Just Some Bloke Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I'm planning a show next year in which I'd like to use 3 screens, each with its own projector, each fed with a separate image, but from the same laptop. I think I can manage the software to handle 3 images at the same time, but I just need to work out how I would send the 3 feeds from the laptop (ideally down 1 Cat5 line) to the stage then split them out to the projectors. Advice welcomed! And, no I do not have a Mac, a Rasperry Pi or any other fancy kit - just a bog standard PC! :) Willing to buy converters etc. if required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Triple Head to Go from Matrox or Datapath X4 will take the one feed and split it. Both are available for hire from many places, so there will be somebody close to you if you want to hire I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyld Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Does the server laptop need to be FOH and is it far? Depending on distance I would look at putting the hardware nearer the stage, well, nearer the projectors and only controlling remotely if you are keen to just run a single CAT5. I'm sure there are fancy video ways to send media and then split it, but a TripleHead or X4 running from the server machine (that can cope with the original resolution) and then a remote terminal and/or control via your weapon of choice would be my lampy solution. What software are you thinking of using for playback? Are we talking slicing up a decent res output layer and sending it to one of the 3 outputs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Some Bloke Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 Mostly there would be different images on each screen, but from time to time I might split up an image into one wide picture over the 3 screens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac.calder Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Triple head would be the solution I would use - actually, firstly I would look at putting a graphics card with 4 outputs into the PC... As for making it a 1 from FOH to Stage - I would put my PC @ stage and then use a KVM-over-cat5 solution - the new ones support USB so you can still update files etc. You could look at display port over fibre or something, but for cheap, cheerful and effective (and arguably more robust), PC closer to the destination is my preferred method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyld Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Mostly there would be different images on each screen, but from time to time I might split up an image into one wide picture over the 3 screens. Depending on your playback software and hardware combo, you will likely be slicing up a single large composite image anyway. Using the Triplehead as an example, this appears as a single large output that you place your content onto (right, centre, left portions) so you are effectively always sending one big picture, it's just what is on that part of the picture that determines what the projector is beaming. My experience with this kind of thing is either media servers/VJ software or Qlab but I expect ScreenMonkey etc. handles the large output in much the same way. If you were to say you wanted to use Powerpoint, I'd have no idea how that deals with it unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 ... then use a KVM-over-cat5 solution... Do you have a recommendation for such a product...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac.calder Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 ... then use a KVM-over-cat5 solution... Do you have a recommendation for such a product...? ATEN CE610 is a nice unit. My experience with this kind of thing is either media servers/VJ software or Qlab but I expect ScreenMonkey etc. handles the large output in much the same way. If you were to say you wanted to use Powerpoint, I'd have no idea how that deals with it unfortunately. Powerpoint you need to set your "paper size" to 16 x 3 (or 4x1 if using 4:3 screens). Then you just lay everthing out as you need it across the 3 screens. My usual trick is to build a slide master with 2 coloured boxes where the left and right screens are so that I can very clearly see where the transition between screens are. Then when it is all built, I delete the boxes from the slide master. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyro_gearloose Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Another useful thing powerpoint does is if you've got 2 graphics outputs from your computer it will use the primary display (the Triple head in your case) to display the image, and the second output to display a control screen. It makes it much easier to control your slideshow/presentation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
back_ache Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 If you are going with remote PC option and don't need to see the video on the screen where you are, you could simply install something like ultravnc that would control of the pc remotely, then just use Ethernet to connect the two (though not advisable you could even use wifi) http://www.uvnc.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Some Bloke Posted November 29, 2014 Author Share Posted November 29, 2014 Thanks everyone for your input. The Triple Head solution looks great. I was looking at using SCS as my software choice (as I already have and use it!) and it allows you to specify different images to different "screens" which would be perfect. Would the 2 work together? In other words, Triple Head works by telling the PC that it has one screen that is the normal depth but 3x the width then it splits that image up into 3 outputs. Does SCS work the same way? Is screen one the left hand third of the image and screen 2 the centre third etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empyfree Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 http://www.showcuesystems.com/scs11help/index.htm Reading the SCS online manual it appears that they have a method for coping with the Matrox approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac.calder Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 I believe SCS has a "split displays" option which will allow you to split a triple-wide display into 3 separate screens. I do not know if you can then treat the display as a single canvas as well though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyld Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Not completely relevant, but for some context: Qlab sees a THTG as one, long screen. Switching screens via the interface means switching between devices, the Matrox entire output being one device. Adjusting the geometry on the output is what puts things on projectors, the screen switching 1,2,3 etc is redundant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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