PRG Mbox Director User Manual v3.7 - Manual (Page 9)

MBOX ® DIRECTOR USER MANUAL 3
OVERVIEW
About Mbox Director
Mbox Director is a software application that allows control of an
Mbox media server from a personal computer. It can be used to
configure and control all aspects of the Mbox media content and
playback, therefore eliminating the need for a lighting console.
Mbox Director will run on any Intel-based Mac® computer
(MacBook Pro, MacBook, Mac Mini, Mac Pro, etc.) using the Snow
Leopard®, Lion®, or Mountain Lion® operating system. (PowerPC-
based Mac computers are not supported.)
Mbox Director can also be run on the Mbox media server itself
without significantly affecting performance during playback. (Mbox
Director can allocate processing priority to the Mbox server using a
Preference setting.)
Mbox Director is capable of controlling one or more Mbox servers
which are connected by a network.
Software Versions
In order for Mbox Director to communicate properly with an Mbox server, both software versions must match.
For example, Mbox Director v3.7 and Mbox Designer v3.7.
Communication Protocol
Mbox Director communicates with Mbox servers by sending Art-Net messages to Mbox network IP addresses. In
most lighting applications Art-Net is a broadcast protocol, but in the case of Mbox Director, the messages are sent to
a specific IP address. This makes it safer to run Mbox Director on a network which may have other Art-Net devices
since it will ignore the IP-specific Mbox Director transmissions. It also allows Mbox Director to control multiple Mbox
servers at the default Art-Net universe '0'.
Important Concepts
It is important to note the following differences between the terms "Fixture" and "Server" in the Mbox Director user
interface.
Fixture:
A Fixture is abstract, and can refer to either the "Server," the "Master" controls for the server, or an individual "Layer."
Server:
A Server is a fixture unto itself.
A Server is also a collection of sub-fixtures, the "Master" fixture, plus one or more "Layer" fixtures.
Figure 1: Mbox Media Server