86
BEST BOY
®
HP SPOT LUMINAIRE USER MANUAL
Glossary of Terms
8-Bit DMX
The universally accepted lighting control protocol in the entertainment industry. A console uses this protocol to
control specific devices in a lighting system. A DMX512 channel packet is eight bits of absolute parameter data. 8-bit
refers to the resolution of the signal: 256 step resolution, providing channel values from 0 through 255. A DMX512
data packet is a group of 512 data channels.
16-Bit DMX
To smooth out the movement of automated luminaires, the industry has adopted 16-bit DMX. This is not a change to
the DMX512 specification, rather a change in the way luminaires and consoles treat DMX512 information. In practice,
16-bit DMX adds a DMX512 channel each to pan and tilt - pan coarse, pan fine, tilt coarse, tilt fine, instead of just pan
and tilt. The console and luminaire combine these levels and increase the resolution of pan and tilt from 256 steps to
a theoretical maximum 65,536 steps at the console level, resulting in the ability to position the luminaire more
accurately.
Address
A numerical "name" given to a device on a DMX512 line indicating which of 512 possible channels it will respond to.
Align (lamp)
The process of adjusting the lamp within the reflector to obtain the desired output quality of the beam.
Arc Lamp
A type of lamp which creates light by forming an arc of electricity. Brightness is achieved by including gasses and
metals within the envelope of the lamp which dissolve and give off a bright light. Arc lamps must be dimmed
mechanically because electrical dimming will extinguish the arc.
Art-Net
Protocol for sending DMX512 data over IP networks.
Attribute
An individual controllable aspect of a luminaire: pan, tilt, color, etc. Also known as "parameter."
Beam
1)
The size, shape and sharpness of image of the light beam as projected on stage.
2)
A function of the luminaire related to the size, shape, and sharpness of the light beam, specified by beam and
edge data, and use of gobos (patterns) as required.
Blade
One of the four components of the Framing mechanism used to mask off certain areas of the beam’s output.
Channel
A control reference which collects a device’s associated thumbwheel address(es) (device, lamp power, etc.) and maps
them to a single selectable number. Channels are assigned via the patch setup. (Also referred to as a "Control
Channel.")
Console Timing
Time value in seconds or minutes applied to an entire cue.
CMY
Acronym for "Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow."