Obsession 2

Well, in the same way all consoles are programmed differently, they also count channels/fixtures differently.

the LP-3000 has  up to 144 channels and about 18 fixtures (of an indeterminate number of channels) across two or four universes (up to 2048 dimmers)

The Strand 520 has 200 channels and 200 Attribute Channels (as many fixtures as you like, but each attribute takes an A.C.) - It supported 3 universes of DMX (1536 dimmers) with the option of turning the 4th DMX jack (usually an input) into another with an adapter, for controlling up to 2048 dimmers. It may have supported more over StrandNet, I couldn't find any docs to support that hypothesis though. The 520i, BTW, could handle 350 conventional and 250 attribute channels.

From the ETC wiki: Obsession II was available with channel counts of 750, 1536, 3072 or 4608 channels. The number of dimmers (outputs) supported was 9,216 using outputs from ETCNet2 nodes, with three physical DMX ouputs on the back of the processor rack.

So if the highest-level LP3000 had 18 fixtures requiring 35 channels [and here I'm assuming that's within its capacities], and a full allotment of conventionals, it could, in theory, surpass the lowest O2 in channel count, but would fall short in other areas.

Were I to list them in an order from strongest to weakest overall, strictly in terms of capacity and performance, I'd list them as Obsession II, Strand 520, and LP-3000, but as I said in my other post, other users could argue which is better; this is merely my own opinion. If you take the best of each console line (The LP-3000 72/144, the Strand 550i, and the fully-loaded Obsession II) though, the differences are far more apparent, and the order above still stands.

As for upgradability, all of these consoles are discontinued, and no new software is being written for them by their manufacturers. So upgrades would be a longshot, dependant on what the manufacturers have available in their warehouses, if anything.

Jonathan

 Jonathan's analysis is pretty accurate. A quick clarification however:

Obsession II console software is updateable to any released version. You can find those versions available for free download here: http://www.etcconnect.com/product.downloads.aspx?ID=20318

When you select the software version to update, please also make sure you select the correct channel count for the console you have. While you can update the software at any time, the channel counts are set at the factory and thus are not user upgradeable.

Just want to throw in my cautionary two cents here:

Obsession 2s can certainly be upgraded, but a lot depends on the other hardware you will use with them, and the current software version they are using.  If you intend to use older Net1 RVIs, upgrading beyond a particular version will render the system incompatible with them.  If you have to use an RFU that connects to the processor, upgrading to v5 will kill the RFU port (You'll need to use a port on a compatible Net2 Node).  In all these cases if you upgrade and find that something doesn't work, its very important to know that you cannot downgrade.  Also, the software installation procedure is different for the different versions of software.  Depending on what version of software your O2 comes with, you may have to update the processor only, or install the update separately on the facepanel and the processor. 

In short:  Yes, and O2 is upgradable to current release, however, please do so with the assistance of your local dealer or ETC tech services.  It keeps things happy.

Derek brings up a very good point about knowing when you would like to upgrade versus stay at the currently running software version. There have been changes over the years as features were introduced and as the architecture of the product evolved.

I would like to point out that before any update, it is always a good idea to backup the show files stored on the hard drive. (This is true of all consoles.) While it is possible to revert back to previous software, show files opened in newer versions of software will not work in older versions of software. This is understandable as the features introduced in the later versions of software were not there in the previous code, so the console doesn't know what to do with that information.

As a note to all:

The OP was written as a request for information about these 3 console - LP3000, Strand 520 and the OB II.  The OP also posted a similar question on Control Booth.  The request for info. on CB was actually wanting info. about whether the consoles listed were upgradable, how hard they were to program and other similar questions, to gather info for a business class.

Unless I'm mistaken, He/She is not actually looking upgrade the OB II to new software.

Steve B.

figured that out later in the day.

but good info for those who use the search function later I suppose