[Chris Eschweiler]

You could do that, but I think you would experience an unacceptable amount of lag. The better solution would be to take the video out of the HDMI port and run it to the projector. You’re limited in distance, and some projectors may not have an HDMI input. It’s possible to use an HDMI-to-DVI cable, but not all projectors support this.

Hope this helps….

[Chris Eschweiler]

Can you clarify something for us? When you want an SD output, are you still looking to use SDI, or are you going to some other flavor?

[Chris Eschweiler]

Quick question(s):

1. Did you do a Factory Reset before setting this up?

2. Is your firmware current on the SP-II?

3. What’s the resolution of the DVI layers? (And is that the setting of the EDID?)

[Chris Eschweiler]

Hey…late to the party. But at least I’m here…

I just wanted to add my two cents worth even though part of it is “yeah, what they said” sort of thing.

Andy et. al. are exactly right: This endeavour is not for the faint of heart. I do this sort of thing for a living and, as you’re finding out, there are many ways to get this training thing done. Everybody had their own set of tips/tricks/hints/ and absolutes for making an event a success. And you may have noticed that you’re getting a lot of advice on what not to do. In the spirit of poor sportsmanship, let me pile on.

Do *not* buy equipment. At least not yet. If your bosses only want to do this part time, it makes no sense to actually purchase equipment. Why? Because purchasing gear comes with the added responsibility of maintaining, shipping, storing and upgrading said gear, and each one of these additional tasks has spawned companies that excel in doing that one task. When you buy gear, it all rests on your shoulders. You don’t just get to use the gear, you have to take care of it 24/7 wherever it may be…your shop, on a truck, buried in a hotel “secure storage” pen.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that you are NOT getting paid any more money to do this sort of thing. Am I right? 😉

Right. There’s NO economic reason for you in this scenario to buy gear. Rent, and rent from well-respected companies. Being a nationwide chain isn’t required, but it *can* help. Good local companies *can* provide everything you need, too…sometimes with better service or newer gear since they can be more “fleet of foot” than a major corporation. Use the ones that provide you what you need lest you need a replacement.

There are lots of other tips I could give you, but I wanted to chime in on this point as it’s the only one that would cost you big bucks.

Best,

ChrisE

[Chris Eschweiler]

Hi, Andy!

I hope I can add a little more helpful information. I do live events all the time and use a variety of switchers. some of the smaller units will luminance key, but have a limited amount of control. Others, like the Folsom Screen Pro 1604, will luma key with a pretty fair amount of control. But the limitation is that it’s a luminance key. If you have black in your logo, it will become transparent.

Most of the sources I use is Powerpoint/Keynote and live video. I’ve found a few solutions in this scenario. First I create an all-black slide and place my graphics and text on it. If the graphics are not all black, then I can simply key the whole slide over the camera show. If the graphics have a fair amount of black, you can still key them and, if the video has a dark corner (speakers wearing a black suit or the shot has black drape in the background) I can still key and let the video source replace the black for the logo.

If that won’t work, I will sometimes tweak the blacks in the graphics just a bit…lighten them up a touch to more of a deep gray. I can then adjust the sensitivity of the of the key in the Folsom so that the logo remains “solid.” I usually keep this approach quiet as many marketing types get squeamish when you tell them you’re adjusting their marque. But the color shift is hardly noticable on screen, especially in a ballroom or tradeshow with light everywhere.

If I can’t do any of the above, well…I cheat. I’ll make a slide in Keynote or Powerpoint thats more of a lower third. Lots of color, shapes…all with the logo and text over the top. Then I simply chose a wipe from bottom to top in the switcher. At the appropriate time, I simply ease the T-Bar up to reveal just enough of the slide to make my lower third. No issue with keying out the body of a logo.

I hope this helps.

chrise