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Syncing up multiple projectors
A client just asked me the following:
I have considered doing an “Indoor Civil War Experience” where I created a visual panorama using photos, maps and stuff. In the days of slide projectors, I would have used five slide projectors and figured out a way to sync them up advancing them all with one button push. There was a technology for that. Here’s my question: Can you do a similar thing with digital projectors? Sync them and advance them from a central control point?
I am a producer/editor & this is out of my area of expertise.
What would be a good solution for him?
Thank in advance!
Bob
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4 Replies
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First I suggest doing a search in this forum for syncing projectors or syncing displays. There have been many cogent discussion threads on this very topic.
The short answer is: yes of course. A virtual plethora.
There are systems like Watchout, Wings Platinum, Barco Encore, and Vista Montage or Spyder that are built to do spcifically this. They are media cueing and serving devices built for many multiple outputs.
Also available are media servers common in the concert market like Hippotizer, Pandora’s Box, or Catalyst that can also do multiple blended outputs. They also have the ability to be cued from lighting control systems, which centralizes show control. A google of any o the above info will yield very detailed info.
There are design studios with a specialization in this, and there are also AV vendors that have more, rather than less info to actually execute this.
I love the idea. I worked on the design of the Broadway and National Tours of Civil Way (which we accomplished with projection). It’s an amazing era, full of great stories, and with a good deal of photographic documentation. We were able to amass quite a collection… Good luck.
Best,
Bob Bonniol
MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Entertainment Design Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
Live & Stage Event Forum Leader
HD Forum Leader -
I keep recommending Renewed Visions ProVideo Player. It is a program for Mac OS in which you hook up a mac to each projector/display, you put their software on each machine, then you take another mac, and via ethernet or even wireless (not highly recommended) you can play back multi-screen content in sync.
The software can play individual content so each machine plays the same clip, for instance, or at the click of a button, the software can stretch a single image across all of the displays. It can also do things like tile, color/hue controls, and asymmetrical screen placements.
You can download a full working, free demo at https://www.renewedvision.com
My second recommendation is Figure 53s qLab. It is a bit more sophisticated than Pro Video Player in terms of set up, but via some add on modules can do multiscreen setups, as I’ve seen it done.
To give you an idea, the tour that I’m working on right now, uses 5 projection screens and 3 plasmas all synced together at times with ProVideo Player.
You can find some pics at https://gallery.mac.com/nicholasrivero#100008&bgcolor=black&view=grid
Hope this helps!
//nick
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Hi Bob,
I am trying to put an visual event together and due to location it needs to be done the old fashioned way using slide projectors and a single computer. I need the timing of the images to synch to a timeline. Would you please let me know what method you used to make your civil war panorama using photos?
Many thanks
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Richard,
The Civil War project ended up not happening for my client, so I never got very far with my research on multi-projector solutions.
Good luck to you.
Bob
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