Back Projection Message board

[willpower]

hi!

I run discos at my school for 10 - 14 year olds. I have a vague idea about a message board type thing where people could text messages into a number and it would be displayed on preferably a back projected screen (to save the projector being on a lighting rig or on the dance floor!). Have any of you got any ideas of software/hardware that could do such a job? Also where would be a cheap place to get a back projected screen? We run all the discos for charity and get paid absolutely nothing for doing them, so we run on next to no budget! Cheaper the better (dont care if it's poor quality stuff!)

Many thanks,

Will :o

[djw1981]

A potential contact could be Edinburgh Uni Students Association (www.eusa.ed.ac.uk) who used to run a similar thing in Teviot when I was a student there.

[peter]

Cheap solution - Powerpoint and a mobile phone... type them in yourself. Probably best to have a dedicated number for this though, as you don't want the kids texting you after the event...

[djw1981]

The EUSA solution was a piece fo software which cinverted incoming SMS into a 'computer' format and out it into a powerpoint style programe - the messgae was at the time limited to 160 characters.

[back_ache]

hi!

I run discos at my school for 10 - 14 year olds. <snip>text messages into a number and it would be displayed on preferably a back projected screen

 

If you are already at a school I would imagine you already have a projector, screen and laptop so just assign someone to do it manually with powerpoint, knowing kids, the messsages will have to be read before hand anyway.

 

not very gadgety I grant you, but free!

 

dont care if it's poor quality stuff!

 

 

if your projector dosn't have a back projection function, bounce the beam off a mirror, if you want a cheap back projection screen, make one out of grease proof paper (the stuff on a roll you cook with) and a simple wooden frame.

[mac.calder]

Should you really not wish to use a power-point style program - an XML/javascript newsfeeder opened full screen in your webbrowser with a refresh header should work a treat.

 

And if you have your heart set on hardware, you COULD purchase a GSM modem with SMS support.

 

Another alternative is that there are LED displays that will scroll any message SMSed to them (I did work experiance with a company that experimented in using SMS's to administer servers, they also developed the LED scrolling display). They look quite neat and you can run them along the front of the stage.

[Stutwo]

Do you REALLY want unmonitered texts appearing on a big projection screen? Without any kind of filtering of the obscenities I would think it will go horribly wrong.

[willpower]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! We do have projectors available and laptops, and I have tried it in the past just using a powerpoint slide show and typing the messages in, but it means every time you want to change the message on the board you have to put something over the projector or put it to 'no show'. I have heard of a piece of hardware from a friend where it has it's own SMS number, and you text the message in. It has a touch sensative screen, and the DJ or whoever can accept or deny displaying the message. It then outputs the messages that have been accepted to a projector. He doesnt know where his company got it from, and probably wouldnt be prepared to lend it to me! Anyone know what this may be, and where you could get it from?

The thing about the back projected screen is - we have projectors capable of projecting using back projection, but no screens...

many thanks,

Will

[back_ache]

it means every time you want to change the message on the board you have to put something over the projector or put it to 'no show'

 

If you use one of the modern type of laptops that see the their external output as a second graphic card, powerpoint may recognise this and set the external output for showing slides and the internal screen as a control interface.

 

another option is to use two pc's, put a network between the two, on the display pc set a webbrowser to full screen on the other edit the page it's displaying every time you want to se the new edited page press the shortcut key for refresh (f11 in IE)

 

still free, still simple

[mac.calder]

shortcut key for refresh (f11 in IE)

 

Actually, F5 is refresh. F11 is full screen ;-) And as I mentioned above, you can put refresh headers in the document so that it will auto refresh every (say) 20 seconds

[back_ache]

Another advantage of doing it manually is horrible "txt spk" can be converted to readable English.

[willpower]

another option is to use two pc's, put a network between the two, on the display pc set a webbrowser to full screen on the other edit the page it's displaying every time you want to se the new edited page press the shortcut key for refresh (f11 in IE)

 

Thanks! This is a great plan and very possible as we have an amazing IT suite at school which I could easily borrow 2 computers from (rich school, depressing I know!).

Thanks for all the suggestions! Any other ideas about the screen?

 

Will

[peternewman]

I've been working on writing some software to do this, for a company.

 

Therefore you have a PM

 

PN

[James S]

Hi,

 

Have been thinking of doing the same sort of thing since Live 8 did it.

 

There is a piece of (expensive) hardware/software that does it (cant remember the name ATM as I have been set building all day).

 

The options we have considered are:

 

- VB program (bespokly writen my team)

- Powerpoint as mentioned above with a manual person sitting there

 

 

whoever mentioned two PCs - that would be a waste - use one with two graphics cards set up as multi - monitor so that you can display different thing son the different outputs. GSM modems arnt too costly (especially if you get yourself a high rate, revenue generating number - search on the net for 'golden mobile phone numbers')

 

Alternatively you could just have someone typing the numbers in and taking requests to save the phone hassle - this would also act as a filter

 

Also, you could use a serial controlled LED message board - these are fairly easy to program to run using a VB program and cheaper/ esier to use than an LCD projector.

 

Hope this helps, - if we explore it any further will let you know (would be grateful if you could do likewise.

 

James

[Hambone]

Check out Arkaos VJ. Although there is a dedicated texting module, I don't use it.

 

Instead, I receive texts on a mobile and type them into ready-made Flash templates already in place on Arkaos MIDI keys. Later in the show, when Ableton Live plays that track, the sequenced texts are automatically triggered to the screens.