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CAST THINKS WAY OUTSIDE THE (BLACK)BOX
TORONTO, CANADA – AUGUST 15, 2008 – CAST Software, creator of wysiwyg, announces the world Beta debut of “BlackBox” (final name TBA) during PLASA08. BlackBox will unite, indeed revolutionize, the entire industry for large and small scale productions alike – lighting, media, sound, motion, cameras, staging, performers – touching every component of a production.
BlackBox is built with special hardware and proprietary software to be an all-in-one, bi-directional high-speed communications nerve centre which enables all control devices to instruct or receive instructions from each other. Live, realtime input in all forms is received by the BlackBox, which acts as the brains – running an ultra high-speed hybrid version of wysiwyg that works with a special new wysiwyg file version (that CAST is working on now). BlackBox receives and converts live positional data about any or many moving objects, selected or deselected for tracking as required from one or several sources, applies its brain power and speed to establish the exact 3D positions of those objects, then computes instructions in XYZ, yar, pitch and roll terms, and then shoots out moving positional information to whatever control devices need it. So moving lights, set pieces, cameras etc. are synchronized and tracking the action of those moving objects – all in live realtime, all in true 3D.
BlackBox can be set up in virtually any combination. Lights can be cued off live performers, or moving video screens can be cued from moving set pieces/truss, and they can all follow commands automatically based on the actions of other elements, or alert each other if something isn’t right. Think here of an Easter production, where a moving set piece such as a rock, in danger of colliding with a live actor in the wrong position. Or a flying angel in a collision path with truss. BlackBox can predict these collisions and either send an alert to move the actors or instantly stop the motion movement.
In a total production world, why do lighting consoles, media servers, audio, moving objects and all other pieces of the show work independently? With BlackBox, these players can interact and cue off one another, or even warn one another of potential conflicts, increasing the precision, flexibility and safety of every production. Plus, it can simplify the setup and maintenance of productions by unifying all elements onto one desk.
Bottom line: This is one debut you can’t afford to miss.
PLASA08 runs September 7-10 at Earls Court in London. CAST will debut BlackBox in Stand H83. For more information about PLASA, visit www.plasashow.com
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