Horizon’s beginnings stem from work in the early 90’s on a PC-based lighting controller for trade shows. Conventional methods employed large dedicated control desks that were not well suited in size or function to multi-area, independent sequencing of complex moving light displays. The screen shot below is from this first product, Firefly, running under Windows 3.1.

In 1995, Gordon Pearlman, well known for his contributions to the lighting industry including the Strand Lighting Impact, Kliegl Bros. Performer Series, Morpheus Lights Commander, and the complete line of GAM Access Controllers proposed taking the Firefly Technology and marrying it with the features found in theatrical last-action consoles. Thus Horizon was born.

Horizon was first released at LDI in 1996 to a resounding response. The Windows 95 console delivered by a large company by an experienced console design team was revolutionary. Althogh limited in funtionality, the early years of Horizon still reinforced the latent desire for users to have portable, cost effective PC-based lighting control. The initial release of the 512 Interface was followed additional hardware and software options as the product line broadened over the years into the product line we know today.

Horizon Timeline

Firefly first used in show Fall 1993 Horizon First Shown Fall 1996 Horizon Shipped March 1997 Submaster Wing Panel Shipped January 1998 Gold Software Upgrade Shipped April 1998 Silver Software Upgrade Shipped January 1999 1024 Interface Shipped February 1999 Playback Controller Shipped February 1999 Horizon Available On-Line June 2002