Thomas Leong
Forum Replies Created
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This may or may not be relevant, but recently, I was experimenting with a possible production for a 3-projection show with the projectors turned counter-clockwise, and following is what I discovered –
1) turned on its side in my production software, the pixel aspect ratio will not be maintained and images are distorted.
2) If the projectors are turned counter-clockwise, then the original image should be turned clock-wise in production, and vice versa.
Not sure how the LED panels would react in your case, but may be prudent to find out with a test image before investing in such a box, if it exists.
Suggest you try contacting TVOne.com to see if they have such a box, or custom build one.
my 2-cents,
Thomas Leong -
You could check out Digital Recall, a free digital signage software from Australia with additional features payable at shareware price –
https://digitalrecall.com.au/digital/default.aspNot sure if you could update on the fly, but one of the paid features say it can play Powerpoint…so perhaps 2 alternating ppt files may do it for you.
Thomas Leong
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Not sure if any of these are what you require, but both are rather old (read: have not been updated) and freeware. Both seem to install and work on my Win7 64-bit laptop though –
1. VideoMage Producer – home page perpetually “under construction”, but can be downloaded from –
https://download.cnet.com/VideoMage-Producer/3000-13631_4-10391366.html2. The Overlay Maker – more for maps and still pix underneath I guess
https://www.alistairdickie.com/overlay/Thomas Leong
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My understanding is that you must have a licence and a Censorship certificate in order to screen your movie in the cinemas. You should contact FINAS, the body that governs filming in Malaysia who should be able to clarify every aspect required in order not to fall foul of the laws here –
https://www.finas.gov.my/index.php?mod=finas&sub=pengenalan
There is a tab at the site for Licencing with a download form to fill and submit. Hope your Bahasa Malay is better than mine!
For a censorship cert, there are preliminaries to submit before you should start your shoot. In my earlier days, a script and storyboard had to be submitted before production could even start. I don’t think this has changed, but ask FINAS. Essentially they don’t want you to include topics (audio and visual) that are sensitive to the “culture and traditions” of the country (You know what I mean). Saying you won’t is one thing. They want it in writing – by approving your script and storyboard on which your final Censorship Cert will be based when compared with the final edit.
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Try some of the solutions here –
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/202/881485Basically, most of them had unplugged a device that After Effects had been pointed to.
Thomas Leong
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If you want to add interactivity capabilites to the Brightsign, enquire/check this site out –
https://bcdusa.com/content/view/120/183/
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No experience with the Adtec SignEdje, but I have 2 Brightsign HD210. Tested the following so far with:
– One media file (mpeg) looping all day. Perfect seamless loop, better than vlc on a pc which has a visible pause whereas the Brightsign did not. Same file (a Digtial Juice Jumpback).
– Two media files – a panoramic split for bezel, etc., and controlled by an old router (to auto assign the IP addresses to each Brightsign over CAT-5). Perfect looped sync, all day. Brightsign claims 1-2 frames mis-sync may occur, but I did not see any with the media I fed it – a Maria Carey video with Snoop Dog – with lots of flash cuts, easy to see the sync between both monitors throughout.
However, the Brightsigns (both operated as a standalone single unit, and as dual units controlled by a router) took some time to start playing the media on power up. As a single unit, about 1 minute. As dual units with router, about 2 minutes+, probably to acquire the IP addresses. But it is idiot proof operation – power up and play, even if powered down in the middle of playback, i.e. suddenly.
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I suggest you download Watchout and check out if it will do what you require. Without a USB licence plugged in, the program works in its entirety except for networking with Display PCs (and therefore output to fullscreen). MIDI and Serial inputs/outputs work as well in demo mode. If you are using only one physical PC/laptop to do your tests, install Microsoft’s Loopback Adapter to get an application to talk to Watchout via TCP/IP within that one PC. You may need other utilities to get serial or MIDI to work, eg. HW Virtual Serial Port, MIDIYoke.
Just remember that if you want to run in cluster mode, some commands are not available/different versus running with a Production PC (Control) present. Differences are all in the Watchout Manual.
For the interactivity you described, I’m not sure what the input device will output in order to be seen on screen. If it is a motion sensor, the device must still output some sort of a signal that Watchout can react to – MIDI, serial or DMX. Once Watchout ‘sees’ the signal, it can be programmed to trigger an Auxilliary Timeline that outputs the required reaction to the Stage (Display PCs).
If you want to check out a programmable motion detector that outputs serial, a suggestion is https://www.weiglworks.com/md. I have another from another manufacturer, but mine is hard-coded at factory with the ‘play’ codes of the application I intended it for, unlike Weiglworks’ which is programmable by user.
Another program to check out for interactivity is vvvv.org but the learning curve is far higher than Dataton’s Watchout (for me, anyway).
Thomas
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Been thinking…what sort of interactivity do you require from your setup?
With multiple videos playing, if from one source device (eg. a pc/mac) which has multiple outputs, then triggering the device to play another video is very likely to affect the other videos which are already playing but which are not triggered to change. Granted, Watchout and Wings Platinum can do this with their Aux Timelines and Mix Groups features respectively, but $price is high.
Simple solution is, per your original idea, to have multiple individual media players each feeding their own monitor/output, and triggering each to change as and when. With this in mind, perhaps look at “mini digital media players” (google is your friend) which have infra-red remote control capabitilties (about US$20+ each), and have someone de-code/over-ride those infra-red signals for each player and build you a sturdy kid-proof push-button control panel for the audience to select what they want to see on which monitor.
I know an electronics engineer (boffin) who may be willing to do this – de-code, design and build – or suggest alternatives. He specializes in one-off solutions for all sorts of audio-visual related work. He is based in London and knows how to build and program PIC and Basic to get relays to work as intended for museums, etc. Contact me offline if you want to contact him.
Thomas
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There are multiple applications that can sync multiple videos, but the interactive part of your requirement is the main problem. Since you have someone in the team who is good with Max/Jitter, have a look at –
for his –
1. multiscreener software (free)
2. Video Trigger Video (also free)or HC Gilje’s VPT (Video Projection Tool – also free) and its Extensions at –
https://hcgilje.wordpress.com/vpt/extending-vpt/There should be a solution to your problems with one of them.
Good luck!Thomas Leong