Video Digerati

As projection mapping continues to grow in popularity for outdoor events as well as indoor applications like retail displays, trade show booths, stage shows, etc., an important discussion has begun to take shape among professional projectionists and content creators: when clients ask for video projection, do they want true 3D mapping projection, or are they merely visualizing 2D projection with masking? It’s important to know the difference and the workload associated with delivering each of these so that you can meet (and often exceed) their expectations.

When lighting programmers are tasked to program a media server on a corporate event using a lighting console, they may think, “Oh, that will be easy. I’ll just have to play a few videos for the CEO, a few guest speakers, etc., etc.” Well, that’s partially true; the server may be used to play back these types of videos. However, what may not be so evident are the different ways video can be woven into a corporate show. Let’s take a closer look at how video can be used in this type of show.

Did you have the opportunity to visit one of the largest trade shows for construction equipment this year, a show called ConExpo? Held every three years, this show features extremely large booths filled with all types of machinery used in every aspect of construction, and it’s like a playground for adults (okay, males mostly) who spend a week climbing over every inch of these trucks and diggers from manufacturers like Hyundai, Konami and John Deere. Many of these booths feature shows and/or presentations showcasing various aspects of their latest technology. However, two manufacturers, Caterpillar and Volvo Construction, incorporated video mapping into their booth designs and shows, making for some eye catching and interesting visuals.

A while back, I wrote an article describing the process I used for pixel-mapping the RGB values from a media server to the LEDs of a lot of GLP impressions in my rig (“Video Digerati,” March 2012, page 52). Fast-forward to December of 2013 when, on another gig, I again set out to pixel-map RGB values from a media server (an ArKaos MediaMaster Pro) to 48 MagicPanel 602 fixtures while controlling the other features of the panels using a grandMA2. Luckily for me, the grandMA2 has a very convenient feature for merging incoming Art-Net values to outgoing Art-Net stream. Here are the steps involved for setting up this Art-Net /DMX Merge functionality.

As media servers evolve, many are adding features that until recently have been reserved for separate, dedicated hardware packages. Creating a video blend is one of these features that typically has been reserved for display presentation switching systems like the Barco Encore, Dataton Watchout or Vista Spyder. These types of switchers allow you to combine multiple displays together to increase the total resolution possible for the image being displayed.

LEDs are widespread within the entertainment industry. From video panels to lighting fixtures, LEDs are showing up everywhere. And lately, the scope has grown even wider to include costumes. Recently, I turned on the television and stumbled across a performance by the famous Rockettes dance troupe in which they were all dressed in black jackets covered with LEDs. As I watched, I realized that video images were being pixel mapped onto the dancers; and of course I was instantly intrigued!

Because some LED fixtures now allow each of the LEDs on the face of the unit to be controlled individually via DMX, they can also receive mapped RGB values from a video using a media server and can thus appear to display lo-res video images. LED fixtures are not small LED video panels, however, and typically they do not accept a video signal directly at the fixture. Instead, the RGB values for each pixel are usually sent from a media server using a DMX or Art-Net type connection. This presents a challenge, especially for fixtures that also have Pan/Tilt or other DMX channels that will be controlled via a lighting console.

With the rise in popularity of electronic dance music (EDM), DJs are touring now with elaborate visual productions. The majority of these DJ acts feature visuals that are programmed using a media server but not operated using a lighting console. Instead, many visual jockeys (VJs) are looking to other types of communication protocols for the ultimate in control. One such protocol, not as often used in lighting today like it once was, is MIDI. Combine this interface protocol with a touchscreen GUI, and you’ve got a powerful control interface with virtually unlimited configurations. Let’s take a closer look at two of the more recent MIDI/Touchscreen interfaces that are making appearances at your local EDM venue nightly.

Good morning class, does everyone have a calculator? Today’s lesson is about calculating the center point of an image so we can align two LED curtains hung with space in between with different pixel pitches so that the image of one continues onto the second cleanly. The trick is to calculate where the center point is and work outward to find the starting pixel of the image. What follows is an example of how to work that math.

On a recent show, I chose to work with several new pieces of technology. I love the opportunity to work with new equipment, learn new concepts, and discover new creative ideas! The experience was challenging, but it was definitely well worth it. Here’s a recap.

The producer of an event I am designing sent me a link to a YouTube video in which projected images had been “mapped” onto a human figure, and wanted to know how difficult it would be to achieve that effect in the show we’re creating. This request sparked a journey, and it’s evident that I still have a long way to go. But I have scratched the surface, and here are a few options that I’ve experimented with and what I’ve learned so far about a possible solution using heat-seeking IR cameras.

From the early days of DMX-controlled media servers, something has been missing. Missing, that is, until recently. Two of the more recently launched media servers (the Ai media server from Avolites and the d3 media server from d3 Technologies) take video control into the next generation by adding the missing link: real-time video visualization.