Will this combination work? Three projectors, Qlab etc...

[akej]

I'm planning to buy things to be able to run three projectors from the theaters Macbook Pro, but with a tight budget and time plan it would be nice to know if I missed something in the plan…

Macbook Pro 2.2Ghz i7, 8 GB RAM, with Qlab 3.1, 1x Thunderbolt-port (I already have this)

Matrox Triplehead2Go Display port edition

3x Display port-HDMI adapter

3x 20meter HDMI-cable

3x Optoma GT760 (Using HDMI-input)

Will this work?
Is the computer fast enough to handle it in Qlab with three surfaces and some animations on the videos (with LXConsole running in the background)?

Is there a better alternative to do this? Something I should change in the plan?

 

[Drew Schmidt]

The size and format of your videos matter in this scenario.

Hardware wise, yes, everything will function. I would tell you to check the width of your DP-HDMI adapter. The distance between the DP ports on the TH2G are very close together. Some adapters don't fit. Also, when you get your TH2G, be sure to 1) update the firmware from the Matrox website and 2) install PowerDesk.

So the question then comes back to your videos. If you were doing stills, there would be no problem here. But if you're doing a smaller video size (720 max) you could be fine. Also be sure to select a good codec. H.264 is alright. ProRes422 or 4444 would be ideal according to the folks at Figure53. Running three individual surfaces might also give you problems (as opposed to one triple wide surface).

Also, do you have the 13" or 15" MacBook. The 15" (I believe ...) has a devoted graphics card. This will of course help your cause.

What I would say in the end is this: Get the equipment. That's the best setup for a tight budget. You're not missing much if anything. Then play. Test. Test. Test some more. There are certainly ways to cope with a slower machine.

When you get your stuff, come back here or spend some time on the QLab Google Group for assistance. And there's always [email protected]

 

[alyx92]

I literally just used this exact setup on a show. The only difference is my Matrox unit fed to 3 HDMI over Cat5 runs of 300 feet to the 3 projectors. I was a bit confused with Matrox at the beginning as it doesn't give you three displays, just one really large one that is split between your three projectors. In Qlab, you have to use a virtual surface and map it to that display, and everything will work out. If you have any questions about it feel free to PM me!

 

[akej]

Thank you!

What about the brightness of this projector, is 3400 ansilumen enough for some different theater-situations? For showing background images and videos...

 

[Drew Schmidt]

mmmmmmm ... not really. I recommend 5000 minimum. Just purchased Optoma W505s last summer.
But since it's probably what you can afford (which is a valid and huge deciding factor), remember to set yourself for success.

• You would have to have a 10k projector before lights don't massacre your image. So project on something that isn't going to get a lot of ambient light.
• How large is your surface? A larger surface with the same amount of lumens is going to be dimmer than a smaller surface.
• High contrast video / images help.
• And a trick that I'll often do is to overlay 3 projectors on one surface. If you pin all four corners so that they land in the same physical space, in theory, every pixel in between also falls in the same physical location. Triple the brightness.

 

[ruinexplorer]

The ultimate question, "is it bright enough". Well, there is a lot that goes into that. What is your surface? With a projection screen, you will know the gain and be able to determine how much light will get to your audience, but any other surface will be unknown. What is the size of your image? Can you control the amount of light on the surface (direct and indirect)? What is your contrast ratio (major component of what can be seen)? What is your content?

Certainly, 3400 will work for some situations while 5000 may be too dim for others.

Do you know what kind of designs you are hoping to use on a regular basis? Are you able to run the lighting on another computer?

fyi - Stacking is the term used to define the process of overlaying multiple copies of projected images on top of one another to add brightness.

 

[SHCP]

I just purchased the TH2G so that I can independently control the three projectors (via Qlab) in my theater, and I must say that so far it has been a great solution. This particular thread was a lot of help. Not the smoothest install, and Matrox needs MUCH better documentation and support, but I got it running in a couple of hours.
My couple insights were:
Make sure you buy the proper adaptors. I am using a Mac Mini DP, so I needed 3 Displayport to VGA adaptors.
The Powerdesk software is a MENU ITEM when launched. Took me a good while to see that it loaded a tiny icon in the menu bar.
I set mine up as two screens, then made virtual surfaces in Qlab. I split the video feed of one projector because the projection is obscured from the booth, so the only trick is that using that "second" monitor for regular use means dragging across two "virtual screens" before your mouse is visible. Just an adjustment.

My first show ran very well, I had cues with three independent animation running for each song, and all ran smooth.

Not a bad gizmo.
Tim

 

[ruinexplorer]

Love hearing the success stories!