German heavy metal band Blind Guardian thoroughly road tested Robe's new DigitalSpot 5000 DT fixtures, which were specified by LD and video operator Andreas Fiekers.

Whilst preparing for the "A Twist In The Myth" tour, Fiekers became aware of the imminent release of the DigitalSpot 5000DT, one of the latest innovations on the lighting market.

German rental company Satis&Fy (suppliers of the European tour) has used Robe moving lights for some time, and decided that the time was right to purchase some of the brand new fixtures. Says Andreas Drees, CEO of Satis’s touring division, “We are very satisfied Robe users, and have invested in many different fixture releases over the years. It's been an extremely successful relationship - Robe is the only moving light brand that never breaks!”

It was also a logical step for Andreas Fiekers to integrate the DigitalSpot 5000 DT into his design,: “It’s been a great decision” he states, adding that the units went been in and out of the truck each day and up and down on the rig – without a single hitch. “You just get them out of the case, switch them on and they are ready to go … every time” he confirms.

He adds that the optics are excellent and the positioning is really precise - two of the most important attributes for a projector.

This first full tour for the DigitalSpot 5000 DT actually featured pre-production units. The DigitalSpots were used for projecting onto the backdrop and set using a diverse selection of content for the different songs, including surreal black and white footage of a man getting crazy, strange landscapes, animated artwork of the band's album covers, snippets of their videos, and graphics, all of which was switched and synchronized to the music.

Most of the content was produced by Fiekers, with some animation parts made by Stanimir Lukic and his team at Rock The Nation in Belgrade.

Robe's Ales Grivac, was also suitably impressed with the DigitalSpot's first touring performance. “It was vitally important to us to ensure that these products are completely roadworthy. Having them on a hard rocking heavy metal act where they get plenty of serious use was the ideal scenario and environment for this to happen”. The fixtures handled the dusty, crowded, high temperature humidity of rock-tastic heavy-metal clubs with true Robe style!

Fiekers was also able to offer invaluable feedback to the Robe R'n'D team for enhancing and streamlining the DS 5000's future performance. With the digital world in constant development, the latest software updates for DigitalSpot users will be available on Robe’s website.

The latest feature will be the 'collage' effect - the merging of images from two projectors to create one bigger picture (independently of a media server), which will make the unit even more powerful and versatile.

For more press information contact marketing department ROBE Show Lighting on e-mail: marketing@robe.cz