empyfree Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Are you suggesting the LD will be playing the videos from his existing PC? To choose three separate areas of a single video source, and send each area to a single projector, you need a Datapath X4 or similar video wall controller. These are relatively cheap to buy or hire. They also have a fourth output which you could configure to show the whole image again, for an operator monitor at FOH etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 So my question is, if our 'video or image' was the WHOLE 'letterbox' of the 3 screens if you get me? Kinda 12:3 ratio, then would the external Matrox or Powerpoint allow us to choose which segment was assignable to which projector? In other words, its a whole image of the 3 screens in one video, but splittable AFTER it comes out of the master laptop? Does that make sense? Matrox: yes. It has three outputs for three physical devices, and you connect one to each projector. PowerPoint or whatever software you use to fire the video isn't doing that, it's just controlling the media source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitlane Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 If I was doing this with a single (or stack of) projector(s) I would use Resolume Arena - mostly because that is what I know. It would take a few minutes to 'map' the 3 regions to each physical screen at each venue. A free software solution would be Video Projection Tools (VPT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHYoung Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 All the matrox does is if you feed it a signal thats in a suitable superwide resolution and it splits it into 3 seperate parts, ie left centre and right. if you make your media in this ratio and put the right image in the right place, you can cue all three screens perfectly in sync with a single cue. Id use a datapath x4 myself, but its much ore expensive and the op doesnt need the functionality, just even division into three... Can I also point out that this kind of stuff is what I do for a living , so perhelps the suggestion of powerpoint is based on the fact that the op needs to get a show up and running quickly with no prior knowledge or equipment. Ill say it again, powerpoint will do everything thats needed at this stage on straightforward reusable hardware and seeing as its taught to 5 year olds in school there actually a load of folk out there that know how to use it. the same cant be said of resolume which is pretty basic, but its a learning curve all the same. unless ive got things wrong, this isnt a complex video multiscreen production, but a slideshow of stills onto three screens thats authentic to the original. Later on id look at investing in a media server and learning how to use it, then touring it, but please not now. forget blending, stacking, midi interfaces etc, just get a spacebar show up and running and once thats going you can decide how to improve things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empyfree Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I'm all in favour of PowerPoint as a media server... Especially when coupled with a TripleHead2Go or a Datapath X4 How long's your show on for? Hiring either of the above options is usually reasonable. We've both in stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave m Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I'm guessing that the original show did this with three Kodak carousels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Morris Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Hi everyone. Thanks for all of the help on this. I'm the lighting guy for the Carpet Crawlers and will be running the lighting and videoAfter looking over things, I think the Matrox triple head could be the best way to go as it would integrate with the existing VGA over Cat5 system we used last time. Last time was easier because we had only one source split over two screens projecting the same image. How LJ runs video along with the lighting is it triggers Winamp as an external program, and I had that full screened as an external monitor. That tour was a massive learning curve for me, and I've picked up a fair few ways to do things including video editing, and how to control the video, so the actual playback isn't an issue any more, it's just getting 3 screens from one output. After reading through this, the analog matrox triple head could be the way to go I recon. Thanks for all of the help :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHYoung Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 is it actually video ? id assumed it was still images which fade on cue, you can make this as video, but its probably overcomplicating it if you dont need actual video. theres a million ways to do this and the one that works for you is by definition the best one. Id still not discount powerpoint, you need to press the keyboard once a song, but thats no great hardship.... also get the dvi or digital edition THTG as its got both vga and dvi in and out [ usefully both at the same time} which will prove usefull in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskers Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Another vote for AHY / Revobob Powerpoint will run 3 tracks of slides with basic effects to a triple head matrox, to three projectors, add cheap analogue UXGA splitters if you want to stack 2 projectors per screen. Powerpoint is quick to write, you can have one advance per song or per slide (like the original I imagine) and just fire the show from the space bar by hand ! ! ! Start from your video card, find a tower / rack computer to match and thats probably all the computer you will need, Add a wireless presenter or you have cat 5 so could add any old laptop FOH link with realVNC or lookalikes and you have FOH control. Play me my song. Here it comes again. Play me my song. Here it comes again. Why don't you touch me, touch me, Why don't you touch me, touch me, Touch me now, now, now, now, now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Stacking projectors? to get more brightness? Best to do this with professional models with lens shift. I think it's a bit outside the scope of what the op wants? Also whats that about touching and someone touching you? I'm confused? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHYoung Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 haveing read what the op said, he does have proper projectors and lenses to suit, iits just they are rather old and the lumens vs backache and hoover noise ratio is probably too high for the modern practitioner, but decent units all the same... But id not bother stacking myself unless youve got nothing better too do and in my book doing nothing counts as something better to do... its a unnesssesary fafff that you wont see enough benefit from... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Also whats that about touching and someone touching you? I'm confused? Don't worry - you're just displaying your lack of age.... :) ... although those lyrics are from "The Musical Box", which was on the "Nursery Cryme" album. "The Lamb..." was 3 years later.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskers Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Also whats that about touching and someone touching you? I'm confused? Don't worry - you're just displaying your lack of age.... :) ... although those lyrics are from "The Musical Box", which was on the "Nursery Cryme" album. "The Lamb..." was 3 years later.... Musical Box was on the Lamb tour set list - OP is touring a Lamb recreation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bricummo Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 Hi guys, Just an update, thanks for ALL your help it truly was invaluable! After three solid weeks of prepping the images we finally settled on using Martin LightJockey triggering the images in short video clips (as our lighting guy is doing BOTH lights and video) and we had two of the DP Mercurys either side of the stage and split the image using a Matrox double head, lined them up and it's perfect! We got great results too even off just one projector too, I am now a relieved man! :) Thanks again for the help and maybe see some of you at a show, for the Genesis fans we're doing the Lamb in FULL with the full orignal slideshow and costumes and stage set, plus about another 45 minutes of Gabriel era material too ;) Cheers, Bri. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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