Electronic Theatre Controls — U.S. manufacturer of professional stage luminaires and lighting consoles, widely used as an industry standard in film and theater production.
Technical Details
ETC's flagship Eos Ti console achieves a processing speed of 44 universes at a 44 Hz refresh rate and controls over 65,000 parameters simultaneously. The Element series offers 250 motorized faders with a 0.1-second response time and supports sACN, Art-Net, and ETCNet3 protocols. The Source Four LED fixtures deliver 14,400 lumens at 95 CRI and cover the color spectrum from 2,700K to 6,500K. The Cobalt family operates with 32-bit processors and processes cue changes in under 20 milliseconds.
History & Development
Fred Foster founded ETC in 1975 in Wisconsin and revolutionized the industry in 1986 with the first computer-based lighting console, Obsession. In 1998, the first DMX-compatible system, Congo, followed, and in 2006, the touchscreen-based Eos system. The Source Four LED spots introduced in 2010 replaced halogen lamps with variable color temperature LEDs. In 2019, the ColorSource system expanded the product range with cost-effective solutions for smaller productions.
Practical Application in Film
Cinematographer Roger Deakins used ETC Eos consoles on "Blade Runner 2049" for precise control of over 800 LED panels in the city scenes. Netflix productions like "Stranger Things" rely on ETC Source Four LED arrays for consistent color temperatures during night shoots. The Eos software enables preset programming for standard setups like interviews (Key 2.8K, Fill 1.2K, Background variable) and reduces setup times by an average of 40%. Wireless DMX modules eliminate cable runs for exterior shoots.
Comparison & Alternatives
ETC primarily competes with MA Lighting (GrandMA series) and Avolites (Titan consoles). While GrandMA dominates concerts, film productions prefer ETC due to its more intuitive software interface and better integration of mixed tungsten/LED operation. Blackmagic ATEM switchers offer affordable alternatives for smaller productions but only achieve 12-bit color resolution compared to ETC's 16-bit system. However, modern cloud-based solutions like LightShark require a stable internet connection, which can be problematic at remote locations.