standards news
Standards News Headlines
01/02/2013
Three 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
Stage Technologies Supplies Automation Course for USITT Elite Training Weekend
Stage Technologies is once again supplying a hands-on Automation course for the 2013 USITT Elite Training Weekend in Las Vegas from May 9 to 11. The Automation course will cover an introduction to Automation, introduction to operating and programming the eChameleon software, and will also include a hands?on look at Stage Technologies winches and control systems.
The Elite Training Weekend, which takes place annually at the Cirque du Soleil training facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, includes classes in Automation, Rigging, Sound, and Projection for a limit of eight students each.
Students, selected by application, spend days with trainers and evenings backstage at Cirque du Soleil shows. Applicants are USITT members who are studying at University.
Stage Technologies’ VP of Business Development, Gemma Guy said: "We enjoy taking part in the USITT Elite Training Weekend because the students are always so enthusiastic. This year there were about 25 applications for the Automation course, which proves how popular the discipline continues to be. And with more and more automated venues out there, the industry needs more operators and programmers. We work with USITT to make students and faculty aware of the new technology and job opportunities out there and participating in the Elite Training Weekend helps us to spread that message. It’s also an opportunity to give back to USITT and the industry."
For more information visit www.stagetech.com or USITT Elite Training Weekend http://ow.ly/kMzwX.
8th May 2013
Duran Audio Announce European and US 2013 Training Events
At ProLight + Sound in Frankfurt, Germany, Duran Audio BV announced its schedule for their AXYS Acoustic Modelling & Product Training Events.
Duran Audio offers free training on not only their range of Intellivox products but also on acoustic modelling, basic electro acoustics and system design. This year’s training events will be held at Duran Audio’s R&D centre in Zaltbommel, The Netherlands on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 May and also at InfoComm, Orlando, Florida on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 June.
Although the courses are primarily targeted for consultants and contractors involved in designing and installing AXYS systems they also offer those people who wish to learn more about acoustic modelling and system design a real insight into the technology of beam steering and beam shaping products and the advantages derived through their use. For more details please email:
19th April 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
Two Chain Hoist Rigging Standards in Public Review
Two draft Rigging Working Group standards related to the use of chain hoists in the entertainment industry are available for free download and comment at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php through 28 January 2013. Materially affected members of the public are invited to review them.
BSR E1.6-2 - 201x, Entertainment Technology — Design, Inspection, and Maintenance of Electric Chain Hoists for the Entertainment Industry, is part of the E1.6 powered entertainment rigging project. This draft standard covers the design, inspection, and maintenance of serially manufactured electric link chain hoists having capacity of 2 tons or less and used in the entertainment industry. This standard does not cover attachment to the load or to the overhead structure.
BSR E1.6-4 - 201x, Portable Control of Fixed-Speed Electric Chain Hoists in the Entertainment Industry, is a standard for the controls often used to operate the chain hoists that are the subject of E1.6-2.
For more information, please contact Karl Ruling, PLASA's Technical Standards Manager, at karl.ruling@plasa.org
30th November 2012
Standard for Gobo Projection in Public Review
ANSI E1.35 - 2007, Standard for Lens Quality Measurements for Pattern Projecting Luminaires Intended for Entertainment Use, is being revised to increase the accuracy of the measurement procedure, while keeping it simple. The draft of the revised standard is available for free download and comment through 21 January 2013 at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php.
E1.35 describes a method for measuring and stating the sharpness of the image projected by a stage and studio luminaire. It's meant to be a simple way to distinguish quantitatively between luminaires as to the crispness of their projected images.
For more information, please contact Karl Ruling, PLASA's Technical Standards Manager, at karl.ruling@plasa.org
