hits, the options are endless. Let's get into what this means for actual shows. I saw the words pixel mapping and macros in the press release and my brain immediately just like, shut down for a second. What does that do for creative teams? No worries, it's worth unpacking. With this many strobe modes and with pixel mapping, designers get really granular control.

4:17 You can make the fixture do intricate patterns, sync up with music, or build custom looks for different parts of a set. Think what you see at those big festivals, say Electric Daisy Carnival. Now imagine each strobe can be programmed for super precise effects rather than just on off. Tanya Lassard from ETC said herself this thing will be a powerhouse on any gig. It opens the door for, well, genuinely new types of looks you just couldn't get with the old gear. That sounds wild. So we've had like big energetic strobes at festivals for years, but is this like a giant leap or is it just the same but shinier? Good question. Honestly, it's a pretty decent leap. Older strobes gave you intensity and maybe some simple chase effects, but that was it.

5:03 Now with pixel mapping and advanced macros, designers can do things like chase patterns across a rig, sink like ripple effects, or tap into custom colour mixes. If you remember our episode on the Acme Lyra, we saw a similar trend. All these fixtures pushing for more creative control without sacrificing reliability. Data Flash 5000 just turns it up to 11. So do you think this kind of control is going to change how shows are built or is it just another tool in the kit? Like, are we going to see entire show designs restructured around strobes because they're that flexible now? I wouldn't rule it out. With this much control. Lighting designers might rethink how they build moments or anchor a visual theme around versatility rather than just brute force. We used to be so limited by what strobes could do, Intensity, speed, not much else.

5:55 This opens it up for entire sequences to be built around effects we used to only dream of. Obviously it's early days, but like with the Megapix and Gigapix we reviewed a while back, it's all trending toward more creative power in a weatherproof box. All right, that's plenty for my brain to chew on. There's a lot left to talk about as these fixtures start rolling into festivals and shows. Chris, always a pleasure breaking this down with you. Likewise, Laci can't wait to see what kind of chaos or brilliance designers unleash with this thing. Folks, thanks for joining us for another episode of Future Tech Be sure to tune in next time. We'll be back with more gear, more industry news, and probably more war stories. Until then, take care and keep lighting it up. See you soon, Chris.

6:38 Bye everyone. Want to scoop on gear? Future Tech is here. Come on, get it. You make the specs so clear. Oh, La La with music to your ears. Hey, hey, hey. Let's go. New gear vibes, new tech jive gear hits unite. We keep it live.