UK - ETC dealers and staff will be showing off the company's latest lighting control console, Congo jr, at PLASA 2006. Packing the same channel and output counts as the original Congo and running the same operating software, the sibling comes in a standard 19" rack-style modular design console. This makes it an extremely flexible desk for smaller venues and an ideal back-up unit for the larger console, say the company.

As part of its flexible design, Congo jr features an optional Master Playback Wing, which accesses all 40 multi-purpose masters of the main console. The Master Playback Wing contains 40 faders and two LCDs in the same configuration as the Congo console, for full playback capability and complete control of all masters and Direct Selects.

With the international communications standard ACN having just received ratification by the ESTA Technical Standards Program, it is anticipated that many manufacturers like ETC will be introducing ACN-enabled products at both PLASA and LDI. ETC's Net3 is an ACN powered open network system and the ETC Four Port DMX Gateway, one of several available for the system, can be seen at PLASA 2006. It is backward compatible with ETCNet2 and most other current control products.

A new model in ETC's SmartPack range of economical and compact dimming solutions, the Wall Mount version of SmartPack is now available with six 20A dimmers and is ideal for architectural applications that require high performance dimming at an affordable price. This convenient, low maintenance unit can be installed directly, without any other parts, anywhere you have a free space. SmartPack is usually controlled via DMX, while for architectural purposes there's ETC's SmartLink with the optional SmartLink Wall Mount Button Stations.

A record 250,000 ETC Source Four luminaires were shipped in 2005 and an increase in that number is expected for 2006 - so the addition of new field angles to the ETC Source Four spotlight range should come as no surprise. The 14° Source Four provides an intermediate-throw field angle to fill the gap between the 10° and 19° luminaires. Short-throw applications such as blackbox theatres and dance lighting will benefit from the 70° and 90° Source Fours, which recently won an award from the Society of Television Lighting Directors.

ETC Europe - stand F30.

(Lee Baldock)


Latest Issue. . .