The English National opera had an inventory of City Theatrical WDS wireless data system transmitters, receivers, personal dimmers and 15A single channel dimmers. The personal dimmers are used in smaller pieces where a full sized receiver and dimmer wouldn't fit. The equipment is moved from show to show in the rep season at the ENO.
In their upgrade, the ENO purchased a new SHoW DMX transmitter and receiver and also upgraded their existing receivers and personal dimmers to SHoW DMX. "It was a very cost effective way for us to upgrade our current system to the latest in wireless dimming technology," says the ENO's senior lighting technician Gary James.
The National Theatre had a much larger WDS inventory and an additional challenge to face with their upgrade. Their existing inventory of WDS was causing interference with a newly installed WiFi/VoIP telephone system. A series of tests were performed and SHoW DMX was able to provide negligible interference even in its most powerful settings. The National Theatre replaced all four of its transmitters, seven of its receivers and upgraded all 14 of their personal dimmers to SHoW DMX.
The lighting staff now have the added ability of using RDM to monitor the signal strength of the Receivers remotely via the built in web server in the Transmitter. "Implementing SHoW DMX across all three theatres has allowed us to co-exist with the new building wide Wi-Fi & telephone system. Additionally it has given us a phenomenal increase in flexibility over the old WDS system, in terms of our ability to better manage the limited radio spectrum available at the NT, with the added functionality of a fully RDM compliant system," notes John McGarrigle of the Royal National Theatre.
(Jim Evans)
