Lasers in your Christmas display
Now this will make you different!
Lasers have not been used much in Christmas lighting displays. They are typically viewed as too confusing for the Christmas decorator or the effects were dull and boring. The technology has evolved over the last few years and the laser industry is making systems that are user-friendly and spectacular looking for the Christmas decorator.
Lighting designers and everyday Christmas decorators have been using LEDs and incandescent lights effectively. Some of these larger displays are controlled via DMX that make all of the lights on the house seem like they are turning on and off or changing colors to the music. Can laser light shows be controlled through DMX? Yes. A Christmas based laser light show can be blended with the rest of your lighting display right on queue. Another option is to play a Christmas based laser light show in the background while the main lighting display is running.
What types of effects come along with a holiday laser projector? The main way a Christmas based laser light show can be used is by projecting Holiday images on the side of your home or display area. This can be a 20 minute show with moving animated holiday graphics. It can also be used to display custom holiday graphics. For instance, “Merry Christmas from PlanetChristmas.” This laser graphic can be displayed anywhere a normal video projector can be seen.
Christmas laser lighting goes way beyond graphic displays. When lasers are mixed with fog or haze they carry an unbelievable effect of looking three dimensional. During Christmas time when the snow is falling in the front of your yard, the lasers will have the same effect and you will be able to see the beams of lasers through the falling snow. No other medium can be quite so dramatic.
Is it easy to install? Yes. These new Christmas laser lighting products are all easy to install and set up. Everything you need comes in a box and just a few cables have to be connected.
Are lasers dangerous? Well that all depends on the power of the output. There are systems that have enough power to display images on the side of your house without causing any damage to eyes or skin. These power rankings are considered to be under 5mW and are legal to use without a license. For the more elaborate displays a person might need a brighter laser system and also an operational license.
And now for the shameless plug: Daniel Cohn is the president and owner of Christmas-Lasers, Inc., providing design, consultation, and programming services for residential and commercial displays featuring Christmas laser light shows. The Babette Graphics systems is available at this time, go to www.Christmas-Lasers.com, or e-mail him via Sales@taiserver.com, for more details.
This article was included in the December 2009 issue of PlanetChristmas Magazine.
By Andrew Erlick