In a record year for ETC product releases, the company has triumphed at the LDI tradeshow in Las Vegas, as the company formally debuted its latest and most sophisticated lighting control system yet - its flagship Eos, which is set to launch in Europe in summer 2007. The console has won the coveted LDI Product of the Year Award for best debuting product in the lighting category. Announced at the LDI (Live Design International) 2006 awards ceremony on Saturday night (22 October), the award praised the new console for its groundbreaking innovation and functionality. The independent panel of judges said: "Eos is a radical move forward in console design that allows everyone to see whichever displays they prefer." Marian Sandberg, editor of Live Design magazine, presented the award to ETC's CEO Fred Foster and the Eos design team. 

Eos was engineered to handle the most advanced and complex lighting rigs. Designed for the rigorous demands of West End shows, opera houses, concert venues, TV studios and large productions, Eos is the culmination of extensive ETC console experience, research and end-user feedback. Eos is undeniably ETC - users will be instantly comfortable with its operational style and syntax - while boldly new in its visionary features and functionality.

Complete Control

Eos is a fully networked system managing conventional fixtures, moving lights, LEDs, fog machines, media servers and more. The system is both forward thinking and reverse compatible, as it simultaneously outputs both ETCNet2^TM and the new Net3^TM protocol, ETC's network powered by the new ESTA ACN standard.

Team player

Eos responds to the way people work, anticipating the team-intensive style of today's productions. The console offers unique features tailored to the needs of each member of the design and production team. ETC's Eos product manager Anne Valentino explains: "In complex real-world productions, a desk or remote station may be used by a programmer, a designer or ALD, an electrician and others - all approaching the system with different purposes and varying requirements. We've learned from watching and talking to them that each looks at the system from a different perspective, but the common issue for all is time. They are all interested in reducing the time it takes to programme the lighting system so they have more time to be creative.

"So we developed this powerful new desk that is familiar and comfortable, while providing better, faster ways to programme a show. Some things are obviously new - how lights are marked, how quickly and intuitively patch works, our query function and setting colour by matching to gel references, for example. But we also looked for every opportunity to streamline frequently used functions, and it's those shortcuts that result in a smile and nod from people. Everything was optimised to be simple, easy and time-saving."

Eos offers what ETC calls ‘partitioned control' to support the layers of production work that can be done simultaneously. Multiple programmers can work within the same show file, while electricians with remote focus units and a designer at a remote workstation work independently. One easy instruction in the first cue of the main cue list synchronises everything to one [Go] button and one operator when the programming is concluded.

Eos provides a syntax and operational style familiar to most lighting designers, allowing them to speak to their moving light and conventional programmers in a language each will understand. Designers will also be able to work from a laptop or Remote Video Interface connected to the Eos network. These remote stations can mimic the programmers' displays, or designers can set up their own workspace, totally independent of the programmer.

Programmers look for speed, efficiency and flexibility. The most commonly used functions are easily accessed right on top with Eos - so that programmers can work by memory. Eos provides seamless interaction between the command keypad and direct selects, which provide one-touch instant recall of show content. LCD direct selects can be used with or without innovative button overlays that support multi-touch operation and - because they provide tactile response - let programmers keep their eyes on the stage, not the desk. Eos also introduces ‘intelligent-parameter' mapping, showing controls only for lights that are currently patched. Force-feedback encoders provide a tactile response to programmers, letting them know when colour scrolls, wheels and gobos are in full frame.

Electricians will find that Eos is engineered to adapt to multiple system configurations - both now and in the future. Because the system outputs both ETCNet2 and Net3 simultaneously, it provides control of legacy systems, which can easily be migrated to a full ACN environment when needed. Eos imports show files from a wide variety of desks, as well as Lightwright^TM patch information. Powerful utilities provide information about the lights used in the show and tools for cleaning up the show data itself.

Eos is available in two models: Eos 8K (which supports 8000 outputs) and Eos 4K (4000). Accessories include the Eos Remote Processor Unit (RPU), which provides additional backup options and stand-alone playback functions; the Eos Remote Video Interface (RVI), supporting two DVI video ports and providing a workstation for designers, ALDs and stage managers; and Eos Radio Remote Focus Unit (RRFU), purpose built with integral LCD, backlit buttons and encoders, to support the most common maintenance and focus functions. Eos's Client Software Kit includes a CD image of the Eos Off-Line software, with a dongle to enable a third party computer access to the network. This station can then serve as a remote display or programming device.