Cinelex – A Wireless DMX Revolution

Cinelex, based in the UK, launched their wireless DMX product range at the back-end of 2016. From the start, their vision was clear – to bring a universal DMX light control system to market that had been designed specifically for the TV & film production industries.

Fast-forward a few years, that vision has served them strong with thousands of units sold and used on sets across the world. Rental houses and production companies listened and bought into the 'no-frills, it just works' approach.

With a strong foundation built through SKYNODE, TRX & DESK-TX8 – 2019 marks the next phase for Cinelex with the introduction of three new products; SKYNODE-TX, SKYFI & SKYBRIDGE.

Built around the same ethos as SKYNODE, SKYNODE-TX adds wireless functionality to any DMX controller. From low-cost to top of the range, simply plug SKYNODE-TX into the controller's DMX output and it'll be upgraded into a LumenRadio-capable wireless device.

SKYNODE-TX allows the desk to communicate with multiple LumenRadio receivers, such as those built into lights, or any other DMX-capable light fixture using SKYNODE. Used together, SKYNODE & SKYNODE-TX give a new lease of life to existing equipment, eliminating the main obstacle to wireless freedom – cost.

Until now, all Cinelex products have exclusively used LumenRadio – the industry-standard protocol used to transmit DMX512 data packets wirelessly, allowing a light (receiver) and controller (transmitter) to communicate without cables. With SKYFI & SKYBRIDGE, Cinelex adds Art-Net protocol to the armoury. Art-Net performs a similar task to LumenRadio – transmission of lighting data - but it does so through an ethernet network, without the limitations of the DMX512 standard.

Using Art-Net, SKYFI enables one-to-one communication between a Wi-Fi device and any DMX-capable light fixture with a SKYFI plugged-in. SKYFI broadcasts itself as a Wi-Fi access point, which a user connects to with a smartphone, tablet or computer. When connected, the user opens a web browser, types the device IP address and loads SKYFI's 'Web Browser UI', granting users the freedom to control the light fixture from their own device. In addition, SKYFI is fully-compatible with many existing Wi-Fi capable lighting apps, such as Luminair.

Building on this principle, SKYBRIDGE combines Art-Net & LumenRadio protocols into a single device. This combination enables elaborate setups, with an Art-Net computer or mobile application used to control many light fixtures, both wired & wireless. SKYBRIDGE acts as the link between the two, communicating in both protocols and dynamically translating them in real-time.

The wireless DMX products developed by Cinelex form a true ecosystem, with each device designed to complement the other. Thanks to Cinelex, gaffers on productions of all sizes have the tools to wirelessly control their lighting rig like never before.

www.cinelex.tv

This article is also available in the April edition of Broadcast Film & Video.