If you have been looking for a pattern projector to project your logo or other messages, you should give Osram Sylvania's Kreios G1 LED image projector a serious look.
The Kreios G1 (List Price: $480) is an LED-lamped pattern projector that is small and lightweight. Weighing in at three and a half pounds and roughly nine inches tall, four inches wide, and nine inches deep, the fixture can easily tuck into most places with ease.
Assembly and installation of the Kreios G1 is very simple. The unit ships in two pieces that assemble by tightening one screw and plugging in one cable. Mounting is almost as easy as the unit can be installed in any position with the included mounting bracket.
While the Kreios G1 has nice mechanical features, the real “magic” happens under the hood with its Osram LED lamp. With the fixture drawing only 20 watts, while having the equivalent output of a 75-watt halogen lamp, the Kreios G1 is an energy saver and it's 30,000 hours of lamp life make lamp changes unnecessary.
The LED lamp also runs very cool—so cool that it doesn't need a fan, which makes the unit silent, too. In addition, the cooler temperatures that the Kreios G1 runs, gives it an advantage because standard transparency film can be used to print full color custom gobos.
I think this is one of the main selling points of the fixture. I can imagine walking into a church lobby with a series of custom printed gobos being projected on the walls, highlighting a sermon series or upcoming event. The fact that you can print the gobos in-house means they can change weekly at very little cost.
While the transparency color may not be as vibrant as a full color glass gobos, when you consider the price of only a couple of dollars to print your own gobo vs. a couple hundred dollars for a full-color, custom glass gobo, you can probably live with the less vibrant colors.
Of course, if you don't want to print gobos you can use a standard E-sized gobo in the unit, both glass and steel, and you can have companies like Rosco or Apollo make custom gobos. You can also gel the unit any color you want.
The gobos are easy to change; they fit into the provided magnetic gobo holder that sticks to the front of the unit. Focus is performed by running the front lens out until you have a rough focus. Fine focus is taken care of by adjusting the front lens in or out until you have the sharpness desired.
Overall, I think this is an impressive unit. Keep in mind that it is made for short throws in the range of 6-20 feet and lower ambient light environments. Don't expect the unit to project a pattern from 40 feet onto the sunlit wall of your lobby, however. In the proper place, I can envision this unit delivering real versatility and adding a great deal of visual impact to a room or entryway.
