Centralized or distributed dimming
The traditional lighting installation scheme for a performance venue is to install load wiring from the point of use (a socket mounted adjacent to a fixture) back to a central dimmer room -- so-called 'installed' or 'centralized dimming.'
The reasons for this style of installation are essentially historic and are based on the need to locate all the dimmers in one place due to the power distribution of the building, for ease of dimmer maintenance, for ease of pulling and connecting multiple multi-core analog control cables between two positions, and to have the ability to reset breakers or change fuses easily (this can often occur when a quartz/halogen lamp reaches its end of life).
The changes in dimming technology and electrical installation practice pioneered by ETC B.V. over the past ten years have provided the opportunity to distribute dimmers in more appropriate locations. It is therefore important to understand the new hybrid installation techniques now being used, as the overall effect on an installation budget can be significant.
Many venues are being equipped with all-SineWave dimming systems, such as those listed in our case studies (for example, the National's Lyttelton Theatre and Amsterdam Muziektheater), but some are using a mixture of installed forward phase dimming and distributed SineWave dimming (for example, the new Copenhagen Opera House).