ABSTRACT
DMX (Digital Multiplex) is a digital communication protocol to control dimming and many other lighting attributes, such as RGBW color with LEDs. Remote Device Management (RDM) is a feature just starting to get implemented in software control. Dimming for tungsten has a long history, especially on stages. There are many different dimmer packs that need to be suitably sized for use with tungsten lights. A 24 x 2.4kW is a common dimmer pack for controlling 1K and 2K lights. There are an abundance of dimmer control boards, also called consoles. The first consoles were completely analog, but now they are increasingly digital and several systems are now using iPads and laptops. Luminair was the first popular iPad software, but many competitors are springing up such as ARRI Stellar, ETC’s Nomad, and Blackout. Lumenradio is the de facto standard for wireless protocol for filmmaking on the West Coast. Astera LED tubes were the first to feature pixel control with powerful software for effects. Other companies such as Quasar and Kino Flo are competing with their own LED RGBW tubes. DMX dimming is evolving quickly, but despite the advances still requires extra setup time and effort to make it work.
