Rain, snow, ice and heat are no match for the ETC Desire™ XT LED fixtures – or so the marketing says. Paul Slater, director of Channel 7’s popular breakfast show, Sunrise, decided to put this to the ultimate test by taking one with him to Antarctica!
“It was the first time an Australian television program had done a live, broadcast quality transmission from Antarctica,” explained Paul.
Fortunately the lighting team at Channel 7 had an ETC Desire™ XT LED fixture on order to replace a broken HMI fixture and they took delivery of it the day before departing for Antarctica.
“It’s an all encompassing, weather-proof light that enables us to dial in different colour temperatures, whether it’s daylight or tungsten lighting,” remarked Paul. “You also have full dim control; to have all those features in a light without the need for a ballast is really handy.
The XT luminaires were designed for permanent outdoor use in a variety of climates and weather conditions and can be used safely in temperatures ranging from -20°C to 40°.
“The fact that it is 100% weatherproof is a big plus for all of the outdoor shooting we do when traveling and shooting for Sunrise,” said Paul. “Antarctica is a pretty extreme place and it was good to know we wouldn’t have to worry about the fixture.”
The ETC Desire™ XT LED fixture has an IP66 rating which means that the XT fixtures’ enclosures have no ingress of dust, completely protect their electrical components from water, and are undamaged by the formation of ice.
“Although most of the time when we do outdoor broadcasts we have plenty of power, it’s still handy to have a fixture that is LED and requires less power draw than conventional fixtures,” noted Paul. “You never know when you’ll be broadcasting from the bush using a small generator!”
During its few days in unrelenting cold and snow of the Antarctic, the ETC Desire™ XT LED fixture constantly produced bright, clean light without taking on moisture or corroding.
“The ETC Desire™ XT LED delivered a lot of punch which is exactly what I needed down there,” added Paul. “The shots looked great and I’ve had nothing but positive feedback about the broadcast.”
So go ahead and use the XT fixtures wherever you need spectacular, all-weather lighting. And rest easy, knowing the lights will keep running no matter what Mother Nature can throw at them.
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