Hello from Richmond, Virginia, USA!

I came upon AusChristmasLighting last night on Reddit, and I hope that I'll someday be able to contribute to the group. For now, though, I'm a complete newbie, so I'll be reading a lot and trying to pick up pointers. For many years, I've strung lights on the gutters and roof - C7 and C9 incandescents, now LED's. Last year we went to one of those drive-through Christmas light shows, and I've been intrigued ever since. Wiring and computers don't scare me, but I want to start small and grow. I want to design a future-proof system. For example, use connector X instead of connector Y, software ABC rather than DEF, etc. My first step, of course, is to read the 101 Manual. That may create more questions than answers, but it will be a fun journey.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Joe

Welcome

Definitely on the right track by starting on with the 101 manual.
Software wise, most use xLights. If you have fb, be sure to checkout https://www.facebook.com/groups/xLights

Welcome to ACL. There are a fair number of ACL members located in the US. For a casual conversation or quick question someone is typically monitoring the Chat Room if not in a conversation there. ACL sections are also searchable to find answers to questions and/or problems.

To begin small I would suggest a Small Board Computer (SBC) such as a Raspberry Pi or Beagle Bone Black (BBB). These can generally drive pixels directly but problems are sometimes seen so a better approach is to add a Cape/Hat to the SBC which then drives the pixels. Limitation of the number of pixels can be reached rather quickly with a SBC though. To begin small and allow growth, look at a controller such as a Falcon F16 or F48.