Okay folks, let's keep it civil. Remember this is an international board and just because there is an established practice in the US doesn't mean that everyone else does it the same way.
@
FIRAT KONYALIOGLU, I apologize for missing your post about why you were looking for the internet connectivity feature. You had indeed answered that question.
I think the issue in this thread is that your core philosophy about
console hardware and
ETC's core philosophy are different. Please correct me if I am misinterpreting, but it appears that your core philosophy about computerized lighting consoles is that because it is a computer that is also a lighting
console, it should be able to do all of the things a regular computer can do too.
ETC's core philosophy is that it is a lighting
console that happens to be on a computer
platform. We believe that the hardware should be dedicated to the task of controlling the lights without the performance impacts other, non-lighting features of a computer may incur.
While these core philosophies are different, let's talk about solutions for your needs. As others have suggested, using a separate computer as your remote interface is the preferred method within the
ETC design structure. What does this mean? We would recommend a separate computer with 2 NICs (
Network Interface Cards) and a client
dongle for that computer. One
network connection would be to your lighting
network, the other
network connection would be to the internet.
Here's why:
- A separate computer can support the webcam, team viewer, anti-virus, and other software without impacting the performance of the lighting console.
- By installing devices on the separate computer, the lighting console is guaranteed not to have adverse driver interactions or other concerns that could happen when the core OS is modified.
- With a client dongle, you can control the master console in the room while allowing the operator to do his/her job. They can be the same user or different users allowing you to change the interaction as you need.
- A separate computer greatly reduces the risk of the console being affected by viruses.
- A separate computer allows your lighting network to be more streamlined and efficient because all of the lighting gear does not need to ignore the traffic from email, printers, and Google searches that may be clogging bandwidth.
- A separate computer allows for your webcam and team viewer software to be active, even if the console is not.
- A separate computer can support your VNC connection needed to interface and remotely log in and control it.
Ultimately, I can tell you, as an
ETC Technical Support Specialist (an employee of
ETC), if you were to modify the
base OS of the
console, and you experienced an issue, the first thing we would ask you to do is
restore the original OS to see if that cleared the issue. We take a lot of time testing performance impacts of the software that we use to control the lighting and adjust the settings in the
base OS to reflect that. If those
base OS settings were further modified, we would not be able to support the changes. I don't mean this to scare you, I just want you to have all of the facts.
Regarding the
UPS internal to the consoles, you are correct that in the situation you described with a loose mains
connector, you would not have been protected. Hopefully better training for those setting up the
console would help. Once upon a time, the
ETC Congo
console shipped with a
UPS built in (2004-2006). We discovered that consoles losing
power wasn't something that was happening as regularly as people thought. We also discovered that the impacts on manufacturing and shipping by including the
UPS were costing us (and ultimately our end-users) more than an off the shelf
UPS. We decided to remove that cost and hassle and rely on the external
UPS that were being installed. Does this solve everything? No. Should we reconsider this design decision in the future? Perhaps. All I can say is that neither Cobalt 20, nor
Eos Ti offer an internal
UPS.
Both
Eos Family and Cobalt Family consoles are being used in active live-to-air broadcasts daily all around the world. In the US it tends to be more
Eos Family centric as that family has a wider adoption here. Other places like BBC are using Cobalt Family consoles for their broadcast needs. I have no doubt that either family of
console could handle your broadcasts and I would encourage you to download the offline/client software for each family and see which feels more comfortable for you. I would also encourage you to contact your
ETC distributor about arranging a demo of a
console to get some hands-on time to know if the
console will work for you.
There has been a lot of back and forth on this thread, please keep asking questions and expressing opinions. You may find that the Cobalt 20 or
Eos Ti is a good fit for your needs, you may not, but hopefully I have helped and not hindered your search for knowledge.
P.S.: I know nothing about Avo Tiger Touch Pro consoles or their operating software, but you may find that the suggestion for using an external computer above might apply and resolve the performance issues you have been experiencing. If they have a client software, I would encourage you to check it out and give it a try.