Help! Getting the TripleHead2go and re-visioning our projection setup

[bercker]

Hi!!! I need help... I've used all of my own brain power thinking about this, but I need your creativity and experience to find a solution.

After seeing the stuff at (can you believe some of the stuff there??), my pastor really wants to get the TripleHead2Go so we can project a continuous image or video across our three screens. We wouldn't have nearly the same scope that they have, but it's the same idea.

I'm only just entering the realm of matrix switchers and the TripleHead2Go, so I probably don't understand what they can do exactly. But what I'm wondering is.....

We have 2 pcs set up and 3 projectors. What I am trying to do is project a triple-wide image or continuously looping video across the 3 screens as part of the stage dressing, and then project the lyrics/scriptures (white words, no bg) on the 2 side screens OVER the background.

We use MediaShout, which I think with the TripleHead2Go could span the three screens with a background image, and display lyrics/scriptures/videos on top of that on the center screen. That's just using one PC.

But we've gotten requests for the lyrics on the side screens so to be more visible from every vantage point. In order to do that, I think we'd need to use one PC to feed the background image/vid to all 3 projectors, and the other PC to feed lyrics and such to the 2 outer projectors. This is "keying" right? So the lyrics from one PC would be keyed over the background from the other. But my brain can't wrap around how to accomplish this. I'd need a matrix mixer? Where would the TripleHead go? And what would feed to what, to feed to what, and eventually get to the projectors?

And.... am I correct in thinking this would not work for a teaching video? I can't key a video over a background video and get positive results, right? So how would I be able to show the teaching video on the side screens while not interrupting the background video on the center screen?

Ohh... I've got so many questions!!

Thanks so much.

Rachel

[jonack]

The easiest way would be to drop the PC's and go with ProPresenter. What you are talking about is native in PS3. But if you can't go to ProPresenter, then you will have to use a switcher with three independent Outputs. Projectors don't have a key as part of their hardware. That means that you have to add the lyrics before you send the signal to the projectors. I don't use MediaShout, but I don't believe there is a way to add the lyrics over one and not the other outputs in the TripleHead2Go. I wish there was. Someone else who uses MS might know more though. Sorry for the non-answer...answer...

[kbob]

well, what you're wanting to do can likely be done...though it might require some out of the box thinking.

A matrix switcher, one that allows for multiple inputs to go to any or the same outputs is likely what you need, or you could accomplish this with multiple switcher/scaler/distribution amps (might not need the scaler part...).

You might take a look at JustAddPower's website, run by one of our own CMN members Ed Quals...They've got a worship switcher setup that might be able to accomplish what you want. It does a fade through black, but not an objectional one.

[bggowing]

I've done something similar. I'm sure it's not the easiest or the best way but it was a last minute deal for a traveling group that came to our church. We have a 3 projector wide-screen that we use the TripleHead2Go on to show the same image across all 3 projectors. We needed a way to seperate the center image to enable us to show a video in the center screen while showing words and a background on the 2 side projectors.

To do it the PC fed input into the TH2GO. L/R projector outs went to the L/R projectors. Center projector out went input into a switcher. Video feed went input into the switcher. Switcher output went to the Center projector. Then I went into MediaShout and reformatted the wide screen to have minimum borders all the way around (10). I then, for each of the 5 songs, manually manipulated the song text to put the lines on the left side of the screen and the duplicate line on the right side of the screen.

When we showed it we had the video playing in the center screen, words on the L/R sides. There are probably better and less cumbersome ways to do this but I had to make do with what I had on hand.

[Gracetech]

Well the way i'm thinking of accomplishing this would cost around $20k+. I would save yourself some money and go with a ProPresenter setup.

Look here and scroll to the Three Screen Advanced Module section.

crt

[bercker]

Jonack and Chad, ProPresenter does EXACTLY what I'm thinking, and the interface looks really interesting. Unfortunately--though it's not outside the realm of possibility--I'm fairly certain we won't be going Mac. Is there just no way to make ProPresenter work on a PC? e.g. a way to make the program think it's running on a Mac?

[bercker]

Brian, thanks for detailing your setup for me. Definitely sounds similar to what I'm working toward, and you're resourceful in a pinch! We won't be able to format all of our songs to accomplish that in the same way, but it's a good reference point, and that's the first I've read of the TH2G put to use. What version of MediaShout are you using? And do you use just one PC normally for 3 projectors?

Checked out JustAddPower... cool site, and they have lots of neat stuff! The setup diagrams are especially helpful. I'll run this all by my pastor and see what he thinks.

I think I've figured that, using our current compys, I would need to send the bg image from PC1 through the TH2G, then send those 3 outputs plus the lyric feed from PC2 to a 4x4 matrix switch/mixer. The outputs would then be: 1- L bg keyed with Lyrics to L projector, 2- Ctr bg to Ctr proj, 3- R bg/Lyrics to R proj (....and 4- Lyrics only to stage confidence monitor). Might need a scaler/amp depending on our exact configuration. Does that sound right?

Thanks guys.

[bercker]

Originally Posted by bercker

After seeing the stuff at (can you believe some of the stuff there??), my pastor really wants to get the TripleHead2Go so we can project a continuous image or video across our three screens. We wouldn't have nearly the same scope that they have, but it's the same idea.

Humm... I guess me being a n00b and all, CMN removed the url I was originally trying to point out. visualworshiper.com/gallery.html, if anyone is interested in looking.

[bggowing]

Hi Rachel,

We're using MS 3.5 with the latest build. Yes we do use just 1 pc to send the image to all 3 projectors.

If you're using a 4x4 matrix switcher would you even need the TH2GO?

[bercker]

Yes, I think we'd need it to split the widescreen feed into 3 signals to be mixed separately. Otherwise it would just be a single background image sent to the switcher along with the other PC feed (and we'd only need a 2x4 mixer), which would end up with 3 duplicate background images across our screens instead of a continuous one.

Or am I wrong in my logic? Is there a way to split it 3 ways without the TH3G?