DMX video blanker

[NevilleLighting]

I'm looking for a dmx controlled video blanker. A switcher might also do the trick. I'm working on a museum project that is a large diorama that has a model drive-in movie theatre. The movie is played by a dvd player under the model. Ideally I'd like to blank the movie screen while we are in daylight lighting sequences on the model. Eventually I'm going to end up running the video from a Macbook running QLab but for now I'm looking for other solutions. Any ideas?

Current control is an ETC Element triggered by Macbook running QLab. DMX is sent wirelessly.

 

[Calc]

City Theatrical makes a DMX controlled projector dowser. How big is the model? Size might be an issue.
Are you looking for something that can physically block the light, or just black out the feed?

 

[sk8rsdad]

Are you using an LCD screen or a projector in the diorama? In either case, Element has a number of ways to send control signals other than DMX that might be more appropriate. For instance, many projectors support PJLink or other ethernet protocols which would allow for opening and closing the projector's internal shutter, assuming it has one.

It would be w-a-a-a-y easier to switch to QLab controlling everything sooner rather than later. It could handle the video as a cue with whatever fade behaviour you might want while controlling Element via MSC or MIDI timecode.

 

[NevilleLighting]

Its a small Flat screen monitor I need to feed. I agree, I should bite the bullet and go directly to the QLab solution. Mostly I am dreading an agonizing VGA run. I'll probably see If I can get them to hire a contractor for that chore.

Are you using an LCD screen or a projector in the diorama? In either case, Element has a number of ways to send control signals other than DMX that might be more appropriate. For instance, many projectors support PJLink or other ethernet protocols which would allow for opening and closing the projector's internal shutter, assuming it has one.

It would be w-a-a-a-y easier to switch to QLab controlling everything sooner rather than later. It could handle the video as a cue with whatever fade behaviour you might want while controlling Element via MSC or MIDI timecode.

 

[sk8rsdad]

Its a small Flat screen monitor I need to feed. I agree, I should bite the bullet and go directly to the QLab solution. Mostly I am dreading an agonizing VGA run. I'll probably see If I can get them to hire a contractor for that chore.

There are lots of options for sending VGA to a remote monitor including WiFi.

It is also possible to stick a Mac Mini in the diorama and avoid the VGA run. Of course, that might necessitate some other cabling (MIDI, CAT5, serial, or some such) to get control signals back to the Element or provide remote desktop for the Mac. I think it could be done over WiFi using UDP strings to synchronize the console but it would take a little bit of Applescript to hook in with QLab. It might be better to remote the VGA though.

 

[telmnstr]

I would go software. If you remove the VGA signal from the monitor there is a good chance it will start to show a "No Signal" Warning.

If you used something like an extron MXP switcher, it has an easy RS232 protocol. It would be possible to build a conversion on a microcontroller to go DMX-512 to Extron RS232 protocol. Some Extron units support ethernet, or you could use a RS232 to ethernet bridge like the Lantronix MSS? series. I'm still not sure the switcher would eliminate the "no signal" type error.

If you had a playlist trigger on computer via DMX and just had a blank movie loop, that would be one way to do it in software.

Or maybe you could go DMX-512 to the remote buttons 1 and 2, and somehow author a DVD that has button 2 jump to a chapter with a blank video loop

Timecode the whole show to the video?

 

[llburg]

You could use one of these and switch between your source and a black generator: http://www.bpesolutions.com/dmxproduct.html#anchor53107