Stuart91

36 minutes ago, alistermorton said:

Isn't that the point of HDCP - it works when it is connected to a single display device, such as a monitor, but doesn't allow distribution?

Yep - and unfortunately there seems to be no way of turning HDCP off on the Mac, even if you are showing non-protected content. 

Some cheap HDMI splitters will strip the HDCP from the signal, which is technically illegal but a very common workaround. 

Possibly related to the HDCP copy protection?

4m by 3m is a 4:3 ratio, whereas almost all video content is now widescreen. 

Who is responsible for producing the artwork for the ads? If it's as simple as slapping up the logo and contact details for a nearby restaurant, being 4:3 won't matter much, but if the advertisers are giving you their own material chances are it'll be 16:9. 

You can get projectors in both 4:3 and widescreen (typically 16:10). There's more choice with widescreen if you are buying new, but if this is being done on a shoestring, an ex-install 4:3 model could be a cheap buy. 

4m wide from a 16m throw means you need a 4:1 ratio on the lens, which puts you in the territory of fairly expensive long-throw lenses. It might be less expensive to rig a standard-lens projector from a FOH bar, if you have any within range. 

1 hour ago, Jivemaster said:

When "Frozen" was the only music little girls wanted to dance to Disney managed to rip several dancing schools to pieces for their unpaid use of their music. 

This will be far easier to track down these days too, when every dance school mum is live-streaming onto Facebook whilst the show is underway.

All good points, thanks everyone. 

I've explained some of the challenges to the client who is OK with me quoting a day rate and saying "it'll take as long as it takes" rather than a solid figure. 

We'll probably go armed with a variety of options to encourage the nuts to loosen. 

The plan is that the ceiling will be made good after we've done our bit - the objective is to hide any evidence of their having been fixings there. 

On 2/17/2023 at 7:59 PM, dje said:

rather than removing the fixing, we tend to chop the ends off with either an oscillating multi-tool or a 4-inch grinder (depending on how quick you need to be and how much aesthetic damage you're allowed to do to the surrounding wall/ceiling).

This would work OK - in fact I won't even need to cut the studs down, as long as I can get the nuts off and the saddle brackets removed. The studs stop well short of the ceiling so the patches will conceal them quite nicely. 

1 minute ago, sunray said:

If so does adding weight to bracket jam the fixing?

That might work. 

They are standard saddle brackets so we have two fixings per bracket, but could probably pull down at an angle to apply some force behind the nut. 

31 minutes ago, Dave m said:

if you can damage the ceiling, a bit, use a studding extender nut welded to a metre long handle and “stir”  the handle to enlarge the bore of the hole?

I like this idea - could be a plan. 

The complicating factor with any cut-off tools is that the fixings are recessed from the ceiling surface - we've got lathe-and-plaster over the concrete slab. This has been cut away to give space for the brackets, but only just. There's no room round about to get a blade in without savaging the surrounding material. 

I've had an interesting job land in my lap. 

A venue we deal with has a bunch of ceiling brackets that need removed.

They're into a fairly inconsistent concrete slab above, and the fixings are through-bolt style rawlbolts, like this:

The problem is that the concrete is loose enough that the fixing spins freely, but the nut won't loosen at all. I had a shot at one and the only way I could ease it off was by holding the protruding thread with a pair of pliers and using a spanner. That's fiddly and time-consuming, but there's not enough clear space around the bolt heads to do much else. I can't get an angle grinder into it, for instance. 

There's a couple of dozen of these fixings need to come out, and I'm dreading the task. I'm wondering if there's some sort of specialised tool that would help with this? I'm guessing it can't be that uncommon a problem but I can't even think of what terms to start googling. 

Community have their R-series and WET models which are potentially worth a look. 

When you say "weatherproof", are you going to be putting the speakers out for a gig, then bringing them back in again the same day, or leaving them out indefinitely? 

There are plenty boxes that will cope with a bit of rain if dried off reasonably promptly, but won't last permanent exposure to the elements. 

19 hours ago, Digger65 said:

to get ahead on some programming I need to get ahead on for a forthcoming show 

If it's literally just for pre-programming (i.e. you're not opping the show with the Mobile during the trip) would it be easier to buy an Editor key and just use the laptop by itself?

Not as nice as having all the physical handles but would save a lot of hassle. 

There was some chat about this on the Avolites Facebook group the other day, might be worth having a look over there. 

From what I remember most posters hadn't encountered any problems. 

8 hours ago, James Remo said:

The correct procedure is to get a Carnet. However plenty of people carry personal instruments in and out of the EU, is that a midi controller or synth you have there? Would a customs agent really know the difference? Is it a risk you would be willing to take?

Someone on the Avo chat had ended up explaining to the Customs officer that their Mobile was a "DJ controller" as it seemed to be the closest description that they understood. 

There are some cameras out there that will automatically follow the ball, so they pan around the pitch as the action moves from end to end. 

(One famously mistook a bald-headed linesman for the ball)

I doubt these will be particularly cheap - they seem fairly specialist and were aimed at clubs who needed to livestream matches during covid but couldn't afford a full camera crew.

CCTV technology has come on a lot in recent years but I don't think there's anything out there that will do what the OP wants. A single camera will either not capture the whole pitch, or be zoomed out so far that you can't make anything out. Multiple cameras would need manually cut, which isn't going to be within the budget for amateur 5-a-side matches. 

It would be an ugly bodge, but four HDMI to HD-TVI adaptors and a four channel CCTV DVR would do the trick. 

The only advantage here is cheapness, plus the fact that you can hopefully hide all the gubbins in the back of a rack. 

We've used this combination regularly for many years without problems. 

33 minutes ago, sunray said:

I've seen a number installed with the flat side facing the stage and turning them often (but not always) increases signal strength.

That's interesting, because they're supposed to be an omnidirectional element. 

We have had similar problems when customers have mounted directional paddles pointing off-stage... but omnis have been fine. 

I suspect the problem with used mirrorballs is that most are mashed, given how fragile they are. 

If the cost of carriage keeps up, there will come a point where UK-based manufacture becomes feasible again. Who wants a full-time job sticking facets onto mirrorballs?

23 hours ago, Andrew C said:

Don't fall into the trap of "if I have these channels at 50% the lanterns draw 1/2 the current" - it ain't so!

More out of curiosity than anything - is there a correct answer to this? I'd guess that the triac/switching circuitry draws more power, but for shorter duration?

Thankfully my days of playing Buckaroo with generics are largely over, instead it's managing the leakage from LED fixtures that is the challenge...

I'm pretty certain that the original Shure ones are interchangeable. 

(A church I know had one singer that objected to being the only one with a non-Beta SM58. The solution was to put a Beta grille on it. 😃)

On 1/19/2023 at 12:20 PM, Dave m said:

Back in the day I remember touring bands would carry the ramp under the truck and use it to unload to ground level.

A company I used to know turned up at a venue only to find that their ramp had been stolen from under the truck, presumably when it was parked overnight at motorway services. 

This did not make for a fun load-in...

16 minutes ago, kerry davies said:

Part of any such RA, IMO, would include security measures to reduce the risk of trespass/provide a secure work site. 

I've only been in BBC facilities a handful of times, but there seemed to be quite stringent security in place. I'm guessing the culprit in this incident managed to find a way around it. 

The high profile of TV studios makes them a natural target for protestors and pranksters. It's happened before. (Oh, and then there's these muppets. )

50 minutes ago, Junior8 said:

Some of the 'ready mades' for temporary access are so heavy and/or inconvenient they simply end up unused as well. If the staff likely to be using them can't handle them - this happened at one venue I know, I could hardly lift the thing  - then they right choice was not made. 

I think as Dave suggested above, a small platform lift would have been the answer here. That probably got knocked back on cost grounds as the question of disabled access was only raised quite late in the build process. 

Part of the problem with the wooden ramp that they got was the bulk as well as the size. It had a sturdy framework of 4x2" timber and was sheeted with 18mm ply, on the sides as well as the running surface. Even split into two sections, this made it difficult to lift and manoeuvre.

I suspect an aluminium ramp would have ended up being better. The length problem wouldn't have gone away but it could at least have been stowed against a wall when not in use. Overall weight would have been around the same, at worst, but end then could have been a relatively easy 2-person lift. 

Could have just as easily have been a bomb...

1 hour ago, CallumP93 said:

Generally after long periods of non-use / storage they recommends starting the wall at low brightness to 'dry' out the LEDs before going up to full brightness.

We have definitely seen failures on outdoor products when left off as the product cools down and water always seems to get where you don't want it.

That's very useful. The first thing we did was run a test pattern from the controller, which may not have been ideal. I'll need to check the manual, but suspect it bypasses the brightness controls and runs the patterns at 100%. (Certainly seemed that way)

It reminds me of ye olden days when it was important to preheat your filaments rather than slamming a lighting rig on to full brightness. 

6 hours ago, DrV said:

What is the temperature and humidity like during downtimes?

Not sure about the humidity (although I've got a meter on order from Amazon at the moment). 

It's essentially an unheated warehouse - pretty poorly insulated. This time of year you can see your breath in front of your face. However there was no sign of any moisture on the panels, and the room in general seems dry.

One of our clients bought an LED wall last summer. They only operate it seasonally, so it has been sitting unused since early autumn. 

Last week we powered it up for the first time in a few months. There is now a noticeable amount of dead pixels, a quick count suggests that roughly 1/4 of the panels will need swapped out. 

A complaint has been raised with the manufacturer. Their response is that the panels shouldn't be left unused, and the inrush of current after the downtime is what could have caused the damage. They recommend running the screen for a minimum of eight hours a week. 

The client is getting hammered by energy bills so won't be happy running with that prospect (although it's cheaper than replacing panels every season). What's probably going to be more irritating is having to roster a staff member to go in and deal with it when the venue isn't in use. 

What I'm wondering is if this is a common requirement? I've not come across it before, although we have only really dabbled with LED up until now. Whilst rental companies aim to keep their stock busy working, there must inevitably be gaps in the diary - and what did people do during covid?

5 hours ago, DanSteely said:

it would be much easier for him to split the screens into more managable groups of e.g. 5 or 6.

Apart from anything else this arrangement will make it much more straightforward to narrow down faults.