Finnish private broadcaster MTV3 News has deployed new studio lighting based on LED technology as part of its move to HD news reporting and presentation.
The broadcaster tested a variety of alternatives before selecting the Litepanels Sola 6 Fresnel LED lights and the Mono Flood, Bi-Focus and Low-profile Flood 1x1 LED production lights, said visual director Johannes Kantelinen.
A major part of this project was the modernization of the 100 m2 studio used for the "Huomenta Suomi" ("Good Morning Finland") in Helsinki. First broadcast in 1989, this show is now among the oldest morning shows in northern Europe and the team broadcasts live every day for four hours.
Lauri Karhuvaara, host of the show for 15 years, says the cooler operation of LED production lighting is noticeable. "After three hours of broadcasting live, it used to get really warm in the studio," she says. "Doing interviews is now much more comfortable. Even the Finnish Prime Minister noticed the difference."
Twenty-four Sola 6 LED Fresnel lights with 6in Fresnel lenses provide HD-friendly lighting in the morning show studio and the news studio.
Litepanels LEDs produce bright and soft 5600°K daylight. The Sola 6 consumes about a sixth of the energy of a conventional 650W tungsten spot. The light also focuses from 70 degrees to 10 degrees and provides the control and the single shadow characteristics of Fresnel lights.
The Sola 6 can be dimmed from 100 percent to 0 percent without producing a visible change in color temperature. Focusing and brightness can also be controlled via DMX.
