"Theoretically, are the 2K, 4K, 6K,
etc. outputs limited by hardware or software? I'm just trying to wrap my head around why other manufacturers' huge output consoles use distributed processing and
EOS doesn't. Even with Net3/
sACN nodes, the
console still does almost all of the calculating work, right? I love the analogy that all lighting consoles are just fast and fancy calculators with extra keys to hide the arithmetic. (And the more-advanced consoles use trig. functions to generate effects.)"
The output config of a
desk is a software limit. Any
console or RPU purchased can be field upgraded to the max allowed by the particular
platform with no hardware change. Even at 16K output, we've not run into the need to get into a co-processing
system, as the basic hardware can easily support the required functionality. The rig output is completely managed by whatever device is the
current master. The gateways are distributing the data, therefore they serve a different function in the rig than similar devices that might be used on other manufacturer's products - and are priced to reflect their
role in the
system.
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"Again, hypothetically, I'm guessing that upgrading a
Gio 4K to an 8K is less expensive than expanding a grandPA 4K by adding a
network signal/processing
processor/
unit to the
network? I like (I think) that
ETC is selling outputs in 1,000 or 2,000 batches instead of channels in 100-unit increments."
On an
Eos family product, when you upgrade the output, you aren't adding any more hardware - so, yes, I'd assume this is more cost effective than adding another device into the
system.
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"One last question: Can an RPU be thought of as just another
console albeit without a facepanel? Or is it more equivalent to an NSP/NPU/DP8000? Would I ever need/want more than one in a
system?"
An RPU is indeed a
console without a facepanel, similar to the LPC for the Expression product
line. In addition to being used in standard
theatre/TV environments, it is often installed in environments that will be programmed from a
desk, and then the RPU left to run the show (think environments like theme parks, "architainment" (hate that word, but...). In those environments it is not uncommon to have two RPUs, one as the primary, the other as the backup. The
desk, then, when connected to the
system, comes online as a client. In a standard
theatre/TV setup, you'd generally only have 1 RPU per
system. Recommended config (but not required) is that the RPU is setup as the primary
processor and the
desk itself as the backup. That way, if you ever did have to assume control from the primary, you'd be sitting at the device with a full facepanel.
One last word (or two) on this.
System output is determined by the lowest output count between the primary and the backup. So, if you connect a 4K
Eos RPU to an 8K
Eos, your
system output will be limited to 4K. The output capacity of any client is not important. So, if you connect a 1K
Ion as a client into an 8K
system, the
Ion will have access to the full 8K of output serviced by the Primary/Backup. Hope that makes sense.
a
