ESTA Host 2nd Annual Control Protocol PlugFest January 2011

It’s times like these that I wish I lived in the lone star state! ESTA’s Technical Standards Program is holding their second annual Control Protocol PlugFest in Westlake Texas on January 21st and 22nd.

The PlugFest just happens to be at the same exact time and place as the Technical Standard Program meetings! What a coincidence right! Both the TSP meetings and the PlugFest will be happening at the Marriott Solana in Westlake Texas.

PLugFest goes from 4pm to 10pm on Friday, January 21st, 9am to 11pm on Saturday, January 22.  There is also a date listed as July 25th from 9am to 10pm.  The July 25th date must be a completely separate meeting of the TSP and another PlugFest.

The Control Protocols Plug Fest will be an informal event, with the only people around to see the equipment work or fail being engineers and technicians, not customers. The event will provide an opportunity for manufacturers’ engineers to see if their products will work with the products of numerous manufacturers, find out on the spot what is wrong, fix it, and try again. With all the members of the RDM and E1.31 task groups that wrote the standards on-hand, it also provides an excellent resource to get implementation questions answered and to learn from everyone’s shared experience..

For more information and to register, contact Scott Blair. Registration is important so that the logistics of the equipment delivery, setup, and removal can be organized. There is no charge for participation and the event is open to everyone. Hotel sleeping rooms can be reserved through ESTA.

ESTA Technical Standards Program CPWG:Wiki

Keeping track of industry standards and the development stages of a protocol can be pretty challenging.  Especially when our industry has SO MANY unique and individualize standards. John Huntington, the blogger/writer of ControlGeek.net felt the same way.  It is mind numbing trying to keep track of all the standards and their progress.

John just happens to be apart of the ESTA’s Control Protocol Working Group, (CPWG).  He recognized that is was a little difficult to keep track the progress of the standards and helped create a wiki site for not only the members of the group to see where any given standard is, but for the rest of the industry too!

John made it clear  that the wiki is not to replace the minutes, but to give a summary which is a bit easy to read and review.  Check out the new CPWG: Wiki at www.esta.org/tspwiki. Thanks John for your hard work in putting this together!

TSP Review: ANSI E1.15-2006 Theatrical Boom & Base Assemblies

Time to get your reviewer hat on.  ESTA’s Technical Standards Program recently released ANSI E1.15-2006 (R201x), or better known as Entertainment Technology–Recommended Practices and Guidelines for the Assembly and Use of Theatrical Boom & Base Assemblies for Being Considered for Reaffirmation.

Here’s the scope of the document:

The standard sets minimum specifications for the assembly and use of variable and fixed-height luminaire support devices, commonly referred to as “boom and base assemblies.” This standard does not apply to towers, ground-support structures, or other devices that use winches or other lifting mechanisms, and does not apply to aluminum tripod or other similar lightweight stands, or stands with castered bases.

The public review of the document is up till January 4, 2011.  Head over the the TSP document center and help out the industry.

Revision of ACN Standards Up for Review

All right, all you control freaks, (I mean that in a good way), get your thinking caps on.  The ESTA Technical Standards Program just announced that the revisions of the ACN or Architecture for Control Networks protocol documents are up for public review.

If you are smart and can understand the documents, ESTA is calling on you for your help in reviewing and making sure this standard is well, up to standards!  Here is a little background on the document up for public review:

BSR E1.17-201x is a revision of ANSI E1.17-2006, Entertainment Technology – Architecture for Control Networks (ACN), which is a suite of documents that specifies an architecture, including protocols and language, that may be configured and combined with other standard protocols to form flexible, networked audio, lighting, or other control systems. It can be implemented on networks that support UDP, IP, and related protocols. The revision is to correct errors and to improve functionality.

What are you waiting for?  Head over to the TSP site and download the documents and review them! All documents and review forms must be back to ESTA by August 24, 2010.

ESTA Releases Two Control Protocol Draft Standards for Review

At the end of January, ESTA announced the release of two Control Protocol Draft Standards for Public Review.  As with any draft standards put out for public review from ESTA.  People that have interest or knowledge of the specific standards are highly encouraged to read and comment on the drafts before they are no longer available for public review.

Here are the two Control Protocols  up for review:

BSR E1.30-1-20xx, EPI 23. Device Identification Subdevice

This document is part of BSR E1.30, Application level equipment interoperability for control of commonly encountered entertainment technology devices using ANSI E1.17. It specifies a templated device for device identification as typically used for remote hardware and software devices.

BSR E1.20 – 201x, Entertainment Technology — Remote Device Management over USITT DMX512

The existing E1.20 – 2006, Entertainment Technology–Remote Device Management over USITT DMX512, is being revised to correct errors in the published document and to add a new message enhance functionality. ANSI E1.20 is an extension to USITT DMX512 and ANSI E1.11 that allows for bi-directional communication on the primary data link for lighting control.

Both of these standards will be up for public review and commenting till March 30, 2010.  You can download the documents and review forms for the ESTA Technical Standards Program website at www.esta.org/tsp.

Two Rigging Draft Standards Up for Review from ESTA

Looks like ESTA has just announced the release of two drafts of rigging standards for review to the industry. If you have any interest or knowledge of rigging, you are encouraged to provide your valuable input into the drafts.

With any review of draft standards, there is a limited time that the public are allowed to review and comment on the standards.  These two particular draft end review on February 15, 2010.

Here is more about the two drafts that are up for review:

BSR E1.6-2–201x, Entertainment Technology — Design, Inspection, and Maintenance of Serially Manufactured Electric Chain Hoists for the Entertainment Industry

BSR E1.6-1–201x, Entertainment Technology – Powered Hoist Systems

You can download and review these documents at the Technical Standards Program page found on the ESTA web site, www.esta.org.

Thanks Stage Directions