[Mark Suszko]

We used to do this (still do) with a wacom tablet and a Pinacle Alladin DVE in live paint mode, with the signal from that run back into the key bus of our switcher.

But there is some presentation software that does this on a regualr laptop. I heard about it a week ago, can’t remember the name right now…

“Oh, you wanted to RECORD that?”

[Mark Suszko]

Ask the Live/Events forum guys, I told you all I know and then some:-)

“Oh, you wanted to RECORD that?”

[Mark Suszko]

I don’t remebmber all of them, there is one called Wings, and two others that are almost as popular for that crowd, each one has special areas of strength so you pick the one best suited for the job. They also come in a sort of a la carte setup where you buy modules in stages to build up larger arrays.

There are software products like Wings and there are pure hardware products that take a very high resolution signal and split it between screens or projectors or LED modules or whatever you’re using. Like a DVE on steroids:-)

These are sometimes called multiplexers I guess, but may also be called something else more presentation-specific, because “multiplexer” is a word with dozens of meanings in the broadcast world.

The hardware boxes are commonly used for video walls and what you have there in your application is really just a very long video wall. I’ll bet that one of the wall controlling machines will let you shape your projections so that you don’t need as many cameras or projectors as you have now.

” These are pricy as they get more sophisticated, so usually they are rented, as I understand it.

[Mark Suszko]

What software and hardware tools do you have available?

Microsoft Producer is a free program that will convert a powerpoint to an AVI file. You could try that to see if its any better looking.

Screen capture software is also avaialble for both PC and mac. You might try a free evaluation download but it will likely be save-disabled or watermarked in some way until you pay for it. But it would give you a sense of the quality level you get.

Scan-converting the output of the computer is another way to turn it into video. Scan converters come in versions less than a hundred bucks and over six grand. My opinion, having access to both ends of that spectrum, is that for casual use, all the under a grand ones are more or less the same quality, and you get what you pay for, starting over two grand and up, in terms of superior quality, ability to scale, remove flicker, things like that. If you live in a big town you might be able to rent a really good scan converter for a low one day cost.

When you export the stills from powerpoint, try .PNG and whatever other formats it offers besides JPG. (Though bitmap is probably going to always be hopeless.) Then when you bring these into photoshop, be sure you are not re-saving them as jpegs again, change the file format once you import to work with them, and save them as something better, I usually prefer targa files (.TGA) just because I’m accustomed to them and they work natively in my system, but also they are high quality and include alpha channels. Uprezzing in photoshop will be better than just about anywhere else you can do it. Also be doubly sure you are using the best method to import the shots into FCP. Look over the easy setups and custom setups so you can bring in native photoshop files or at least targas or the like, and not jpegs. Is your editing timeline working in Dv or something more high-resolution? That could have a great influence on graphics quality too.

Here’s a little trick that’s helped me work faster on things like this: if the powerpoint show has consistent backgrounds all the way thru, create or save out a photoshop file of a blank background with no text on it. Then you can use Apple Motion or stack it in the regular FCP timeline tracks and use simple masks to reveal your bullet points with keyframe accuracy without rebuilding the whole series of slides.

In the non-Mac NLE I use most, I have Inscriber Cg and what I can do to create quick, invisible “cheater” masks is use the eyedropper color tool to sample the frame and create a solid box layer in the CG the exact same colors, that I can interactivly manipulate in real time to reveal or cover parts of each frame, as many times as I need it, no rendering. I dunno if you can do the same trick in Motion or Livetype, might be worth exploring.

If you can, get the original powerpoint files and the program itself, and do your font and etc. tweaks there first, obviously. Then save and work in the highest rez all along the way. Good luck, let us know how it comes out.

[Mark Suszko]

Well, probably you should ask this in the Live and Stage forum, where they specialize in just this kind of stuff. There are software and hardware packages custom designed to do what you are trying to do. To try and do it purely mechanically is always going to be a huge hassle, from the lens and framing issues to timing issues using multiple feed sources. If this is gong to be a semi permanent or permanent solution, do it electronically, and you might be able to get away with using fewer projectors overall to get a superior result.

I’m smiling, thinking of how a large board with six or so cameras would be monted on a dolly and moved in and out to get closeups:-)

Do post back here again when you have solved it and done it, would like to hear how you finally did it.

[Mark Suszko]

You might have been just the unlucky one. Most people rave over them. Also, there are ways to economize on the way to print labels that are more thrifty using ink, and that goes for any printer you choose.

“Oh, you wanted to RECORD that?”

[Mark Suszko]

Jim’s method makes the most sense to me. You only have to make one DVD and one menu and one set of chapter marks. For the small amount of money paid, this is the only answer that makes business sense.

I also like what Jim did for payment: make a complete batch, get paid in total, once, by the studio up front, and let THEM worry about collections and piracy.

Back in the dark ages I dabbled in these, and even in the days of VHS Vs. Betamax, there were people that would pirate such a recital tape: two or three moms would collude to buy a single copy and then “share” dubs with each other. To avoid me having to police this or to take a loss on selling only five orders to a group of 50 families, I put a mom of one of the dancers in charge of orders. She used the gossip and shame network to curtail aspirations of piracy, and we added the caveat that unless she got advance orders and payment from a given number of families, nobody but her would get a single copy. That was a significant factor.

She sold out the first weekend. I got my full amount up front. Nobody dared pirate a copy.

[Mark Suszko]

They make fine door stops. Our shop once used nothing but the early NP-1’s and I always said the NP stood for “no power” or “nearly pooped”.Seems like they never lasted very long and man, was a bag of them heavy.

You can get NP-1 re-celled at many battery stores. Though they are not going to be competitive with hydride or lithium batteries, nicads still have the positive factor of being rugged and able to take heavy abuse in charging and discharging. I think you could use them to power some spare lights for outdoor work sans cords, or to put in out of the way areas on a set. They are a handy size to use in an audio man’s mixer bag…That’s probably what I’d use them for if they were holding a good charge and I felt guilty about junking them.

If you just want to be rid of them, why feel bad for a low ebay price? You’re letting someone else get some productive use out of them instead of just junking them. You can also try freecycle.com to give them away.

“Oh, you wanted to RECORD that?”

[Mark Suszko]

Mick, I thought it was pretty clear were WERE talking about entry-level opportunities, there was no intention to say what you do is so easy a 19-year-old can walk in and do it all…

OTOH, I don’t know what market the kid is in, but while you are absolutely correct on big hotels in big markets, in smaller towns its a complete grab-bag as to how AV services are handled. I’ve seen many a hotel across my state in 20 years. Outside of the major markets, the service is quite spotty and standards are low. If you know what end on an XLR cable is what, and how to change a projector bulb, you’re in. If the hotel actually ahs PA systems installed on premises, almost no one knows how they work or if they work, and tapping into them is an adventure.

I have always wondered why hotel management does not aspire to better service to guests in these support areas. In big hotels in major cities, they handle this better, using the sources you mention. In small markets, you are usually on your own as a presenter, and the best the hotel will do is give you the number of a local rental outfit.

“Oh, you wanted to RECORD that?”

[Mark Suszko]

I think by green room he meant a nearby room where talent can chill out, change clothing, and prepare before working on the set. The meeting room would serve the same function but without the privacy.

“Green Room” in that sense is a showbiz term that evolved from the guest waiting room for a talk show that WAS green. Might have been The Tonight Show originally, can’t recall. You could also consider the Green Room as a private temp office for visiting clients where they can get office stuff done while still being around nearby to supervise an edit or taping. Can also be handy for temporary other uses like a duplication tower cranking out a big dub run, or a freelance specialist can come in and use it to score music, make motion graphics, what-have-you..

A studio usually also needs a scene dock, some place to store away any large props or set walls. If all your sets are virtual, then that room isn’t really needed, but makes a good place to store the cameras, tripods, light stands, etc. and the spare back seat for the production van.

A permanent chromakey cove is always handy to have.

“Oh, you wanted to RECORD that?”