BrianJ
Full time elf
Let me start by saying thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome here. 
I have been learning about animated lighting now for about a month and my head is just about ready to explode. [SIZE=small]I now have more questions than when I first began.[/SIZE]
Let me explain from the beginning. [SIZE=small]I decided to go to an animated show last Christmas and bought about 2000 bulbs (C6) on 70 light strings and 12 sets of 70 bulb [/SIZE][SIZE=small]incandescent[/SIZE] icicles. Last week I ordered 15 sets of LED icicles to use instead. I'm sure I will find another use for the incandescent icicles later.[SIZE=small] After researching for about a week I figured the easiest[/SIZE][SIZE=small] way into the hobby would be with a LOR starter kit and maybe a second controller for the first year. I than found a LOR controller used from a fellow Canadian on a different forum and have purchased that Somewhere in the first week i had the idea planted in my head that pixel lighting was much more expensive, difficult, and time consuming than LED strings and a controller. now with wanting to run at least 8 LED strings across the front of my house and finding the CCP vs Ray Wu thread the cost of going to pixels right of the bat looks not so bad. I don't mind using up my LED string lights other places.[/SIZE]
The problem is I know nothing about rgb/pixel lighting how they hook up, what other kit I need to make them work, and if I am going to pixels is LOR the right software to use? I guess the enviroment (LOR/DMX) is the first decision that I have to make in order to finalize my wish list. What do I really need if I want to start with 200 rgb pixels across the front of my house. If I use LOR software do I need the advanced version and the super star add on? What is a universe and how does it affect what I want to do now and in the future? etc etc etc. If I go to rgb/pixels than the 1 LOR controller that I have acquired will do for this year but I would like to have room on the pixel side for a few additional things.
I hope some members with more experience that have a little time to spare could tell me which way they would go if they were in my position and why. I am not afraid of putting in whatever time is needed and than some but I really want to get sorted so I can start getting ready, Christmas is less than 6 months away
Sorry for the long post but it is only a bit of what is bouncing around inside my head.
I have been learning about animated lighting now for about a month and my head is just about ready to explode. [SIZE=small]I now have more questions than when I first began.[/SIZE]
Let me explain from the beginning. [SIZE=small]I decided to go to an animated show last Christmas and bought about 2000 bulbs (C6) on 70 light strings and 12 sets of 70 bulb [/SIZE][SIZE=small]incandescent[/SIZE] icicles. Last week I ordered 15 sets of LED icicles to use instead. I'm sure I will find another use for the incandescent icicles later.[SIZE=small] After researching for about a week I figured the easiest[/SIZE][SIZE=small] way into the hobby would be with a LOR starter kit and maybe a second controller for the first year. I than found a LOR controller used from a fellow Canadian on a different forum and have purchased that Somewhere in the first week i had the idea planted in my head that pixel lighting was much more expensive, difficult, and time consuming than LED strings and a controller. now with wanting to run at least 8 LED strings across the front of my house and finding the CCP vs Ray Wu thread the cost of going to pixels right of the bat looks not so bad. I don't mind using up my LED string lights other places.[/SIZE]
The problem is I know nothing about rgb/pixel lighting how they hook up, what other kit I need to make them work, and if I am going to pixels is LOR the right software to use? I guess the enviroment (LOR/DMX) is the first decision that I have to make in order to finalize my wish list. What do I really need if I want to start with 200 rgb pixels across the front of my house. If I use LOR software do I need the advanced version and the super star add on? What is a universe and how does it affect what I want to do now and in the future? etc etc etc. If I go to rgb/pixels than the 1 LOR controller that I have acquired will do for this year but I would like to have room on the pixel side for a few additional things.
I hope some members with more experience that have a little time to spare could tell me which way they would go if they were in my position and why. I am not afraid of putting in whatever time is needed and than some but I really want to get sorted so I can start getting ready, Christmas is less than 6 months away
Sorry for the long post but it is only a bit of what is bouncing around inside my head.
