Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: New Color Blue LED Bulbs Balboa Theatre SF Lobby

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Topic: New Color Blue LED Bulbs Balboa Theatre SF Lobby

Terry Monohan
Master Film Handler

Posts: 379
From: San Francisco CA USA
Registered: May 2014

posted 12-14-2019 12:24 AM

This coming week I will be bringing Adam the manager over at the SF Balboa Theatre in San Francisco CA some brand new LED Blue bulbs for the main lobby entrance deco ceiling fixtures.

These have been white old hot bright lights for years and I think the dark cobalt blue look will add a nice touch when people come into the lobby from the street. They have 5 deco fixtures, will do blue on the sides and one red fixture in the middle or may just do blue. Adam is testing the bulb color look.

These are almost the same lights I recently put in the side wall fixtures at the Chabot Theatre in Castro Valley CA plus we added red bulbs under the blue LED's.

Looks so great to have on dim lit during the movie. They don't use a dimmer at the Chabot as we used low watt bulbs. Many people have made positive comments to the management. The Chabot Theatre has just fixed their stage side lights so the curtains are the next to get working again, lets hope then a all new stereo sound system.

What's so bad about most all new color LED bulbs they can not be used on a dimmer. The Balboa Theatre lobby ones will just stay on with no dimmer.

Have you guys ever been to a cinema that have put in color LED bulbs and when they dim down they start to flicker, very annoying. It's hard to find color LED lights that can take a dimmer. They do make them but I don't like the color.

If these at the Balboa Theatre in SF go over we will try a few more at other places in the Theatre that can use some color. The blue look almost looks like black light and If you have anything white on It will reflect just like the old days when they had black light murals on the side walls during a movie.

A big thanks to 'Adam' for letting me try the color LED'S out.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-14-2019 01:18 AM

LED-based "environmental lighting" can be installed that can go from any level between total dark to 100% bright without any flicker or hard jumps between brightness levels. But that all depends on the LED fixtures and controller (if applicable) being used. Some solutions are far more sophisticated than turning on with an on/off switch or basic dimmer. Some solutions can animate patterns, color cycles and other effects as well as transitioning from total dark to full brightness in a smooth, gradual manner. There's a lot of off the shelf consumer-grade retail stuff that just isn't made for commercial applications. The market is also infected with a LOT of cheap imported garbage. The situation can be difficult for even experienced sign industry people to negotiate much less anyone approaching it at a DIY angle.

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Terry Monohan
Master Film Handler

Posts: 379
From: San Francisco CA USA
Registered: May 2014

posted 12-15-2019 03:28 AM

Thanks Bobby for the LED light info. Most of the low budget small cinemas I am friends with the owners have no light budget for anything other then me changing out their old white bulbs in the side walls or in the lobby to new color LED lights. This makes a big difference.

I have even brought back the old days of going Red/Orange and Yellow lights in the winter with Blue/Green and Yellow in the Summer.

I have been using the LED bulbs from 'Energetic Lighting' at a 40 watt replacement and only use 3 watts. They can not be used in dimmer circuits. You won't find these in many stores but they do carry them in Santa Cruz CA at Riverside Lighting plus on line. I have a few in Theatre DelMar in downtown Santa Cruz CA in the side scone fixtures.

My favorite color is their Blue bulb. Comes in about 6 colors, when you can mix the Blue with the Red bulb a great color comes out. The LED price of these nice bulbs from this company are about $5 each. A big reduction from a few years ago on the price of color LED light bulbs.

Try a few of these in your lobby or hall light fixtures that are non dimmable, you will get some great compliments. Seems like so many old or new theatres still just favor old white lights.

We just put in some of these 'Energetic' LED color lights in a Mexican restaurant in the West Portal area of San Francisco as they make some outdoor color LED spotlights also in some great colors. We put in the small ones inside to light up the decor on the walls and ceiling.

Adam now has these new color LED light bulbs at the classic Balboa Theatre in SF, lets hope he can get them up before Christmas and 'Star Wars' starts. Let me know Jim Cassedy projectionist to the stars in SF If they have them turned on in the lobby If you make a movie visit thanks.

Send in some photos of the before old white light look with the new color LED bulb look If you guys do any changes to your theatres please to Film Tech Forums.

Have a great Christmas and New Years coming up to all my friends here on this great cinema sight.

We now have our Cinemascope & Cinerama license plate holders up on our Toyota Blue Prius in San Francisco. Many people have made comments in the last few weeks! I guess a few folks are still around that remember the old days of all the movie projection types used.

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Buck Wilson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 894
From: St. Joseph MO, USA
Registered: Sep 2010

posted 12-15-2019 08:00 PM

"Energetic" does make nice LED bulbs. I got a dozen red-green twin-packs on clearance last year at Lowes and made a string of "jumbo" christmas lights with them. I love that they're clear glass filament style, and wow are they ever bright and the color so true. I have also purchased purple-orange twin packs for Halloween of the same style bulb, also great. But I too have had a hard time finding them since. Lowes doesn't carry them anymore. I hadn't a clue they had other colors but I'm now excited to explore their website that I couldn't find previously due to just searching "energetic led" and it just brought up energIZER flashlights lol.

What an exciting time for lighting. Wish I were still running the old 8 plex I was at 6+ years ago, I could've done many cool things and saved energy all the while.

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Terry Monohan
Master Film Handler

Posts: 379
From: San Francisco CA USA
Registered: May 2014

posted 12-16-2019 02:54 PM

Thanks Buck try their blue bulbs. They are the best ever and give a very dark blue fluorescent glow look to them and they don't get hot like some bulbs do, they also use less power,at 3 watts but show off 40 watts.

Try to get some fast as rumor is 'Energetic Lighting' may soon be getting out of the light LED bulb business soon? I have been hoarding these multi color lights the last few months as most of the other companies that make color LED lights have a fake color to them and charge a high price still plus some even get a little warm.

Energetic Lighting is located in Chino CA 91710. We hope they stay in the LED light bulb business. Energetic is one of the few companies that make a pink LED color bulb, very tropical and looks great in a bathroom or cinema lobby space as long as they stay full lit and not on a dimmer.

Let me know when you buy the blue bulbs, you will see the wonders It produces. I have many in my home in a 40 LED watt bulb (3 watts) along with a Par 38 spotlight 60 watt LED that uses 8 watts. We have many around my glow in the dark fish decor tanks and home cinema.

Once they stop making them you will see the price go way up on E Bay ect for any new lights still left.

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Terry Monohan
Master Film Handler

Posts: 379
From: San Francisco CA USA
Registered: May 2014

posted 12-28-2019 05:39 PM

Looks like my nice Blue LED lights won't be going into the lobby of the SF Balboa Theatre after all. I picked up the new blue bulbs today, Adam the off site manager and other people in charge still want to keep the old white bulbs using all their power watts after thinking it over I guess.

How sad you try to do something nice for a struggling independent theatre to make it nice and they could care less much less not even call me or text me.

The place is staring to go down hill, don't trip on their old frail rugs if you visit.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-28-2019 07:35 PM

Even if they don't want the colored lights, it makes absolutely zero sense to resist changing incandescent lamps to LED.

Even though a theater uses a lot of electricity and the savings might only be a fraction of total power usage, you still have to consider the convenience and savings from not having to change bulbs as often. People don't have to climb ladders as often. That's a safety benefit. Also, the quality of the light, itself, is brighter and more consistent, giving you another safety advantage even if it is a small one.

Yeah, that was a dain bramaged move on their part!

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