HPL Lamps: A BrightLighting Option for TV and Film Production

High performance lighting (HPL) light bulbs have been one of the most important technological innovations to hit halogen lighting. They were first developed in the 1990s by ETC, in tandem with the development of the Source Four ellipsoidal reflector lamp for the stage lighting and TV/movie production industries and continue to be used in them regularly. HPL lamps are called ‘Source Four’ because they feature four compact tungsten filaments. More recently, long-life HPLs have been developed. Long life HPLs have a longer life hour rating than normal halogen bulb and older HPLs, being able to last up to 1,500 to 2,000 hours as compared to the 200 to 400 hour rating of standard HPLs. 


Among the most common HPL bulb is the HPL 575w lamp, or the HPL575. The HPL 575 has a lumen output range of roughly 12,000lm to 17,000lm, giving it a solid luminous efficacy rating. An important consideration in using, or deciding to use a long life HPL versus a regular HPL is that long life HPLs have a reduced color temperature compared to regular HPLs. Long life HPLs typically have a color temperature of 3,050˚K versus the high 3,250˚K color temperature of regular HPLs. One limitation of halogen bulbs is their inefficiency through their production of large amounts of heat. High amounts of heat also place stress on the bulb and likely contribute to bulb failure. HPLs feature a metal or ceramic heat sink base which reduces much of the heat produced by the bulb.

HPL 575 lamps are one of the go-to bulbs in film and TV production today. They are most often found inside ETC Source Four ellipsoidal fixture, as they were engineered to work them specifically. Regardless of this fact, HPLs continue to be extremely popular and produce a tremendous amount of light while maintaining excellent color rendering. If you are currently looking for a bulb for your film and production needs, look no further than HPLs.
By Victor Lopez | 12 November, 2014 | bulbs, halogen, hpl lamps, lights | 0 comments
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