Revised ESTA Technical Standards Program Standard Published, Two Posted for Public Review

Three bits of news from ESTA's Technical Standards Program: one revised standard published, one revised standard available for public review, and one standard available for public review for reaffirmation (no changes planned).

ANSI E1.1 - 2018, Entertainment Technology -- Construction and Use of Wire Rope Ladders, was approved by ANSI's Board of Standards Review on September 27. It has now been published and is available at tsp.esta.org/freestandards for download at no cost. The no-cost download is made possible by the sponsorship of ProSight Specialty Insurance. It also may be purchased for $15 from ANSI and IHS. ANSI E1.1 - 2018 describes the construction and use of wire rope ladders in the entertainment industry. It is a revision of the 2012 standard, which was a revision of the 2006 standard with changed load ratings to accommodate heavier workers. Wire rope ladders are commonly used in concert touring for access to lighting trusses, but are rarely used in other industries.

ANSI E1.48 - 2014, A Recommended Luminous Efficiency Function for Stage and Studio Luminaire Photometry, is being considered for reaffirmation. It is available for public review for free at estalink.us/pr. The standard specifies a V (lambda) function that more accurately reflects the response of the human eye at the extreme blue and red ends of the spectrum than the 80+ year-old function used with many light meters. The differences between the functions are significant when measuring the output of RGB LED luminaires. Public review is an opportunity for anyone materially affected by the standard to comment on it. Is it reasonable? Are there errors that need correction? Should something be added to it? Comments are due before the end of day on December 17.

BSR E1.20, Entertainment Technology -- Remote Device Management over USITT DMX512 Networks, is a revised version of ANSI E1.20 - 2010, usually referred to as simply "RDM." This revision is to clarify ambiguities, fix bugs, and incorporate some additional features. ANSI E1.20 is an extension to USITT DMX512 and ANSI E1.11 that allows for bi-directional communication on the primary data link. This allows a controller to discover RDM-enabled devices on the link, to set starting addresses and other configuration settings, and to request status messages. This too is available for free at estalink.us/pr. Have we clarified it? Are the added features enough for this revision cycle? Comments are due before the end of day on December 17.