Vector Orange v.s. Hog IPC

Patrick,

Let me preface this by saying that I have almost no experience on the Compulite Vector, so I can't give you much of a direct comparison. I can, however, give you a good overview of some of the advantages we offer over other consoles on the market. I do work for High End Systems, so my opinion is a bit biased, but I was a freelance programmer / designer and a Wholeheog 3 owner before I began working here and I'm a strong advocate of the Wholehog 3.

Here are some of the big advantages that the Wholehog 3 operating system offers:

1) Abstract fixture model that uses real-world values

We have an abstract fixture model that uses real-world values for parameters. This offers a few big advantages. First, you are no longer dialing parameters using 0-255 or 0-65535 values. You control fixtures using values that make sense to designers and programmers. Pan and tilt are in degrees, gobo indexing is in degrees, gobo rotation and wheel rotation are in rpm, strobing is in Hz, etc. In addition to making more sense to users, this also makes it much easier to control multiple fixtures of different types. On most consoles, if you select multiple lights that have different pan and tilt ranges, when you adjust pan and tilt they don't move together. On the Wholehog 3, when you adjust pan to -90°, all of the fixtures in your current selection pan 90 degrees to the left.

Our abstract fixture model also allows us to present parameters in a way that makes sense and is consistent, even if the DMX protocols for the lights are laid out poorly. Strobe is a good example of this. Rather than having to dial a wheel to find the strobe mode that you're looking for (random, ramp/snap, etc.), these modes are shown on the encoders toolbar for the strobe wheel and all you have to do is tap the toolbar to select the mode you want and dial the encoder to set the speed. There are some manufacturers that put fixture control functions on the strobe channel. On the Wholehog 3, you are never going to dial your strobe rate too high and accidentally shutdown your fixtures. Control parameters only appear on the control menu of the slots toolbar, regardless of where they are within the DMX protocol.

When we record cues and palettes, we store these real world values. This allows us to give users the ability to change the fixture type for fixtures that are already programmed in shows and maintain the existing programming. We handle changing type better than most consoles, because rather than using raw DMX for our comparisons we use these real world values. While some consoles would just look at the strobe channel being at DMX value 145 (which is unlikely to be consistent between fixtures), we look for the random strobe at 8 Hz that is programmed into the cue.

2) Live control of fixtures

One of the concepts behind the operation of the Wholehog 3 is that we want users to be able to efficiently control large rigs of fixtures without having to spend lots of time looking for information in the output window. The main syntax tool for this is the live key. One of the uses of live is that it allows you to select fixtures based on the palette they are currently in by pressing Live and then the palette. If your designer tells you to select all of the lights in blue and change them to green, you press Live [Blue Palette] to make your fixture selection and then press [Green Palette] to change the colour. You don't have to do any searching or counting to figure out which fixtures you need. There are also great tools for making relative adjustments to parameters without knowing the current value. If your designer tells you to drop all of the lights on the drummer by 20%, you press Live [Drummer Palette] @ -20 Enter. You don't have to know which lights they are or what their current level is.

We also offer the ability to perform edits in the current editor using timing. This makes it much easier to sneak in changes to fixtures that are currently live on stage.

3) Intuitive user interface and powerful syntax model

The Wholehog 3 user interface is very intuitive and easy to learn. We also realize that many programmers are most efficient when they aren't digging through menus on the screens, so we offer key commands for many of the things that can be accomplished on screen. Our syntax model is very powerful, but it's also very consistent. The command structure that you use when working with colour palettes is the same structure that you would use when working with cuelists or cues or pages.

4) Networking and distributed processing

The networked environment of the Wholehog 3 offers 2 main advantages, scalability and Connectivity.

The Wholehog 3 Console does not have any DMX outputs. DMX is generated by the DP2000 network appliance. The DP2000 has an internal processor and memory that handle the processing of crossfades and the conversion from real-world values to DMX values. When you add a DP2000 to your network you are adding 4 universes of DMX and the processing power to handle those 4 universes. This means that your console doesn’t slow down as your shows get larger. The Wholehog 3 is capable of running shows with more than 8000 fixtures.

Large networks with multiple consoles, DMX processors

Show files are compatible between all products running the Wholeheog 3 operating system. A show file created using Hog 3PC on a computer can be run from a Wholehog 3 console or Hog iPC and vice-versa.

5) Outstanding documentation and support

The Wholehog 3 user manual is available in printed form, PDF, and on-line help. Our on-line help system on the console is context-sensitive, so when you are in the fixture window and you press the help key the console will bring up help for patching fixtures.

As mentioned above, we offer worldwide support 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Our support people are always available to answer questions or help with problems.


Here are some specific highlights of the Hog iPC console:

1) The Hog iPC comes in it's own road case and is ready to plug in and program straight out of the box. It has 4 DMX outputs on-board, MIDI In / Out / Thru connections, and SMPTE input.

2) The Hog iPC's 4 universes of DMX can be expanded using either single universe USB DMX widgets, 4 universe USB SuperWidgets, or DP2000 DMX Processors that provide 4 additional universes and connect via Ethernet.

3) The Hog iPC can run either Wholehog 2 OS or Wholehog 3 OS.

4) The Hog iPC has 10 playback faders and can be expanded to a maximum of 90 playbacks using our playback mini-wings or full-sized expansion wings.


I hope this helps to answer some of the questions you may have. Feel free to ask about anything I didn't mention here.

In case I forgot to mention this above, I'd have to suggest that you choose the Hog iPC as your new console. :)

Thanks.

Patrick,

Let me preface this by saying that I have almost no experience on the Compulite Vector, so I can't give you much of a direct comparison. I can, however, give you a good overview of some of the advantages we offer over other consoles on the market. I do work for High End Systems, so my opinion is a bit biased, but I was a freelance programmer / designer and a Wholeheog 3 owner before I began working here and I'm a strong advocate of the Wholehog 3.

Here are some of the big advantages that the Wholehog 3 operating system offers:

1) Abstract fixture model that uses real-world values

We have an abstract fixture model that uses real-world values for parameters. This offers a few big advantages. First, you are no longer dialing parameters using 0-255 or 0-65535 values. You control fixtures using values that make sense to designers and programmers. Pan and tilt are in degrees, gobo indexing is in degrees, gobo rotation and wheel rotation are in rpm, strobing is in Hz, etc. In addition to making more sense to users, this also makes it much easier to control multiple fixtures of different types. On most consoles, if you select multiple lights that have different pan and tilt ranges, when you adjust pan and tilt they don't move together. On the Wholehog 3, when you adjust pan to -90°, all of the fixtures in your current selection pan 90 degrees to the left.

Our abstract fixture model also allows us to present parameters in a way that makes sense and is consistent, even if the DMX protocols for the lights are laid out poorly. Strobe is a good example of this. Rather than having to dial a wheel to find the strobe mode that you're looking for (random, ramp/snap, etc.), these modes are shown on the encoders toolbar for the strobe wheel and all you have to do is tap the toolbar to select the mode you want and dial the encoder to set the speed. There are some manufacturers that put fixture control functions on the strobe channel. On the Wholehog 3, you are never going to dial your strobe rate too high and accidentally shutdown your fixtures. Control parameters only appear on the control menu of the slots toolbar, regardless of where they are within the DMX protocol.

When we record cues and palettes, we store these real world values. This allows us to give users the ability to change the fixture type for fixtures that are already programmed in shows and maintain the existing programming. We handle changing type better than most consoles, because rather than using raw DMX for our comparisons we use these real world values. While some consoles would just look at the strobe channel being at DMX value 145 (which is unlikely to be consistent between fixtures), we look for the random strobe at 8 Hz that is programmed into the cue.

2) Live control of fixtures

One of the concepts behind the operation of the Wholehog 3 is that we want users to be able to efficiently control large rigs of fixtures without having to spend lots of time looking for information in the output window. The main syntax tool for this is the live key. One of the uses of live is that it allows you to select fixtures based on the palette they are currently in by pressing Live and then the palette. If your designer tells you to select all of the lights in blue and change them to green, you press Live [Blue Palette] to make your fixture selection and then press [Green Palette] to change the colour. You don't have to do any searching or counting to figure out which fixtures you need. There are also great tools for making relative adjustments to parameters without knowing the current value. If your designer tells you to drop all of the lights on the drummer by 20%, you press Live [Drummer Palette] @ -20 Enter. You don't have to know which lights they are or what their current level is.

We also offer the ability to perform edits in the current editor using timing. This makes it much easier to sneak in changes to fixtures that are currently live on stage.

3) Intuitive user interface and powerful syntax model

The Wholehog 3 user interface is very intuitive and easy to learn. We also realize that many programmers are most efficient when they aren't digging through menus on the screens, so we offer key commands for many of the things that can be accomplished on screen. Our syntax model is very powerful, but it's also very consistent. The command structure that you use when working with colour palettes is the same structure that you would use when working with cuelists or cues or pages.

4) Networking and distributed processing

The networked environment of the Wholehog 3 offers 2 main advantages, scalability and Connectivity.

The Wholehog 3 Console does not have any DMX outputs. DMX is generated by the DP2000 network appliance. The DP2000 has an internal processor and memory that handle the processing of crossfades and the conversion from real-world values to DMX values. When you add a DP2000 to your network you are adding 4 universes of DMX and the processing power to handle those 4 universes. This means that your console doesn’t slow down as your shows get larger. The Wholehog 3 is capable of running shows with more than 8000 fixtures.

Large networks with multiple consoles, DMX processors

Show files are compatible between all products running the Wholeheog 3 operating system. A show file created using Hog 3PC on a computer can be run from a Wholehog 3 console or Hog iPC and vice-versa.

5) Outstanding documentation and support

The Wholehog 3 user manual is available in printed form, PDF, and on-line help. Our on-line help system on the console is context-sensitive, so when you are in the fixture window and you press the help key the console will bring up help for patching fixtures.

As mentioned above, we offer worldwide support 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Our support people are always available to answer questions or help with problems.


Here are some specific highlights of the Hog iPC console:

1) The Hog iPC comes in it's own road case and is ready to plug in and program straight out of the box. It has 4 DMX outputs on-board, MIDI In / Out / Thru connections, and SMPTE input.

2) The Hog iPC's 4 universes of DMX can be expanded using either single universe USB DMX widgets, 4 universe USB SuperWidgets, or DP2000 DMX Processors that provide 4 additional universes and connect via Ethernet.

3) The Hog iPC can run either Wholehog 2 OS or Wholehog 3 OS.

4) The Hog iPC has 10 playback faders and can be expanded to a maximum of 90 playbacks using our playback mini-wings or full-sized expansion wings.


I hope this helps to answer some of the questions you may have. Feel free to ask about anything I didn't mention here.

In case I forgot to mention this above, I'd have to suggest that you choose the Hog iPC as your new console. :)

Thanks.