Control/Dimming Hog3PC able to run a tv show for 9 straight months?

[fastexposure]

Hello,

I'm interested in using the Hog 3pc to run a single camera episodic television show. Do you guys find that the hog 3pc is stable enough to run for 9 straight months? Is there any major issues with using it?

Also what would be the best PC to run the Hog 3PC?

best,

Josh

 

[fastexposure]

Re: Hog 3PC able 2 run a tv show for 9 straight months? Also whats the best PC to run

Also do you need a internet connection to run the board?

 

[shiben]

Re: Hog 3PC able 2 run a tv show for 9 straight months? Also whats the best PC to run

Better plan: Get 2 of them, and run them in backup. That way, the longest it takes to fix the problem is like 10 seconds. Pretty much anything thats show critical like that and you cant afford to have problems with gets backed up.

 

[erosing]

Re: Hog 3PC able 2 run a tv show for 9 straight months? Also whats the best PC to run

Hello,

I'm interested in using the Hog 3pc to run a single camera episodic television show. Do you guys find that the hog 3pc is stable enough to run for 9 straight months? Is there any major issues with using it?

Also what would be the best PC to run the Hog 3PC?

best,

Josh

Who told you to get a Hog for TV/Video? Are you just looking at it for the, comparatively, low price of the widget versus a full console (of any manufacturer)? Do you desire certain things about the Hog specifically? Why PC? The biggest issue with HogPC, and really any PC edition console is the lack of buttons, faders, wheels, balls, and switches. Some of it can be replicated, but rarely are those replications as smooth or as fast as the real thing. If you get a programming/playback wing PC systems become much faster and easier, but they still have some downsides. The biggest advantage is probably the ability to change the form factor. If you don't need this wing you don't need to set it up to take space, if you have a lefty op one day and a righty the other, they can set the desk up to fit themselves better. If something breaks, you don't have to send the whole thing in, usually.

This is being shot in a studio, yes? What kind of show is it? Are you using conventional or are you doing a lot of DMX addressing with movers and toys?

If you're going for a HogPC because of the price, there's cheaper solutions, that some consider to be superior to HogPC, see Chamsys for one. If you need the effects and capabilities of a Hog but don't want to shell out for the console, again, I'd have to say look at Chamsys. I'm referencing Chamsys, but there are a number of other options at different price points and capabilities.

Overall, the questions are, what are you using the board for and what features do you want? Why Hog? Why PC?

 

[LXPlot]

Re: Hog 3PC able 2 run a tv show for 9 straight months? Also whats the best PC to run

Also do you need a internet connection to run the board?

If you have an internet connection, make sure that the board cannot access a browser. The fastest way to make a console unstable is to have other applications running on it. The less other things the computer does, the less issues it will face, and the less it will crash or be unstable.

But I think you might be better off with an actual control board, as they are much quicker and easier to operate and often more stable. A popular line in television right now is the Compulite Vector line. I've never personally worked with one, but one cool feature I've heard about is that the Windows GUI runs on a seperate CPU from the DMX controls software, so if it should crash mid-show, from my understanding, you should be able to continue to run it with command line.

Compulite Vector – An Introduction - On Stage Lighting

That's a review of the board.

 

[shiben]

Re: Hog 3PC able 2 run a tv show for 9 straight months? Also whats the best PC to run

If you have an internet connection, make sure that the board cannot access a browser. The fastest way to make a console unstable is to have other applications running on it. The less other things the computer does, the less issues it will face, and the less it will crash or be unstable.

But I think you might be better off with an actual control board, as they are much quicker and easier to operate and often more stable. A popular line in television right now is the Compulite Vector line. I've never personally worked with one, but one cool feature I've heard about is that the Windows GUI runs on a seperate CPU from the DMX controls software, so if it should crash mid-show, from my understanding, you should be able to continue to run it with command line.

Compulite Vector – An Introduction - On Stage Lighting

That's a review of the board.

I want one.

 

[derekleffew]

Re: Hog 3PC able 2 run a tv show for 9 straight months? Also whats the best PC to run

...A popular line in television right now is the Compulite Vector line. ...

Or so the marketing people would like you to believe. Please name all the US TV shows that are using a Vector.

Also do you need a internet connection to run the board?

No. As a matter of fact, nothing good can come from having a lighting control system connected to the Internet. As LXPlot said, the key to stability when using a PC-based system is to only run the console application on it, and remove as many extraneous programs as possible.

As for the best PC to run the Hog 3PC, a lighting control application doesn't require super-fast processors or massive amounts of RAM. From Hog 3PC :

Minimum System Requirements

Windows® 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP SP2 or greater
Intel Pentium 3 compatible processor at 1 GHZ or higher
256 MB of RAM
200 MB hard-disk space
1024 x 768 or higher-resolution monitor