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    davebsstage
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EOS now or wait....

Good Afternoon,

 

As part of a larger renovation project coming online in the next 12-16 months, I may have the opportunity to purchase an EOS now (federal grant).  It being "year 1" of the product, I am a bit hesitant.  Anne, would you (or someone on the EOS development team) comment on now vs. waiting a year.  I am running an Obsession II 750 right now and have been told by friends in the industry that my transition to EOS should be fairly painless.  Are there major changes in store that will make me wish I had waited  for the "year 1 version" to be stronger?

 Thoughts?
 

Thanks for your time......

 

dave B.

 Master Electrician/ Adj. Professor

Syracuse Stage/Syracuse University Drama 

  • While not part of the development team, I have had some pretty significant opportunities to work with the console, and I'd like to chime in if I may.

     As far as I know, the hardware of the actual console is set.  The beauty of this is that the only thing that will change now is the software.  That is continually being developed and worked on.  It will change over time, much like the Obsession II did.

     
    I am sure that Anne or someone else on the team can tell you more about it, but you always know that you will have the backing of ETC behind the product.  And based on their track record, that is a pretty good thing.

     

    Jeff



     

  • Dave, this is actually a very thoughtful, excellent question.  And the short answer is.... no, I don't think you need to wait.  And let me tell you why I believe this.  

    As Jeff points out, the hardware is done.  And can I just tell you that I've been very pleased with how solid that hardware is.  We began beta testing Eos in July of 2005.  This allowed us to test out the hardware and software both.  The system has been pretty rock solid.   I won't tell you that during that time we didn't see some hardware and software issues.....that's why we do beta testing after all.    But in all of my years in product development, I've never worked on a project that enjoyed such a long beta cycle - and one that experienced so few critical issues during that beta cycle.  At no time was a show at risk.  So we proceeded to release - hardware, in the can.

    Let's talk about software.  There are two ways to go about developing a software intensive product.  You can build it wide and shallow - so that you touch all of the features that one might want - but those features are not fully and completely implemented.  Or you can build it narrow and deep - it doesn't do EVERYTHING, but what it does it complete and solid.  We chose to go narrow and deep with Eos.  And we focused on those basic features that you do 80% of the time.   Lighting desks are interesting little beasties... they pretty much aren't done until you decide to stop manufacturing them.   Eos will continue to grow and evolve for years to come.  So what is Eos today?  It has a solid feature set to do any theatre show.    Through our own experiences and input from our users, we continue to tweak, refine and add.    

    What have we done so far?  This doesn't include the shows done by our current installations.  Perhaps some of those people will STOP LURKING here and give you an honest appraisal of their experiences.  But in our beta program, we've done a handful of university theatre productions, a handful of industrial/corporate theatre gigs, one show at the Mark Taper Forum (with Mike Baldassari as designer), two shows at Chicago Shakespeare (with Ken Billington and Don Holder as designers), and we just opened our first Broadway show (110 in the Shade, with Chris Akerlind as designer).   In all of those shows, we were either running the whole show or were responsible just for the automated rig.  We've currently got beta programs for our next software release operating at a theatre in Dallas, at Penn State, in Salt Lake and in London.  

    So the feature set for Eos right now is pretty solid.  We wouldn't have done these shows if we didn't think the product was ready.  And the feature set will get richer over time.  We have an aggressive development schedule for the next 24 months - and beyond.   We will be releasing sv1.1 next week and have at least two more major releases scheduled for this year.   We continue an active beta program for each upcoming release.

    If you are coming to Eos from Obsession, you will have a pretty easy time of it.  The philosophy and syntax are very similar to Obsession.  There are a handful of features that Obsession has that we haven't yet implemented.   The biggest one is curves (profiles), followed by Undo.  These will be in the June software release.   We haven't implemented a "Channels in Use" display yet, but expect to do so sometime this year.  The trickiest feature the Obsession users have asked for is "Preview."  This is on our radar - but I can't give you a date when it will be implemented yet.  

    V1.1, which will be released next week, deepens the feature set substantially.  It has new displays, revised library data for moving lights, show control input, synchronized backup support and a lot more. 

    So you can have confidence that the product you buy today will continue to evolve and grow - at no cost to you.  ETC makes software updates available at no charge for our users.    But you needn't fear purchasing an Eos today - and worrying that the desk sold next year will be different.   It'll have new software - with more features - but so will you!  And you'll have an opportunity to help shape what Eos will be in '08 and '09, etc.... Via this forum and direct contact with our users, we are getting input about new features and feature enhancements people would like to see.   

    Again, I urge our current users out there --- and you know who you are -- to chime in.  Do you agree?  Do you disagree?  Can you add any commentary about your experiences?  It is a scary thing - buying a new desk.  You don't get to do it often, its pretty expensive, and you live with your choice for a long time.  It is a wise thing to investigate.  If you want to talk about the product and its future more with me, please give me a call at 201.289.0410.  

    Anne


    [edited by: Anne Valentino at 7:50 AM (GMT -6) on Sat, Apr 21 2007] [edited by: Anne Valentino at 7:47 AM (GMT -6) on Sat, Apr 21 2007]
  • in reply to Anne Valentino

    Wow, thanks for the great reply.  It's good to hear that the hardware is set.  Are there any more accessories planned for the Eos (I would understand things still in R&D can not be discussed)?  I may one get one good shot at this, so I don't want to leave anything out.  I understand the RVI, RRFU, and the Fader Wing (basically a set of submasters for the console, right).  What are the Button Modules?  Is the RPU really more of a backup than say the PU for an Obsession which you have to have?  Sorry for the questions.  There are not cut sheets for these items on the ETC website yet.....

    You (and others) have allayed my fears about now or wait....  Once I get the green light, I want to have all my ducks on a row for pieces/parts.  As to helping shape "what Eos will be in '08 and '09" like I have said to Sarah Clausen before, send it on.  I'm more than happy to beta anything for ETC.....

    Thanks again!
     

  • in reply to davebsstage

    Hi Dave-

    You are correct - unlike Obsession II, the RPU is not required - the desk itself is fully capable. An RPU acts as a backup - or more precisely, you would normally run the RPU as primary and the console as backup. Backup on Eos is also different from Obsession II as it does not track each individual keystrokes - it tracks the state of the lighting (completed commands). This is actually a more reliable backup method.

    But I shall let Anne respond about the future!

    Luke Delwiche
    ETC - London



     

  • in reply to davebsstage
    David, The RPU (remote processor unit) to be used as Luke described is a released product.  The RVI (remote video interface, aka - video node) will be available this summer, as will the fader wings (yes, expandable submaster wings) and RFR (the radio focus remote - so as not to be confused with the legacy RRFUs).  The RVI, RFR and fader wings are "Net3" products.  This means they can be used with either the Eos or Congo product lines.  

    The button modules can be used to snap into place over the touchscreens, supplying tactile feedback.  Each Eos ships with 3 - 60 button modules.  If you don't want to use the 60 button modules, we also ship 3 "filler modules" which go into place over the USB connection for the button mod.  

    We will have a data sheet for the RPU up this week, followed shortly by the RVI, RFR and wings.  

    Thanks so much!  We will keep you in mind about the beta testing!!

    Anne
     
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