Astera has announced LunaBulb. According to Astera, it externally replicates the appearance of a conventional lightbulb, but internally contains all of the remarkable creative control that comes as standard with Astera’s lighting ecosystem.
The LED LunaBulb draws just 3.5 watts and it is available with an E26, E27 and B22 fitting. Just like a conventional bulb, it screws directly into an AC-wired bulb socket. The LunaBulb features the ability to adjust both white levels (1,750 – 20,000K) and color (RGB, Mint and Amber, with RGB, HIS, XY and Filter Gel color selection options), providing flicker free lighting in a variety of settings. This control is built upon the Titan LED engine.
The bulb can be converted quickly between a classic bulb – ideal for applications such as practical lighting, and a slimline bulb, which allows it to be inserted in all manner of different lamps and spaces. The conversion is a simple matter of attaching or detaching the ‘classic’ dome over the bulb using a spring-loaded clip.
The lights can be wirelessly controlled in a number of ways, including CRMX, Astera’s app, through BTB link or using Astera’s White and FX Remotes. Configuration is achieved using the Astera LunaBulb PrepCase.
The PrepCase can hold up to eight LunaBulbs, and it allows you to quickly configure the bulbs, either individually or as a group, according to the preferred control option of the user. The PrepCase is also available as a PrepInlay, giving users the ability to build the inlay (without its surrounding protective box) into their own setup, be that a flight case or other custom unit.
Because the PrepCase and PrepInlay are battery-powered, with up to an hour’s runtime or indefinitely using a Titan tube charger, the bulbs can be pre-configured before arriving on-site. Each bulb maintains its own CRMX chip and the PrepCase and PrepInlay can be used to auto-assign DMX addresses for individual control or to pre-configure dimming and color. Alternatively, the box can be used to quickly place the bulbs in blue mode, with control facilitated through the app, which allows for pre-set groupings and effects to be applied.
Astera will be offering a range of purchase options, including PrepCase and PrepInlay Kits, which include eight LunaBulbs, as well as the PrepCase and PrepInlay alone, which are sold with a power supply, but which require separate purchase of the bulbs.
Additionally, both the individual bulbs and the PrepCase itself can also be set as a Bluetooth Bridge (BTB) to allow control over the rest of the set. With a single combo-press on either the Astera White or FX remote, a connection can be established by pointing the remote at any individual light. Combined, the control options available for the LunaBulb allow gaffers, cinematographers, console programmers and lighting technicians to integrate LunaBulbs into their wider on-set lighting rig.
Their IP44 rating means that they can be used outside, even in wet conditions, so long as the socket they are screwed into is also IP44 rated.
I don’t currently have any information about pricing or availability.
