ETC Eos Ti vs Cobalt 20 for Broadcast Using

For the record, Firat: I too have made a living for 3 decades telling people that what they want is not what they need -- that it's not the most effective solution to their problem -- and I can't say I've ever done a better job than the 3 professionals here telling you why you really don't want to connect your $25000 desk to the Internet and use it as a web browser, when you could put a $300 laptop next to it and use that.

If I were them, I would give this up as a waste of my time.

You've been given *professional* advice. If you're disinclined to take it, you should probably stop asking now.

And, also for the record: if your production LAN isn't airgapped from your work LAN, you're a nutbag, too. :)

(Yes, guys, I realize that sounds perilously close to a conversation everyone was kind enough not to have with *me* about chinese LED wash lights 2 weeks ago; shut *up*. :))
 
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.
 
I think if this is about the ETC EOS Ti and The ETC Cobalt 20 I would recommend the Cobalt 20.

Its a cost thing. I have never price checked an EOS Ti but I did run a check on the Cobalt 20 when it first came out and the price tag was heavy. About $45,000. In my head the Ti has to cost between $80,000 and $90,000. I could be way way off about that though.

I also might not have the best perspective on the things though. I work at a house that doesn't realize that lights cost money to up keep and how much effort that takes. They are starting to come around but upgrading their console from an ETC Express 48 / 96 to anything new is out of the question for the next few years.

If it weren't for a grant from ETC I would never have gotten 14 new source four jr's in their hands. Thank's ETC ;)
 
Thanks for understanding.

At the end of the day;

ETC Cobalt has all the wanted features w/out 3rd party applications and remote control over internet and using Windows platform. Any compliant about this mixer?
 

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