As media servers continue to develop features geared toward working with LED fixtures, lighting consoles are beginning to add in tools that address the unique challenges that programmers encounter while programming both lighting and video. As this convergence of lighting and video continues to evolve, the toolsets continue to evolve as well. Here’s a look at some of those tools.
CITP
Most consoles today utilize Controller Interface Transport Protocol, or CITP, whereas just a few short years ago they did not. As a result of CITP, thumbnails of video content can be displayed directly on the desktop of the console. Having this type of visual feedback improves the processes of content organizing and cue programming. Here’s a short list of CITP friendly consoles:
- MA Lighting grandMA2
- High End Systems Hog4
- PRG V676
- ChamSys MagicQ series
- Martin M1
- ETC Congo
- LSC Clarity LX
- Jands Vista
- Compulite Vector series
Autopatch
Many consoles have begun to implement additional features for communicating between console and server. For instance, take a look at how patching a media server on a lighting console is performed. If you’ve done this before, then you are aware that patching a server is usually achieved by adding multiple fixture types for Layer controls, Camera controls, and Master Image controls like Keystoning, to name a few. Patching them in the correct order is crucial as well, because their order is assigned in the DMX protocol. High End Systems recognized how much of a hassle this can be and recently released a software update for Hog4 that allows for the autopatching of an ArKaos Media Master server with a single button press. This clever autopatch feature not only reduces the possibility of patching errors but it also simplifies the patching process by eliminating the need to patch separate parts of the fixture individually.
Built in Media Controls
Several consoles have addressed the need for integrated pixel mapping controls by adding mapping editors, effects, and virtual low resolution media servers directly into the console’s workspace. For example, the grandMA2 has the Bitmap Effects Editor; the ChamSys MagicQ has the Pixel Mapper, the Hog4 has the Pixel Map Layer, and the ETC EOS has the Virtual Media Server. What all of these consoles allow the programmer to do is set up pixel maps quickly and then easily assign content directly to the map without the need for an external media server. There are a couple of drawbacks to this approach though; either the resolution of the content is not usually HD and/or the number of content layers is limited. But these limitations are necessary in order to keep from taxing the processor of the console too much. However, if the project requires pixel mapping, using one of these consoles is a handy alternative.
Native Environment
While many consoles now utilize CITP protocol, there are a few that go beyond simply displaying thumbnails on the console. And while some media servers like the Hippotizer from Green Hippo have incorporated direct communication to specific lighting consoles using the console’s proprietary networking language (MA-Net), two lighting consoles push the bar even higher by communicating directly with their own proprietary media servers designed and built by the same engineers as the consoles themselves: the grandMA2 and VPU and the Avolites Sapphire Touch, Media Wing and Ai. These console/server packages feature full system integration of the media server into the console’s programming workspace and display the native environment of the media server directly on the console’s displays. The advantages of this type of direct communication between console and server are too many to list and may be best summed up as providing a fine-tuned and efficient workflow; having the same menus and visual workspace on the console that you see on the server itself means you won’t have to search for a feature because it’s been generically relabeled on the console.
What’s Next?
As the trend of integrating media server controls into a lighting console continues to progress, this will also have an impact on video controllers as well. We can already see this in the newest line of control surfaces from Barco: the EC-200 and the EC-50. While the EC-200 is built on the same hardware as the Hog4 console, it is not a lighting console. However, both the EC-200 and EC-50 offer direct control of the Barco range of media servers including the XPR-600 and the E2 Event Master series. As such, the development of this type of hardware lends credence to the theory that having a dedicated control surface for a media server allows for increased efficiency during programming.
So, will there ever be an all-in-one lighting/media server controller? Many programmers would prefer the answer to that question to be “No,” because they prefer to keep the roles separated. But one thing is certain: the train is on the tracks. With the development of consoles like the grandMA2 and the Avolites Sapphire, the precedent has been set, and many programmers like myself are excited to see what’s next.
