What's happening
Materion Balzers Optics' Dichrolight entertainment-lighting filters are available as full colors, gobos and patterned CMY filters on borosilicate glass stable up to 400°C. They are absorption-free (avoiding thermal stress), non-ageing and available in 17 standard colors, used in shows, theatres, discotheques and architectural lighting where stable saturated color matters.
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
Colour filters cost output. Every added filter layer absorbs a slice of light; a three-colour stack can lose 40–60% of beam brightness. Quote the filtered lumen figure, not the bare lamp lumen, when comparing.
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
- Lead time on a custom gobo versus a stock pattern
- MOQ and dispatch window before the event date
