That's basically perfect. Not only no shadows, but also no bright center.
I'm sure LEDs will be the way to go, as soon as someone creates the right diffuser.
The bright center is something only cameras pick up. The human eye can't really see it. Besides, the best way to totally eliminate is to have the 'hot spot' up above the table, which is what they do when they're broadcasting snooker (and sometimes pool now), by using two banks of light that are angled towards each other so the table is lit by the spill and the focus of the beams is about six feet above it.
Those lights are hot as hell, though. Eventually I'm sure they'll go to LED as well because of that very reason.
As for diffusing with LED panels the diffuser is basically built in to the light. To add something to it in an effort to create more spread is to basically just have something absorbing the light output from your source. I don't like to knock Diamond lights because they're a fine product, but their mirrored grids they use for diffusing light also absorb about 40% of the light output from the bulbs. That's a lot of light loss for such a small surface area.
The bottom line is that you're going to start seeing LED panels over more and more tables all across the pool spectrum. They're cheaper than traditional lighting, both in initial outlay and in terms of power usage, and they give great light for years and years and years without needing replacement. People also love the look of them over the table. I've sold dozens to home buyers all across the US and Canada, and I've also supplied lights for pool rooms both in North America and even in Japan, and so far haven't heard a single negative response from anyone, which is saying something when you consider the nature of pool players.
As for my own UltraLights vs some of the other products out there, obviously people like to bargain hunt and that's fine, but all I can say on that is that I took the time and effort to find the perfect wattage and color combination that would work great for pool after 20+ years of playing the game at a pretty high level, and I think the results are great -- and easily worth the extra few bucks. I also stand behind the product and in addition I'm trying to put some of my profit (which isn't much, I can assure you) back into the game to promote tournaments and so forth. That's something the folks at ebay aren't doing, that's for sure. I wish they were
