Astera LED has launched its newest innovation – the NYX Bulb – a name inspired by NYX, Greek Goddess of the Night, a mysterious figure of exceptional power and beauty, feared even by Zeus himself.
NYX Bulb – the same size as a standard LED bulb – is the company’s first colour-tuneable LED bulb for professional film, stage, and event productions. It comes complete with a CRMX receiver for wireless DMX, plus RF and Bluetooth modules for control via the Astera App on a smartphone or Tablet.
NYX Bulb is designed for gaffers, DoPs, lighting and set designers, visual artists and anyone needing stunning ‘practicals’ or outstanding feature lighting bulbs. In addition to movie shoots and television studios. A similar size to regular LED bulb, NYX Bulb can be powered via an E27 socket (E26 in the US version) or with a standard power bank. Due to its compact form, it is the first Astera light source with external battery options.
Its Titan LED engine delivers colours and white tones with CRI and TLCI and it emits 750 Lumens, comparable to a conventional 60W bulb, yet drawing just 10W of power. The RGB + mint + amber LED engine is the same as that of the Astera Titan Tube – so the sources can be mixed and matched, rendering with CRI & TLCI at 96-98 and 3200 to 6500° Kelvin respectively, and a full range of colours unlocked through digital calibration.
The white range goes from 1,750–20,000K, and a full range of precise gel filter numbers can be reproduced. Control includes inbuilt LumenRadio wireless DMX which can be run via any lighting console, as well as more locally from the Astera App. The inbuilt Bluetooth receiver is a new feature allowing users to control NYX bulbs directly from their smartphones without needing an Astera ART7 Box and will be available via a software update in the second half of the year. The first Astera NYX Bulb that is connected via the Bluetooth signal enables the control of all the other NYX Bulbs in the range.
A dual power option offers more versatility! This can be either 90-240V AC via an E27 socket (E26 in the USA) or a DC socket is available for connecting external batteries or power banks, for which a USB cable is included with the NYX Bulb. When NYX Bulbs are used in conjunction with lampshades or other coverings, CupBouncer is attached to the bulb via a suction cup and reflects light back towards the base controlling the light spread.
The Astera PowerStation is a multifunctional accessory which has an inbuilt battery unit for powering NYX Bulbs. The PowerStation can also be used to programme the NYX Blubs with parameters like DMX addresses, colours and other settings via its display and keyboard, and when the NYX Bulb is disconnected, these settings are retained. Rear-side magnets for hanging the NYX Bulb together with an integrated airline track where several mounting grips and accessories can be connected all enhance the practical options for how and where NYX can be installed.
Currently available through Astera’s global distribution network, NYX Bulbs are available as single units or in sets of eight, complete with a PowerStation inside the case for charging and programming the Bulbs. The PowerStation is also available as a single stand-alone unit or as a set of eight PowerStations in a charging case, for setting up eight NYX Bulbs.
