This is a really cool article. The problem with all
incandescent bulbs is that the
filament burns up quickly from the amount of heat it produces. Even with the advent of
halogen bulbs, the problem was not really solved, as it was temporarily circumvented (unless I am mistaken, I believe the
halogen gasses within the
bulb "recycle" the burnt
tungsten atoms rather than keep them from breaking down). This is a really cool advancement since it finally addresses the problem at
hand: heat. Even with the
halogen advancements, you were still losing quite a
bit of energy to heat, which subsequently raised
power bills and made striking a lamp that's been on an endeavor. I don't think that we would be able to incorporate the new technology in a theatrical environment for quite some time, if for no other reason than the possible initial cost (I have no idea what it would be), but it is definitely the gateway to solving one of the biggest problems I've encountered in lighting: how do you increase light output without wasting energy? I think in the long run, it would become possible to further reduce necessary wattage in luminaires (much like
ETC has already done with its Source Fours), ultimately meaning more elaborate lighting without raising the utility bill. And I suppose it would help with the "energy crisis" as well. Anyway, that's my rambling...let me know if I've missed or substantially misinterpretted anything.
Thanks. I always love reading the Question of the Day.