ETC adds budget-friendly ColorSource PAR to its LED lineup

For so long, venues with limited budgets that wanted to update their lighting systems with LEDs had only one option: flimsy, noisy and undependable fixtures with incredibly limited, fake-looking color that drifted as soon as they were turned on. Now ETC has a new solution: the ColorSource™ PAR , an LED luminaire developed by color experts and backed by ETC's industry-leading service department. Schools, houses of worship, small theaters and other venues with tight budgets now have a way to affordably upgrade to LEDs, without losing out on beautiful color.

Since ETC began developing LED luminaires, the company has spent a lot of time experimenting with color, inventing LED products whose color capabilities go well beyond what is available on the market today. ETC has applied this expertise to the ColorSource PAR, which uses a proportionate blend of red, green, blue and lime LED emitters to produce a richer, more natural light output than other budget LED fixtures. "It's so easy to see difference in light quality," says ETC Fixtures Product Manager Jim Uphoff. "The ColorSource PAR is in another league when it comes to color, delivering the most beautiful light that a four-color LED can produce - all without breaking the bank."

ColorSource PAR users can benefit from the color calibration that ETC does on all its LED luminaires. The luminaires are tested for uniformity, so a lighting system with multiple ColorSource PARs will have the same color from fixture to fixture. And they're designed to compensate for the droop that typically plagues LED fixtures, so the ColorSource PAR's output will look the same from the beginning of a show to the end. 

Despite its superior color capabilities, the ColorSource PAR doesn't require extensive lighting knowledge to use. "This is a great fixture for students just starting out in lighting or small venues with staff who don't have lighting training," explains Uphoff. "It's easy to set up and works with or without a simple lighting desk. You can just plug it in and get it working in seconds." 

Like all of ETC's products, the ColorSource PAR comes with ETC's customer and technical support, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, for the lifetime of the fixture. "Whether it's a massive Broadway lighting system or a school cafetorium with just a couple ETC fixtures, our service department is dedicated to taking care of every end user," describes ETC Entertainment Market Manager Matt Armendariz-Kerr. "Someone buying a ColorSource PAR will know they're covered if they ever need help, even if it's on the weekend or late at night. They definitely can't get that type of service from other companies making budget LEDs."

ETC will be showing the ColorSource PAR at fall tradeshows, including PLASA, October 5 through 8, in London, and LDI, November 21 through 23, in Las Vegas.