designing for multi-cam, multi-screen, HD video
jesse ricke
like what my studio is asking for. Our studio is buying new gear and
as we'll be working in theater a lot I'd like to build our setup
around QLab. Here's the big idea:
Sources - 2 720p SDI camera feeds, 2 720p HDMI camera feeds
Screens - 4 3000 lumen projectors, each projecting and corner-pinning
to their own 16'x9' screen
Any feed can go to any projector and all feeds can be projected
simultaneously.
How can QLab help?
What's the best way to ingest and process that much HD?
Should we ingest all the video into a central MacPro with maybe
DeckLink cards, and use QLab to process, and route the feeds through
maybe two Nvidia 4000s to the projectors?
Should we set up a master/slave system, routing each feed through a
matrix router to it's own slave? What would be a smart choice for the
slaves? For the matrix?
This is a lot to ask and I'm not even positive that QLab can easily
handle just any video feed. I understand there's a Quartz method for
expanding beyond FireWire ingest, but what are the other limits?
Thanks for the help in advance
Jesse
sam kusnetz
> Our studio is buying new gear and
> as we'll be working in theater a lot I'd like to build our setup
> around QLab. Here's the big idea:
> Sources - 2 720p SDI camera feeds, 2 720p HDMI camera feeds
> Screens - 4 3000 lumen projectors, each projecting and corner-pinning
> to their own 16'x9' screen
> Any feed can go to any projector and all feeds can be projected
> simultaneously.
sorry to be so blunt with this, but i don't think qlab is the right tool for this job. if it were me, i would investigate buying a hardware video mixer with the appropriate inputs and outputs which could be controlled by MIDI, and then use qlab to control it.
cheers
sam
--
sam kusnetz, sound & projection design | USA-829
503.201.2591
s...@notquite.net
Schroepfer, Tim
Tim Schroepfer
UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television.
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jesse ricke
group is attempting to build a kit with the affordability for wide
spread adoption and TriCasters are just not realistic. So we're
looking for alternatives and QLab might be robust enough. I'm now
considering a MacMini fed by an Intensity Extreme to process a single
live 720p feed in QLab and display it over HDMI. Is that possible? If
so, why not IP together four MacMinis, each dealing with their own
feed? Or maybe there's a machine that would make a better slave?
Jesse
Chris Eschweiler
I hate to crush your dreams, but multiple 720p streams AND running QLab on top of the OS is simply a recipe for disaster. Sorry, mate…I know you want an all-in-one solution, but nobody here is likely to endorse a solution like that.
And yeah…3,000 lumens is NOT enough for a screen in a setting with stage lighting. The very minimum would be something like a Barco WLM-W8. I love that projector, but even that is at the bare minimum. Either use two per screen, or go to 12K.
Both Barco and Christie projectors have options for corner pinning the image in the projector itself. doing it in software would heap a lot of work on a computer that's already working pretty hard.
Plus: what's your back-up plan if something fails mid-show?
For switching sources, consider a graphic switcher like a Barco ScreenPRO II HD or one of the new Roland V-1600HDs. (Yes, new. But from what I've seen….awesome!)
I tell clients that they don't pay me for perfection…that's unattainable. They pay me for my ability to handle a show when something sh*#s the bed.
Gruesome, but true.
Keith Smith
On 31 Dec 2011, at 03:36, jesse ricke wrote:
> considering a MacMini fed by an Intensity Extreme to process a single
> live 720p feed in QLab and display it over HDMI. Is that possible? If
> so, why not IP together four MacMinis, each dealing with their own
> feed?
Perhaps, it depends on what you want QLab to do with the video.
Actually, lets start with that question: Why _exactly_ do you want all that video going through QLab? I get the impression you are looking for a cheap way to create a 4 in 4 out video mixer. Is that true?
Which leads me to my second question: Are you sure you are wedded to HD? Those extra 144 lines add a lot of cost and complexity and in my experience just aren't worth the bother in some venues and situations. If you were to consider SD resolutions then your options open up.
I think there are setups here you may not have considered...
Regards,
Keith.
Douglas Heriot
with QLab together) I’ve been looking at myself is the Blackmagic
Videohub routers and ATEM switchers. It’s all about a tenth of the
price of other options out there I’ve seen. I don’t have any
experience actually using it though.
http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/videohub/
http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/atem/
The best part is instead of paying heaps of money for the hardware
control panel interfaces, you can download their Mac/PC apps instead,
which should be fine for many uses. They may not integrate into QLab
and other show control systems as easily though.
It won’t do any special effects processing like QLab might, but it
doesn’t sound like you need that?
jesse ricke
for us, even if it only proves that our ambitions are currently
unattainable.
"Are you sure you are wedded to HD?"
the move to HD would be a remarkable improvement. We do a lot of
collaborations with partners over teleconferencing devices, Polycom to
be exact, and it would be great if we could deliver multicam HD feeds
to them.
"3,000 lumens is NOT enough for a screen in a setting with stage
lighting"
partners. Their lighting guru has experience with lighting in
circumstances when the 3k projections need to be avoided, so we'll be
developing similar lighting practices around the projections.
"what's your back-up plan if something fails mid-show?"
project is rather tech-centric, so a lot of stuff can be built around
our limitations. This is a rare benefit, but it's also rare to need 6
projectors. Future shows will have us doubling our 3ks on each screen.
"Blackmagic Videohub routers and ATEM switchers"
expand with a VideoHub in the near future. If the routers included
HDMI i/o it would be a sure thing. The KanexPro HDMI routers are
probably more attractive for us, especially since they go right to
Cat5.
For the current production, looks like we'll be rearranging the
projectors so corner-pinning and all processing becomes unnecessary.
So right now we're looking at a 1 M/E switcher for broad casting and
monitoring, and a KanexPro matrix 4x4 for routing. With some well
placed splitters we'll have what we need for now, but I know we'll
want processing down the road as we work with programmers and
visualists.
It's the integration with Qurtz that keeps me attracted to QLab, as so
many visualists today integrate Quartz into their work, whatever the
central tool is they're using. I certainly don't want to run multiple
720p feeds through one machine, so I just need to find the right
server to run QLab and one 720p feed and perform as a slave. If I get
the chance to test out a MacMini/IntensityExtreme combo I'll let
everyone know how dependable it is.
Jesse
On Jan 1, 7:38 am, Douglas Heriot <douglasher...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Another affordable option (other than trying to hack piles of Macs
> with QLab together) I’ve been looking at myself is the Blackmagic
> Videohub routers and ATEM switchers. It’s all about a tenth of the
> price of other options out there I’ve seen. I don’t have any
> experience actually using it though.
>
