New light technology may improve color fidelity

[Leigh]

Can't find a section for lighting, so I'll put it here. After all, cameras need light.

A story on the BBC about a completely new lighting technology that can match the solar spectrum exactly:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20553143

- Leigh

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Link doesn't work unfortunately...

[Leigh]

That's odd. It works fine for me. There's no registration required at the site.

- Leigh

[Walter Calahan]

link worked for me

[Mark MacKenzie]

Wow, fascinating, Leigh. Thank you. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to get to market.

[Jim C.]

Interesting article, my guess is that it may first see use in flat screen TV's than lighting.

[Sevo]

Nope, still does not work, even when coming right from the BBC home page. And a couple of other Beeb links of today are dead ends as well. Looks like the Amazon/Akamai/or whatever cloud server they use has a trashed database on the end serving German providers...

[Rafal Lukawiecki]

Same in Ireland, link does not work at the moment, 404. I think Sevo is right, looks like a CDN/cache consistency issue.

[Nathan Potter]

Interesting. I'd like to see a plot of the spectral output to see how well it compares to a classic black body radiator in the visible region. A lower amount of IR heat would be welcome. I assume it would be a DC current device. Nice to know the efficiency of the experimental devices so far.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Leigh]

It will be interesting to see how long it takes to get to market.
The article says they expect to start production in 2013. I'm sure it will just be test and evaluation runs initially.

Sevo and Rafal...
Sorry about the link problem. I and others have no problem with it.
You two might compare notes and see if you identify a common server or route that's having a problem.

- Leigh

[Bill Burk]

How fast will this come to market? I don't know but

"He has one in the lab that has been working for about a decade"...

[Drew Wiley]

Has to be low-e to be marketed in the US anyway. We've got a law that unless it
gives eyestrain, migraines, awful color, and toxic ingredients when shattered, you can't
sell it.

[ic-racer]

If its so good why don't they show the spectrum graph? Until I see that I'll file it away under 'commercial jiberish.'

[Leigh]

This is a news item for the general public, not an engineering specification.

The article identifies the researcher and his institution. You want more info, go look for it.

- Leigh

[drew.saunders]

If its so good why don't they show the spectrum graph? Until I see that I'll file it away under 'commercial jiberish.'

Here's all the technical details: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566119912004831

[Leigh]

Thanks for posting that, Drew.

In the BBC article, the word Details in the sentence immediately preceding
the heading Brighter White, is a hot link to that page.

- Leigh

[Leigh]

A lower amount of IR heat would be welcome.
Hi Nate,

Quoting the inventor: "What we've found is a way of creating light rather than heat."

It looks like a great option for studio and portrait use plus videos, since it has no flicker.

- Leigh

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Here is a working link about it: http://www.tgdaily.com/hardware-features/67824-fipel-lights-could-replace-leds

[Mike Anderson]

Looks very promising, very versatile. More:

http://phys.org/news/2012-12-goodbye-fluorescent-bulbs-technology-wont.html

[Rafal Lukawiecki]

I cannot wait for the day when the awful blue-green, mortuary-like home lighting gets replaced with something happier, with a more natural, continuous, balanced spectrum. Perhaps I am oversensitive, but candles make me happy, while generally available CFLs, or UV LED fluorescents, quite the opposite. Having said that, there are a few, rare, though still barely acceptable CFLs.

Links now working, thank you for posting.

[Drew Wiley]

I can't even use CFL's without migraines. They purport to last a long time, but often burn
out just as fast as cheapo incandescents. Someone has discovered a loophole in our natl
law that allows one to make a "heavy-duty" bulb (thick walls, strong filament), aka a
"droplight" bulb and get around the regulations. But that doesn't do it for most display
purposes, and exempt halogens (low-voltage etc) are both hot and high in UV. Someone
needs to come up with a better mousetrap, but there is an incredibly rough road between
inventing something and mass-marketing it.

[Vaughn]

I love the photo in the BBC article! A Classic! It reminds me of the Monty Python bit where the doctors in the OR wanted the machine that goes "Plimp!" If they do a video about the light source, they'll definitely need one of those in the background!

But a cool idea for light.

[el french]

I want the time machine he used to go back 10 years with the new light :)

[Sevo]

Here's all the technical details: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566119912004831

Well, some technical details. No scientific (nor even engineering) statements as to spectral quality or longevity so far. "Full spectrum" might be as bogus as similar claims for LED bulbs - what they describe ought to behave like electroluminescence in general, which does not create continuous spectra, so they'd be as dependent on phosphors as LEDs...

[Brian C. Miller]

I've been using the full spectrum lights, like the Ott light, for home. They're OK, and far better than the standard "cool white" lights. My local hardware store doesn't sell normal light bulbs any longer. They might have the "heavy duty" incandescents, but currently it's all halogens, CFLs, or LEDs.

Has anybody tried an Aladdin kerosene lamp? They sell them at hardware stores, and I bought one maybe 15 years ago. It's an excellent, extremely bright lamp. I love the light it produces. It produces a lot of heat, though, so you need three feet of clearance between the lamp and the ceiling.