6/26/2006 1:36:11 PM

Hello all... my first post (but been using SSP for about 6+ years I think)

I have recently installed a large flat panel LCD monitor above our Media Center - which is our sales outlet for selling Church service on DVD/CD/VHS. The purpose of the flat screen is to show Media information - previous sermon availabilities, media pricing, Church events, etc.

I am also preparing to install a pair of 50" plasma monitors in the main foyer around the sanctuary to show our regular slideshow.

However, these monitors are 16:9 wide-screen format, and our projection systems are all the "normal" 4:3 format.

My desire is to NOT have a separate PC running these flat panel slideshows... it's far too expensive, and too difficult to maintain.

What I am doing now is:
1) temporarily set my main projection system for a 1366x768 secondary monitor resolution
2) create my wide-screen slideshow
3) capture the output of the projection monitor-feed after it's passed through a Scan Converter - which gives me Y/C video which I -
4) capture into my editing system
5) then I can direct-burn a DVD with the editing software, and
6) play it with a DVD player attached to the flat panel monitors

phew!

Yes, it's a lot of work, but DVD players are cheap - and I let the HDTV monitors do the upscaling to fill the panel size.

Here's what I WANT to be able to do:
1) Find some way to use a Firewire port as a secondary monitor, set for 16:9 mode. This would allow me to do a lossless capture to the editing computer, then burn the DVD.

2) Find a program that would capture anything/everything that happens on my secondary monitor (which was set for 16:9) into an AVI file, which I can import into my editing computer, then burn the DVD>

As it stands now, what finally reached the flat panel monitors has multi-generational losses... it looks a bit sloppy, and is a lot of trouble.

Generation and conversion losses:
1) D-to-A at the Graphics card (RGBHV is analog video)
2) A-to-D and D-to-A in the scan converter
3) A-to-D in NLE editor computer capture
4) NLE output to DVD (remains digital, but transcoding takes place)
5) D-to-A in DVD playback to Component Video output
6) A-to-D inside the flat-panel monitors
7) upscaling the low-res DVD to fill the flat-panel screen size of 1366x768


Right now I'm researching High-Definition Media Players - devices which will allow me to store the captured video file of the slideshow onto a SD flash memory card, plug this into the media player device, and be done - no moving parts, it plays 24/7 even though the flat panel monitors are only on during Sunday/Wednesday services.

If I can eliminate the RGBHV and Component Video altogether, and capture the 1366x768 secondary monitor output as direct digital information, then I can give that info to the media player and it has ZERO generational losses. This should be possible with today's technology.


It's all about giving our people more chances to see what's going on at the Church - classes, events, etc. ... it seems people don't really absorb everything that's in their church bulletins.

7/26/2006 7:22:27 AM

Sounds complicated to me. I challenge your basic premise that "...to NOT have a separate PC running these flat panel slideshows... it's far too expensive, and too difficult to maintain." And is there hardware to drive a monitor through a Firewire port???

It is simpler and cleaner to set up a 16:9 PC and drive them from it (through appropriate distribution amplifiers). However, I don't know about SSB/SSP in that mode and haven't heard anyone say.

7/26/2006 4:37:30 PM

What about one on those USB VGA adaptors?

Would you then be able to run a third monitor from that?


Or use a svideo output and record into a dvd hard disk drive?


Only my thoughts

7/26/2006 6:34:16 PM

I would use the svideo or TV output from the video card and go straight to a DVD recorder. You can find them as cheap as $80.00. I have never tried 16:9 format but I would think it should work.