LONDON—Rotolight has announced the next generation of its hugely popular LED lighting products: the Rotolight NEO 3 and AEOS 2. 

These exciting new products combine the ‘shoot what you see’ benefits of continuous light, with a world-first High-Speed Sync RGBWW flash, the company said. 

The two ground-breaking fixtures are available now for pre-order exclusively through Rotolight’s Kickstarter campaign, which will run through November 16th, 2021, the company said. 

The pocket-sized Rotolight NEO 3 is the brightest on-camera LED light ever produced, the company said. It is available as an individual light, a three-light kit and with a new, bespoke, high-performance, rechargeable lithium battery. 

The Rotolight AEOS 2 is uniquely lightweight with an ultra-thin design, which the company is billing as the thinnest and lightest 1 x 1 panel ever made at under 1.4kg. 

For the first time, both of Rotolight’s new products will allow photographers to flash in any one of 16.7 million colors or 2,500 digital filters with zero recycle time, the company said. .

A new full-color 2-inch touchscreen display, allows users to access key features and recall their settings. An all new Rotolight iOS and Android native app, allows users to easily switch between lighting modes to remotely adjust color, power, SFX and to create custom groups and projects on up to 20 lights simultaneously.  

The intelligent softbox designed for AEOS 2: SmartSoft Box electronically adjusts the light’s diffusion, focus and spread without the need for gels via the touchscreen display or Rotolight app.  

In addition, a new Rotolight Universal Speedring adaptor unlocks an endless suite of Bowens-mount modifiers for the Rotolight NEO & AEOS range, making achieving great soft light easier than ever before and demonstrating Rotolight’s commitment to the brand’s loyal global user community.

“The NEO 3 and AEOS 2 are a huge leap forward in lighting technology, and we’re extremely excited about launching on the Kickstarter platform to bring these state-of-the-art products to more people than ever before,” says Rotolight CEO, Rod Aaron Gammons. “For new users, this is a fantastic opportunity to join the Rotolight family, while for our existing customers it’s our chance to say thank you for a decade of support with an exclusive opportunity to be the first in the world to own these revolutionary products.”  

The NEO 3 and AEOS 2, are available now exclusively on Kickstarter until November 16th, and will ship March 2022. More information is available at www.rotolight.com/kickstarter

PHOENIX—The anticipated launch of ATSC 3.0 has people’s attention to the point they are ready to shell out some cash for it, as evidenced by a recently launched Kickstarter for the HDHomeRun Quatro 4K (HDHR5 4K) receiver.

The Kickstarter, created by Nick Kelsey, founder of Silicondust, launched on April 22, and as of the morning of April 23 had received $210,862 in support from 1,000 backers; it had an original goal of $50,000 in 30 days.

Updated: As of the morning of April 24, the Kickstarter has raised $273,087 from 1,280 backers.

“This is the year TV stations across the country will begin testing ATSC 3.0 signals, bringing with them higher quality video and audio, all using free over-the-air signals,” the Kickstarter reads. “High resolution 1080p and 4K content with up to 7.1.4 surround sound for anyone with an antenna and the right hardware.”

Kelsey believes that the HDHR5 4K can be that right hardware. According to the Kickstarter, the HDHR5 4K can receive every free channel available in your area. It features four TV tuners, all four of which receive ATSC 1.0 (the current standard) and two are capable of picking up UHD ATSC 3.0 broadcasts. A goal of Silicondust is to enable multichannel support so viewers can watch up to four ATSC 3.0 sub-channels across the two ATSC 3.0 tuners in HD.

HDHomeRun apps are able to run on platforms like Windows 10, Apple Mac, Xbox One, iPad and iPhone, Android phone and tablets, Android TV devices and Android TV televisions with HEVC support and FireTV products and FireTV edition televisions with HEVC support. Roku and Apple TV are not able to support all ATSC 3.0 features at this time, Silicondust says.

Having already met its goal, Silicondust plans to use the funds raised at the end of the Kickstarter to begin a “mini production run” to support these early adopters. 

Supporters who give $199 or more will receive an HDHR5 4K unit, with an estimated delivery date of July 2020; this has been the most popular option, with 872 backers already out of a capped 1,200. For $299 or more, supporters can get a development edition of the HDHR5 4K. At $329 or more, supporters receive an ATSC 3.0 DVR pack, which includes the HDHR5 4K, a 2TB HDHomeRun Servio and a year of TV Guide. The highest possible pledge, at $2,499 or more, is a 10-pack of HDHR5 4K for TV industry use, production or development, with engineering support. If all of this is too rich for your blood, a $29 or more option is also available, which will net you a commemorative coin.

One of the major concerns with the launch of the ATSC 3.0 standard this year has been that the consumer technology is not yet there to take full advantage of the new standard. Efforts have been made, however, by major TV manufacturers and others to do so. Silicondust’s HDHR5 4K is the latest such effort.

“We are committed to supporting anything the ATSC 3.0 standard throws at us, and at the same time doing whatever is best for our customers,” the Kickstarter reads.

For more information on the HDHR5 4K system, visit the Kickstarter page. 

Eight days into a 50-day crowdfunding campaign to finance the launch of a new 24/7 locally focused national news network and Eric Wotila is about 5 percent of the way to his $100,000 goal.

“The primary reason we went with crowdfunding is we will be able to maintain control within our team and not have to go to a board to make decisions,” says Wotila, the entrepreneur behind the Local News Network (LNN).

Rather than rely on pundits, panels or what it calls “shout shows,” LNN will use the news wheel format along with live cut-ins that will be seen on all affiliates to deliver local news that’s relevant to local viewers, he says.

“We are in the process of developing in house and finalizing the ability to dynamically and automatically update the news wheels at our different affiliates with a video server that will go in each affiliate site,” he says.

The plan is to equip each LNN affiliate with a channel-in-a-box and reorder the rundown of stories based on the proximity of the story to the affiliate as well as the interest stories generate online, says Wotila.

While starting a new news network on $100,000 might seem ambitious, Wotila says he has a knack for operating on a shoestring budget.

Besides, once the network is up and running, commercial revenue will kick in, giving LNN additional resources, he says.

Wotila gained his experience broadcasting on a budget with the launch of MI News 26, a 24/7 local news channel serving viewers in northern Michigan, he says.

For example, Wotila bought a pair of used ENG trucks for $7,000 for MI News 26. New, they cost more than $100,000 apiece, he says. For LNN, Wotila has already acquired a secondhand network SNG truck

“Now we’ve got a fixer upper satellite truck,” he says. New the truck would cost $200,000 or more, but Wotila is confident he will be able to refurbish it for “a little money,” he says.

Wotila also plans to hold down costs by leveraging the studio currently being used by News 26, he says.

The falling price of used HD equipment, which is becoming easier to find as production houses are replacing their high-def equipment with 4K gear, will also save money, he says. “Buying slightly used helps keep things economical,” he says.

Wotila says he is hopeful the incentive program established for the LNN Kickstarter campaign will attract donations.

For instance, a $250 Kickstarter donation will be rewarded with one 15-second ad per day for the first three months the new channel is on air.

At the top tier, a $9,000 donation secures a title sponsorship entitling larger companies and national brands to be the signature sponsor of the new channel’s morning news.

If Wotila is unable to achieve his $100,000 goal, none of the pledged donations will be collected, and he will be forced to consider other options to pay for the launch, he says.

More information about the LNN launch and Kickstarter campaign is available online.