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Projecting Video For Event (Please Help)
I am editing a video with Final Cut for a company that is holding a banquet and would like to project the video at the event. I wanted to know if there was any special codec/or set of guidelines to obtain the best image possible off the projection. Unfortunately, all the footage that was handed to me was a mixture of SD and HD video from many different events; therefore, I know that some of the quality will not match up regardless. The project is being exported in 720X480, so I guess a question I had about projecting such videos is will the projector distort the image at all? Or does it depend on the type of projector? I’m new to learning about projection and such, so I was looking to seek some advice. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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6 Replies
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Nearly all modern projectors have a native resolution of XGA (1024X768) and above, although there are still some S-VGA machines flotaing around out there. They will all automatically detect the incoming resolution and resize it accordingly. They can also usually be custom set for the exact incoming resolution. The key here is how you’ll be connecting to the projector. If the projector has DVI or HDMI inputs, you’re in great shape if your playback device has the same. If not you could stll go component as nearly all good projectors have that as well. Will you be going through a switcher or video mixer of some kind? That will play a role as well. It’s important that whoever is handling av at the venue knows his/ger stuff and and the venue itself is well-equipped (this is what I used to do for events large and small). Tell them what you need and they should be able to take good care of you. Where are you presenting this video (what city)?
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com -
Before you decide how you are going to finish the piece, you should find out more about how it will be displayed.
A couple questions: what aspect ratio will projection be? Do you know for certain that it’s 4:3, or should you be targeting 16:9 instead? What will the playback device be, and what is your exact deliverable?
Working with projection is related to, but somewhat different than, broadcast design. Here are a couple notes that might help you.
All modern projectors are progressive, whereas NTSC is interlaced. The gamuts are not identical, but good engineers on-site will minimize color or gamma issues. Projection, rear projection especially, is prone to hot spots, so flat fields of color may not reproduce as you intend. If the projected image is especially big, exceptionally fast moves may be exaggerated. You do still need to consider the action-safe area, just as you would with traditional video work, as sometimes projection is overscanned.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking -
Thank you for the information. The thing is that I am freelancing for this company, so they will be taking it with them and presenting it at a banquet in Las Vegas. I asked them if they knew anything about the projector and such; however, they said that they do not know. After talking with them, it seems that they will be going through a Macbook Pro, and hooking that up to a projector. Therefore, I suppose that they will need to make sure that the projector has a VGA connection so it can hook up? It’s a 16×9 video, so I’m also assuming (at this point) that all the projectors are capable of 4×3 and 16×9. Any other input is greatly appreciated. I’m right out of college doing this work, so I just want to make sure they have a good video and presentation 🙂 Thanks again.
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[Dustin Muncy] “After talking with them, it seems that they will be going through a Macbook Pro, and hooking that up to a projector.”
Have you gotten any guidance on what they expect you to deliver? Do they know what software they will use to play it back, and do they have a preferred file format/codec for playback?
Also, if they are only planning on bringing one MBP, I’d suggest providing them some backup media, just in case. We always run playback together on two machines, a primary and a backup, whether they are computers, DDRs, DVDs, or even good ol’ tape decks. If the primary glitches or freezes, we just switch to the other source, and nobody’s evening is ruined. You might consider supplying a backup as a video DVD.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking -
If the primary glitches or freezes, we just switch to the other source, and nobody’s evening is ruined. You might consider supplying a backup as a video DVD.
I have seen this happen at a very large event with no backup. Results? One director near-meltdown and very, very annoyed clients.
Laptops are not DDR’s, and should not be treated as such. Use the right tool for the job.
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[Alan Lloyd] “Laptops are not DDR’s, and should not be treated as such. Use the right tool for the job.”
High-spec laptops can be DDRs, but you’re right about using the right tool. Playback Pro runs beautifully on Macbook Pros, especially with external RAID arrays. I’d rather have PBP on my show than DVD playback, and I actually prefer PBP over Turbo in most cases.
Of course, it’s even more capable on a high-spec desktop.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
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