Setting up a VIDEO Rig

[miller1446]

Ok so iam having a little bit of trouble , iam trying to get a video rig setup , basicly iam not sure what equipement i need in it , as of now i know i need 2 dvd players , 2 monitors but iam not sure what else? were using a sony vx2100 and then running into 2 epson 8300i projectors , at some point i want to get another camera so what kinda equipment would i need in the rack?

[BillESC]

You need a video switcher. I use and like this one for up to four sources.

[Kingcaffeine]

Ok so iam having a little bit of trouble , iam trying to get a video rig setup , basicly iam not sure what equipement i need in it , as of now i know i need 2 dvd players , 2 monitors but iam not sure what else? were using a sony vx2100 and then running into 2 epson 8300i projectors , at some point i want to get another camera so what kinda equipment would i need in the rack?

Not sure of the budget, but the Edirol V4 or LVS-800 as a switcher if you need fade and computer inputs. PVW/PGM as well with 2 PGM outs, the lower-priced Wohler rackmount monitors are a no-brainer....or you can go even less with a pair of Panny 9" CRT's. DVD players are cheap, but I'd go with a pair of Oppo or Denon dual. Do you need to record or just project?

[ruinexplorer]

Are you trying to get a rig that can handle any situation or do you have a particular set-up in mind? What is it that you are trying to accomplish with the equipment that you already "know" that you need? Will the two projectors be running the same or different feeds?

[museav]

A big step back before getting into specific product recommendations, but a video rig for what purpose? What are you trying to do with it? What do you already have? Will it be portable or installed? Are you planning on putting everything together yourself or are you trying to put together a package to go out to bid?

FWIW, Oppo makes some very nice consumer Blu-Ray players but they do not seem to offer a basic DVD player and they seem to be one of the manufacturers whose product warranties are limited to "noncommercial" use and specifically exclude any commercial use. And I don't believe the D&M Pro line includes any dual well DVD or Blu-Ray players.

[miller1446]

[we all ready have a couple clinets who want the same thing , the idea is that with a person speaking in the center having two screens flanking him/her so the camera will be shoting stright at the speaker.... my problem is i dont know what equipment i need for foh ,i know i need display monitors, 2 dvd players but what else would i need , how does the camera feed get from the camera to the projectors?

and what peice of equipment will allow me to go from a camera view on the screens to video , or anything else , also i would like to be able to record

[miller1446]

Are you trying to get a rig that can handle any situation or do you have a particular set-up in mind? What is it that you are trying to accomplish with the equipment that you already "know" that you need? Will the two projectors be running the same or different feeds?

i want a rig that good for pretty much anything

[miller1446]

A big step back before getting into specific product recommendations, but a video rig for what purpose? What are you trying to do with it? What do you already have? Will it be portable or installed? Are you planning on putting everything together yourself or are you trying to put together a package to go out to bid?

FWIW, Oppo makes some very nice consumer Blu-Ray players but they do not seem to offer a basic DVD player and they seem to be one of the manufacturers whose product warranties are limited to "noncommercial" use and specifically exclude any commercial use. And I don't believe the D&M Pro line includes any dual well DVD or Blu-Ray players.

all we have so far are 2 epson 8300i projectors , 2 fastfold screens and a sony vx2100

[BillESC]

For what you want to do, you don't need a video switcher. You need a video distribution amplifier since all projectors (monitors) are fed the same single camera feed.

This same video distribution amplifier can send the feed to a hard drive video recorder. A hard drive video recorder will allow you to edit, title and manipulate your video before burning it to a DVD. If you plan on two video cameras or multiple sources, then you'll need the switcher.

[ruinexplorer]

In all actuality, he needs both the DA and the switcher since the OP wants to add equipment beyond the single camera.

On that note, since you (miller1446)want to have DVD, camera, and computer presentations projected, your switcher will also need to be a scaler since the resolutions are different. The DA will split the single output from your switcher to the two projectors. If you want preview and program, your switcher will need to have dual video processors, which will also allow you to have seamless switching. Otherwise, you will need each of your DVD players and your camera to have preview monitors with a loop-through to the switcher.

As for recording, you have a couple of options as well. You can take a feed off of your DA (if you place it close enough to your rack) or if your switcher has multiple outputs, then you will have the ability to record your live feed (along with any glitches that might happen). If you are looking at post-production editing, then you could either record directly at your camera or have the camera feed looping through a recorder prior to sending the signal to the switcher (though this could add significant latency to the projected image). The rest of your media is already prepared for editing.

What kind of budget are you working with? This will significantly affect the type of equipment that is suggested.

[miller1446]

In all actuality, he needs both the DA and the switcher since the OP wants to add equipment beyond the single camera.

On that note, since you (miller1446)want to have DVD, camera, and computer presentations projected, your switcher will also need to be a scaler since the resolutions are different. The DA will split the single output from your switcher to the two projectors. If you want preview and program, your switcher will need to have dual video processors, which will also allow you to have seamless switching. Otherwise, you will need each of your DVD players and your camera to have preview monitors with a loop-through to the switcher.

As for recording, you have a couple of options as well. You can take a feed off of your DA (if you place it close enough to your rack) or if your switcher has multiple outputs, then you will have the ability to record your live feed (along with any glitches that might happen). If you are looking at post-production editing, then you could either record directly at your camera or have the camera feed looping through a recorder prior to sending the signal to the switcher (though this could add significant latency to the projected image). The rest of your media is already prepared for editing.

What kind of budget are you working with? This will significantly affect the type of equipment that is suggested.

the budget is between 2and 3k for everthing

[SHARYNF]

There are a number of very experienced people on this forum that will be able to give some professional advice, but IMO you first really need to research exactly what you want to do:

For instance, is it jus Imag (image magnification of the person speaking? is it always just one speaker from one location, or are these cases with multiple speakers or speakers that are not going to be locked to the podium

On the two screens is it just going to be the speaker, or is it going to be presentation materials or both, how large is the room how far back are the audience from the speaker, how far back are the most distant viewers?

Imag is common to a certain extent in presentations, but also in house of worship situations, you might want to look at some of these systems.

I raise these additional questions
Is the camera going to be manned, how large is the screen, how does the size of image of the presentor compare with the actual presenter? is this going to be a fixed setup or portable. Simple questions can sometimes lead to simplistic answers to complex situations which then tends to lead to overall disappointment

Sharyn

[museav]

the budget is between 2and 3k for everthing

To summarize, you want a rig that is good for "pretty much anything" and for which your clients will pay. You feel that the system should include two DVD players. You already have a consumer camcorder, two projectors and two screens. You want to be able to send the image (I assume that to be the camera or DVD players or maybe some other source) to the two projectors (with the same image on both screens) and you also want to record. And you have $2k to $3k to spend. Does that cover it?

Some factors that could impact the equipment required include what might be the actual sources, for example might you want to display a computer source then switch to the camera and back? Another is what kind of transitions you want between sources, do you want various fades, wipes, etc. or just simple cuts? Are moments of black or the projectors being seen syncing to the new signal acceptable? Do you want to insert logo 'bugs' or logo screens or titles? Do you have a preference in terms of the device and format for recording? Is this something your potential competitors provide and have you had an opportunity to see what they use or offer?

[miller1446]

To summarize, you want a rig that is good for "pretty much anything" and for which your clients will pay. You feel that the system should include two DVD players. You already have a consumer camcorder, two projectors and two screens. You want to be able to send the image (I assume that to be the camera or DVD players or maybe some other source) to the two projectors (with the same image on both screens) and you also want to record. And you have $2k to $3k to spend. Does that cover it?

Some factors that could impact the equipment required include what might be the actual sources, for example might you want to display a computer source then switch to the camera and back? Another is what kind of transitions you want between sources, do you want various fades, wipes, etc. or just simple cuts? Are moments of black or the projectors being seen syncing to the new signal acceptable? Do you want to insert logo 'bugs' or logo screens or titles? Do you have a preference in terms of the device and format for recording? Is this something your potential competitors provide and have you had an opportunity to see what they use or offer?

well after thinking about a couple things we dont need to record just yet, the speakers will be locked into the podium the screens will normaly be either 9x12 or 7.5 x 10 , i would like to incert logos into , wips are fine i have seen what our competotprs provide but i cant get close enough to see what the brand names are or what is in there rack

[jstroming]

Get yourself a bank of quad-monitors (Marshall VR-44p), a switcher (the sima sfx-9 BillESC recommended works great for fades, I own 2) and a distro. You just loop through each monitor then hit the switcher. THAT switcher also has a preview output that will show all 4 sources on 1 TV if you dont feel like spending $1200 for the VR-44P. But the quad bank is good for future upgrades etc.

If you want to add computer graphics then you should consider using a signal type other than composite to hit your projectors. Here it gets pricey. I just bought a bunch of Gefen DVI-over-cat5 transmitters and they are badass. Couple that with a kramer VP-720XL (which i just bought to) and you should be good to go graphics-wise!!!

I think tricaster will also do what you want but I dont own one, as it's difficult to make system upgrades if you go for the all-in-one type product.

[avery]

Some great advice in this thread. I'm looking into something similar for the future. As for now, I'm far from an expert, but this seems to be for a church. If that is the case, and the playback is mainly for the audience, then i would suspect any latency or blackouts aren't going to be acceptable.

Again, great advice here.