MDR – Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk

Coemar ReLite Led Kit breathes new life into High-Quality halogen headlights in the MDR-LANDESFUNKHAUS

Spotlights in TV studios often have a long service life. Without constant assembly / dismantling and transport stress, the usually very high-quality lights are well cared for and maintained over the years. Nevertheless, most studios are currently striving to switch to modern LED technology - justified by both ecological and economic factors. But is it really sustainable to dispose of well-preserved, high-quality halogen headlights in order to install modern LED technology?
Media & Communication Systems (MCS) GmbH Sachsen-Anhalt, the technical service provider at the MDR state broadcasting center Sachsen-Anhalt in Magdeburg, chose an even more efficient way and decided to convert its 2kW studio spotlights with ReLite LED kits in the VariWhite variant (VW) 250 from the Italian manufacturer Coemar.

The decision to switch from halogen to LED had been made for a long time. With newly acquired cameras, however, the demands on the quality of the future LED lighting in the studio increased. It should be absolutely camera-compatible and variable in color temperature. "The spotlights in the studio of the MDR state broadcasting center in Magdeburg are more than 20 years old, but thanks to the best care they look almost like new," confirms Anke Schierenbeck, Key Account Manager of the German Coemar sales company VisionTwo. "The thought of disposing of large numbers of such high-quality and well-preserved devices makes my heart bleed. That's why I recommended the ReLite LED Kit from Coemar to the responsible lighting master Daniel Höhne from Media & Communication Systems (MCS) GmbH Sachsen-Anhalt.”

The Coemar ReLite LED Kit is the fastest and most cost-effective way to convert from halogen to LED. It is available in 150W and 250W variants. The kit consists of an LED unit that is inserted into the lamp base and an external control unit that is attached to the bracket of the headlight. It is available in Tungsten, Daylight and VariWhite (VW) variants. The solution impresses with high energy efficiency with minimal heat generation, a long LED service life and uncomplicated conversion with excellent white light quality with a CRI >90. The new ReLite LED Kit can not only be controlled via conventional Triac-AC or IGBT dimmers, but also via DMX.

The VariWhite variant of this kit offers a flexible color temperature ranging from 2700K to 6500K. “A color temperature of 4800K has proven to be ideal in combination with the new cameras in the studio. Basically, this neutral white hue offers a more natural contrast and camera image overall. With the more available fixed colors of the ReLite LED Kit, we would not have met it, which is why we decided on the VariWhite variant," explains lighting master Daniel Höhne. "At the same time, the variable white light also offers the option of working with warmer or colder white light for certain scenes, which is of course an advantage in terms of flexibility."

The Theater-Architecture Light Chemnitz GmbH (TAL) acted as the system integrator, who in a first step from August 2020 carried out the conversion of initially 40 DeSisti Leonardo 2kW spotlights. "The price difference between new high-quality LED headlights and the conversion with the ReLite LED Kit is enormous," adds Anke Schierenbeck. “The 250-watt variant replaces the existing 2kW headlights and at the same time reduces power consumption by 85% (from 2000W to 250W). With the 40 converted headlights alone, this means a reduction in the maximum power consumption from 80,000 watts to 10,000W. Taking into account all costs such as lamps, lamp replacement, installation, acquisition costs, MTBF (mean time between failure) and the current CO2 and electricity price, this means an ROI in less than two years and a reduction in operating costs with a running time of around four hours per day from around €28,700 to €3,500, while reducing CO2 emissions from around 60t to 8t.”

After prior testing of the model by VisionTwo, basically any halogen headlamp can be equipped with the Coemar ReLite LED Kit. “As always, the cooperation with VisionTwo and Anke Schierenbeck was very good. The headlights were converted in time for setup, so that we were able to start on schedule,” concludes Höhne.