The organisation's three founders are Enttec Pty. Ltd. of Australia, Martin Professional A/S of Denmark, and Wybron, Inc. of the U.S. All three manufacturers have strongly embraced the RDM industry feedback standard.
"Our goal here is not to break trail for new protocols. That is being handled very capably by ESTA and PLASA and the committee members who work diligently to advance the technical standards used in lighting control," said Jeremy Kumin, Enttec's US sales manager. "What we are trying to do is help the customer feel secure that when they rent or buy something using this new technology, it's going to play as well as it should with other equipment."
Enttec and Wybron have been integrating industry-standard feedback protocols into their products for several years. While coming to the issue more recently, Martin is an enthusiastic partner whose gear is recognised and used all over the world, making compatibility with their products a desirable goal for any other manufacturer.
The organisation's initial focus will be RDM, the ESTA-approved feedback protocol also known as E1.20. At labs located around the world, companies can test their RDM- enabled gear against open-source standard tests that, when passed, yield the product the "IFE Verified" seal of approval.
Companies can also choose to perform the tests at their own facilities by using one of IFE's portable labs. This will ensure complete confidentiality for manufacturers concerned about protecting proprietary information.
A list of approved devices and their manufacturers will be posted on the IFE Web site, and manufacturers of these approved devices will automatically become Sustaining Members of the organisation.
"It's really all about the customers - making sure that when they buy RDM equipment, it'll work like they want it to, and it'll be compatible with RDM equipment made by different manufacturers," said Wybron president Keny Whitright.
(Jim Evans)
