Edge Blending/ Mixing Software - recommendations please!

[gregog]

Morning All,

Next year I am going to be doing a production of 'Earthquakes in London.'

As such, I am going to be using a lot of projection - which is not my forte! Whilst I have a media matrix on site, this does not do edge blending.

 

Can anyone recommend some software that will do edge blending and is relatively easy to use?

 

I think that you can do it with QLab using a matrox splitter - but I wondered if there was any other decent software for doing it? I've used Modul8 for a show before, but I don't think this will suit my needs.

 

Any advice, recommendations or help greatly receieved.

 

Many thanks in advance,

Gregog

[smalljoshua]

For something all in one, I'd say Resolume. It's a media server and will handle edge blending quite nicely.

 

As far as I'm aware (haven't spent that much time with it) QLab doesn't do edge blending.

 

Josh

[indyld]

 

As far as I'm aware (haven't spent that much time with it) QLab doesn't do edge blending.

 

 

Qlab 3 does. One of the new features is Surfaces which will deal with such projection techniques. With Qlab 2 there was a fudge using the a custom .qtz file to render out the blend but that was a faff.

 

E2A: (Mind you, nothing wrong with Resolume Arena for a reasonable cost solution...)

[CharlieH]

with QLab using a matrox splitter

With QLab 3 you can not only edge blend your projectors, but can also Keystone them natively. It also has a feature designed for Matrox Heads that enables you to set up each output from the splitter as a separate screen if required, or any combination within. You would need the Pro Video license, which you can hire for $5/day, or if it is for a long run then you can buy the Pro Video License for $399.

 

I am not a Video tech, and it is not my area of expertise; however I find QLab really simple to use for both audio and video, and I feel that the new video features really do make this a powerful tool for projection, without needing to go to the level of Hippos or Catalysts.

[jason5d]

try millumin, it has all u need and a time line

[IRW]

As far as I'm aware (haven't spent that much time with it) QLab doesn't do edge blending.

 

 

Qlab 3 does. One of the new features is Surfaces which will deal with such projection techniques. With Qlab 2 there was a fudge using the a custom .qtz file to render out the blend but that was a faff.

 

E2A: (Mind you, nothing wrong with Resolume Arena for a reasonable cost solution...)

 

 

There's a QLab 3?? When did that happen?!

 

 

Edited to add: Oh no! It needs OS X 10.8 to run...that's everyone still running a PowerPC machine out of it then :(

[AHYoung]

first things first, mac or pc? Im assuming mac as you mention qlab and would therefor have to say if you are used to qlab, go v3 as it does the blending. There are many many ways to do this, and you can do it all in hardware as well. personally if either use a datapath x4 to do the overlapping splits and do the blending onboard the projectors or if it was a complex blend id use catalyst.

[gregog]

Thanks all for your responses.

 

I have the option of Mac or PC. Mac is preferable however, as I purchased an iMac solely for AV purposes.

The matrix itself doesn't care which input - it simply receives which ever input you chose to put in it via a DVI-U adapter.

 

Just in the process of getting prices from Modul8, QLab and Resolume - as I am eligible for discount.

 

If I was to purchase QLab for example - I would use a matrox triple head2go. I would send the three outputs from the matrox head into the matrix, which would then run through the VGA lines in the building (hard lines) - As these are VGA, am I likely to get a lot of signal degredation and ghosting? Would I, for example, be better changing the video from VGA to CAT5 to run through the hard lines and then back convert it to VGA at the other end? I'd imagine that the cable runs are approx 100ft.

 

If I am using, say - a single projector and single input source running through the VGA hardlines, I don't get any degredation - but would this be increased the more I try to put through?

 

Hope this makes sense!

Thanks all for your input so far!

[Nick Mawer]

There are also hardware solutions to this, but admittedly at a greater expense. The benefit would be if you were using multiple input formats rather than from a dedicated PC. From the Kramer range of product, the solution would be the VP-790 http://www.kramerelectronics.co.uk/products/model.asp?pid=2396#1