Set up for two projectors from one computer

[Doug Durlacher]

I am just getting started with video in QLab. Loving exploring mapping projections. We are doing a play, and I would like to use two projectors to project on mapped surfaces (one on the stage floor and the other on vertical surfaces over the stage). I am struggling with the right equipment needed to make this happen. Right now I am thinking

HDMI cable leaving the computer -> an HDMI Video Switcher with two outputs -> two HDMI over CAT6 extenders ->  two lengths of CAT6 cable t->  two HDMI over CAT6 receivers ->  two HDMI cables -> two projectors. Is this right?

TYIA!

Doug

[Sam Kusnetz]

On Mar 22, 2022 at 2:10:57 PM, Doug Durlacher <ddurl...@waynflete.org> wrote:

I am just getting started with video in QLab. Loving exploring mapping projections. We are doing a play, and I would like to use two projectors to project on mapped surfaces (one on the stage floor and the other on vertical surfaces over the stage). I am struggling with the right equipment needed to make this happen. Right now I am thinking HDMI cable leaving the computer -> an HDMI Video Switcher with two outputs -> two HDMI over CAT6 extenders ->  two lengths of CAT6 cable t->  two HDMI over CAT6 receivers ->  two HDMI cables -> two projectors. Is this right?

Hi Doug

The plan you’ve described will only work if you want an identical video signal going to the two projectors. If only one HDMI cable exits your Mac, then as far as your Mac is concerned there is only a single display connected.

If you want the two projectors to operate independently, you’ll need two HDMI cables coming off the Mac, each feeding a separate CAT6 extender.

Needless to say, this presupposes that you have a Mac capable of driving a total of three displays (one for your operator and two for the projectors.) M1-based Macs cannot do that, but other Apple Silicon-based Macs can, and all but the lower-end Intel-based ones can too.

Other than that, your plan sounds solid to me.

-Sam

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Sam Kusnetz (he/him) | Figure 53

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[Jason K]

Actually I am running four 1080P screens perfectly with an M1 Macbook Air. What I do is run the video output through a 4K 2x2 video wall controller that splits the 4k image into four 1080P outputs. Then in QLab I create four video surfaces, each one mapped to a different corner of the 4k output. Works perfectly.

Jason

[Sam Kusnetz]

This is a great solution, and a common one, but it’s very important to understand that from the Mac’s perspective, only one screen is attached.  That one screen is the video wall controller which does its own thing to slice up the image.

It’s fundamentally different than connecting multiple screens to your Mac directly, and it’s also fundamentally different than using an HDMI switch and hoping to get two unique signals out of it.

Best
Sam

––
Sam Kusnetz [he/him/his] (what is this?)
Figure 53
https://qlab.app | https://figure53.com

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[Doug Durlacher]

Such a delayed response question here, but this was something I never got to actually work on and want to come back to. Any recs on the 4k 2x2 controller to buy?

Thanks,

Doug