What's happening
Specialist suppliers describe dichroic glass colour filters as vacuum-evaporated optical film on a glass substrate that transmits selected wavelengths while reflecting the rest, rated to about 550 C and resistant to fading or coating loss. Stage-lighting guidance notes dichroic filters reflect unwanted wavelengths rather than absorbing them, giving purer, more stable colour than gels, especially for saturated gobo projections.
Why it matters for buyers
For a retailer, venue or signage buyer, the practical effect is simple: the unit that reads on your wall at your ambient light, with your artwork, beats the one with the bigger number on the box. Specification order — distance, image size, ambient, then brightness — decides the result.
It also changes lead-time risk. Custom gobos and certified outdoor builds need briefing before the date is fixed; the projector is rarely the long pole, the artwork and certification are.
The technical angle
Resolution of the projected image is set by the gobo, not the projector. A crisp 10,000 dpi etched glass gobo on a modest lamp still beats a soft pattern on an expensive one. Match the artwork to the glass, not the other way round.
What to specify
Before you request a quote, lock these down:
- Certifications required for the market (CE / RoHS / FCC)
- Ambient light level at the hour the projection must read
- Throw distance from bracket to surface, measured on site — not estimated
- Mounting surface and whether the bracket can hold aim
