Litepanels Sola 6 Gets Super Bowl Debut

LED lighting systems continue to advance in giving lighting and set designers the kind of controllability necessary to make the technology a serious contender to replace Fresnel lighting systems. Litepanels’ new Sola 6 system is making a splash in the Fox Sports announce booth at Super Bowl XLV.

Two of the Sola 6 lights will be used alongside a 3×1 LED panel to light the Fox Sports play-by-play team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

The advantage of the Sola 6, says Litepanels co-founder Pat Grosswendt, is that it allows the operator to control it like a traditional Fresnel by spotting the light in and cutting it: “The idea is controllability of the output, quality of the light, and more control over the look.”

Audio technician Ben Altopp (left) and Fox Sports’ Dave Thrower with Litepanels’ new Sola 6 light in the Super Bowl announce booth

The use of LED also reduces the amount of power and heat in the broadcast booths compared with Fresnel lights.

Ben Altopp, an audio technician who, with Fox Sports’ Dave Thrower, helped design the announce booth, says that the ability to shape the light gives the team the chance to move away from an overly flat lighting effect.

“With the Sola 6, we can shape the light and allow for more character,” he says. “The 3×1 panel will be used to fill the voids and make sure there are no holes.”

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