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LSC Lighting Announces NEXUS Ethernet/DMX Converters

The NEXUS range is the latest addition to LSC’s Data Distribution products and offers conversion between DMX512 signals and Ethernet and currently supports both the Art-Net and Streaming ACN (SACN) protocols.

NEXUS provides the ability to convert between the two most popular Ethernet protocols namely Art-Net and Streaming ACN (SACN) and DMX512. Going further than your average converter, NEXUS allows users to:

  • merge two universes onto a single port on an LTP or HTP basis by universe or by slot (channel)
  • Soft patch across multiple universes
  • Auto switch between two assigned universes for redundancy purposes
  • Merge two universes and resend these as new Art-Net or SACN stream

Three models are available namely a single port portable Ethernet / DMX converter, a 5-port rack-mount Ethernet / DMX512 converter and a 5-port truss-mount Ethernet / DMX512 converter. Powercon power input connectors are available as an option on the 5-port units. The single port unit is powered via Power over Ethernet (PoE).

The units are supplied with female DMX512 connectors as conversion from Art-Net / SACN to DMX512 is the most common use for these units. However with the appropriate sex-change connectors, any unit can be configured for DMX512 to Art-Net/SACN conversion. In fact in the 5-port versions it is possible to configure a mixture of DMX512 ports; some as inputs and some as outputs making the system extremely flexible.

Complimentary to the NEXUS range of products is NexLan software. With versions available to run on Windows, Mac and other platforms, NexLan software is free and used to configure and monitor the NEXUS range of products.

You can find more information on the new NEXUS range at LSC’s website www.lsclighting.com.

#LDI2010 – Enttec Datagate Mk2

Datagate Mk2 is a pretty sweet bit of hardware. It allows you take ANYTHING in and spit ANYTHING out.

On the front of the box is a pretty simple panel for making adjustments to the unit like setting an IP address or choosing a profile. The screen can display the status of the unit. The back has 1 DMX in, 8 DMX outs, a gigabit ethernet connection, 2 USB ports and a RS-232 jack.

You make your advanced changes by logging into each units built in web server. From there you set changes to it and your system through a pretty easy to use drag and drop GUI. You virtually patch different elements together to build your show, adjusting settings as you go along.

The built in features are basic DMX splitting, shifting, and generation. Optional upgrades allow you more flexibility like HTP or LTP merges, RDM gateway, and using multiple units as a hot backup so if one unit goes down, your show doesn’t.

The base model starts at  $1750 and upgrade licenses range from $150 to $1150.

You can check out more on the Enttec website.

New iPhone/iPad App – FocusRemote Art-Net Contoller

A new lighting app has hit the iTunes App Store, FocusRemote.  Developed by Bart van Stiphout, the FocusRemote app is designed to do exactly as the name of the app says, focus lights remotely from our iOS devices.

FocusRemote uses the WiFi connection of your iOS device to connect to a wireless access point connected to your lighting network. The app send Art-Net signal via WiFi directly to your Art-Net capable system or to an Art-Net node that can input DMX signal into your rig.

FocusRemote has the ability to send a complete universe of Art-net over the network to bring address to a level for checking and focusing.  Only one universe is selectable at a time, but you have the ability to select from all 255 Art-Net universes right in the app.

FocusRemote handles channel/address selection a little differently then some of the other Art-Net controller apps on the market as it uses a command line syntax which is typically found of lighting desk. The app also has the ability to record memories or cues for quick recall, but lacks the ability to execute on timing.

I have had a chance to play a little bit with the app and feel that there are some things missing like the cue timing, but you have to remember the name of the app FocusRemote.  The app is designed to aid and help when focusing a plot and not run a show, that is what your lighting desk is for.

As for the price tag of $11.99, is it worth it, it really depends on your situation.  If you are looking for a remote focus device that fits in your pocket and has the ability to work with any lighting network out there, then FocusRemote would be right up your alley. $11.99 is a small price to pay for a Remote Focus Unit that is universal and works on your iOS device that you probably already own.

You can download the RemoteFocus app from the iTunes App Store for $11.99.

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City Theatrical Announces PDS-750 TRX Power/Date Supply for CK LED Fixtures


City Theatrical is up to it again, making all kinds of crazy awesome wireless products. The latest one is the PDS-750 TRX Power/Data Supply for Color Kinetics LED fixtures.  Not only does the PDS-750 offer Streaming ACN, Art-Net and KI Net protocols, but also wireless DMX via their popular SHoW DMX.  To make the PDS even more functional, City Theatrical has included fully RDM reatures to the box.

The PDS-750 TRX provides full control capability for the new Philips Color Kinetics ColorBlast 12 TRX, as well as 16 bit and 8 bit ColorBlast 12 TRs, iW Blast 12s, and conventional 8 bit ColorBlast 12s, ColorBlast 6s, ColorSplash 2s, and other CKDMX fixtures, and it can control any mix of these fixtures without wasted DMX Slots.

The PDS-750 TRX units come with a rugged NEMA 1 steel and aluminum enclosure. It’s rack-mount ears can double as pipe mount hangers.

It features multiple data I/O ports, including E1.11/1.20 (DMX/RDM) via XLR 5P, E1.31/1.33 (Streaming ACN) via etherCON, Art-Net via etherCON and wireless SHoW DMX standard on each unit. It also features an Ethernet pass-thru—E1.31/1.33 gateway via XLR 5P when E1.11/1.20 not in use, Art-Net gateway via XLR 5P when E1.11/1.20 not in use.

For more information on the PDS-750 TRX, head over to www.citytheatrical.com or www.colorkinetics.com.

Review: Luminair for iPad

When rumors of the Apple iPad started to become serious and it came to realization, everyone went crazy with excitement. One company in our industry, Synthe FX, also became excited about the idea of the iPad and started making big plans. Synthe FX is the developer of the “lighting desk in your pocket,” or Luminair, the iPhone app. Synthe FX expanded on the original design of the iPhone app and developed a version of the popular iPhone app that runs natively on the iPad, Luminair for iPad. With the iPads larger display, about the size of four iPhones or 1024 x 768 pixel viewable area, Synth FX added several new and exciting features to the iPad version.  Seventy-five percent of Luminair for iPad was completely rewritten from scratch for the larger display and to give live events and performance greater control.

Capabilities

Since Luminair for iPad runs on the iPad, a pretty portable device, you can take your console with you as you move throughout the location. The design of Luminair for iPad allows you to run your entire show wirelessly and operate as a remote focus unit, or almost anything other use for a DMX console. Setting up and using Luminair for iPad to control a lighting rig is fairly simple. With a little bit of knowledge of wireless networking and how Art-Net functions, getting up and running can be a snap.

After you have purchased your iPad and your very own copy of Luminair for iPad, you still need a bit of third party hardware in order for the app to talk to you rig. First thing you will need is a wireless access point or router to connect the iPad with your console to send DMX signal out of Luminair for iPad. From there we need a way to translate the Art-Net, which is the protocol for sending DMX over UDP/IP networking to DMX signal to the rig. There are a ton of devices out on the market that translate Art-Net to DMX. One device that is relatively inexpensive and work well in this situation is the Enttec ODE or Open DMX Ethernet device. But as I mentioned, there are quite a few DMX nodes or devices out on the market that can translate Art-Net to DMX.

My goal here is not a step by step installation and setup guide, but to give an overall view of Luminair for iPad. I, myself, used the above mentioned wireless access point and Enttec ODE for the review and found set up straightforward and simple. If you find yourself in trouble, Synthe FX makes a step by step guide on how to connect your network available on their website.

Layout

After setting up Luminair for iPad and all of the network devices and of course my rig, it was time to get playing with Luminair. If you are familiar with the iPhone version of Luminair, then Luminair for iPad will come to you easily (only on a bigger display).

With the multi-touch ability that the iPad offers, Synthe FX took total advantage of this interface control to offer the user what seems awkward at first only because we are used to single point interface with computers. The multi-touch control and input type becomes pretty easy to understand and use if you have ever had to run multiple sliders on a desk at once. Combine Luminair for iPad’s multi-touch control and user interface with controlling and playing with fixtures and recalling cues becomes natural.

[singlepic id=1070 w=320 h=240 float=left]It’s important to know that Luminair for iPad handles any type of device. Synthe FX handles devices a little bit differently than a typical lighting controller. Even though there is a similarity of a slider from 0% to 100% or in true DMX signal 0 to 255, Synthe FX labels these as tracks in Luminair for iPad. Tracks consist of set of parameters: parameter by intensity, RGB mixing or XY coordinates, (pan & tilt), and a single track handles those parameters. Here is where a curve ball is thrown in. Luminair for iPad offers the ability to patch a device from a template or fixture profile in the app, similar to how we select a device profile in most modern lighting desks. Now, most modern lighting desks handle a device with either a single fixture ID or channel number.  But, Luminair for iPad functions a little differently. For a single device, the different sets of parameters are broken down into individual tracks with the associated parameter labeled at the bottom. So for a 23 parameter device like a Mac 700 Profile, you will have 8 different tracks, or “sliders” to operate that one device. This may become a little bit of a problem when you start patching 2 or more high parameter count fixtures because some horizontal sliding across tracks will be required.

Now that we have an understanding of how Luminair for iPad handles devices with tracks, the next important step in any lighting controller, is setting up our patch. Again, Luminair for iPad handles this in a unique way. After you have selected which fixture type or parameter you want the new track to control, you have to assign that track to a specific DMX address for each parameter. Rather then using the common syntax of 1 @ 1 or Address 1 at Channel 1, you get a display of the DMX address available on the single universe of DMX that you are using. Simply selecting the correct DMX address will patch that track to that address.

[singlepic id=1085 w=320 h=240 float=left]But there are more options and functions available within patch or channels display within Luminair for iPad. Lets take a closer look at patching a simple and generic RGB mixing device.  Say we want to patch a track starting at address 1. We have the RGB device addressed at 1 as well.  As we all know, that simple and generic RGB mixer take 3 DMX address to function, so we have to patch them within Luminair for iPad as so. Starting off with address one, after selecting it, the box turns to red and has an “r” in it representing that the Red is patched there. Then to patch Green we would simply select 2, it turns red, but we need green! Select 2 again and the box turns green with a small “g” in the box. Great, Green is patched. We do the same for Blue by selecting address 3 and select it until it turns Blue with a b in the box. Done! Our simple generic RGB mixer is ready to operate!

[singlepic id=1081 w=320 h=240 float=left]Let’s look even closer at the individual tracks for an RGB or CMY mixing device. The main control of the track, what I am calling the slider, is the intensity control of the fixture. With Luminair for iPad, Synthe FX added some features under the track controls and the color wheel picker. You are still able to choose any color from the color wheel, along with saving that color to what we might call a color palette or color preset for quick recall of that color across color mixing devices.

A new feature added to Luminair for iPad from the iPhone version is Groups.  I mentioned that your control screen may get filled up with tracks pretty quick. Luminair for iPad offers the ability to group like devices or any tracks that you want to control into one group. Rather than having 10 individual tracks or patching all 10 dimmers into one track that controls my front of house wash, I can keep my 10 individual tracks for separate control and make a new group that controls them all together.  This also frees up some space in the control section in the app while still offering the 10 individual tracks for control.

All of this control is great, but what about playback? Luminair for iPad wouldn’t be much of a lighting controller with out the ability to playback looks or cues that we have created within the app. Just like the iPhone version, Luminair offers the ability to record cues or looks and have them playback just like we would expect a traditional lighting desk to with fade times. Just like a typical desk, cues can be arranged into stacks for traditional playback or for chase effects, the possibilities are limited only to your imagination.

With the release of Luminair 2.0 for the iPhone earlier this year, Synthe FX worked closely with Cast Software to integrate some controls and function between Luminair and WYSIWYG.  Luminair 2.0 added the ability to see your cues in a cover flow display. With integration from WYSIWYG release 25, you can take a snap shot of your rendering and import that image into Luminair and attach that to a cue. So in cover flow view, you can horizontally swipe through your images of cues and execute them right there. Synthe FX included that function in Luminair for iPad.

[singlepic id=1076 w=320 h=240 float=left]Another feature that has been added to Luminair for iPad is the ability to view and capture incoming DMX from a single universe of DMX values from another control device on the network.  From the controls view, you can bring up the DMX input view and see what each address on the universe of DMX is outputting. Synthe FX took it a step further and added the ability to record the incoming DMX signal as a cue for replay right from the app. Just add another use for Luminair for iPad, a full back-up console to your rig!

[singlepic id=1073 w=320 h=240 float=left]What about saving shows, something that is MOST important in any programmer’s view. Since the introduction of Luminair for the iPhone and now for the iPad, Synthe FX has made it possible to open and save show files on your device within the app. Even though Apple does not offer a file system for saving and storing files like we are use to either on a Mac or PC. Luminair for iPad offers the ability to save different shows files right on the iPad. Synthe FX also included a simple web server access to Luminair so you can connect to the app via any computer with a browser to connect and transfer files back and forth. This makes backing up and saving show files quick and easy.

Wrap Up

There are some things that seems to be lacking in my eyes with Luminair for iPad, specifically when dealing in gobos and color wheels parameters of devices on a track.  Likewise, any indexing wheel track on Luminair for iPad doesn’t offer any additional options or graphics when choosing an index on a wheel. As a result, we still left have to bring the slider to a specific level so the wheel moves to the appropriate level. Not a deal breaker by any means, but maybe a future update for Luminair for iPad?

There is nothing like Luminair for iPad on the market. There are, of course, similar apps for both the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, but nothing comes close to being a fully functional lighting console on any of our favorite Apple portable products. Overall, Synthe FX put a huge amount of time and effort into developing Luminair for iPad and it really shows. Configuration and setup are a breeze. Bringing tracks to a level and recording cues are simple. Synthe FX makes an interesting point when explaining the ease and use of Luminair for iPad, building and playing back shows is as easy as creating an iTunes playlist. Not a bad explanation! Synthe FX even included a sleep override function into the app.  Rather than having the iPad “go to sleep” and lose the connection to your network, Synthe FX added a simple override function to the app settings that keeps the app and iPad active while you are programming or playing back a show.  Simple things like that make Luminair for iPad stand out and show the lighting industry that yes, there really is an app for that!

To learn more about Luminair for iPad, visit Synthe FX web site at www.synthe-fx.com.  To pick up a copy of Luminair for iPad, visit the iTunes App Store for $129.99.

Your Thoughts

What did you think of the review?  Do you have Luminair for the iPad, did I miss something?  Leave your thoughs in the comment section of this review, I would love to hear what you think.

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Enttec Announces New DataGate MK2

After two years of development, Enttec is ready to announce the arrival of the next version of the DataGate, the DataGate MK2.

The new box of the DataGate MK2 is a completely redesigned chassis, with a more flexible display and menu choices at the front,. All connections are at the back. There, you can find 8 DMX ports, and an Ethernet port, like the old Datagates. That’s where the similarities end. The new Datagate Mk2 supports Gigabit-speed Ethernet-networking and all calculations are handled by a 500Mhz CPU running a Linux 2.6 Kernel. This means the Datagate can seriously crunch numbers. Enttec anticipate future software upgrades that can benefit from this, with added patching and merging options as well as other kinds of data manipulation.

One of the key differences about the Mk2, compared with the original Datagate, is that the configuration is all performed via web browser. You don’t have to download a utility and keep it on your computer–just set your browser to the Datagate’s web address. Enttec has put a very unique graphical front end together for this purpose, and possibly the best part of it is the screen which lets you draw a flow chart and make the Datagate Mk2 do what you draw. This not only cuts down on your workload by saving steps, it makes the whole process easier to understand and manage.

To learn more about the Enttec DataGate MK2, visit their web site at www.enttec.com.  The new DataGate MK2 is expected to begin shipping until mid summer.

Artistic Licence Releases New Art-Net PoE4 DIN-Rail Switch

1556large Artistic Licence announced the release of their latest addition to their Art-Net range, the Art-Switch PoE4. The Art-Switch PoE4 is designed to provide power and data over cat5 cable to such products as the Art-Lynx or any other Art-Net node.  This eliminates the need for additional power supplies for the individual nodes.  This type of data and power distro is called PoE or Power-over-Ethernet.

The Art-Switch PoE4 has five 10/100BaseT Ethernet ports on board, four ports support the PoE while the fifth is network in.  Each port is capable of auto-configuration which includes speed, duplex and cable type and complies with IEEE802.3af Ethernet standards.

The Art-Switch PoE4 requires a 48v power input and can be housed on a DIN Rail system or surfaced mounted. The Art-Switch PoE4 runs £355.00 or $585.00 USD.  To learn more about the Art-Switch PoE4 or to purchase one, visit www.artisticlicence.com.

Review: Synthe FX iPhone App, Luminair Version 1.5

luminair_logo

luminair15-mainWe recently wrote about the arrival of an update and release of Synthe FX’s lighting control iPhone app, Luminair. Over the last month we have been following Synthe FX progress on releasing the update version 1.5 of Luminair.  Luminair allows you to control, view and manage intelligent DMX lighting fixtures and consoles, straight from your iPhone or iPod Touch. Using Artistic License’s Art-Net protocol  (DMX over ethernet), along with your device’s built-in Wi-Fi connection, Luminair can either control lighting equipment through it’s virtual touch-mixer and innovative channel
assignment board interface, or analyze incoming data packets in realtime.

With the touch of a finger, lighting control data is sent through the airwaves, allowing you to be unchained from the lighting desk or the closest patch-bay. Both projects and fixtures can be saved and restored at any time, making Luminair an indispensable tool for configuring intelligent lighting networks for one or more locations.

The kinds folks over at Synthe FX we able to provide a demo version of the updated version 1.5 for iSquint to do a review. Click read more link to read the entire review.

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