Possible LOR competition?

[Guest guest]

Just for fun I tried doing a search on lighting controllers and this site came up.

Here is the link to their home page:

http://www.revivalcontrolsystems.com/Default.aspx

They offer a 40 channel controller, their software called Prism will AUTOMATICALLY create a full sequence for you, then you can edit that sequence, if so desired.

Does shimmer, fades, and other lighting effects.

Uses cat5 and the same daisy chain method to connect controllers like LOR.

Uses the RJ485 protocol.

Just wondering if LOR may start having some comptetion in the future. The company was started in 2009, but seems to have been used mainly for religious/church lighting.

I just found this interesting and am wondering if this new player may become a future (or maybe present) competitor to LOR?

Myself, I'm sticking with LOR. But thought others may be interested in reading and seeing what someone else has come up with that is similar to what we use in our displays.

[Donny M. Carter]

Pretty inexpensive also!:shock:

[kzaas]

Donny M. Carter wrote:

Pretty inexpensive also!:shock:

HUH!:?

It's $139.00 for LOR software and $99.95 dollars for the CTB16PC kits for a total of $438.85 and you would have 48 channels rather than 40 for $499.95. Not sure if the Revival includes the case, it shows it in the picture but if you read what is included the case is not mentioned.

I will stick with LOR!

[Guest guest]

kzaas wrote:

Donny M. Carter wrote:

Pretty inexpensive also!:shock:

HUH!:?

It's $139.00 for LOR software and $99.95 dollars for the CTB16PC kits for a total of $438.85 and you would have 48 channels rather than 40 for $499.95. Not sure if the Revival includes the case, it shows it in the picture but if you read what is included the case is not mentioned.

I will stick with LOR!

I too, am sticking with LOR, but your math is flawed.


Look again: This is a FULLY ASSEMBLED 40 channel unit and it does come with the case. (There is one lighting command this does that I wish LOR Controllers had, that lighting option is "SPARKLE").

However, the Revival unit DOES NOT include the dongles/cords (I found another thread on this over at PC and someone e-mailed the company asking some questions).

So you need to look at the LOR price for an assembled CTB16PC Complete kit unit that you add the dongles (comes with the LOR unit), you also have to buy from LOR (which you DID NOT figure in) the RJ485 unit, which IS INCLUDED in the revival kit.

So in that retrospect your math is flawed:

PC-CTB16PC-COMPLETE (you connect the dongles)$205.95 X 3 = $617.85 (48 channels)

RS232 to SC485 converter$27.95

$645.80 for 48 channels and the RJ 485, now add in Advanced License software at $139.95

You are now at a total of $785.85 for LOR

The Revival unit INCLUDES software (FREE), 40 Channels AND the RJ485 unit all for $499.95

$785.85 for what you need to make it all work for LOR (48 channels/RJ485/Software)

$499.95 for everything (minus the dongles) you need to do the same at Revival Control Systems (40 channels/RJ485/Software)

A difference of $285.90. That is a BIG difference, considering what you're getting!

If you cut the LOR controller price in 1/2, then those 8 channels would cost $102.98 So even if you cut that off $102.98 off the $285.90 and take that from the $785.85 price tag, you still have a total of $682.87, which is still a difference of $182.92

Add the 40 dongles needed (using LOR's dongles and prices) 8 Cords - 18 inches long Outdoor Rating.$15.00 x 5 packs = $120.00/40 dongles so you add that to the $499.99 to get a totla of $619.95 - so $785.85 (LOR) - $619.95 (Revival) = $165.90 difference. Still a bit of a diffference.

So even though they may have better prices, I AM STILL STICKING WITH LOR, mainly because LOR has been around the block for many years, far longer than this new entity and LOR is, and has been, tried, true and tested.

The other company is still far too new to know all that LOR knows and does.

So even though this other company may be cheaper in the gist of it, I'll continue to put my money on a PROVEN TRACK RECORD and a company(LOR) I know is superior in customer support and satisfaction, a company (LOR) that many times goes far above and beyond what other companies do to satisfy their customers.

I just thought it was an interesting find and just wanted to see what others thought about it.

[ItsMeBobO]

There were 3 posts in the forum there. With all the other 40 or so posts were spam in Russian.

[rodman1369]

I just want the software (if it would work with LOR controllers)
My wife Hates it when I put on headphones in her presence! She says I'm leaving her!

Really hard to get any sequencing done around home...

Until after she goes to bed...but That's only about an hour or so before I must turn in for the day myself.

Can't WAIT till I retire!!!

[Guest guest]

rodman1369 wrote:

I just want the software (if it would work with LOR controllers)

Yea, I hear ya!

I looked the darn site over, I, too, was hoping to find a "download" area where one could get hold of their software to download. Just to try out and see if it would work with a LOR Controller. No dice, could not find any way to get to or access their software.

Only way to get it is to BUY one of their controllers and I tried every trick I know to find a way to get it too.


rodman1369 wrote:

My wife Hates it when I put on headphones in her presence! She says I'm leaving her!

Really hard to get any sequencing done around home...

Until after she goes to bed...but That's only about an hour or so before I must turn in for the day myself.

I KNOW the feeling,

I use headphones all the time and every time I am using the "TAPPER" wizard and trying to sequence a song, here comes my wife TAPPING ME on the shoulder wanting something and then I have to start over again from the beginning, 'cuz she just messed me up! Grrrrrr. :X

And she knows when I have the headphones on I'm working on sequencing, yet that seems to be the very time SHE WANTS or NEEDS SOMETHING! Never fails!!!(even at 3am in the morning!):shock:

Even after she goes to bed, she may get up and come "disturb me" while I'm working on sequencing. Just can't win when it comes to wives wanting something, which seems to be all the time (or at least every time you're trying to do something that may not be directly for or about them!)

Wonder if our female counterparts, what few we have here, have the same issues with their husbands when they are trying to sequence music for their displays? (if using headphones like most of us do when we do this, so as not to drive everyone nuts repeating the same song a million times over while sequencing it!).

[rodman1369]

I AM a bit excited about the SuperStar Software on another thread here...If, when this is combined with LOR software...we MAY have some sort of Auto-Sequencing...mayhaps put in a song of our choice, and whalaa! Instant Sequence to tweak as needed. Maybe even lightshow Live! I Know this might go against the grain of experienced sequencers...but think of the new addicts this will create instantly! :cool:

[Guest guest]

ItsMeBobO wrote:

There were 3 posts in the forum there. With all the other 40 or so posts were spam in Russian.

Yes, I looked at their forums, but wasn't sure what all that mess was, thought maybe something weird could have happened to their forum and it just was messed up.

Funny though, SPAM in Russian on an basically English site since the company is in California. So no one that probably uses the forum currently probably doesn't even know what language it is and may think it's just gibberish. LOL

I know that's all I thought it was.

Not many folks using it, but then somewhere on their site I think it shows how mnay controlelrs they've supposedly sold, wasn't many though, at least I don't consider 1,000 controllers since 2009 a very large percentage. I'm sure LOR has sold probably at least 3 times, if not 6 times that, just in this year (2011) alone.

I did look at their showcase page, just to see the videos of their software and controllers in action. Looked to be pretty much the same as what we do with a LOR controller.

Only lighting option I read about that I'd like to see LOR implement is one they call SPARKLE.

Okay I went to their site and copied their description of SPARKLE:(I added the colors and italicized some areas to make it stand out).

Sparkle: When used with an individual light, the sparkle effect will pop fade the light at random times. When used with a group, the sparkle effect will pop fade individual lights in a group at random times. The Sparkle effect uses the Sparkle rate.

I think this would be a very cool effect, it is close to our "Twinkle" effect, but not quite the same, as the Twinkle DOES NOT use the fade option when in use, it just turns the light or light string on/off at random. I think this SPARKLE effect would be a really cool effect to have along with the Twinkle command!

This is basically what they say their effects are:

Lighting Effects (Revival Controller): Ramp, Fade, Blink, Pop, Sparkle, Flicker, Shimmer, Reverse-Pop

To me ramp and fade are the same thing, only they use ramp for fading up, FADE for fading down, POP is basically the same effect as our Twinkle, Reverse-Pop I'm thinking will turn all lights on ALL CHANNELS at the same time then randomly turn them off. But I'm speculating here on the POP effect. Flicker would be our Shimmer, Blink I'm thinking may also just be like our twinkle. I'm thinking some of the effects mentioned above are the same as another one in their list, just a different name to try and make it look as though the controller has more lighting effects than it really does.

The only one I see that sounds different from what we have, and going buy the description posted above that I took from their site, is the SPARKLE effect.

So if I were to actually RE-do their list of lighting effects, this is how I think it would look:

Lighting Effects (Revival Controller): (Ramp, Fade) = FADE, (Blink, Pop)= TWINKLE, (Sparkle) = SPARKLE (Flicker, Shimmer) = SHIMMER, (Reverse-Pop)=REVERSE TWINKLE(ALL lights on ALL channels are ON, then randomly turns them off - speculation)

So instead of 8 seperate lighting effects, they really only have 5:

FADE/TWINKLE/SPARKLE/SHIMMER and REVERSE TWINKLE

LOR currently only has 3: FADE/TWINKLE and SHIMMER

So in that respect they have two effects we don't have, REVERSE TWINKLE and SPARKLE. The ones in RED are what LOR currently has, so the addition of the SPARKLE and a REVERSE TWINKLE (albeit not sure we need a Reverse-Twinkle effect) would be nice to have. Definitely would like to see a SPARKLE type effect, that one sounds pretty cool to me.

[Guest guest]

rodman1369 wrote:

I AM a bit excited about the SuperStar Software on another thread here...If, when this is combined with LOR software...we MAY have some sort of Auto-Sequencing...mayhaps put in a song of our choice, and whalaa! Instant Sequence to tweak as needed. Maybe even lightshow Live! I Know this might go against the grain of experienced sequencers...but think of the new addicts this will create instantly! :cool:

If LORVis (a visualizer Plug in for Windows Media Player) could access multiple controllers, that could be used to do that, but it will only access one controller at a time (bummer). I downloaded it the other day just to play around with it, as the CTB16PC controller was not on the list of controllers that would work with it, but it does. Pretty cool, but nothing like what doing an actual sequence does since LORVis, again, only will access just one controller at a time and not multiple controllers.

That's why I would have liked to get my hands on the Revival software, just to try out that "Auto Sequence" option(AND HOPE it would work with LOR controllers!), something I've always asked for too, and usually been told it won't work(not by LOR) or isn't really needed(again, not by LOR), but I disagree! An option like that WOULD help a new person get a better start using their controllers!

Just know I could spend a lot less time sequencing, and more time on other things if such an option was available!

Even the SuperStar Demo I downloaded to start playing around with has an AUTO SEQUENCE option! And it does a pretty darn good job too, for those more died in the wool sequiencers, keep plugging at it the way you do, but let those that want it have an auto sequence generator so they can still have a life, and not be ball and chained to their computer to get sequences done!

Or if someone buys their controllers late in the season, an auto sequence generator would be an ideal compliment to have to get at least their display up and running. They could always go back and edit those "auto generated" sequences later to get them more in tune where they want them, but it would take a LOT LESS TIME than doing it from start to finish, as we do it now.

[rodman1369]

And I for one...plan on using my LOR controllers year-round as a lightshow in my back yard...sitting in the pool with lights dancing to the Moody Blues and the like. Would Really like to just select a playlist of songs selected by myself and friends and lay back and enjoy the show...and Maybe pull a couple controllers around front for xmas and halloween and any other holiday to share. :cool:

[Guest guest]

use mine year round too. But that's because I use them to test my sequences.

People think I'm nuts because I have Halloween decorations hanging on the wall of my apartment, blowmolds, light strings and lighted bells on a couple tables and it's only APRIL!:shock:

Why do you have Halloween stuff out now? I always get asked...

And then I just casually explain, they are my test subjects, that I enjoy giving them eletro-shock therapy to get them to stay in place when it's time to put them outside in the cold, dark, rainy weather and they must perform nightly the entire month of October, and they can never move from their appointed spot until November 1. LOL

Then I tell them what I really do, I create an animated musical lightshow display and I use them to test and make sure the lights are synchronized properly to the music.

But the looks I get when I tell them that first story! Priceless! ROFLMAO

[Paul Roberson]

Possible LOR competition?

I have yet to see ANY competition for LOR, and I actually started with Animated Lighting's software and controllers.

Just because someone sells something that may do the same thing does not make them any competition.

[Guest wbottomley]

Paul Roberson wrote:

Possible LOR competition?

I have yet to see ANY competition for LOR, and I actually started with Animated Lighting's software and controllers.

Just because someone sells something that may do the same thing does not make them any competition.

I'm right there with you Paul. I started the same way.

[kzaas]

Orville wrote:

kzaas wrote:

Donny M. Carter wrote:

Pretty inexpensive also!:shock:

HUH!:?

It's $139.00 for LOR software and $99.95 dollars for the CTB16PC kits for a total of $438.85 and you would have 48 channels rather than 40 for $499.95. Not sure if the Revival includes the case, it shows it in the picture but if you read what is included the case is not mentioned.

I will stick with LOR!

I too, am sticking with LOR, but your math is flawed.

Ok, your right, my math may have been flawed a bit, but it is only $99.95 for the CTB16PC kits. I love saving money and I don't mind soldering my own boards together, so the only money I have to spend now is on the case. Did you notice that their RS485 converter was a DB9 to RS485 rather than USB to RS485, No thank you, do mother boards even come with DB9, RS232 serial ports anymore?

[Guest guest]

kzaas wrote:

Orville wrote:

I too, am sticking with LOR, but your math is flawed.

Ok, your right, my math may have been flawed a bit, but it is only $99.95 for the CTB16PC kits. I love saving money and I don't mind soldering my own boards together, so the only money I have to spend now is on the case. Did you notice that their RS485 converter was a DB9 to RS485 rather than USB to RS485, No thank you, do mother boards even come with DB9, RS232 serial ports anymore?

Yea, I prefer to save money, but I mnyself just prefer to purchase something liek the CTB16PC fully assembled and ready to go.

As for the DB9 Serial Port connectors, nope. Not usually(although Dell will still install one if you ask {or did when we ordered the last system back in 2009}, but then you lose 4 USB ports).

Everything is pretty much USB these days. And their 485 is "built in" to their controllers, so I guess they must have gotten a deal on "old school" style parts and incorporated them. Most computers started doing away with the DB9 ports prior to 2009. We have a couple of computers that were purchased near the end of 2008/beginning of 2009 and they DO NOT have DB9 connectors on them either, our DELL being one of them. And no laptops have them, I have ann OLD laptop and it doesn't even have a DB9 connector on it, this one probably built around 1999-2001 time frame. I'd have to find it to be sure, but know it's ancient compared to todays laptops.

And I don't know how a USB to DB9 converter cable actually works, but I hear you can still get those for some items that folks still want to use with the newer computers. So I guess there are still some "old school" computer peripherials out there folks are still using by buying one of these cables to make it work.

[MikeH]

Alright, everyone chip in some money, have someone who knows what they're doing buy it and then report back to us. Who wants the money? Hehe...I know there will be a lot of volunteers for this one!!

MikeH

[Guest guest]

Paul Roberson wrote:

Just because someone sells something that may do the same thing does not make them any competition.

Well in retail circles that is called COMPETITION when you sell an item that does the same thing, even though it may have slight differences in appearance or even have an added feature, that's what makes it competitive!

I just thought it would be interesting to just share the info and see what folks thought about them.

[Frank Picozzi]

I don't know guys. If you're hoping for software that will make sequences for you I think you need to re-think your choice of animated lighting as a hobby. We really all have the same basic display, mega tree, mini trees, arches, etc. the sequencing is what makes the display unique and your own. I'm sure that auto sequencing would bring many into the hobby. If this were easy, then everyone would do it.

[Cray Augsburg]

Frank Picozzi wrote:

I don't know guys. If you're hoping for software that will make sequences for you I think you need to re-think your choice of animated lighting as a hobby. We really all have the same basic display, mega tree, mini trees, arches, etc. the sequencing is what makes the display unique and your own. I'm sure that auto sequencing would bring many into the hobby. If this were easy, then everyone would do it.

EXACTLY!