Best Method Question

[Jak119]

Hello all, I'm in need of a few suggestions for a community theater and projection. Watching the Tony Awards tonight inspired both the Director of Productions and myself to take a look further into our video projection options for several upcoming shows.

Right now we project the exact same image on two sides of the house using two identical projectors at mirrored settings and a split signal about 25' back in the booth where it's originating from. The quality is perfectly fine but I know it can be executed better.

My first question is could we use one large projector and somehow generate a signal that'll project the same image on JUST the sides dynamically? Some sort of most likely computerized filter of sorts?

Would something along the lines of a giant LED grid be in order? Or even another question... what did they use for the Tony Awards' screens?

Lastly do you have any suggestions that maybey haven't crossed my mind?

[Oldschool]

Originally Posted by Jak119

Hello all, I'm in need of a few suggestions for a community theater and projection. Watching the Tony Awards tonight inspired both the Director of Productions and myself to take a look further into our video projection options for several upcoming shows.

Right now we project the exact same image on two sides of the house using two identical projectors at mirrored settings and a split signal about 25' back in the booth where it's originating from. The quality is perfectly fine but I know it can be executed better.

My first question is could we use one large projector and somehow generate a signal that'll project the same image on JUST the sides dynamically? Some sort of most likely computerized filter of sorts?

Would something along the lines of a giant LED grid be in order? Or even another question... what did they use for the Tony Awards' screens?

Lastly do you have any suggestions that maybey haven't crossed my mind?

Sounds like you want to be able to manipulate an image or several images, onto a display or several displays - all of which can be accomplished with a media server and a matrix switcher with blending and pixal mapping like a Vista Spyder - Christie, Barco and others make similar products. This would output to your displays, which could be projectors, LED walls, etc. Start here and than look at other sites and you will start to get an idea of what can be accomplished with each system. Any of these are going to require big $$ and a pretty steep learning curve. Best of luck.
Spyder Video Processor Features - Vista Systems

[museav]

So you are wanting to create two physically separate images, one to either side, with a single projector? What are you trying to do that you can't currently do with the two projectors?

A major factor in any options would likely be the size of the images. Another factor will be the budget, some giant LED screens might be a great solution but could require a giant budget as well.

[mnfreelancer]

You would end up wasting all of the pixels in the middle...also 99.99% of projectors don't block the light completely out on "black" pixels hence the "projector black" effect shedding light onto the center area.

[Jak119]

Originally Posted by museav

So you are wanting to create two physically separate images, one to either side, with a single projector? What are you trying to do that you can't currently do with the two projectors?

A major factor in any options would likely be the size of the images. Another factor will be the budget, some giant LED screens might be a great solution but could require a giant budget as well.

At the present time we're mainly just looking at better solutions to two separate projectors and doing so at a higher quality. So thank you for confirming my thoughts on the large LED screen however I do realize the price tag associated with these. Also to answer your first question on what we're trying to do, we just want to open up our options mainly. If we have it we always have directors that are willing to utilize it.

Originally Posted by mnfreelancer

You would end up wasting all of the pixels in the middle...also 99.99% of projectors don't block the light completely out on "black" pixels hence the "projector black" effect shedding light onto the center area.

Good point, thank you for bringing that up!

Originally Posted by Oldschool

Sounds like you want to be able to manipulate an image or several images, onto a display or several displays - all of which can be accomplished with a media server and a matrix switcher with blending and pixal mapping like a Vista Spyder - Christie, Barco and others make similar products. This would output to your displays, which could be projectors, LED walls, etc. Start here and than look at other sites and you will start to get an idea of what can be accomplished with each system. Any of these are going to require big $$ and a pretty steep learning curve. Best of luck.
Spyder Video Processor Features - Vista Systems

A media server is an interesting solution, I'm not sure why I didn't think of that before. I'll have to take a look into that.

Thank you all for your suggestions and if you have any more I'd love to hear them! If you'd like some details I'll try and provide as many as possible. Thanks again

[museav]

I'm not sure what you mean by opening up your options, that could vary dramatically in interpretation from one person or application to another. Everything from the size and shape of the viewing audience space to your budget to the sources involved to the impact of lighting on the screens to where you can physically locate any displays could affect the different options that are possible and that is without even getting into what you are trying to achieve on the display(s).

Obviously there is something driving you to look at this situation. So what is your current setup and what about it are you looking to improve or change? What about the current situation specifically needs to be 'higher quality'? Could it simply be a matter of new/better projectors or the ability to show either the same or different sources on the two projectors? How large do the images need to be?

Added: Wanted to add that in my experience this being a Community Theatre application indicates that it likely involves budget constraints and/or a wide range of skills and experience, either of which could impact any potential options or solutions. It makes no sense to discuss $100,000+ solutions with a steep learning curve if those are not feasible. At the same time, it also makes no sense to discuss lesser options if that is indeed what you are looking for.


Trying to use a single large image would not be just wasting the pixels in the middle, but most of the image. Say you use 1/4 of the total image width on each side, that means that each image is 1/4 of the width and height of the total projected image, or 1/16 of the total image area the projector produces. You could use a processor or production to achieve the placement of the image(s) in the overall image but the projector resolution and brightness are still related to the total image area. So if each image is 1/4 of the total image width then to get the same image quality for the two physically separated images instead of something like two 3,000 lumen, 1024x768 projectors you'd need a single 48,000 lumen, 4096x3072 projector, well beyond any current projector that I have seen. From an image quality and flexibility perspective it is usually better to go with more displays rather than fewer.

Media servers and other video processors can provide a great deal of flexibility in how images are displayed across one or more displays but they are still dependent upon the display technology used. They also can be very production oriented, they can require planning and familiarity to use effectively.

A tiled LCD 'wall' can be an option to an LED display in some cases. Several manufacturers offer commercial LCD displays that have built-in tiling functionality and some also offer models with thin bezels to minimize the distance between individual screens. Or you can use multiple individual displays and an external processor like Vista Spyder or Dataton Watchout.

[panandtilt]

Media Server, Affordable solution: Panorama Media Server: Rose Brand