standards news
Standards News Headlines
01/02/2013
Three PLASA Standards in Public Review
19/11/2012
Four PLASA Standards in Public Review
Draft Standards for Chain Hoist Control and Fall Arrest in Public Review
Two draft standards have been added those available for public review on PLASAs' website at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. The draft standards are BSR E1.6-4, Portable Control of Fixed-Speed Electric Chain Hoists in the Entertainment Industry, and BSR E1.39, Entertainment Technology – Selection and Use of Personal Fall Arrest Systems on Portable Structures Used in the Entertainment Industry. The draft standards are available for review through July 7; the reviews will be over and the links will disappear on the July 8 "Review End Date."
The two draft standards are relevant to arena rigging. BSR E1.6-4 is for the simple control systems for chain hoists to lift portable trusses and grids. BSR E1.39 is for personal fall arrest systems used by people working on those trusses and grids, and other portable structures (e.g., lighting towers) commonly used for shows.
For more information, please contact Karl Ruling, PLASA's technical standards manager, at
10th May 2013
PLASA and ProSight Specialty Insurance team up to advance entertainment industry safety and deliver technical standards free of charge
ProSight Specialty Insurance, a global specialty insurance carrier in the film and live events industry, has announced that it is partnering with PLASA, the global leader in developing technical standards for the entertainment industries. The organizations have collaborated to advance PLASA’s Technical Standards Program to increase safety throughout entertainment production. Together ProSight and PLASA are ensuring that every professional in the business has access to all PLASA Technical Standards by making them available to anyone free of charge.
Lori Rubinstein, executive director of PLASA, North America said: “Our alliance with ProSight will have a significant impact on the entertainment industry by allowing all those involved in the creation of entertainment events free access to standards that will make their lives safer and easier. We are thrilled that ProSight shares our commitment to making sure that everyone who attends or works on an entertainment event, from a live show to a film shoot, goes home safely at the end of the day. Technical standards protect lives, prevent accidents, save money, solve problems, and encourage creativity.”
“Every day, ProSight’s specialist underwriters work to protect both the professionals who create the entertainment experience as well as the people who enjoy the results of their efforts,” said Kevin Topper, vice president of Entertainment Programs, ProSight Specialty Insurance. “With the leading risk management professionals in the entertainment industry on our team, ProSight is seamlessly aligned with PLASA’s mission to enhance business practices and skills development in our industry.”
ProSight’s leading insurance offering is centered on delivering specialized expertise, paired with a broad array of responsive insurance and risk management products designed to meet the unique needs of film and live events professionals so that they can seamlessly showcase their craft. As part of this new alliance, companies that employ ETCP Certified Technicians earn preferred rates on insurance solutions from ProSight due to the improved risk profile that comes from experience, skill and professionalism.
PLASA and ProSight will utilize print and digital advertising campaigns, social media channels and a dedicated co-branded website plasa.prosightspecialty.com to advance the alliance. The co-branded website is a resource for entertainment technology professionals interested in industry insights and skills development. It features fresh content from ProSight and PLASA, benefits of PLASA membership and updates on Technical Standards and Certification, as well as additional information about ProSight’s many insurance solutions for the film and live events industries.
15th April 2013
Portable Stage Draft Standard in Public Review
BSR E1.21 - 201x, Entertainment Technology — Temporary Ground-Supported Structures Used to Cover the Stage Areas and Support Equipment in the Production of Outdoor Entertainment Events, is in review through 27 May 2013. All people with a material interest in stage roofs and other portable structures used in outdoor events are invited to review the draft document and to offer comments. The review is over when the end date of May 28 is reached. It may be downloaded for free at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php.
BSR E1.21 is a revision of ANSI E1.21 -2006. It is being revised to cover the design, manufacture, and use of all the portable structures (not only roofs) used to support scenery, lighting, and sound equipment, and to cover the stages in the production of outdoor entertainment events. Excluded are structures for the public, such as audience bleachers and food vendor stands.
For more information, please contact Karl Ruling, PLASA's technical standards manager, at
2nd April 2013
BSR E1.33 Now in Public Review, Synched with Plugfest
The RDM and sACN Developers Conference and Plugfest will take place on the 25th through 27th of April, at Gatwick Manor, London Road at Lowfield Heath near Gatwick Airport in the UK. The Developers Conference part of the event provides a forum for manufacturers, designers, consultants, and prospective users to learn about PLASA lighting control protocols suites. The Plugfest part is a hands-on opportunity for product developers to try their products and code implementations with products from a variety of other manufacturers, with support from their industry peers in a collaborative environment.
The registration fee for the Conference and Plugfest is £60 GBP per person, payable in advance. More information about it and signup is available at http://www.plasa.org/rdm/. Inquiries should be directed to PLASA's Technical Resources Manager, Ron Bonner, at ron.bonner@plasa.org.
BSR E1.33 - 201x, Entertainment Technology—(RDMnet)—Message Transport and Device Management of ANSI E1.20 (RDM) over IP Networks, describes a method of implementing ANSI E1.20 Remote Device Management messaging over an IPv4 network. The primary use of the standard would be to complement ANSI E1.31 on an entertainment lighting control network. Downloading and commenting on this standard is free at
http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php
More information about BSR E1.33 and the public review is available from PLASA's Technical Standards Manager, Karl Ruling, at karl.ruling@plasa.org
BSR E1.33 - 201x, Entertainment Technology - (RDMnet) - Message Transport and Device Management of ANSI E1.20 (RDM) over IP Networks, is now available for free download and review on PLASA's TSP public review webpage. The public review period for BSR E1.33 is an unusually long one, ending at the start of May 15, so that it will be open during the RDM and sACN Developers Conference and Plugfest. Product developers working through the Plugfest will be able to turn insights from that event into public review comments, if any are warranted.
4th March 2013
PLASA and Event Safety Alliance Work Together to Increase Safety
PLASA, the global leader in developing technical standards for the entertainment industry, and the Event Safety Alliance, the emerging voice of event production best practices, have announced their mutual endorsement in the ongoing efforts to raise awareness and use of industry best practices and technical standards throughout live entertainment production.
Lori Rubinstein, PLASA’s North American executive director comments: "The ESA’s Event Safety Guide will be an important and relevant tool for disseminating the vast array of industry best practices necessary in the successful and safe execution of live events."
Event Safety Alliance executive director Jim Digby comments: "The work of PLASA in the creation of wide reaching, industry technical standards is an absolute necessity in the rapidly changing sector of production protocols. The Event Safety Guide would not be complete were it not for the ability to cross reference and include the ongoing and painstaking technical standards work of PLASA."
For more information about the Event Safety Alliance visit www.eventsafetyalliance.org. For more information about PLASA’s Technical Standards Program visit tsp.plasa.org
4th February 2013
Three PLASA Standards in Public Review
Three PLASA standards are now in public review. The public review materials for the standards are available at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. The last day to comment for each of them is April 1. The reviews have ended when April 2 starts.
BSR E1.44 – 201x, Common Show File Exchange Format For Entertainment Industry Automation Control Systems – Stage Machinery, defines a common show file format for the exchange of automation control data between control systems by different manufacturers of stage machinery.
BSR E1.45 - 201x, Unidirectional Transport of IEEE 802 data frames over ANSI E1.11 (DMX512-A), defines a minimal method to transport IEEE 802 data frames unidirectionally over ANSI E1.11 physical links using an Alternate START Code. The primary motivation is to allow communication of 802 data to luminaires over an ANSI E1.11 DMX512-A datalink for data transmission from those luminaires using Visible Light Communication, IEEE 802.15.7. However, this standard may be used to transport any 802 data for any purpose.
BSR E1.48 - 201x, A Recommended Luminous Efficiency Function for Stage and Studio Luminaire Photometry, specifies an energy-based luminous efficiency function V(lambda) based on recent research for use when measuring the lumen output for any stage or studio luminaire in which it is known or believed that 20% or more of the output power is at wavelengths shorter than 500 nm. Most light meters in use today use the 89-year-old CIE 1924 V(lambda) function. It's wrong, so the meters are wrong. This standard is intended to encourage the use of a far more accurate V(lambda) function in the entertainment industry.
For more information, please contact: Karl G. Ruling, Technical Standards Manager, PLASA, 630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 609, New York, NY 10036.
1st February 2013
Four PLASA Standards in Public Review
Four PLASA standards are now in public review through the end of this year. Two are proposed reaffirmations of existing standards (no changes), one is a revision of a standard, and one is a new standard. The public review materials for the four standards are available at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php.
The two reaffirmations are for ANSI E1.11-2008, Entertainment Technology -- USITT DMX512-A -- Asynchronous Serial Digital Data Transmission Standard for Controlling Lighting Equipment and Accessories, and ANSI E1.14 - 2001 (R201x), Entertainment Technology -- Recommendations for Inclusions in Fog Equipment Manuals. E1.11 is the well-know DMX512-A, a lighting control protocol that is now well over twenty years old, if we count back to the original USITT version. E1.14 offers advice for what should be in user manuals for fog machines. It's a short standard, and it's free at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/published_docs.php. The reviews for these two standards run through January 7, 2013.
ANSI E1.19 - 2009, Recommended Practice for the Use of Class A Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) Intended for Personnel Protection in the Entertainment Industry, is a standard that offers guidance on using GFCIs to protect personnel. However, one of the problems with GFCIs in electrically noisy environments is that they are prone to tripping even when there is no electrical fault from which people need to be protected. PLASA's Electrical Power Working Group is proposing to change section 4 in the existing standard so that it offers recommendations on how to reduce this nuisance tripping. The public review for the revision runs through January 14, 2013.
BSR E1.45 - 201x, Unidirectional Transport of IEEE 802 data frames over ANSI E1.11 (DMX512-A), is draft of a new standard that defines a minimal method to transport IEEE 802 data frames unidirectionally over ANSI E1.11 physical links using an Alternate START Code. The primary motivation is to allow communication of 802 data to luminaires over an ANSI E1.11 DMX512-A datalink for data transmission from those luminaires using Visible Light Communication, IEEE 802.15.7. However, this standard may be used to transport any 802 data for any purpose. Its review runs through January 14, 2013.
For more information, please contact: Karl G. Ruling, Technical Standards Manager, PLASA,
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 609. New York, NY 10036 1-212-244-1505
19th November 2012
Allen & Heath Completes Training Roadshow in China
Allen & Heath recently completed an iLive and GLD training roadshow in China, travelling to several key cities. Organised by Allen & Heath’s distributor, Sanecore, and delivered by A&H product specialist, Nicola Beretta, the sessions were attended by dealers, sound engineers and Sanecore’s technical staff, offering operational training on the iLive and GLD digital mixing systems. Sanecore has a total of seven offices strategically located in different areas of mainland China and Hong Kong, including Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi’an.
The offices have spacious, well equipped demo rooms, allowing the roadshow sessions to be hosted on site. Approximately 50 people attended each session, which were also recorded for later use. “I have had great feedback from our technicians and customers, who all gained insight into Allen & Heath’s digital products,” comments Sanecore’s Vice President, Tao Zhang. “Sound engineers discovered more mixing tips and tricks, while our dealers gathered more selling points. It was a great success and we hope to make it a regular event.”
In picture: Nicola Beretta (centre) with some of the Beijing training attendees.
8th November 2012
ETC Releases New Congo Video Training Tutorials
ETC has released a brand new set of training tutorials to its YouTube channel, updating and expanding the range of topics previously covered.
The 25 new Congo tutorials cover a range of topics from an introduction to the latest operating system, v6.3, to basic operation of the desks. They can be found at http://tinyurl.com/8hnvpqj
Sarah Clausen, Congo product manager, says: “These new tutorials, which were filmed in our video studio in Middleton, allow us to capture the screens and the movements of an operator’s hands on the console. This makes it very clear what’s being done by the operator, where the console keys are, and what’s happening on the screens all at once. The new format greatly improves the viewer’s understanding of what’s being explained in the video.”
The ETC Video Library was set up three years ago, and offers helpful instructional videos on products from across ETC’s range of lighting, power and control products. There are also interviews with lighting designers and technicians from some of the world’s most outstanding shows, explaining how they use ETC products.
In picture: ETC has released a brand new set of training tutorials to its YouTube channel.
16th October 2012
Draft Orchestra Pit Lift Standard in Public Review
BSR E1.42 – 201x, Entertainment Technology — Safety Standard for Orchestra Pit Lifts, is available for public review on the PLASA website until October 23. The last day to comment is October 22. It may be downloaded for free at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php.
BSR E1.42 is being written to address the lack of a national standard in North America for orchestra pit and forestage lifts and to help establish minimum safety requirements and inspection procedures. The scope is limited to safety and to orchestra or forestage lifts that are installed as a part of the building and that are not custom-built for a single theatrical production.
For more information, please contact Karl Ruling, PLASA's Technical Standards Manager, at arl.ruling@plasa.org
