T.V. Wall

[museav]

Originally Posted by SHARYNF

I did some work for defense command and control centers. If you troll on Ebay, on occasion you will see products from RGB Spectrum, the superview product line. I use them with a projector it give me the ability to use one projector and depending on the model six inputs that can be scaled and placed anywhere on the image space, and again depending on the model have a conputer generated image in the real. The unit I have is a Superview 3000. Initially they were incredibly expensive, now because the older ones only support up 1600x1200 image size and Not 1920x1080 they are starting to sell in the under 1000 dollar range.

The current version is the SuperView 4000 and I have always had good results, and good support, with any of the RGB Spectrum products. Just remember that if you have a 1024x768 projector image split into four different images then each one of those images is 512x384 resolution, which may be fine for this type of application but can be a problem for some applications.

[kwotipka]

"IF" you can go the projection route "AND" it fits your style, might I suggest just doing something in post with FCP or Aftereffects and creating a grid. That way you are back to one signal that has multiple images and can be made to look like multiple monitors.

I saw a gig a while back that rear projected onto squares of white (frosted) lexan panels that were in a grid. They tweaked the content to make it appear that the squares were each a separate monitor. Looked really good.

kw

[SHARYNF]

There is a subtle problem with trying to use FCP or a video based system to create the quad type image, and that is that you are then creating the "effect" in video space or with video resolution. The solutions like the hardware ones we are talking about take the video inputs and operate on them in a higher resolution space (the old superview 3000 for instance can use s space of 1600x1200 the newer 4000 goes even higher). SO if you were to try to use FCP the amount of resolution you would be loosing in each of the inputs would be quite substantial, similar to the quad processors that are used in security applications. Again might work but resolution of each input would be for instance only 1/4 of standard video
Sharyn

[kwotipka]

Originally Posted by SHARYNF

There is a subtle problem with trying to use FCP or a video based system to create the quad type image, and that is that you are then creating the "effect" in video space or with video resolution. The solutions like the hardware ones we are talking about take the video inputs and operate on them in a higher resolution space (the old superview 3000 for instance can use s space of 1600x1200 the newer 4000 goes even higher). SO if you were to try to use FCP the amount of resolution you would be loosing in each of the inputs would be quite substantial, similar to the quad processors that are used in security applications. Again might work but resolution of each input would be for instance only 1/4 of standard video
Sharyn

It didn't sound like resolution was a big issue in this instance. Most of the old "TV"'s only had about 300 lines of resolution anyway. So depending on your grid (how many by how many) depends on the amount of "active resolution" in each area. Given that with 1024x768 you could at least do a 4x4 grid at "normal tv resolution". Add in some cheezy video scan rate effects for flavor and it's an art piece. FCP can operate in a custom aspect mode and does not have to be 16:9 or 4:3. I have worked on a project at 3500x1450. It just becomes a factor of what your computer can handle. In a perfect world, you could split the media and blend two 1920x1080 projectors so you get an active resolution of around 1920x2000.

Anything is possible with enough time and money. Just look at Vegas...

kw

[ruinexplorer]

Originally Posted by kwotipka

Anything is possible with enough time and money. Just look at Vegas...

kw

Yeah, but you have to pay for it somewhere or else you close. Look at Spamalot. :^(

But it is nice to have big budgets.

[SHARYNF]

Originally Posted by kwotipka

It didn't sound like resolution was a big issue in this instance. Most of the old "TV"'s only had about 300 lines of resolution anyway. So depending on your grid (how many by how many) depends on the amount of "active resolution" in each area. Given that with 1024x768 you could at least do a 4x4 grid at "normal tv resolution". Add in some cheezy video scan rate effects for flavor and it's an art piece. FCP can operate in a custom aspect mode and does not have to be 16:9 or 4:3. I have worked on a project at 3500x1450. It just becomes a factor of what your computer can handle. In a perfect world, you could split the media and blend two 1920x1080 projectors so you get an active resolution of around 1920x2000.

Anything is possible with enough time and money. Just look at Vegas...

kw

The problem with your analysis is that in a video editing application it does not have the ability to combine the stream and work in a higher resolution, all the multi screen will be done in TV resolution, the fact that you can project it on a screen at higher resolution does not really help. The high end multi image processors bring in the video, then convert it to progressive and then work in a resolution that for instance on the Superview 3000 is 1600x1200, and then allows you to output. IF you use your video editor for a video feed it will only work in video resolution, dividing up this for instance in to a quad so there is a dramatic drop in resolution. It was for exactly this reason that the Military command and control systems that wanted to use multiple video streams we willing to pay 30 grand or so for these type of systems , the difference in the final display is extremely noticable. Once you have thrown away a lot of the resolution inorder to manipulate the images, the fact that in the final display you have a higher resolution is not a major help

Sharyn

[AberNStein]

I suggest using a projector (or multiple?) and building rp screens that look like tvs.
I say this because I built a tv wall last year, and as awesome as it was, it was equally a huge pain. We went for a really macgyvered solution (video cameras pointed at a tv), which was the only way to do in with our budget.

Things I found while researching last year:
There are boxes that will split a signal up onto three screens (like what they do at best buy) and they can be daisy chained, but each will cost you ~$3000. If you don't need the lo-fi look, there are plasma screens that are made to function as a tv wall -- they just zoom and crop the signal.

Here's the thing: the above alternatives are HEAVY. TVs or computer monitors or whatever are heavy and cumbersome. Assembling and positioning the tvs was the hardest part. Build some fake tvs out of plywood and rear-projection fabric and save yourself a lot of hassle and money.
That's my 2c.