Cobalt, Congo ?

Nik,

Yes, Cobalt software is replacing Congo software and the later is no longer being developed. http://community.etcconnect.com/forums/t/13367.aspx

Congo, Sr. has been discontinued and that hardware is no longer being produced :( The Congo Jr, Congo Kid and Congo PC are still in production, but are now listed in the ETC Entertainment Controls pages under the Cobalt Family consoles. As you'll see, there is no Congo page and the Sr Console is no longer shown.  http://etcconnect.com./products.controls.aspx

It is probably a good idea to start familiarizing yourself with Cobalt, even if you are not comfortable running it in a production environment. I'm sure it has undergone extensive beta testing, but it is impossible to cover all possible operational scenarios because the software is so powerful and different users can achieve the same result in many ways. There are some early reports of various problems, but that is always the case with software. Even though Congo software has been in development and production use for such a long time, the existing Congo version 6.4.1 has a bundle of issues, Take a look at the release notes for 6.4.1; there's over a page-and-a-half of know issues beginning on page 10. http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs_downloads/relnotes/Congo_v6.4.1_RelNote_RevB.pdf.

You can check on some reports of problems right in the forums pages. Many times, "issues" are actually due to user error, but in some cases, users actually uncover previously unknown "bugs". For a list of known issues with Cobalt 7.0.0., check out the release notes at http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs_downloads/relnotes/Cobalt_v7.0.0_RelNote_RevA.pdf.       Beginning on page 8, you'll find around two pages of known issues. If anything on that list would seriously hamper the way you use your console for productions, it might be wise to wait until 7.0.1 or beyond to see if it gets fixed. Better yet, voice your concerns in this forum and to your ETC tech support contacts. The forums are monitored and issues raised are often addressed. 

ETC says Cobalt software will continue to run on Congo hardware "for the foreseeable future". The new hardware and software make extensive use of touch screens, so you may find it helpful to add a touch screen or two to get best functionality from your existing console. If a console upgrade is in your future, it might not be worth the expense of adding a touch screen to your existing Congo. Be sure to check out compatible touch screens if you plan to acquire one, as Congo has a very specific touch screen technology requirement and a Windows 7 or 8 touch screen likely won't work. In the long run, the meager Pentium processor in the Congo Sr is long out of date and will eventually not be able to keep up. Best to start making plans for a hardware upgrade somewhere down the line.

Good luck!

Keith

"In the long run, the meager Pentium processor in the Congo Sr is long out of date and will eventually not be able to keep up."

We bought a Congo Sr in 2010.  Are you saying it will be obsolete in a couple years?  That's pretty disappointing if so...

-Ethan

Is there any way to upgrade the processor?

"In the long run, the meager Pentium processor in the Congo Sr is long out of date and will eventually not be able to keep up."

We bought a Congo Sr in 2010. Are you saying it will be obsolete in a couple years? That's pretty disappointing if so...

-Ethan

3than,

I don't think there's any reason to worry about this until you get to a point where your Congo cannot do things you need it to do. There are a lot of places out there running shows on Expression 2s & 3s or even older hardware. If or when the Cobalt software adds functions and features that you must have and cannot be supported by the Congo hardware, then you have a problem. 

This is my general take on the issue and I'll qualify my remarks by saying that I have no in-depth knowledge of specific components used in the Congo or Cobalt. ETC Tech Support is your best source of information about what components are used in the Congo and what can or cannot be done in terms of  "upgrades" to extend the life of your hardware. I'll also reiterate that ETC has said existing Congo hardware will work with Cobalt software "for the foreseeable future".  Also keep in mind that ETC has a very good reputation for supporting products, even those that were discontinued long ago.

In the most basic terms, we're running our lights with software and a computer, connected to very purpose-specific hard controls on a face panel. Congo was introduced in 2004, so we are using hardware based on technology that is now 10 years old (actually more, counting time for research and development prior to product release). Now imagine running current business and internet applications on a 2004-vintage Windows XP computer and you'll get the point. While Congo or any other lighting control console is a closed ecosystem and the developers only have to be concerned with running lights, the introduction of Cobalt raises the computer technology hardware bar several magnitudes. In turn, I imagine that opens a Pandora's box (in a good way) of new capabilities that can be implemented in the Cobalt software.

Intel was releasing a lot of variations on the Pentium 4, Itanium, Xeon, Pentium M and Celeron processors 2002-04, at clock speeds of 900 MHz to 3.46GHz. It's reasonable to assume the original Congos used one of those processors. It's entirely possible that ETC switched to later model processors and motherboards over the years of manufacturing. Processor upgrades are dependent on the motherboard and BIOS, so there's usually a pretty limited range of processor upgradability with a given motherboard/BIOS combination.

This past summer, I sent my 2006-vintage Congo Sr. to the mothership in Middleton for repair of some burned-out LCD screens. When it came back, it had a new hard drive, double the RAM and a replacement for the terribly noisy power supply fan that annoyed me for years. The boot time with the added RAM (and possibly a faster hard drive) is a significant improvement. That proves that some upgrades are possible, so check with ETC Tech Support if you feel you have a problem.

Regards,

Keith

A quick question:
Does installing the Cobalt software on a Congo Snr. also install the latest (last) version of Congo software? Or does it keep the Congo version that was already installed?

I'm just trying to determine file compatibility is going to be ok 'IF' we have to switch back & forth between Congo & Cobalt.
 i.e. what version Congo files are compatible with Cobalt; and how long will Cobalt versions be backwardly compatible with the last version of Congo?

A quick question:
Does installing the Cobalt software on a Congo Snr. also install the latest (last) version of Congo software? Or does it keep the Congo version that was already installed?

I'm just trying to determine file compatibility is going to be ok 'IF' we have to switch back & forth between Congo & Cobalt.
 i.e. what version Congo files are compatible with Cobalt; and how long will Cobalt versions be backwardly compatible with the last version of Congo?

Ric,

6.4.1 is apparently the last version of Congo software that will be released. Everything forward will be released as Cobalt software.

You can keep the existing Congo software and switch back and forth. According to the post in this forum by Kirk Starks announcing the release of Cobalt software...

Cobalt v7.0.0 software installs in a new folder as a parallel installation. This means that the existing Congo software installation folder and plays folder are unmodified and remain accessible and useable.

When you install Cobalt V7.0.0, the contents of the existing plays folder are COPIED into a new Cobalt plays folder, so all the existing show files are immediately available in Cobalt V7.0.0.

Opening a Cobalt v7.0.0 show in Congo v6.4.1

When make a show file in Cobalt v7.0.0, you can open it in Congo v6.4.1 by saving the file to USB, then switching to Congo v6.4.1 and opening the file from USB.

Switching your Congo between Congo v6.4.1 software and Cobalt v7.0.0 software

During this time of transition, if you need to return to Congo v6.4.1 use on your console (For example guest users who want to use the older version, touring shows, etc.) simply do the following:

Launching Congo v6.4.1

Press F1 on an external keyboard while powering up the system to start using the Congo software installation. From this point onward, the system will start as Congo v6.4.1.

Launching Cobalt v7.0.0

Press F2 on an external keyboard while powering up the system to start using the Cobalt software installation. From this point onward, the system will start as Cobalt.

 Remember, you can switch between Congo and Cobalt as you need to - the two installations will not interfere with each other.

You can read the full post here http://community.etcconnect.com/forums/t/13479.aspx.

Regards,

Keith

Hi Keith,
Yes I'd read that, but it doesn't answer my questions.

I am assuming that the Cobalt software doesn't install Congo. In other words if we have an earlier version of Congo ( i.e 6.3.xx) then that is what we will swap to using the F1/F2 process at startup.

I'm also assuming that the file compatibility is only between version 7.0.xx and the last version of Congo (V6.4.1). Once Cobalt is updated to a full point version (i.e. 7.1.xx)  then all bets are off for backwards compatibility, as in the past different versions of Congo software file weren't backwardly compatible. This means our transition using the same file for both platforms is time limited.

I just need to be able to convey that to others so they understand.

Ric,

Sorry I missed the point of your question. While I'm not absolutely certain, I don't think installation of Cobalt 7.0.x updates a previous version of Congo 6.x.x to 6.4.1. Version 6.4.1 is, however, still available on the Downloads page here http://www.etcconnect.com/product.downloads.aspx?ID=20015. It would probably be best to upgrade to 6.4.1 before installing Cobalt, but the Release Notes for Cobalt software do refer using pre-Congo v6.0 showfiles on consoles running Cobalt (see http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs_downloads/relnotes/Cobalt_v7.0.1_RelNote_revA.pdf).

I understand your concern about compatibility going forward and I think the whole issue of what's going to work with what version and for how long is of concern to all Congo owners. Perhaps Sarah, Anders, Kirk or someone at ETC can address and clarify what we can expect down the road.

Keith

Hi Ric,

Keith is correct about the Cobalt installer and previous versions of Congo. We do not automatically update the Congo version when updating to Cobalt 7.0.x. His suggestion to update the Congo side before updating to Cobalt is a good one, but if you have already updated to Cobalt 7.0.x, you can still update the Congo version by running the same Congo 6.4.1 installer. (Note that if you run it from the Cobalt side, you will still need to follow the F1 instructions to switch back to the Congo side)

As far as show file compatibility, show files created in Cobalt 7.0.x are backwards compatible only with 6.4.1. Congo show files created in earlier versions of Congo are subject to the notes listed in the release notes, but in general are compatible with Cobalt software.

Moving forward, we know that there will come a time when the features of Cobalt will not be backwards compatible with Congo 6.4.1. This is the same effect as version 6.4.1 show files not being compatible with a Congo running version 5.1.0. The ability to switch back to Congo from Cobalt is something that we added to help ease the transition.  We hope that you will continue the forward journey with us as we develop new and exciting features.

Thanks Kirk,
That's confirmed my assumptions. This is as I expected, but I just needed it confirmed so I have more weight to the update/upgrade path to Cobalt that we need to take.