Ideas for the future of presentation software

[cjlowe]

You could score extra points by making it look for phrases like "so let's watch that now" to cue video playback. Extra extra points for hearing "John 3:16" and putting it up, and HUGE points for automatically killing PowerPoint after the preacher's gone for 60 minutes!

Gold star if you can make it interpret tongues.

[adrumsolo4u]

Originally Posted by osborn4

No amount of voice recognition is going to be able to discern if the WL is going to repeat the chorus or go back to the first verse.

LOL this is true. Also true is that neither can we as operators "know" that the WL is going to stray from the set plan. Which is a good reason why we have the music with chords projected on the back wall using a second computer w/ liveworship. If they don't know what to play, they can't play it right?

honestly i think it will probably take some time before speech recognition is almost perfect (never truly perfect). I would like to see my other ideas implemented however.

I know matrox has a solution which would allow me to have 3 projectors aligned horizontally, which will fool the computer into thinking you have a super-wide display (1024 x 76 times 3 = (3072 x 76.
However, i want the option to align my projectors at different heights, for a more abstract look.
If there are software solutions to this, then i am all ears. I have the hardware to run 4 displays from my computer. (the thing is huge, heavy, and produces enough heat that no-one in the media booth will ever complain about being cold.)

As interesting as this concept is, I think it's far fetched... or a number of years too early. A practical example of the extreme limitations of voice recognition is voice-to-text software. I know that churches have tried to use it to create on-the-fly closed captioning and it just doesn't work. If it won't work with a single voice to decipher, I don't see how any software would be able to discern lyrics buried in music. Even my phone doesn't always understand the simple command, "Call Monica." It WILL get better, but I think trying to implement voice recognition technology into worship software would be pretty much impossible right now -- and a novelty at best.

It's going to be a while before we can replace a computer operator's index finger.

As for multiple screens, outputs, etc. -- there is already hardware available that will mix video/computer signals across multiple screens/projectors. I just saw an edge-blending prototype at NAB from TV ONE that is extremely affordable and will do just that. You'll still need a human to control everything, though. But, hey... I'll be the first to go to the church where the Jetson's are members!

Interesting topic.

[[Admin] osborn4]

Originally Posted by adrumsolo4u

LOL this is true. Also true is that neither can we as operators "know" that the WL is going to stray from the set plan.

After I've worked with a WL for a while, I can start to get a feel for when he might deviate and where and I can be ready to quickly react and/or correct.

I can see head motions and hand signals. I can hear the chord progression and the speed. And I can feel the Spirit in the room.

[cjlowe]

Yeah, there you go - computer will never be spirit-led like a human will.

[adrumsolo4u]

Originally Posted by cjlowe

Yeah, there you go - computer will never be spirit-led like a human will.

that is true. as a drummer, i already have this built-in feel for how songs flow, without needing any music sheets. And there are times in a performance when you just FEEL that you should do something differently than you had practiced. So now, running media, instead of drumming, it is easy for me. But not for the other operators who don't play instruments. I'm not saying you have to play, it's just something you learn over time.

Which leads to another thought:
How about a visualizer plug-in for presentation software that responds to the music. I have used other visualizers such as geforce, but they are designed to be the "center-of-attention" how about a visualizer, that is cool, calm, and flows to the musicians.
I know that with pro-presenter i could use a visualizer as a background, but like i said, i have not found a visualizer that is fit to be a background... they are all too "noisy" and distracting.

Tim:
i have looked at a few solution, but what i am looker for is to position the projectors at varying heights, as a sort-of abstract effect. If you take a look at this setup you will see what i mean. I don't want one big screen, i want to be able to control multiple screens from one slide. if you take a look at the image i attached a few posts ago, you will see what i mean. The slightly darkened sections represent the areas shown by the projectors.

I guess this might be a lot to ask from software developers, but hey, it's just a suggestion.

[ncmacasl]

Perhaps a computer with an influx of midichlorians so it can predict the future and therefore appear to simply have extremely fast reflexes And can therefore predict what the WL will do next.

[gregdole7]

adrumsolo,

have you played with Quartz composer? You can create your own visualizers for playback in ProPresenter.

[cjlowe]

Schroedinger's Worship: Until we've heard the tell-tale lyric, the music leader is both in the verse and the chorus at the same time.

Edit: Ooh. Shroedinger's Windows: Until rebooted, the computer is both crashed and not crashed.

[gregdole7]

adrumsolo,

ProVideoPlayer was used for the pixel mapping in the buckheadchurch example you reference. You can read more here: http://www.renewedvision.com/rv_vb/showthread.php?t=366

You can see how Willow Creek used the same technology here:
http://www.renewedvision.com/rv_vb/showthread.php?t=393