INFERNOPTIX
Digital Pyrotechnic Matrix. Typical video screens are comprised of a grid of tightly-packed LCD or LED pixels, and by turning on and off specific combinations of pixels, complex moving images are formed. Now substitute a 6-inch fireball for each of those little pixels and the image jumps from the screen in licks and bursts of flame. That's the idea behind the Infernoptix Digital Pyrotechnic Matrix. Matrix because the screen is comprised of a grid 12 pixels wide by 7 pixels high, and Digital because to operate all 84 pixels in such elaborate ways requires a bit of digital processing via the custom Infernoptix software. Five separate modes allow a variety of effects from the screen: text scroll, mouse-tracker, audio meter, percussion, and animation, as well as the ability to perform the on-the-fly tuning that is necessary with complex pyrotechnics. This project is undergoing further development in conjunction with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, to combine multiple screens (up to 25) into a single massive on-stage wall of contiguous fire.