E1.31, Lightweight Streaming Protocol for Transport of DMX512 using ACN Prior to the completion of ACN, there were several, noncompatible proprietary approaches to transporting DMX data over a network. With ACN now finalized, this task group is currently working to create a simple protocol that can provide DMX-like functionality over Ethernet networks and run in a mode compatible with ACN. This approach will likely be a simple, uni- directional implementation, with the ability to support a large number of DMX universe num- bers. E1.33, Extensions to E1.31 (DMX512 Streaming Protocol) for Transport of ANSI E1.20 (RDM) No one knows how the market is going to shake out, but RDM certainly could interact closely with ACN. This task group is working on how to transport RDM packets over the extension to ACN which allows DMX transport. T HE F UTURE OF ACN While the first real commercial application for ACN may be the replacement of DMX, I am really excited about the potential of ACN, because it could open up a whole new world of con- trol possibilities. For example, let's say I want to build a moving-head video projection fixture that is "aware" of its position in the room, and have it be able to aim itself at any spot on the stage at any elevation in XYZ coordinates (instead of pan and tilt angles). In my fixture's DDL, I could establish basic and traditional (legacy) functionally, basing some common fea- tures (e.g., brightness) on established practices, and I might even have a "dumb" mode where my fixture responds to pan and tilt angles like a traditional moving light. But with ACN, I could create an additional control mode, which enables the fixture to be aimed on the X/Y/Z coordinate system and be controlled by any console that could figure out my device properties. And that's just step one. What if I want to have a scenic automation controller report a unit's position and have my new fixture track it, projecting its image on a moving platform or screen as the scenic unit moves onstage? In the ACN future, I could plop a show controller into my network, have it interpret the positional information from the scenery controller (perhaps broadcast in simple UDP ASCII format) and output X/Y/Z target scenic position for my mov- ing video head fixture. My video fixture can now, using all open industry standard control methods, accept scenic position data from the show controller/scenic system and track that point in 3D space, all the while accepting image and intensity information from the "lighting" console. Think where all this can lead and you can start to see why I believe ACN could change everything. With ACN, the future is really limited only by your imagination.