computer-free LED screens.

[ceecrb1]

I was just wondering if anybody had found a solution to getting away from using computers for LED screens.

 

Just in that the number of gigs I do where we purly use a computer to convert from composite video to dvi and scale to the led screen... It just seems silly to bother taking a computer and be forever nervous of the BSOD... plus it always needs human interaction to get it going again if power is lost or just generally on a day to day basis.

 

So how can I get away from using a computer that isnt going to need a "full priced" presentation switcher for example?

 

I have seen cheep devices which can do composite-dvi or composite to hdmi (which also works), but no scaling.. I guess I COULD use our mx50 to rescale in composite with the picture in picture feature but it just seems silly to lower the quality even more of the worst link in the chain.....

 

There seem to be lots of older seamless switchers on ebay lately, but all vga output... which is a shame!

 

any suggestions?

 

 

all because the boss decided to save 200$ per unit in the price difference between the processors which are jsut DVI in and the ones which have more imputs and scale........ when will he learn?

 

 

I THINK this would be "perfect" if only it wasnt NTSC only.........

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Composite-Component-Video-DVI-HDMI-Scaler-Converter-/350352090534?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item51929ca5a6

[Ian H]

I was tempted to just not reply but....

 

In all my years of experience I have still to find any LED screen that need a computer to part of the input chain.

 

You use a PC or Mac to set up the screen and then to manage its parameters during use.

 

Any other Computer plugged into a LED screen is called a media server and is there to provide content.

 

DVI is the de facto standard for LED screens as it allows Pixel for Pixel Mapping

 

LED screens are all about the Pixels ---anything to do with Scaling is best handled outboard. We always try to use the equivalent of a Barco Image Pro on the Input - this gives you dynamic test patterns and all the scaling and switching you are ever going to need....

 

I am reliably informed that there are 450 factories producing LED screens in Schenzhen, I can only presume you boss also saved the $ and purchased a quality product from China.....

 

Ian H

[Pete McCrea]

I'm with you Ian - I'd far rather a dedicated hardware processor, but a lot of the budget LED screens use a PC card that takes the input and scales it, providing the video to the panels over some for of proprietary signal carried on an RJ45 style connector.

 

I think the answer is in the question you posted Ceecrb1. For a proper scaling processor you'll need to pay the money for something such as an ImagePro or the LEDView from Calibre.

[ceecrb1]

Ours isnt TOO budget, its a GLUX, I think they were at the last plasa.. they are far better than the older style ones we have with most people will be familiar with, that have the card inside a computer and the RJ45 output..

These can be run by 2 1u rackmount units, a processor and a signal distribution unit... all the calibration etc is actually stored within each individual section/unit itself.

Their design basically has an external rackmount processor which just has a DVI input from the computer, so its really just a case of the computer treating it like a 2nd screen, so any laptop/pc with a DVI or HDMI output will work.. It just needs you to within the computer, scale the image as normal..

 

So yes this is true, this screen does not NEED the computer at all, but its the only option we have... the only video gear we have is an mx50 and and SDI based ob truck which has no scaling gear in it anyway.

So we are using computers with TV capture cards and screenmonkey to create the effect.. and it aint a great effect :S

 

So many corners are being cut in this country that each gig has less and less techs....

Where we used to have dedicated people at each station, I now have to rig things like LED screens and go away and leave it, hoping it wont crash while I am opping sound or lights or even just not on site.

For the same reasons, I'm not bothered about cost. The market is so bad here that clients are accepting gash for cheap as nobody can afford brand kit or large shows anymore... so in this case, I wouldnt be TOO upset with sub-pro quality.

Most of these jobs are just taking a 4x3m screen to some local small town so they can see the football... I'm not talking about large shows.

 

Its like I said some time ago, our best hire are the chinese copys of the mac 2000 performace's... our martin originals dont leave the warehouse...... they are being used to teach the work experience kid how to use a pearl.... other than that they have not been out of their cases in around 2-2.5 years!!!

 

I completely agree, I'd LOVE to have some seamless switchers and hdmi gear etc.. but here, everything is still done in composite and digi multicores dont exist.... even tv engineers I was working with on monday didnt realise that cameras are now using fibreoptics rather than triax.......

 

Cant wait for my girlfriend to agree to go back to the uk...................

[david.elsbury]

Colin, could you clarify if you mean a computer crash, or a physical falling down of the screen?

If the former, I do apologize, and will take a look at my maths... :)

David

[ceecrb1]

Haha no, just windows crashes.

Touch wood.. Nothing I've rigged has self de-rigged yet!!

[sleepytom]

There are lower cost scalers from TVOne which might do.

 

I have a 1t-c2-750 which is OK and was pretty affordable. http://www.tvone.co.uk/

 

There are also cheapo chinese scalers which are OK while they work. I've seen adequate functionality from RGBLink devices http://www.rgblink.com Nowhere near the reliability of barco but a fraction of the cost.