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I saw an article called "You're a Tech Superstar If You Know What All of These Acronyms Mean" on Inc.com, so I started thinking about all the acronyms we use in live event production. See how many of these acronyms you know and find out if you're a live event production superstar.
1. DMX
a. digital micro transmission
b. dynamic multichannel transmission
c. digital multiplexing
d. data multigram crossing
2. RDM
a. remote dynamic multigram
b. resistive data mirroring
c. random data movement
d. remote device management
3. sACN
a. signal acceptance closed networking
b. streaming ACN
c. streaming algorithm crossing network
d. slow advanced control networking
4. CAT
a. short for category
b. cryptic advanced technology
c. short for cataloging
d. closed architecture technology
5. UTP
a. unencrypted transmission protocol
b. unidirectional transmission protocol
c. unshielded twisted pair
d. united technical programming
6. 1000BaseT
a. 1000 megabit per second baseband transmission
b. 1000 megabyte per second baseband transmission
c. 1000 bit per second baud rate transmission
d. 1000 gigabit per second baseband transmission
7. GbE
a. gigabyte extratransmission
b. gigabaud Ethernet
c. gigabit Ethernet
d. greyband electronica
8. RJ45
a. really jigged 45
b. reactive jack 45
c. registered jack 45
d. resistive jargon 45
9. L6-20
a. lifted-ground 6-pin, 20-amp connector
b. locking 6-pin, 20-amp connector
c. locking 250V, 20-amp connector
d. locking 6V, 20-amp connector
10. SSID
a. strong signal identity
b. solid-state identifier
c. sideband signal intensity data
d. service set identifier
Answers:
1. DMX - Digital multiplexing came out of the telegraph industry way back at the end of the 19th century. The USITT created DMX512 for the control of dimmers in 1986, and at the time, some people thought that because the baud rate is 250,000 bits per second, that it was too slow to use with moving lights. We've been using it to control all manner of lighting instruments and effects ever since. By today's standards, DMX is very slow, yet we still use it because, as long as you follow recommended practices, it's very reliable, and if there's one thing we value in this industry, it's reliability. (See "Recommended Practice for DMX512, 2nd Edition" by Adam Bennette.)
2. RDM - Remote Device Management is a protocol that came out in 2006, but it's only recently become a popular way to remotely configure and monitor lighting instruments and other devices, probably because of the availability of very good and affordable RMD tools like the DMXcat from City Theatrical. If you haven't used it yet, you owe it to yourself to try it out. The vast majority of theatrical lighting fixtures being manufactured today respond to RDM.
3. sACN - Streaming ACN is a protocol that was introduced in 2008, but it's recently been gaining in popularity. It's simply a way of transporting multiple universes of DMX over an Ethernet network, much like Art-Net or any number of proprietary protocols like ETCnet, but it uses a multicasting, which makes efficient use of the available bandwidth, and IGMP, which makes it plug-and-play.
4. CAT - Short for category. Ethernet cable is categorized according to its bandwidth and how it is constructed. Over the years, cable manufacturers have found ways to increase bandwidth by using certain materials and construction techniques to minimize capacitance. Today, Cat 5, Cat 5e (enhanced Cat 5), Cat 6, and Cat 6a (augmented Cat 6) are commonly used. Cat 8 was ratified in 2016 but it's very rare in the entertainment industry.
5. UTP - Unshielded twisted pair is Ethernet cable without a shield. Shielded twisted pair has more bandwidth but it costs more and it not as flexible as UTP.
6. 1000BaseT - 1000 bit per second baseband transmission using twisted pair copper wire, or more commonly called gigabit Ethernet. Baseband transmission means that there is no carrier signal like radio and television broadcasts use.
7. GbE - Gigabit Ethernet, which is 1000 megabit per second transmission. (See #6 above.)
8. RJ45 - Registered jack 45 is a type of receptacle for an 8-pin 8-conductor (8P8C) connector. An 8P8C connector is a small plastic connector with a little plastic tab that we commonly refer to as an RJ45 connector, but technically, it's only the jack that is an RJ45.
9. L6-20 - Locking connector rated 250V 20-amps. The designation comes from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).
10. SSID - Service set identifier is basically the name given to a WiFi network. Why engineers insist on creating acronyms for everything instead of just calling it the WiFi name, I'll never know.
How did you do?
10 correct - Congratulations! You're an Entertainment Tech Superstar!7 to 9 correct - Not bad!
4 to 6 correct - Could do a little better.
1 to 3 correct - Needs work.
0 correct - Tech emergency!
TAFN
Richard Cadena
