Bright Ideas At ISE 2026

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All right, welcome back to
Geezers of Gear Future Tech.

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I'm Chris, joined once again by
the lovely Lacey.

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Today we're basically geeking
out about ET CS massive showing

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at ISE 2026 in Barcelona.
Bright lights, new toys and a

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bit of industry schmoozing.
My kind of Expo.

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Yeah, ISE is always a big one,
right?

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And ET CS bringing major
firepower this year.

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You've got the data Flash 5000,
plus this whole pixel thing

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going on with Megapix and
Gigapix.

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It's like if you want your stage
to scream, look at me, these are

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the fixtures you want.
Oh exactly and look ETC coming

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back with this new gear line up
it almost makes me nostalgic.

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I remember probably 20 years
ago.

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No more like what, 25?
My first encounter with ETC at a

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trade show.
Back then it was Source 4 Lycos

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and a sea of Dimmeracs.
We thought it was bleeding edge.

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Now it's well, Data Flash 5000,
Gigapix, all this pixel magic

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and output you'd never dreamt of
back then.

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It's wild how fast they've
evolved these days.

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It's not just about basic
lighting anymore.

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Everything's got to be versatile
and visual.

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The Megapix and Gigapix, well, I
don't want to pretend I'm an

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expert, but it feels like this
is ETC saying hey, we're not

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just for the theatre folks
anymore, we're here to play in

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big splashy event tech too.
Spot on.

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This year's lineup really.
Plants ETC writing with the most

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creative tech in our industry.
I mean, the pixel based design

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thing, that's basically the
playground now for lighting

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designers who want to go beyond
just pointy lights go spinny

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spin, right?
But you know, ISE is great for

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seeing it all in context.
You can tell when a company

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brings kit that's really meant
to crossover between corporate

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gigs, rock'n'roll, and even
architectural stuff.

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So let's dig into what's
actually new.

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The data flash 5 thousands, the
one that gets talked about a

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lot, 52,000 lumens.
That's, I mean, that's so much

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light.
Are people wearing shades at

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these demos?
You joke, but seriously, at that

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level, if you're front row and
the operator's got a sense of

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humor, you're getting your
retina checked, right?

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This thing isn't just a strobe,
it's like impact distilled down

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into pixels, but it's also fully
RGB, so you're not stuck with

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just white.
You've got colour, all pixel

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mappable and macros that blow
people away when you see them in

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person.
Perfect for concerts, TV, just

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about anything needing a big
punch on stage or in broadcast.

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Yeah.
And then Megapix and Gigapix,

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they're the new pixel based
toys.

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Can you help me out here, Chris?
Is it about having more control,

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or is it just bigger numbers,
more pixels, more fun?

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Now, great question.
It's about both, but especially

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the creative control.
Megapix and Gigapix are ETC.

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Taking that pixel based design
idea all the way, small or large

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rigs, you want flexibility.
You can drop these into a

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massive festival setup or just
stick a few in for a club gig

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and you still get seamless
integration.

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It's all about making the
designers life easier and

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honestly letting folks dream up
weird wild looks without

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fighting the gear.
That actually reminds me, I

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caught a demo a while back.
Different context but it was the

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tour hog console.
Not the same as these lights

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exactly, but watching the
operator snap between queues,

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adjusting everything on the fly,
it made me realize how tech like

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this just keeps crews sane.
You get a fast moving event with

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caterers, hospitality, people,
performers all over the place.

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You need consoles and fixtures
that aren't going to fight you.

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ET CS are really aiming for that
this year, right?

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Honestly, that's the key.
They're showing the full hog

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line at ISE, previewing the tour
wing too, actually.

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So yeah, whether you're
coordinating A hospitality gig

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or a mega show, it's about gear
that works under pressure and

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gives you that creative edge.
And of course it wouldn't be ISE

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if it was just about fancy
lights.

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There's always networking etcs
running those designers interval

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sessions every day.
Like happy hour for lighting

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nerds, right?
That's it.

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From 2:00 to 3:00 in the
afternoon, soft drink, snacks

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and more industry gossip than
you can handle.

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It's so much more than just
chatting, though.

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These sessions are hands on.
You get to try the kit, share

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stories, and, you know,
basically solve problems you

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wouldn't crack alone.
Honestly, some of the best

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design ideas I've ever nicked
borrowed came from these

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informal meet ups.
And ET CS making a point this

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year of showing off some deeper
collaboration too.

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Their foundation desk is running
XE chain hoist at the area for

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booth.
So not just lights, but stage

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machinery, automation, all wired
up and demoed.

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You see it all playing together.
Yeah, and let's not forget, ETC

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always brings proper support to
these events.

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Field service engineers are on
hand for demos or to talk actual

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show needs right there on the
stand.

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Like you come in with a crazy
install challenge and you'll

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probably walk out with at least
three solutions or at the very

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least someone's Direct Line.
That sort of peer networking, I

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mean, it's how our industry
keeps levelling up.

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It's true, customer support
isn't just a call centre, it's

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on site people who'll answer
weird questions or even pop over

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and save your install.
We talked a lot in previous

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episodes about how crucial that
kind of support and peer help

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really is.
I love seeing that in action at

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these shows.
Couldn't agree more.

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So whether you're chasing
groundbreaking effects or you're

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just there for the drinks and
war stories, ET CS Booth is kind

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of the place to be at ISC 2026.
That's about all we've got

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today, but I suspect we'll have
more bright ideas next week.

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Laci, always a pleasure.
Always, Chris.

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Thanks everyone for tuning in.
See you next time on Geezers of

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Gear Future Tech Bye.
Cheers everyone, catch you soon.

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Music to your ears.
Hey, hey.

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Yay.
Let's go.

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New gear vibes.
New tech jive gearheads unite.

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We keep it live.
Oh yeah.

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The Lunar's gear, the Leaders
gear.

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We got it here.
Got it here.