Four new projects were started at ESTA’s Technical Standards Program's working group meetings, held by July 13 through 15 in Ft. Worth, TX. Anyone interested in participating in a working group to work on these projects is invited to join. Information about working groups can be found online. Anyone objecting to one of these projects because it is unnecessary or conflicts with an existing standard is invited to send his or her objections to standards@esta.org.
BSR E1.33-200x, Extensions to E1.31 (DMX512 Streaming Protocol) for Transport of ANSI E1.20 (RDM) is a project to develop a set of extensions to E1.31 to support ANSI E1.20 functionality. The basic E1.31 protocol can be described as "DMX512 over Ethernet." It is intended to be suitable for implementation in hardware with very limited resources. The E1.33 project can be described as "RDM over Ethernet." It is to add RDM functionality while maintaining E1.31's compatibility with the E1.17 (ACN) control architecture and ANSI E1.11 (DMX512-A). BSR E1.33 is a project of the Control Protocols Working Group, which is particularly interested in gaining new voting members in the interest categories of dealer/rental company, user, and general interest.
BSR E1.34-200x, Entertainment Technology-Measuring and Specifying the Slipperiness of Floors Used in Live Performance Venues, is a project is to develop a means of quantifying the slipperiness of floor surfaces used by performers in live entertainment venues. The hope is to be able to come up with a measurement that will correlate with a performer's perceptions when he or she says a floor is too slippery or not slippery enough. It is axiomatic that you can't manage what you can't measure; floor slipperiness is something that must be managed for the convenience and safety of performers, so we must have a way to measure it. There are other standards aimed at making sure fire fighters don't slip off fire engine steps and that pedestrians don't lose their footing, but none deal with the concerns of performers trying to dance or to do some other unusual movement in front of an audience. BSR E1.34 is a project of the Floors Working Group, which is which is particularly interested in gaining new voting members in the interest category of dealer/rental company.
E1.35-200x, Standard for Lens Quality Measurements for Pattern Projecting Luminaires Intended for Entertainment Use, is a project to develop a method for measuring lens quality with particular emphasis on contrast and perceived image quality (sharpness). It also will offer a method for presenting these results on a datasheet in a format that is readily understood by a typical end-user and that allows the end-user to directly compare lenses in a meaningful way. There is currently no way to describe how clearly a stage lighting instrument projects an image, other than by showing a person, which is effective, but often inconvenient. Standards exist for projection lenses, but these are not applicable to the lower quality lenses used on stage and studio luminaires. This project is a project of the Photometrics Working Group, which would welcome new voting members in the interest categories of dealer/rental company, users, and general interest.
E1.36-200x, Model Procedure for Permitting the Use of Tungsten-Halogen Incandescent Lamps and Stage and Studio Luminaires in Vendor Exhibit Booths in Convention and Trade Show Exhibition Halls, is a project to develop a model set of procedures that can be used by convention center and trade show exhibition hall staff to mitigate the risks perceived to be associated with the use of tungsten-halogen lamps and stage and studio luminaires in convention centers and trade show exhibition halls and to allow their use. There is no evidence that tungsten-halogen lamps or stage and studio luminaires present any greater risk as they are used in exhibition halls than any other light source or type of luminaire, but the management staff of at least one major convention center in the United States believe that they do have elevated risks and have moved to prohibit or limit their use by exhibitors. The restrictions are inconsistently enforced, and this complicates the trade show business. A model set of procedures to allow the use of tungsten-halogen lamps and stage and studio luminaires would bring uniformity to the regulations and simplify doing business in the trade show industry. It also may improve safety by assuring that the lamps and luminaires are indeed used in a safe manner. This project is a project of the Photometrics Working Group.
For more information, please contact:
Karl G. Ruling, Technical Standards Manager
ESTA
875 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1005
New York, NY 10001
1-212-244-1505
Fax 1-212-244-1502
standards@esta.org