Museum Install

[skulpture]

Hi,

I have a feeling Resolume Arena might be a solution to my problem and I really need some feedback to make sure I am heading in the right direction.

I am proobably going to be using 2x Ultra short throw projectors from vivitek:

http://www.vivitek.co.uk/v_display_cont ... tegory_id=

Then I want to use this high spec media server:

http://www.signage.dtri.com/products/mu ... tures.html

It's a ATI Radeon™ HD 5450 graphics cards with Intel® Pentium® dual core, 2.9GHz and 4GB DDR3 RAM so it seems solid? It can also output 2 HD streams so thats great.

It will (hopefully) run resolume arena 4 for vary basic media playback (basically 2/3 HD loops). With basic soft edge blending between the two outputs.

Now I use windows machines 95% of the time so I have a few questions:

1) How hard will it be to edge blend using ultra short throw projectors? Or will it be the same as any other projectors? Im just thinking it might be hard as the light is already being distorted a lot anyway via the mirrors and angles, etc?

2) Will the specs of that media server be ok? (as above)

3) Can I make resolume automatically go full screen and trigger a clip on open? Again; this is a museum install and it needs to just work. I know this isn't exactly what this software was made for... I know that but it's the only method I can think of right now.

4) Is there anything I am not thinking about? Please don't rip into me... Constructive feedback welcome.

Thanks,

Graham (skulpture)

[LXConcepts]

1) How hard will it be to edge blend using ultra short throw projectors? Or will it be the same as any other projectors? Im just thinking it might be hard as the light is already being distorted a lot anyway via the mirrors and angles, etc?

it's a little harder at short distances, but still not that difficult

2) Will the specs of that media server be ok? (as above)

the one server I have running resolume right now is close to the same and chokes at more than two outputs (I'm running dual 5450 graphics cards, and that's 2 outputs + control, not two outputs total) at 1920x1080 resolutions, but with just two it seems ok, especially with only one layer of video (straight playback of content).

3) Can I make resolume automatically go full screen and trigger a clip on open? Again; this is a museum install and it needs to just work. I know this isn't exactly what this software was made for... I know that but it's the only method I can think of right now.

not that I know of, although if you run three outputs (2x projector + control) you could fire it off dmx with an auto go cue based on clock time

[skulpture]

Thanks for the reply so quickly. That's great to know!

Do you have it all automated by any chance? As in autostart up/autofull screen/auto trigger clip 'N' etc? Or is it manually started each time?

Thanks

[gavspav]

I'm not stalking you or anything but I have an Avenue based installation which auto loads/auto triggers/auto full screen.

In the layers men there is an option to trigger first clip when composition has loaded.

If you close Resolume when Full Screen Display is active (even if it isnt visible) it will load the next time with Full Screen Active. However very occasionally the interface screen is shown on top of the display so maybe this isn't reliable enough for your uses.

Check out autohotkeyscript http://www.autohotkey.com You could use this to check which screen is in focus/on top or use it to automate the Output>Full Screen choice
Also GlovePIE can be useful for automating key presses/midi/converting stuff.

To load the composition I can't remember if I used a script or just put a shortcut to the composition in the Start>Programs folder. I'll check.

[LXConcepts]

Thanks for the reply so quickly. That's great to know!

Do you have it all automated by any chance? As in autostart up/autofull screen/auto trigger clip 'N' etc? Or is it manually started each time?

Thanks

you could automate it through a few more steps...basically you'd have to get windows to boot up at a certain time and run your lighting control software, which would in turn run the cue to fire resolume (off another system, which could also run and boot up).

mind you, at that point you might as well just run a keystroke emulator on start that has a macro copying what you're trying to do on the server and loose the dmx computer all together.

the nice thing about using artnet though is that all it requires is the resolume server be online if you know enough about networking to enable port forwarding. you could also remote trigger resolume through team viewer.

I typically use teamviewer over a tcp/ip network on shows so I don't have to keep my servers at FOH with me. I simply run a single Cat6 which not only carries my DMX backstage to my servers/lighting rig, it lets me access every server on the network via teamviewer. I can transfer content between servers over teamviewer as well.

It gets really fun when I add in a wireless router and an ipad, allowing me complete wireless access to everything I'm running (lighting and video) on a tablet I can walk around the venue with. This is SUPER useful for intricate video mapping as I can get right up to my object and adjust on a pixel by pixel basis.

[skulpture]

Hi Thanks for all your replies.

@LXConcepts: Unfortunately we have no lighting control software.... Its just a standalone server/PC and projectors. No lighting.

@Gav this is my problem it has to work. And I don't own a copy of resolume anymore so I cant fully test it. If the GUI pops up now and again the system will be ripped out and I will be dragged into an office to explain why the system has failed. All my bosses are amazing but when the public are paying to come in things have to work.

I need to look into this further... thanks again.

[LXConcepts]

@LXConcepts: Unfortunately we have no lighting control software.... Its just a standalone server/PC and projectors. No lighting.

a computer IS lighting control...with a loopback on the server you could easily put something like chamsys (chamsys.co.uk) on it to fire resolume via dmx over artnet. Chamsys is great because it gives you 1 universe of artnet for zero cost.

you'll still need to find a way to have programs auto run on the server though unless you leave it on 24/7.