Streaming video to 5 machines.

[bg_ie]

Hi,

I'm writing a piece of music and I'd like to generate some animations
to play during the performance of this piece. My idea is to show five
different animations of 5 seperate computer screens. I'd like to be
able to do this from one machine and was wondering what hardware would
be suitable for allowing me to send video streams to 5 different
screens. What problems might I encounter?

I was thinking of using GEM to generate the animations and I'm
interested in working in real time.

What if I used 5 laptops and networked them - would that be an easier
way of doing things? Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Barry.

 

[Patrick Joseph McNamara]

Hi,

I'm writing a piece of music and I'd like to generate some animations
to play during the performance of this piece. My idea is to show five
different animations of 5 seperate computer screens. I'd like to be
able to do this from one machine and was wondering what hardware would
be suitable for allowing me to send video streams to 5 different
screens. What problems might I encounter?

I was thinking of using GEM to generate the animations and I'm
interested in working in real time.

What if I used 5 laptops and networked them - would that be an easier
way of doing things? Any other suggestions?

From the sound of it, you might want to look into multiple monitors,
although I don't know what the limit is. Try doing a search for multiple
monitors. I know someone did it for three, but I don't know if it would work
with five. Depending upon the power of the system you're using, you could
get some delays in the refresh rate.

Networking is possible and there are programs that will allow you to control
remote machines, although if you're trying to synchronize them you might
need to write your own software. The other alternative would be to have
multiple streams running at the same time to each machine, but you could
also have delays.

 

[PowerPiano17]

You will probably need multiple video cards (one for each monitor).

 

[FatHippy]

Hi,

I'm writing a piece of music and I'd like to generate some animations
to play during the performance of this piece. My idea is to show five
different animations of 5 seperate computer screens. I'd like to be
able to do this from one machine and was wondering what hardware would
be suitable for allowing me to send video streams to 5 different
screens. What problems might I encounter?

I was thinking of using GEM to generate the animations and I'm
interested in working in real time.

What if I used 5 laptops and networked them - would that be an easier
way of doing things? Any other suggestions?

I reckon you'd be best of with a video splitter.
Don't know what part of the world you are in, but see here for some
examples:

http://www.cablewholesale.com/catalog/vgasplitters.htm

 

[bg_ie]

Are splitters not used to send the same videeo stream to each monitor?
I need different streams on each monitor.

Thanks.

Barry.

 

[J. Clarke]

Hi,

I'm writing a piece of music and I'd like to generate some animations
to play during the performance of this piece. My idea is to show five
different animations of 5 seperate computer screens. I'd like to be
able to do this from one machine and was wondering what hardware would
be suitable for allowing me to send video streams to 5 different
screens. What problems might I encounter?

I was thinking of using GEM to generate the animations and I'm
interested in working in real time.

What if I used 5 laptops and networked them - would that be an easier
way of doing things? Any other suggestions?

Are you talking about standalone animations that go through a fixed sequence
or are you talking about visualizers that use signal processing on the
audio?

If it's just an animated sequence, a couple of triple-head video boards
should do fine, if you want visualizers you'd do better with multiple
machines.

 

[FatHippy]

Are splitters not used to send the same videeo stream to each monitor?
I need different streams on each monitor.

Ah, I see.

How far away from each other are the monitors going to be, and are they
just screens, or do they have a PC attached too ?

 

[bg_ie]

Are you talking about standalone animations that go through a fixed sequence
or are you talking about visualizers that use signal processing on the
audio?

To be honest, the video images do not need to repond in real-time.
Therefore I can produce them prior to the performance and have them
play synced with the audio. I would be nice perhaps to have one monitor
responding in real time but its not entirely necessary.
should do fine, if you want visualizers you'd do better with multiple
machines.

Is a triple-head video board = a video card with 3 video outputs? Could
you perhaps recommend some models that might suit my application?
just screens, or do they have a PC attached too ?

Screens on their own would be fine if my processor can handle that.
Would sending 5 video streams and a number of audio streams
simultaneously kill my processor? The screens will be on stage, a meter
or 2 apart.

BTW, I will be working on an Pentium 4 running XP.

Thanks very much for you help,

Cheers,

Barry.

 

[J. Clarke]

or are you talking about visualizers that use signal processing on the
audio?

To be honest, the video images do not need to repond in real-time.
Therefore I can produce them prior to the performance and have them
play synced with the audio. I would be nice perhaps to have one monitor
responding in real time but its not entirely necessary.

should do fine, if you want visualizers you'd do better with multiple
machines.

Is a triple-head video board = a video card with 3 video outputs? Could
you perhaps recommend some models that might suit my application?

Matrox has a number of triple- and quad- head models with various features

just screens, or do they have a PC attached too ?

Screens on their own would be fine if my processor can handle that.
Would sending 5 video streams and a number of audio streams
simultaneously kill my processor? The screens will be on stage, a meter
or 2 apart.

You don't say what resolution you're using or whether you're running
compressed. This is actually a good question--running an Athlon XP3200+
I'm getting about 30% utilization decoding a 1080i HD stream using hardware
assisted decoding with an ATI board, or 100% using software decoding.

I haven't worked with Matrox boards in years, so I'm not sure whether the
current models can provide hardware assisted decoding of multiple streams
on multiple displays--if so then a dual core might be able to handle it but
it would be tight.

You might want to google "digital signage" as in that field there is I
believe some canned software that does what you seem to be trying to do.

BTW, I will be working on an Pentium 4 running XP.

The more I think about this, the more I think that multiple machines or just
burning the animations to DVD and using multiple DVD players would be a
simpler solution.

 

[Pat]

Hi,

I'm writing a piece of music and I'd like to generate some animations
to play during the performance of this piece. My idea is to show five
different animations of 5 seperate computer screens. I'd like to be
able to do this from one machine and was wondering what hardware would
be suitable for allowing me to send video streams to 5 different
screens. What problems might I encounter?

I was thinking of using GEM to generate the animations and I'm
interested in working in real time.

What if I used 5 laptops and networked them - would that be an easier
way of doing things? Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Barry.

Hi,

if you have 5 laptops and a LAN, you can use videolan, it should match your
needs (http://www.videolan.org/) and I think it's free.

Patrick