Robe, the world-renowned Czech-based lighting manufacture, recently unveiled their
new 1700W BMFL (Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire) Spot during a worldwide, multi-
lingual videocast to locations across three time zones. Robe CEO Josef Valchar
hosted the presentation and took all roughly 11 000 worldwide viewers through its
features and specifications.
The Johannesburg broadcast occurred at the showroom of local Robe distributors
DWR on Tuesday 2 September around midday.
The 36kg BMFL is said to be a “game-changer’ fixture in the moving light industry.
Even Valchar himself stated that he thinks it is the best fixture Robe has ever made.
“The fixture produces an incredible 250 000 lux at 5m or 2 500 lux at 50m,’ says
Valchar. “The power mode can be selected from the touch screen or via a dedicated
DMX channel and the lamp has a CRI of 92 and a colour temperature of 6000K.
Thanks to our new software and electronics, both CRI and colour temperature
remains the same across all power modes.’
Specs on the BMFL are limited at this point but from what Valchar explained during
the launch, the fixture features smooth dimming from full power all the way to total
darkness without any artifacts or distortion and a dual graphic wheel first found in the
Robe MMX Spot. There are two rotating double wheels and breakout gobos, variable
frost and two rotating prisms; six-way linear and six-way circular. Zoom optics come
in at an 11:1 ratio from 5 to 55 degrees.
An interesting feature of the BMFL is EMS – Electronic Motion Stabliser. EMS “reduces
beam deviation caused by movement or vibration of the truss or set,’ according to
Valchar.
The South African legs of the Robe Roadshow Demonstration world tour featuring the
BMFL will occur Tuesday, 9 September at the Grand West Casino Cape Town and on
Thursday 11 September at the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg. Both events are open
days that begin at 10am and continue throughout the day until 6pm.
