Aquiering reasonably priced ORB. Any sense?

[Ed75]

Hi all.

A reasonably priced ORB came up for sale. Complete incl. nice case etc. 

Does it still make any sense investing in it? Mainly for theatre use, incl. some intelligent fixtures (movers)

Will it be supported in ZerOS in the future?

Due to Covid reasons I can not invest in anything fancier at the moment .

Or just wait for better times and probably buy a full FLX?

 

 

 

[Edward Z88]

Hi @Ed75

17 minutes ago, Ed75 said:

A reasonably priced ORB came up for sale. Complete incl. nice case etc. 

I presume this is the standard Orb, not OrbXF?

17 minutes ago, Ed75 said:

Does it still make any sense investing in it? Mainly for theatre use, incl. some intelligent fixtures (movers)

As with most things, this comes down to cost. The Orb is different to all other consoles that run ZerOS, in that it doesn't have channel faders. Orb was discontinued 2 years before the standard FLX was launched.

Edward

[Ed75]

37 minutes ago, Edward Z88 said:

I presume this is the standard Orb, not OrbXF?

It is. So I am aware of the (workflow) limitations at that point. 

Thanks for your answer so far.

The actual question is, will it be able to run the later (st) versions of ZerOS , and any idea of future support?

And is it still able to cope with all new (more complicated) software and fixture patches? Or will it be slow and not really up to the task? (hardware wise) 

[Edward Z88]

Hi @Ed75

5 minutes ago, Ed75 said:

will it be able to run the later (st) versions of ZerOS , and any idea of future support?

And is it still able to cope with all new (more complicated) software and fixture patches? Or will it be slow and not really up to the task? (hardware wise) 

Orb consoles are currently still supported, and can run the latest versions of ZerOS. There are several features not available on Orb, that are on the standard FLX, due to hardware limitations. As the software continues to develop, more features that come to FLX will not also be able to come to Orb.

Edward

[Ed75]

Ok. Thanks as always for your fast reply . Is there anywhere in the online documentation where I can find the limitations ? Couldn't find it 😉

[Edward Z88]

Hi @Ed75

11 minutes ago, Ed75 said:

Ok. Thanks as always for your fast reply . Is there anywhere in the online documentation where I can find the limitations ? Couldn't find it 😉

There is not a document available that lists features that have not come to Orb consoles. All Orb & OrbXF specific documentation is available here...

https://zero88.com/control/orb

Edward

[Ed75]

Thank you. I had been reading all the information from your link already. Before posting this topic on here. 

 

Thanks!! I will consider all this.

[iank99]

21 hours ago, Ed75 said:

Ok. Thanks as always for your fast reply . Is there anywhere in the online documentation where I can find the limitations ? Couldn't find it 😉

The main issue likely to occur in future is when the multi processor kernel for ZerOS gets enabled. The Orb mainboard has a dual core processor - the FLX has a quad core processor (if memory serves from a conversation with Jon Hole back before the FLX was officially released).

At release, only a single core was enabled (impressive that ZerOS does all it does on a single core!) - this was probably to allow the Solution desks to still run. Jon thought that the second core might get enabled when more extensive features got included in ZerOS - we had been talking about the "stage mode" from the Sirius 250/500 where positions of moving lights could be remapped dynamically by the software according to a "map" of the performance area held by the desk. I think also that some sort of media server might be envisaged to allow "simple" projection via multi cell LED fixtures (a bit similar to how Pixelines were used by Oasis when they played Glastonbury in 2004).

 

Aside from this - the only issue you're likely to have with an Orb now is going to be hardware support down the line. My gut feeling is to say if you can find an Orb for a stunningly low price, then buy it but otherwise - hold out and buy an FLX...  To misquote Brian Potter from Phoenix Nights "FLX it's the future... "