Infogate for the iPhone, the latest innovation by Wybron, lets lighting pros control their rigs and troubleshoot problems from virtually anywhere in the building – all with a pocket-sized wireless device.
Scheduled for release at LDI 2008, Infogate for the iPhone gathers invaluable feedback from lighting equipment and uses a wireless signal to transmit the data to an iPhone or iPod. With that wireless signal, users can inspect and manipulate equipment without being chained to a booth, board, or computer.
Depending on the setup of the user's network, Infogate's wireless signal can stretch hundreds to thousands of feet, letting users monitor and control equipment onstage, backstage, and beyond.
“Now lighting techs don't have to keep running back to their computers or consoles when they want to troubleshoot a problem,” said Wybron Director of Technologies John Sondericker, co-developer of the iPhone application.
Infogate for the iPhone is the newest component of Wybron's award-winning Infotrace Control and Management System, which took home LDI's Best Debuting Product Award in 2006. Infotrace uses Remote Device Management, a two-way communication protocol developed by ESTA, to let lighting equipment talk back to its operators.
Serving as the “brain” of the Infotrace system, Infogate processes feedback from the lighting equipment and displays it on the user's computer or iPhone in an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand graphical interface.
The Infotrace feedback system lets users troubleshoot and pinpoint problems quickly and warns users of potential problems. During load in, Infotrace lets users install and configure equipment faster by setting DMX addresses remotely and accessing a wide variety of device parameters.
Other lighting manufacturers embracing feedback systems include Martin, ETC, Robe, High End Systems, Ocean Optics, Leprecon, and many more. And the list keeps getting longer.
Feedback systems should prove especially helpful for moving lights, said Wybron Engineer Scott Longberry, co-developer of the iPhone application.
“Imagine checking out a pan problem in one of your moving head fixtures. Using your iPhone, you can see any error messages and exercise the equipment from anywhere on the stage,” Longberry said.
Infogate for the iPhone joins two other iPhone applications released by Wybron earlier this year. The Gel Swatch Library lets users browse, compare, and search nearly 1,000 gel colors made by GAM, Lee, and Rosco, and the CXI Color Calculator lets users create hundreds of colors for the CXI IT dual-gelstring color-mixing scroller.
“We had a great response with our first two iPhone apps, so we're pretty excited about getting the Infogate application into the hands of the lighting industry,” said Wybron President Keny Whitright.
Infogate for the iPhone will be available soon through the Apple App Store, which can be accessed through an icon on the devices or iTunes. To learn more about the iPhone or iPod touch, visit www.apple.com.
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For more information, e-mail Wybron Marketing Associate Jennifer Wilson at [email protected] or visit www.wybron.com.