Bill Davis
Forum Replies Created
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The cheapest thing would probably be to find a used video mixer that does chroma key.
Then you don’t need a computer at all.
Panasonic made a few, including the MX-12 and MX-50.
The cheapest I recall that does chroma keying was the Videonics MX-1 – it’s more a toy than a piece of real production gear – but it works just fine and since this is just for school fun, that’s not really an issue.
Feed the main camera with the kids in front of the green screen – point a second camera at the background photo (or use a cheap digital still camera playing the background – anything that generates a still frame signal to a a standard video connection will do), call up the keyer, and click the X on the green part of the key shot and that’s about it.
Flat even lighting on the green screen will help.
Pretty basic. Pretty cheap.
Look for the hardware on eBay and good luck.
FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com -
Speaking of jumping in late!
Anyway, if you’re not looking for perfect sync and just want to trigger 9 cheap DVD players to play simultaneously you could easily go with those Powermid cheap IR/RF extenders.
Markertek sells them – the funny triangular thingies. They actually work pretty well.
The transmitter takes an IR input, encodes it to an RF signal – sends that to one or more receivers, which reencode it to the original IR signal at or near the controllable device. (DVD player)
You get a transmitter/receiver pair for under 70 bucks and extra receivers for under $50.
The RF is omnidirectional and is pretty good room to room, so typical stick-built walls aren’t a big problem
The whole rig for 9 IR send/receive stations should run you under $500 and would probably fit in a Pelican 1650.
Plus you’d control all 9 devices from a single DVD remote control, so you’d get all the remote’s capabilities – power up and down, jump chapters, etc.
Not pretty, not really very “high tech” but pretty cheap and I bet it would work just fine for the kind of portable temporary installation it sounds like you’re planning.
FWIW, YMMV.
FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com -
Damn…
I tried it and a vision of Walter didn’t appear.
One of my mom (back when I was about 12) did.
Saying… “Keep scrunching your face up like that and it’s gonna get STUCK that way!”
Oh well.