It’s not a globe but it is something you have never seen! Caught up in the pandemic, left us with lots of spare time and we started wondering what a plasma based infinity mirror might look like. After several months experimenting (playing around) we settled on a triangular design that incorporates 2 plasma plates and 3 two-way mirrors.
Originally, we planned on having the effects run continuously as they are very beautiful and just changing your vantage point gives you a whole different viewing experience. After reviewing them to a handful of customers, one asked if they are interactive. No, they are not interactive like a globe will react to your hand but they could react to sound. We decided to reconfigure the frame, add microphones and see what happens with music.
We were blown away! The very first song was picked at random and happened to be a Mozart classic reworked by the Trans Siberian Orchestra into the “Queen of Winter Night.” After seeing the Plasma Portal’s response to that song our experimenting (playing) really took off. Long story short, we fired up a number of favorite songs from different genres and you can see the results in the accompanying videos.
As you will see by viewing the accompanying pictures we created the world’s first infinity plasma portals and built and sold 10 prototypes. Having proved that our customers liked the idea we set about refining and improving our design. Three years have gone by and we are finally ready with our 2025 Infinity Plasma Portal.
What’s New?
The original design used mirrors cut from polycarbonate plastic with a 2 way mirror film applied. They looked great in a darkened room but unrefined in normal lighting. The mirrors have been replaced by custom made factory mirrored plate glass. The frames are now finished in a piano gloss black laminate with custom formed gloss black acrylic plastic at the three corners. The 2025 look is definitely “Monolithic” mysterious when viewed powered down. The power input, On/Off Switch and dual microphones have been grouped together at the bottom of the inverted pyramid. This change simplifies setting up the Portal for “Sound Activated” mode. In short, the 2025 Edition Portals look great as an unpowered work of art and really dazzle viewers when the lights go out and the effects come on.
Although the display is brighter than a globe’s effects, the mirrored panels reflect ambient light so well that reflections outside of the device are a major distraction. Two-way mirrors are all the rage on police shows where they are used to hide viewers that watch interrogations. As you will recall the viewers are on the dark side of the mirror and the same needs to be true for optimal viewing of a Plasma Portal.
For 2025 we making Blue/Green and Red/Blue color combinations as they proved to be the most popular. They are hand made in our small shop here in Vancouver. These Canadian made devices will be able to enter the US under the “de minimis” exemption and be delivered duty and tax free as long as the total order is under $800. Unfortunately, our Jr. Pro and Professional globes no longer qualify for the ”de minimis” exemption at this time.
The Plasma Portals can now be configured by the user to play continuously or to be sound reactive. We are also including a high quality Bluetooth speaker that has amazing full sound for its size. The speaker placement and volume can be changed to create different effects from the Plasma Portals. Make sure you turn on the sound for the online videos demonstrating the sound option. What you are hearing is the included Bluetooth portable speaker. We have listened to dozens of our favorite songs from every genre and we have to admit that some make a better visual experience than others. Songs with a strong drum beat, base line or wide changes in volume amplitude do best, but all are enhanced by the Plasma Portal’s vivid and dynamic display.
