ETC has now opened a Networking Partner Program allowing select vendors to implement ETC protocols, including ETCNet2™, in their products. This release will give ETC networking partners access to the proven power of ETCNet2, while also increasing the value of ETC networks installed all over the world. In the past, a few companies had been allowed to employ ETCNet2 in their equipment, but this program expands these casual relationships into a more official union.
In order to maintain ETC’s merit to current and future customers, and recognizing that the upcoming ACN (Architecture for Control Network) protocol suite is based entirely on interoperability, ETC is giving access to those manufacturers requested by customers.
“The future of networking is changing and ETC wants to be a catalyst for that change. More networking partners mean more options for Net2 users, so they can make the most of their investment,” explains ETC marketing manager David Lincecum. “As control-hungry devices like media servers move into the mainstream, our network offers the best option for controlling them. Also, as our users further their employment of visualization software capabilities, we allow them direct access to the wide array of products on the market.”
ETC’s newest networking partners include visualization companies Capture Sweden™ and ESP Studios™, media display and server company Green Hippo™, and lighting controls company MA Lighting™. Earlier ETC networking partners include CAST Lighting™, Sand Network Systems™ and Pathway Connectivity™.
The first visualization program to run ETCNet2 was CAST Lighting’s WYSIWYG™, an integration that Net2 users have enjoyed for several years. ETC now increases customers’ access to various visualization applications. Capture-Sweden’s Capture 2005™, a lighting design software for Microsoft® Windows™, has been carefully integrated with ETC’s new Congo™ console to display network value information for channel levels, palettes and other parameter information. In addition to working with Congo, Capture has also made plans to implement ETCNet2 EDMX, adding integration with all Net2 products.
ESP Studios recently announced their intention to implement and support the EDMX protocol in their ESP Vision™, a simulation software that provides incredibly lifelike visuals. ESP customers Prelight™ and London’s Royal Opera House requested the ETCNet2 support from ESP.
“Media servers are the newest area of lighting convergence, consuming hundreds of control addresses for a single unit,” continues Lincecum. “ETC’s Net2 protocol provides the best traffic management available for high capacity applications like media servers. Net2 users can now speak directly to Green Hippo’s Hippotizer™ media servers on their network, eliminating the need for added DMX hardware.”
This new Network Partner Program is a response to direct customer requests. When ETC customer Cirque du Soleil chose to use Net2 throughout their new installation at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas, they requested that Green Hippo use Net2 for their Hippotizer and that MA Lighting implement Net2 on its GrandMA™ console. “While it may seem counterintuitive for ETC to allow another company to implement Net2 in their consoles,” says Lincecum, “ETC holds a different view. Part of our corporate mission statement says to ‘give our customers more than they expect,’ and this program puts those words into action.”
For more information on the ETC Networking Partner Program, contact David Lincecum at david.lincecum@etcconnect.com.