With its chassis-integrated diffusion, the Litepanels Astra Soft Bi-Color is like having a softbox built into the slim Litepanels Astra profile. The diffusion is designed to all but eliminate the multi-source shadow effect and lend a soft wraparound aesthetic to your subject while covering a larger, less concentrated area of illumination. The Soft Bi-Color is designed and built for professional production, with 25% higher output than the previous version and high color fidelity in its full 3200 to 5600K temperature range. Color and brightness adjustments are stepless throughout their range, and the output is flicker-free at all settings.

The Astra's functions may be adjusted locally using the intuitive built-in controls or operated remotely with one of the optional DMX512 modules, available in XLR 5-pin, RJ45, or wireless formats. Each module provides Master/Replica configuration for the control of single lights, or for multiple light fixtures in a network or daisy chain. In addition, the Astra Bluetooth module provides the same kind of control of single or multiple lights from a portable device, using the free Litepanels Smartlite downloadable app. The accessory modules slide into place on the rear of the Astra panel simply and quickly, with no wiring or complex installation required.

A quiet fan at the rear cools the electronics. It can be turned off during critical scenes, although the light output will be reduced while the fan is inactive. The Astra is ready for worldwide use due to its 100 to 240 VAC power supply, but it can also run on batteries if AC power is unavailable when paired with the separately available V-mount or Gold mount battery plates.