[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[mpara...@gallery.ca]

Hi Jason,

We too at the National Gallery have ventured into HD program delivery and have 
adopted the following solution.  We use MVix media players (MX780HD) with 
built-in hard drives.  We have 1 terabyte drives which gives us nearly infinite 
quantities of HD video playback, localized to the plasma screen.  The units are 
small enough to be mounted behind a plasma screen.  They deliver full 1080p 
playback when using HDMI interfaces.  They can also deliver audio content as 
well as web radio.  They can be streamed wirelessly (although it's not the best 
solution) or can be mounted on a network for uploading and refreshing content.  
We've been running for 6 months with little issue and of course the image is 
outstanding.  If your plasmas only take component then you'll be limited to 
720p HD rather than full 1080p.  The units can have an assigned playlist with 
repeat function for continuous play.  http://www.mvixusa.com/#products_main/ht/0

There are many players in this field with similar solutions, but it's certainly 
worth a look.

Thanks, and good hunting.

Mark Paradis

Chief, Multimedia Services-Chef de services multim?dia

National Gallery of Canada, Mus?e des beaux-arts du Canada

380 Sussex Drive,Ottawa, Ontario K1N 9N4

ph. 613-990-1788, fx. 613-991-2680

cell 613-797-0558

-Original Message-
From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of 
Jason Bondy
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 3:59 PM
To: mcn-l at mcn.edu
Subject: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

Hello all,



We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all of our
interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in exhibits.  We are
using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside producers.
However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best solution
for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video files from
Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently we are
trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very "jumpy" on
video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded the RAM and video cards
in the computers, but with very little improvement.  Also, we using Cat5
DVI/HDMI extenders as there is quite a bit of distance from the computer to
the monitor.



Who else out there is using HD video in your exhibits?  How are you doing
it?  We would welcome any suggestions or input you may have.



Thank you so much,



Jason





___

Jason Bondy

Exhibit AV/IT Systems

Oklahoma History Center

2401 N. Laird Ave.

Oklahoma City, OK  73105

405-522-0783 - Office

405-522-5402 - Fax

www.okhistory.org





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[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Matthew P. Stevens]

Adventure Science Center uses Core2 Mac Mini's w/ 2GB of RAM running
quick time and keynote in its new Space Chase Exhibit wing for HD
digital signage.  Mac mini's were chosen for the following reasons:

1.) Price - even with a 3 year apple care warranty, < $900.
2.) Video - 1080p output through DVI port.
3.) Size - Fits comfortably behind LCD or in reader rail.
4.) Scripting - For the quicktime applications, I wrote a simple script
placed in the startup items for each unit that launches a full-screen HD
quick time presentation which work in conjunction with automated system
startup/shutdown.  For the keynote applications, I simply placed the
keynote file into the startup items.
5.) Remote management - Built in Wifi with screen sharing.  No need to
run network cables.  Simply connect to building wifi.

Recommendations: Disable everything in system preferences that you don't
need.  Install the latest quicktime, system, and wifi updates.  Also,
don't count on keynote for more than a few minutes of HD video.  Stick
to quicktime natively for larger presentations/videos.

I'd be happy to share the script I mention or provide a picture or two.
So far we have run the machines for almost six months with no problems.

I've also had good luck with Dell Precision workstations with large
processor cache (4 MB or better), plenty of memory, RAID-1 7200 RPM hard
drives, and professional NVIDIA video cards.  Stick to Windows XP!

Regards,
Matt

-
Matthew Stevens
Adventure Science Center
800 Fort Negley Blvd
Nashville TN  37203
Direct: 615-401-5064
Fax: 615-862-5178
http://www.adventuresci.com

-Original Message-
From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of
Jason Bondy
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 2:59 PM
To: mcn-l at mcn.edu
Subject: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

Hello all,

 

We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all of
our
interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in exhibits.  We
are
using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside
producers.
However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best
solution
for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video files
from
Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently we are
trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very "jumpy"
on
video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded the RAM and video
cards
in the computers, but with very little improvement.  Also, we using Cat5
DVI/HDMI extenders as there is quite a bit of distance from the computer
to
the monitor.

 

Who else out there is using HD video in your exhibits?  How are you
doing
it?  We would welcome any suggestions or input you may have.

 

Thank you so much,

 

Jason

 

 

___

Jason Bondy

Exhibit AV/IT Systems

Oklahoma History Center

2401 N. Laird Ave.

Oklahoma City, OK  73105

405-522-0783 - Office

405-522-5402 - Fax

www.okhistory.org

 

 

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[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Mark McCauley]

All,

 

First time responding to this listserv.

 

At the MIM we are looking at implementing a typical 'digital signage'
approach where we have the playback devices co-located with the
monitors.  The devices that we are looking at implementing are from
CELabs (http://www.celabs.net) and we are testing both the HD300zx as
well as the MP400A.  Both are networkable and able to be administrated
and updated with content through the network.  Take a look at the specs
as they are very flexible and price friendly products.

 

We are also using a custom mounting solution from Chief Manufacturing
that works well as a containment unit for the player, cables and even a
powerstrip.  It also is the mount for the video monitor itself (there
are models for both large and small monitors).  I would be happy to
outline more of the solution including our format selection for the
videos itself.

 

Thanks.

 

Mark McCauley  |  Director of Technology  |  MIM-Musical Instrument
Museum 

8550 S. Priest Drive  |  Tempe, AZ 85284  | 480.481.2460 main  |
480.425.3215 direct | 480.481.2459 fax  |   www.themim.org
 

 

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Daniel Bartolini]

Jason,

I use VLC video player for all programmed playback on computers. You can 
set looping and full screen on start, it plays any format that Quicktime 
or WMP play (and some that they do not), and it has a lot of network 
functionality, including setting up streams and adjusting playlists.

It's also completely cross platform... including most flavors of Linux, 
which has been great because I've been able to take some aging PCs and 
re- purpose them as dumb looping players with really sparse OS installs 
after they've lost their charm as interactive boxes.

Oh yeah, and it's free... like beer.

www.videloan.org

A lot will still depend on the bit rate and format used for the encode, 
and there will be time that no matter what your compression is, the 
machine might choke if it's not fast enough. A lot of PC manufacturers 
are starting to include discrete chips that handle this kind of 
codec-ing because it can be so intense.

As others have mentioned, there are good, relatively cheap solid state 
players out there, too. I'd like to lob my vote for Akman (~$400). I 
recently started using their HD version for a personal project, and it's 
been rock solid.

Be good.

Daniel




Jason Bondy wrote:
> Daniel,
>
> Thanks for your response.  We have an 80GB hard drive in the computer.  Many
> of the video clips are 5-10 minutes long, except one that is 32 minutes.  We
> are planning more long documentary type films, so we need to be ready for
> the larger files.
>
> We currently own a few of the Firefly digital video players for
> standard-definition video, but their HD players are out of our budget at
> this time, as are the Adtec devices.  Also, we already have the computers
> installed, so we were going to try to use those if we can.  As far as
> Blu-ray, we are concerned about wear and tear on it if the film is repeating
> continuously for nine hours per day.  A hard drive is much cheaper to
> replace when it wears out.
>
> We are still learning about various HD formats and playback options.  We
> were using H.264 originally because we have a Flash program that plays the
> files using QuickTime.  We need a playback format and application that goes
> straight to full screen as soon as the computer boots up. Do you know of any
> good reference material that explains some of the formats more in depth?  
>
> Thank you.  I really appreciate your time and assistance!
>
> Jason
>
> ___
> Jason Bondy
> Exhibit AV/IT Systems
> Oklahoma History Center
> 2401 N. Laird Ave.
> Oklahoma City, OK  73105
> 405-522-0783 - Office
> 405-522-5402 - Fax
> www.okhistory.org
>  
>
> -Original Message-
> From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu] On Behalf Of
> Daniel M. Bartolini
> Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:02 PM
> To: Museum Computer Network Listserv
> Subject: Re: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?
>
> Hi Jason-
>
> How much hard drive space do you have available on these machines and 
> how long are your videos? I ask because HD playback on computers is 
> significantly improved when you use codecs that create discrete frames 
> versus heavily compressed MPEG formats like H.264. For example running 
> your video out to something like DVCPro HD or the Animation preset 
> creates all independent frames of the movie. Your hard drive overhead is 
> enormous (possibly 2 Gb for every 3 minutes, depending on bit rate) but 
> the computer has to think far less about the process as there are no 
> i-frames going on.
>
> Alternatively, if you need really small file sizes, mess with the H.264 
> bit rate. Start high at 1500kb/s and move down to around 900 or less 
> until you find something that allows you to maintain your full frame 
> rate. The lower you go of course the more you will see those motion 
> artifacts, but perhaps not jumpiness.
>
> The dirty sort-of-secret of that format is it's really processor 
> intensive and upgrading video cards won't matter a lot unless you 
> specifically buy something like the latest NVidia cards that have built 
> in hardware rendering support of H.264 and other MPEG codecs, or if 
> you're willing to use a program like Max/Jitter (or comparable VJ 
> system), or environment like openFrameworks to display your video in 
> OpenGL so all work is done on the video card.
>
> Finally, have you considered standalone HD players, like those from 
> Adtec, or going to Blu-Ray (I know, more money, may not work)?
>
> Oi. That was long. Sorry. Hope that helps.
>
> Have a good weekend.
>
> Daniel
>
>
>
>
> Jason Bondy wrote:
>   
>> Hello all,
>>
>>  
>>
>> We have recently begun moving to

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Michael Borthwick]

Hi Dana et. al.

I used the DV-66 in a small installation at the Monash University  
Computer History Museum. It continuously plays a short video "attract  
loop" with playback of the main programme triggered by a touch sensor  
I designed to sit in a graphic panel adhered to the inside of the  
display case. This saves drilling through the glass for a switch or  
using some sort of sensor to detect visitors.

The model I used only played MPEG-1 but I note that the DV-66B also  
plays MPEG-2 - is that the model you have Dana ? I would be interested  
in your experiences with the DV-66 as I had some issues with the  
system as a whole although I could not isolate them to the player.  
MPEG-1 compression at that time was more of black art than it is today  
with more mature software such as Final Cut Pro.

I have also used the much more expensive but very robust players from  
Alcorn McBride. 7 players have been running for 7 years at the Royal  
Australian Air Force Museum at RAAF Base WIlliams in Victoria without  
incident.

A DVD player is arguably the most cost effective option for many  
smaller installations without a high turnover of content, but like a  
number of people on this list I have steered clients towards hard  
drive or "solid state" playback devices on the grounds of reliability,  
ease of interfacing with external buttons and controllers and the  
ability to begin playback from a cold start (ie at power up).

However with domestic DVD player reliability improving and costs  
falling to around $30 they are an increasingly compelling option. To  
solve the startup problem I recently designed an exhibition controller  
for the Nick Cave exhibition developed by the Victorian Arts Centre.  
This small module can learn the power on and play commands from the  
DVD player remote control and emit them when the gallery or temporary  
exhibition main power is turned on.

The discussion of computer video playback in this thread has been very  
interesting - please keep sharing your approaches.

I developed a workshop on Digital Video in Museums for MCN 2003 - if  
anyone on the list would like a PDF copy of the slides please email me  
off list.

Michael Borthwick
Director
Michael Borthwick Consulting Pty. Ltd
www.michaelborthwick.com.au





On 09/11/2008, at 1:08 AM, Dana Hutchins wrote:

> Have you looked into the MedeaWiz DV76 HD Player? Sounds like it  
> does what
> you need and it's $385.
>
> http://www.medeawiz.com/products/Dv76.htm
>
> Sold through Team Kingsley in St. Louis.
>
> http://www.teamkingsley.com/MedeaWiz.htm
>
> Please let me know if this does what you're looking for or if anyone  
> else
> has experience with this product. I'm about to use their DV68 for  
> the first
> time for a project now. I'm curious about the HD player.
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
> Dana Hutchins
> XhibitNet
> 541 Congress St.
> Portland, ME 04101
> 207.773.1101 ext.102
> dana at xhibit.net
> www.xhibit.net
>
>
>
> On 11/7/08 5:51 PM, "Jason Bondy"  wrote:
>
>> Daniel,
>>
>> Thanks for your response.  We have an 80GB hard drive in the  
>> computer.  Many
>> of the video clips are 5-10 minutes long, except one that is 32  
>> minutes.  We
>> are planning more long documentary type films, so we need to be  
>> ready for
>> the larger files.
>>
>> We currently own a few of the Firefly digital video players for
>> standard-definition video, but their HD players are out of our  
>> budget at
>> this time, as are the Adtec devices.  Also, we already have the  
>> computers
>> installed, so we were going to try to use those if we can.  As far as
>> Blu-ray, we are concerned about wear and tear on it if the film is  
>> repeating
>> continuously for nine hours per day.  A hard drive is much cheaper to
>> replace when it wears out.
>>
>> We are still learning about various HD formats and playback  
>> options.  We
>> were using H.264 originally because we have a Flash program that  
>> plays the
>> files using QuickTime.  We need a playback format and application  
>> that goes
>> straight to full screen as soon as the computer boots up. Do you  
>> know of any
>> good reference material that explains some of the formats more in  
>> depth?
>>
>> Thank you.  I really appreciate your time and assistance!
>>
>> Jason
>>
>> ___
>> Jason Bondy
>> Exhibit AV/IT Systems
>> Oklahoma History Center
>> 2401 N. Laird Ave.
>> Oklahoma City, OK  73105
>> 405-522-0783 - Office
>> 405-522-5402 - Fax
>> www.okhistory.org
>>
>>
>> -Original Message-
&g

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Dana Hutchins]

and tear on it if the film is
>>> repeating
>>> continuously for nine hours per day.  A hard drive is much cheaper to
>>> replace when it wears out.
>>> 
>>> We are still learning about various HD formats and playback
>>> options.  We
>>> were using H.264 originally because we have a Flash program that
>>> plays the
>>> files using QuickTime.  We need a playback format and application
>>> that goes
>>> straight to full screen as soon as the computer boots up. Do you
>>> know of any
>>> good reference material that explains some of the formats more in
>>> depth?
>>> 
>>> Thank you.  I really appreciate your time and assistance!
>>> 
>>> Jason
>>> 
>>> ___
>>> Jason Bondy
>>> Exhibit AV/IT Systems
>>> Oklahoma History Center
>>> 2401 N. Laird Ave.
>>> Oklahoma City, OK  73105
>>> 405-522-0783 - Office
>>> 405-522-5402 - Fax
>>> www.okhistory.org
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -Original Message-
>>> From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu] On
>>> Behalf Of
>>> Daniel M. Bartolini
>>> Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:02 PM
>>> To: Museum Computer Network Listserv
>>> Subject: Re: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?
>>> 
>>> Hi Jason-
>>> 
>>> How much hard drive space do you have available on these machines and
>>> how long are your videos? I ask because HD playback on computers is
>>> significantly improved when you use codecs that create discrete
>>> frames
>>> versus heavily compressed MPEG formats like H.264. For example
>>> running
>>> your video out to something like DVCPro HD or the Animation preset
>>> creates all independent frames of the movie. Your hard drive
>>> overhead is
>>> enormous (possibly 2 Gb for every 3 minutes, depending on bit rate)
>>> but
>>> the computer has to think far less about the process as there are no
>>> i-frames going on.
>>> 
>>> Alternatively, if you need really small file sizes, mess with the H.
>>> 264
>>> bit rate. Start high at 1500kb/s and move down to around 900 or less
>>> until you find something that allows you to maintain your full frame
>>> rate. The lower you go of course the more you will see those motion
>>> artifacts, but perhaps not jumpiness.
>>> 
>>> The dirty sort-of-secret of that format is it's really processor
>>> intensive and upgrading video cards won't matter a lot unless you
>>> specifically buy something like the latest NVidia cards that have
>>> built
>>> in hardware rendering support of H.264 and other MPEG codecs, or if
>>> you're willing to use a program like Max/Jitter (or comparable VJ
>>> system), or environment like openFrameworks to display your video in
>>> OpenGL so all work is done on the video card.
>>> 
>>> Finally, have you considered standalone HD players, like those from
>>> Adtec, or going to Blu-Ray (I know, more money, may not work)?
>>> 
>>> Oi. That was long. Sorry. Hope that helps.
>>> 
>>> Have a good weekend.
>>> 
>>> Daniel
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Jason Bondy wrote:
>>>> Hello all,
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all
>>>> of our
>>>> interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in
>>>> exhibits.  We
>>> are
>>>> using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside
>>> producers.
>>>> However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best
>>>> solution
>>>> for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video
>>>> files from
>>>> Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently
>>>> we are
>>>> trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very
>>>> "jumpy" on
>>>> video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded the RAM and
>>>> video
>>> cards
>>>> in the computers, but with very little improvement.  Also, we
>>>> using Cat5
>>>> DVI/HDMI extenders as there is quite a bit of distance from the
>>>> computer
>>> to
>>>> the monitor.
>>>> 
&

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Jason Bondy]

Dana,

I hadn't seen that one before.  We had originally ruled out dedicated
players as the ones that we had found were more than we wanted to spend on
it.  This one may be worth looking into though.

Thanks,

Jason

___
Jason Bondy
Exhibit AV/IT Systems
Oklahoma History Center
2401 N. Laird Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK  73105
405-522-0783 - Office
405-522-5402 - Fax
www.okhistory.org
 

-Original Message-
From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of Dana
Hutchins
Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2008 8:09 AM
To: Museum Computer Network Listserv
Subject: Re: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

Have you looked into the MedeaWiz DV76 HD Player? Sounds like it does what
you need and it's $385.

http://www.medeawiz.com/products/Dv76.htm

Sold through Team Kingsley in St. Louis.

http://www.teamkingsley.com/MedeaWiz.htm

Please let me know if this does what you're looking for or if anyone else
has experience with this product. I'm about to use their DV68 for the first
time for a project now. I'm curious about the HD player.

Thanks



Dana Hutchins
XhibitNet
541 Congress St.
Portland, ME 04101
207.773.1101 ext.102
dana at xhibit.net
www.xhibit.net



On 11/7/08 5:51 PM, "Jason Bondy"  wrote:

> Daniel,
> 
> Thanks for your response.  We have an 80GB hard drive in the computer.
Many
> of the video clips are 5-10 minutes long, except one that is 32 minutes.
We
> are planning more long documentary type films, so we need to be ready for
> the larger files.
> 
> We currently own a few of the Firefly digital video players for
> standard-definition video, but their HD players are out of our budget at
> this time, as are the Adtec devices.  Also, we already have the computers
> installed, so we were going to try to use those if we can.  As far as
> Blu-ray, we are concerned about wear and tear on it if the film is
repeating
> continuously for nine hours per day.  A hard drive is much cheaper to
> replace when it wears out.
> 
> We are still learning about various HD formats and playback options.  We
> were using H.264 originally because we have a Flash program that plays the
> files using QuickTime.  We need a playback format and application that
goes
> straight to full screen as soon as the computer boots up. Do you know of
any
> good reference material that explains some of the formats more in depth?
> 
> Thank you.  I really appreciate your time and assistance!
> 
> Jason
> 
> ___
> Jason Bondy
> Exhibit AV/IT Systems
> Oklahoma History Center
> 2401 N. Laird Ave.
> Oklahoma City, OK  73105
> 405-522-0783 - Office
> 405-522-5402 - Fax
> www.okhistory.org
>  
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu] On Behalf Of
> Daniel M. Bartolini
> Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:02 PM
> To: Museum Computer Network Listserv
> Subject: Re: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?
> 
> Hi Jason-
> 
> How much hard drive space do you have available on these machines and
> how long are your videos? I ask because HD playback on computers is
> significantly improved when you use codecs that create discrete frames
> versus heavily compressed MPEG formats like H.264. For example running
> your video out to something like DVCPro HD or the Animation preset
> creates all independent frames of the movie. Your hard drive overhead is
> enormous (possibly 2 Gb for every 3 minutes, depending on bit rate) but
> the computer has to think far less about the process as there are no
> i-frames going on.
> 
> Alternatively, if you need really small file sizes, mess with the H.264
> bit rate. Start high at 1500kb/s and move down to around 900 or less
> until you find something that allows you to maintain your full frame
> rate. The lower you go of course the more you will see those motion
> artifacts, but perhaps not jumpiness.
> 
> The dirty sort-of-secret of that format is it's really processor
> intensive and upgrading video cards won't matter a lot unless you
> specifically buy something like the latest NVidia cards that have built
> in hardware rendering support of H.264 and other MPEG codecs, or if
> you're willing to use a program like Max/Jitter (or comparable VJ
> system), or environment like openFrameworks to display your video in
> OpenGL so all work is done on the video card.
> 
> Finally, have you considered standalone HD players, like those from
> Adtec, or going to Blu-Ray (I know, more money, may not work)?
> 
> Oi. That was long. Sorry. Hope that helps.
> 
> Have a good weekend.
> 
> Daniel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jason Bondy wrote:
>> Hello all,
>> 
>>

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Dana Hutchins]

Have you looked into the MedeaWiz DV76 HD Player? Sounds like it does what
you need and it's $385.

http://www.medeawiz.com/products/Dv76.htm

Sold through Team Kingsley in St. Louis.

http://www.teamkingsley.com/MedeaWiz.htm

Please let me know if this does what you're looking for or if anyone else
has experience with this product. I'm about to use their DV68 for the first
time for a project now. I'm curious about the HD player.

Thanks



Dana Hutchins
XhibitNet
541 Congress St.
Portland, ME 04101
207.773.1101 ext.102
dana at xhibit.net
www.xhibit.net



On 11/7/08 5:51 PM, "Jason Bondy"  wrote:

> Daniel,
> 
> Thanks for your response.  We have an 80GB hard drive in the computer.  Many
> of the video clips are 5-10 minutes long, except one that is 32 minutes.  We
> are planning more long documentary type films, so we need to be ready for
> the larger files.
> 
> We currently own a few of the Firefly digital video players for
> standard-definition video, but their HD players are out of our budget at
> this time, as are the Adtec devices.  Also, we already have the computers
> installed, so we were going to try to use those if we can.  As far as
> Blu-ray, we are concerned about wear and tear on it if the film is repeating
> continuously for nine hours per day.  A hard drive is much cheaper to
> replace when it wears out.
> 
> We are still learning about various HD formats and playback options.  We
> were using H.264 originally because we have a Flash program that plays the
> files using QuickTime.  We need a playback format and application that goes
> straight to full screen as soon as the computer boots up. Do you know of any
> good reference material that explains some of the formats more in depth?
> 
> Thank you.  I really appreciate your time and assistance!
> 
> Jason
> 
> ___
> Jason Bondy
> Exhibit AV/IT Systems
> Oklahoma History Center
> 2401 N. Laird Ave.
> Oklahoma City, OK  73105
> 405-522-0783 - Office
> 405-522-5402 - Fax
> www.okhistory.org
>  
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu] On Behalf Of
> Daniel M. Bartolini
> Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:02 PM
> To: Museum Computer Network Listserv
> Subject: Re: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?
> 
> Hi Jason-
> 
> How much hard drive space do you have available on these machines and
> how long are your videos? I ask because HD playback on computers is
> significantly improved when you use codecs that create discrete frames
> versus heavily compressed MPEG formats like H.264. For example running
> your video out to something like DVCPro HD or the Animation preset
> creates all independent frames of the movie. Your hard drive overhead is
> enormous (possibly 2 Gb for every 3 minutes, depending on bit rate) but
> the computer has to think far less about the process as there are no
> i-frames going on.
> 
> Alternatively, if you need really small file sizes, mess with the H.264
> bit rate. Start high at 1500kb/s and move down to around 900 or less
> until you find something that allows you to maintain your full frame
> rate. The lower you go of course the more you will see those motion
> artifacts, but perhaps not jumpiness.
> 
> The dirty sort-of-secret of that format is it's really processor
> intensive and upgrading video cards won't matter a lot unless you
> specifically buy something like the latest NVidia cards that have built
> in hardware rendering support of H.264 and other MPEG codecs, or if
> you're willing to use a program like Max/Jitter (or comparable VJ
> system), or environment like openFrameworks to display your video in
> OpenGL so all work is done on the video card.
> 
> Finally, have you considered standalone HD players, like those from
> Adtec, or going to Blu-Ray (I know, more money, may not work)?
> 
> Oi. That was long. Sorry. Hope that helps.
> 
> Have a good weekend.
> 
> Daniel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jason Bondy wrote:
>> Hello all,
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all of our
>> interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in exhibits.  We
> are
>> using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside
> producers.
>> However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best solution
>> for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video files from
>> Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently we are
>> trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very "jumpy" on
>> video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded th

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Bill Gardner]

Hi,

Use Macs! or put in a video server/switch,

We bought some Sony HD replay systems based on Express Card  
technology and they were superb, See main Sony.biz site
under EX systems, look for EX30

Bill Gardner

PS discs too slow RPM may be the reason yours is jumpy, are they 7200  
or 5400


On 7 Nov 2008, at 20:59, Jason Bondy wrote:

> Hello all,
>
>
>
> We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all  
> of our
> interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in  
> exhibits.  We are
> using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside  
> producers.
> However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best  
> solution
> for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video  
> files from
> Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently we  
> are
> trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very  
> "jumpy" on
> video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded the RAM and  
> video cards
> in the computers, but with very little improvement.  Also, we using  
> Cat5
> DVI/HDMI extenders as there is quite a bit of distance from the  
> computer to
> the monitor.
>
>
>
> Who else out there is using HD video in your exhibits?  How are you  
> doing
> it?  We would welcome any suggestions or input you may have.
>
>
>
> Thank you so much,
>
>
>
> Jason
>
>
>
>
>
> ___
>
> Jason Bondy
>
> Exhibit AV/IT Systems
>
> Oklahoma History Center
>
> 2401 N. Laird Ave.
>
> Oklahoma City, OK  73105
>
> 405-522-0783 - Office
>
> 405-522-5402 - Fax
>
> www.okhistory.org
>
>
>
>
>
> ___
> You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum  
> Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu)
>
> To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu
>
> To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit:
> http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Thomas Deliduka]

Incidentally, for our OSU & CMA exhibition we're using the mac Minis to
load up the DVD video and then touch screens to allow people to touch
the menu items they want to see.

One caveat we found was the only screens that were 19" or less were 4:3
aspect ratio. The 16:9 touch screens were 23" and larger and our
designer felt they were overkill. (and expensive)  So, we deal with the
box on the top and bottom.

Thomas Deliduka
Director of Information Technology
Columbus Museum of Art
480 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
ph 614/629-0345 fax 614/629-0950
thomas.deliduka at cmaohio.org
 
ART SPEAKS. JOIN THE CONVERSATION

-Original Message-
From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of
Jason Bondy
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 3:59 PM
To: mcn-l at mcn.edu
Subject: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

Hello all,

 

We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all of
our
interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in exhibits.  We
are
using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside
producers.
However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best
solution
for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video files
from
Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently we are
trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very "jumpy"
on
video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded the RAM and video
cards
in the computers, but with very little improvement.  Also, we using Cat5
DVI/HDMI extenders as there is quite a bit of distance from the computer
to
the monitor.

 

Who else out there is using HD video in your exhibits?  How are you
doing
it?  We would welcome any suggestions or input you may have.

 

Thank you so much,

 

Jason

 

 

___

Jason Bondy

Exhibit AV/IT Systems

Oklahoma History Center

2401 N. Laird Ave.

Oklahoma City, OK  73105

405-522-0783 - Office

405-522-5402 - Fax

www.okhistory.org

 

 

___
You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum
Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu)

To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu

To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit:
http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Thomas Deliduka]

The Columbus Museum of Art has had a lot of experience with this lately.

One thing we found early on was we had a very high-powered PC running
Windows Vista and it would not play the quicktime file properly. This
was because we found out that Vista puts DRM between Quicktime and the
hard disk that would cause disk access to the data and it would cause it
to studder and crash.

Then we tried Apple TV, however the last iteration of Apple TV (before
version 2.0) it didn't have looping video so it would play once and be
done. I believe the new Apple TV will loop video so that can be an
option.

We finally ended up with Mac Mini's. We bought 5 of them for an
exhibition we're doing now. Our video designer created Full HD video and
exported the VIDEO_TS folder (or whatever that is, I can get more
details if you need them) to the hard drive. Then we copied that folder
to the Mac Mini and used Apple's Automater scripting tool to create a
automater action that loaded at startup that would load up the DVD
player and play the video.

The machine automatically shuts down at night and loads up in the
morning and people don't have to think about it.

Thomas Deliduka
Director of Information Technology
Columbus Museum of Art
480 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
ph 614/629-0345 fax 614/629-0950
thomas.deliduka at cmaohio.org
 
ART SPEAKS. JOIN THE CONVERSATION
-Original Message-
From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of
Bill Gardner
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:40 PM
To: Museum Computer Network Listserv
Subject: Re: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

Hi,

Use Macs! or put in a video server/switch,

We bought some Sony HD replay systems based on Express Card  
technology and they were superb, See main Sony.biz site
under EX systems, look for EX30

Bill Gardner

PS discs too slow RPM may be the reason yours is jumpy, are they 7200  
or 5400


On 7 Nov 2008, at 20:59, Jason Bondy wrote:

> Hello all,
>
>
>
> We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all  
> of our
> interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in  
> exhibits.  We are
> using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside  
> producers.
> However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best  
> solution
> for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video  
> files from
> Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently we  
> are
> trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very  
> "jumpy" on
> video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded the RAM and  
> video cards
> in the computers, but with very little improvement.  Also, we using  
> Cat5
> DVI/HDMI extenders as there is quite a bit of distance from the  
> computer to
> the monitor.
>
>
>
> Who else out there is using HD video in your exhibits?  How are you  
> doing
> it?  We would welcome any suggestions or input you may have.
>
>
>
> Thank you so much,
>
>
>
> Jason
>
>
>
>
>
> ___
>
> Jason Bondy
>
> Exhibit AV/IT Systems
>
> Oklahoma History Center
>
> 2401 N. Laird Ave.
>
> Oklahoma City, OK  73105
>
> 405-522-0783 - Office
>
> 405-522-5402 - Fax
>
> www.okhistory.org
>
>
>
>
>
> ___
> You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum  
> Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu)
>
> To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu
>
> To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit:
> http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l

___
You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum
Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu)

To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu

To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit:
http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Daniel M. Bartolini]

Hi Jason-

How much hard drive space do you have available on these machines and 
how long are your videos? I ask because HD playback on computers is 
significantly improved when you use codecs that create discrete frames 
versus heavily compressed MPEG formats like H.264. For example running 
your video out to something like DVCPro HD or the Animation preset 
creates all independent frames of the movie. Your hard drive overhead is 
enormous (possibly 2 Gb for every 3 minutes, depending on bit rate) but 
the computer has to think far less about the process as there are no 
i-frames going on.

Alternatively, if you need really small file sizes, mess with the H.264 
bit rate. Start high at 1500kb/s and move down to around 900 or less 
until you find something that allows you to maintain your full frame 
rate. The lower you go of course the more you will see those motion 
artifacts, but perhaps not jumpiness.

The dirty sort-of-secret of that format is it's really processor 
intensive and upgrading video cards won't matter a lot unless you 
specifically buy something like the latest NVidia cards that have built 
in hardware rendering support of H.264 and other MPEG codecs, or if 
you're willing to use a program like Max/Jitter (or comparable VJ 
system), or environment like openFrameworks to display your video in 
OpenGL so all work is done on the video card.

Finally, have you considered standalone HD players, like those from 
Adtec, or going to Blu-Ray (I know, more money, may not work)?

Oi. That was long. Sorry. Hope that helps.

Have a good weekend.

Daniel




Jason Bondy wrote:
> Hello all,
>
>  
>
> We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all of our
> interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in exhibits.  We are
> using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside producers.
> However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best solution
> for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video files from
> Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently we are
> trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very "jumpy" on
> video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded the RAM and video cards
> in the computers, but with very little improvement.  Also, we using Cat5
> DVI/HDMI extenders as there is quite a bit of distance from the computer to
> the monitor.
>
>  
>
> Who else out there is using HD video in your exhibits?  How are you doing
> it?  We would welcome any suggestions or input you may have.
>
>  
>
> Thank you so much,
>
>  
>
> Jason
>
>  
>
>  
>
> ___
>
> Jason Bondy
>
> Exhibit AV/IT Systems
>
> Oklahoma History Center
>
> 2401 N. Laird Ave.
>
> Oklahoma City, OK  73105
>
> 405-522-0783 - Office
>
> 405-522-5402 - Fax
>
> www.okhistory.org
>
>  
>
>  
>
> ___
> You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer 
> Network (http://www.mcn.edu)
>
> To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu
>
> To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit:
> http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l
>   

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Jason Bondy]

Daniel,

Thanks for your response.  We have an 80GB hard drive in the computer.  Many
of the video clips are 5-10 minutes long, except one that is 32 minutes.  We
are planning more long documentary type films, so we need to be ready for
the larger files.

We currently own a few of the Firefly digital video players for
standard-definition video, but their HD players are out of our budget at
this time, as are the Adtec devices.  Also, we already have the computers
installed, so we were going to try to use those if we can.  As far as
Blu-ray, we are concerned about wear and tear on it if the film is repeating
continuously for nine hours per day.  A hard drive is much cheaper to
replace when it wears out.

We are still learning about various HD formats and playback options.  We
were using H.264 originally because we have a Flash program that plays the
files using QuickTime.  We need a playback format and application that goes
straight to full screen as soon as the computer boots up. Do you know of any
good reference material that explains some of the formats more in depth?  

Thank you.  I really appreciate your time and assistance!

Jason

___
Jason Bondy
Exhibit AV/IT Systems
Oklahoma History Center
2401 N. Laird Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK  73105
405-522-0783 - Office
405-522-5402 - Fax
www.okhistory.org
 

-Original Message-
From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of
Daniel M. Bartolini
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:02 PM
To: Museum Computer Network Listserv
Subject: Re: [MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

Hi Jason-

How much hard drive space do you have available on these machines and 
how long are your videos? I ask because HD playback on computers is 
significantly improved when you use codecs that create discrete frames 
versus heavily compressed MPEG formats like H.264. For example running 
your video out to something like DVCPro HD or the Animation preset 
creates all independent frames of the movie. Your hard drive overhead is 
enormous (possibly 2 Gb for every 3 minutes, depending on bit rate) but 
the computer has to think far less about the process as there are no 
i-frames going on.

Alternatively, if you need really small file sizes, mess with the H.264 
bit rate. Start high at 1500kb/s and move down to around 900 or less 
until you find something that allows you to maintain your full frame 
rate. The lower you go of course the more you will see those motion 
artifacts, but perhaps not jumpiness.

The dirty sort-of-secret of that format is it's really processor 
intensive and upgrading video cards won't matter a lot unless you 
specifically buy something like the latest NVidia cards that have built 
in hardware rendering support of H.264 and other MPEG codecs, or if 
you're willing to use a program like Max/Jitter (or comparable VJ 
system), or environment like openFrameworks to display your video in 
OpenGL so all work is done on the video card.

Finally, have you considered standalone HD players, like those from 
Adtec, or going to Blu-Ray (I know, more money, may not work)?

Oi. That was long. Sorry. Hope that helps.

Have a good weekend.

Daniel




Jason Bondy wrote:
> Hello all,
>
>  
>
> We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all of our
> interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in exhibits.  We
are
> using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside
producers.
> However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best solution
> for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video files from
> Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently we are
> trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very "jumpy" on
> video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded the RAM and video
cards
> in the computers, but with very little improvement.  Also, we using Cat5
> DVI/HDMI extenders as there is quite a bit of distance from the computer
to
> the monitor.
>
>  
>
> Who else out there is using HD video in your exhibits?  How are you doing
> it?  We would welcome any suggestions or input you may have.
>
>  
>
> Thank you so much,
>
>  
>
> Jason
>
>  
>
>  
>
> ___
>
> Jason Bondy
>
> Exhibit AV/IT Systems
>
> Oklahoma History Center
>
> 2401 N. Laird Ave.
>
> Oklahoma City, OK  73105
>
> 405-522-0783 - Office
>
> 405-522-5402 - Fax
>
> www.okhistory.org
>
>  
>
>  
>
> ___
> You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer
Network (http://www.mcn.edu)
>
> To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu
>
> To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit:
> http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l
>   

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[Jason Bondy]

Hello all,

 

We have recently begun moving toward High-Definition video for all of our
interviews, documentaries and other footage to be used in exhibits.  We are
using internally produced video as well as video shot by outside producers.
However, we are running into some obstacles determining the best solution
for playback in the galleries.  We will be playing the HD video files from
Windows-based computers connected to plasma monitors.  Currently we are
trying it with H.264 encoded QuickTime files, but they are very "jumpy" on
video clips with a lot of motion.  We have upgraded the RAM and video cards
in the computers, but with very little improvement.  Also, we using Cat5
DVI/HDMI extenders as there is quite a bit of distance from the computer to
the monitor.

 

Who else out there is using HD video in your exhibits?  How are you doing
it?  We would welcome any suggestions or input you may have.

 

Thank you so much,

 

Jason

 

 

___

Jason Bondy

Exhibit AV/IT Systems

Oklahoma History Center

2401 N. Laird Ave.

Oklahoma City, OK  73105

405-522-0783 - Office

405-522-5402 - Fax

www.okhistory.org

 

 

[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?

[David Marsh]

Hi Jason...

We have some wide screens running the 720p "high definition" Hubble View
Space" service content here at the planetarium. I'll describe what we
did and hopefully it may be of some interest.

I looked at various ways to deliver content and read some MCN list
traffic on the subject at the time (18 months ago?). 

DVD players.
DVD players were ruled out as the professional grade units are not cheap
(e.g. Panasonic DVD V8000 at US$900+, and NOT BluRay), and mileage for
consumer DVD players in an exhibit seems to be 18 months or less before
failure. There are also inflexible and can't be easily centrally
administered.

PC-based players
This seemed more attractive. Reasonably inexpensive with say white box
or Dell compact desktop PCs, with the advantage that they can be
networked and centrally administered. 

We got a tour of a system at another local venue that used racks of such
low end PCs. System control was via commercial Omnivex software, which
enabled centralized scheduling and control of content across all the
screens in the building. Very flexible, useable and powerful ...but
expensive.
Like yourself, PCs were rack-mounted well away from the screens with
Extron cat5 extender boxes. I reckoned cost-per-screen (excluding
display device) came out something like

1) Omnivex license: $1,300 per feed
2) PC $600 (guessing here)
3) Long distance Extron vga-over-cat5 extender box pairs (transmitter
and receiver) $1,000 per feed (you'll probably need the long range
versions!)
3) cat5 cable run $300 per feed (seems to be the going rate here)

TOTAL $3,200 per feed.

We didn't have that kind of money and were looking for a small solution
to drive half a dozen screens. I felt there should be an easier way.

What we went for was:

Display devices:
MAC mini (Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz) as the display devices. These were
retailing at about $650 and VERY good bang for the buck as a digital
Swiss Army Knife. I'd heard discussion on this list of using them as
inexpensive hard disk playback units as an alternative to flaky DVD
players, but with much better flexibility and durability. They are also
very small ...small enough to be bolted to a bracket on the back of the
screen mounting itself.
We considered trying to run windows (bootcamp?) but figured the extra
cost of the windows license was not particularly necessary. One "gotcha"
...the MAC version of Windows Media Player is useless. Performance was
terrible ...quite unusable and grossly inferior to the windows version.
Conclusion: Windows Media Services is NOT cross-platform, at least if
you stick to Microsoft offerings. The solution (thank God) was the free
VLC media player, available for Mac, Win PC and Linux. Performance is
excellent and stability rock solid. MACs run VLC and pick up a Windows
Media Services stream from our main newtwork server. Another neat
trick... we install a free MAC version of the popular VNC remote control
application for hands free remote admin. Another "gotcha": automating
the MACs via Applescript to open VLC and connect to the desired feed
turned out to be a niggly job, but it worked eventually and is stable.

Distribution:
The Windows Media Services stream is delivered over our existing LAN.
We were concerned that it might consume bandwidth, with impact on other
network usage and display quality. I'd read of HD (1080p) feeds
consuming around 35 Mbits/s. Our LAN was 100 Mbits/s at that time, so
bought new switches ($1,500?) to bump the core up to 1000 Mbits/s.
Haven't even installed them yet. It turns out our 720p feed typically
runs at 1.5 Mbits/s! It must be pointed out that content is relatively
static, an animated Power Point style feed. In any case network
bandwidth was no issue.
At most, we needed to add extra, relatively short cable drops to the
nearest network hub. 

Content Management:
We simply used the Windows Media Services components included by
Microsoft in Win2K3 Server. We are only running two feeds, and the
server side playlist management facilities are quite adequate to set
this up without the lavish Omnivex interface. Effectively free, and it
could do a lot more than we are currently asking it too.

Cost:
1) Mac Mini $650 (guessing here)
3) cat5 cable drop $300 per feed (seems to be the going rate here)

TOTAL $950 per feed.

We found that a persuasive number! ...at least for our needs.

Other thoughts:
You could load windows on the MACs and integrate them better into your
network infrastructure, using a common Anti-Virus system, backup utility
etc. And of course avoiding the need for any MAC expertise. If you get
charity-priced volume licensing for your windows that maybe the way to
go.


mini-ITX PCs and MAC Minis:
You could use mini-ITX based Win PCs to do the playback. This is getting
interesting. I reckon you could build a dual-core Atom-based mini PC
that could do HD playback for about CAN$350. An E-series Pentium based
system for about CAN$450. Both these figures exclude windows licensing.
You could try Li