Keep video cue in background

[fg]

Hi, I'm coming across a problem in some venues where the projector will turn itself off if there is no signal after 10 or so minutes. 

A solution to this is to have a blank/back png on in the background, but my cue lists use a lot of Fade & Stop triggers. I can get round this by grouping all my cues into a Group and setting the Trigger Fade to peers, but a lot of my cues are Play cues which reference another list

Is there a way to permanently have a video cue active, without the trigger fades affecting it? 

[micpool]

Surely if QLab is not outputting an image, it is showing your desktop which even if you have blacked it out is still an image. I can't see what the difference is from the projectors point of view

Is the actual issue that your projector is switching off if it is receiving black? Is there a projector setting to stop that? If not you need to make a background which you can set as your desktop which the projector recognises as signal (Dark Grey, or perhaps a dark grey square in each corner of a black background)

Mic

[fg]

To be honest, I'm sure of the settings on this particular projector (I do a lot of venues). In fact, it wasn't a projector but a huge TV wall.

Most times you can see the Mac's desktop, as you said. But perhaps this is an issue soley related to TVs. it was a HDMI output via a miniDisplayPort adapter

[jimsta...@zoho.com]

Always fun when picking up local gear! Yet run across this one personally, and like others hope to learn from your experience.

Is "TVs" a matrix of computer monitors? How are they controlled?

Jim

[m...@stevensokulski.com]

Is the TV turning off or is it in a gaming mode where the display backlight is shut off when it receives black?

On Monday, November 29, 2021 at 5:48:47 AM UTC-8 fg wrote:

[micpool]

Increasingly, to stay compliant with energy efficiency standards, display devices include eco modes, which reduce energy consumption or enter standby after what is called a period of inactivity.

Generally these functions can be turned off in the display devices menus. On projectors primarily intended for business or classroom uses these eco modes may be enabled by default ‘out of the box’

For most QLab video applications none of these settings are appropriate and should be turned off.

If they are left on, then the key issue is what constitutes ‘inactivity’, and this is generally very poorly documented by display device manufacturers.

If a black image is regarded as inactivity, then it doesn’t matter if QLab is playing a video cue with a black image, or the black image is the blacked out desktop, to the display device, its exactly the same  input signal condition.

On some display devices a still image that doesn’t change may be regarded as inactivity and result in dimming of the image after a preset time, or putting the display into standby mode.

As black screens and still images displaying for extended periods may feature frequently in QLab shows,  it is essential to check that any    new display systems you connect to have all eco settings turned off.

If you can’t do this, then you will  have to modify your content to fool the projector that there is active input which is clearly easier said than done.

Mic

[fg]

Yes it would be nice to have the luxury of testing the AV but sometimes I only have 10 minutes to plug in before going on stage

So if I could create a slow moving video that's not black, on a loop. Would a permanent background video cue work as above? I guess what I'm after is the opposite of what the trigger fade does, an option to specify that no trigger fades will affect it, make it bullet proof so to speak

[Sam Kusnetz]

On Nov 30, 2021 at 8:18:09 AM, fg <friendl...@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes it would be nice to have the luxury of testing the AV but sometimes I only have 10 minutes to plug in before going on stage

Speaking now entirely for myself, NOT on behalf of Figure 53, but as a theatrical designer and technician…

I understand completely that feeling. You have ten minutes, you have to make the event happen, and getting good work done quickly is what makes us valuable to the clients.

But.

If we don’t tell the clients that proper time to test equipment is absolutely non-negotiable if they want a flawless show, then nobody is going to. It has to be us. If the client only books ten minutes of prep time and then the show is flawless, they will reasonably assume that they provided enough time, which we all know isn’t true on every gig.

The culture needs to shift towards one that has enough time to get things done, and designers, technicians, and crew are the ones who need to press for that shift to occur.

Best

Sam

[fg]

I am a performer and it's unusual that a client would have to cater for  this kind of AV in my industry, so I just want to make it as shockproof as possible

[Sam Kusnetz]

On Nov 30, 2021 at 9:26:41 AM, fg <friendl...@gmail.com> wrote:

I am a performer and it's unusual that a client would have to cater for  this kind of AV in my industry, so I just want to make it as shockproof as possible

Again, totally understood and I agree with your mindset!

If you’re walking into different venues with different hardware every day, though, no amount of preparation on your end can truly cover every situation.

Best

Sam

—

Sam Kusnetz (he/him) | Figure 53

s...@figure53.com

[micpool]

There are various methods for keeping a QLab cue running after a panic, but they may not be necessary.

I've always switched any eco or auto shutdown features off before using a projector, so I am not sure what most projectors regard as 'inactivity'.

Perhaps someone else knows the answer to this? (Someone in education with whiteboard projectors with automatic shutdown?)

The solution  may be as simple as a slightly lighter square in the four corners of a  black image as your desktop picture , to fool a projector into thinking it's receiving an image and isn't inactive. 

Mic

[fg]

 lighter squares could be a good thing to try

[Marilyn Lowey]

Something simple is to create a slug.mov in FCP and make it as long as you need it for.

Marilyn Lowey

www.MarilynLowey.com

c 310-871-3199

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[micpool]

Isn't that still just going to send a frame of solid black to the projector at the display refresh rate?

I can't see how a projector would differentiate  between a slug.mov and a black.png.

Mic

[Marilyn Lowey]

i don’t know but while we are talking about this.  How can I achieve total black from a blackboard projector other than a black slide or slug.mov?

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/qlab/9416df62-a78d-41d1-8978-2a5c66460c53n%40googlegroups.com.

[micpool]

On Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at 3:16:02 PM UTC La Reine de Lumiere wrote:

How can I achieve total black from a blackboard projector other than a black slide or slug.mov?

Blackout desktop backgrounds from the QLab tools menu Or set the color of the desktops you are using as QLab displays to solid black?

Mic

[fg]

I wasn't aware of Blackout Desktop Background option, will give that a go