[MCN-L] Cleaning touchscreens/exhibit interactives
Good morning, I am curious as to what others are using to disinfect or sanitize touchscreens in exhibits. I have always been wary of using chemicals on the touch surface, but with growing virus concerns, I am looking for safe methods of more thorough cleaning and disinfecting of screens without damaging the touch surface. I have reached out to the manufacturers, but have yet to hear back from them. Thank you for any assistance you can provide. Jason Bondy Exhibits Technology | Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 jbo...@okhistory.org 405-522-0783 www.okhistory.org<http://www.okhistory.org/> The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve, and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. ___ 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@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
[MCN-L] Oral History Recording Booth in Exhibit
Hello all, My apologies if this has been discussed here before, but I didn't find anything when I searched the archive. We are planning an exhibit and would like to set up an oral history recording booth for visitors to record their stories on the topic. I know this has been done before, but not in our museum and I'm not sure of the best way to go about it. Would anyone here have experience with this and would like to offer any tips or advice? Feel free to contact me off list if needed. Thank you in advance! Jason Bondy Exhibits AV/IT | Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 www.okhistory.org<http://www.okhistory.org/> (405) 522-0783 ___ 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@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
[MCN-L] Planar PS Series Touchscreens
I was just checking these out myself. I have heard good things from others that have worked with them. I would be interested in seeing the responses to this query as well. Thanks! Jason Bondy Exhibits AV/IT | Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 www.okhistory.org (405) 522-0783 -Original Message- From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of Callahan, Ian Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 2:05 PM To: mcn-l at mcn.edu Subject: [MCN-L] Planar PS Series Touchscreens Has anyone had any experience with the Planar PS series touchscreens?(http://www.planar.com/products/large-format-displays/ps/) I'm interested in using them for an interactive display powered by a BrightSign player and I'm curious about the responsiveness/feel of the optical pickups they use for sensing touches. I know it won't work as well as a capacitive display but I want to make sure that it will not be frustratingly different. Thanks, Ian -- Ian Callahan Technology Support Specialist 617-495-9935 ian_callahan at harvard.edu Harvard Art Museums 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 www.harvardartmuseums.org
[MCN-L] Social Media Policy
Hello all, We are a State History Museum that is reviewing and updating our social media policies and were wondering if any similar institutions would be willing to share your policies and posting guidelines with us. Also, do you have a social media team or is it all done by one person? Any additional comments and suggestions are welcome. You may contact me directly so as to not clutter the list feed. Thank you for your time. Jason Bondy Exhibits AV/IT | Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 http://www.okhistory.org/ www.okhistory.org (405) 522-0783
[MCN-L] BrightSign players and push buttons or PIR sensors
Hello all, We have been using BrightSign players in our exhibits for a while now, but only for looping video playback. We are now interested in making use of the interactive features such as push button, PIR, and touch screen control. Would anyone out there care to share their experiences with this? Any tips or techniques that will save us time and trouble? Feel free to contact me off list as well. Thanks! Jason Bondy Exhibits AV/IT | Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 http://www.okhistory.org/ www.okhistory.org (405) 522-0783 Find us online! Twitter: http://twitter.com/okhistory Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/okhistory
[MCN-L] FW: Launching Safari in kiosk mode on Windows XP
Just an update, we have made a few adjustments and verified that the pages work well in Chrome, which is able to launch in kiosk mode. Thank you to those who sent suggestions. Jason -Original Message- From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of Jason Bondy Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 11:47 AM To: MCN Subject: [MCN-L] Launching Safari in kiosk mode on Windows XP Hello all, We have had a small interactive exhibit developed for us basically using a lot of linked web pages. We have determined that this interactive looks best and is most functional when viewed in Safari. Unfortunately, we can't seem to figure out how to make Safari for Windows launch in full screen or kiosk mode. We have it set launch Safari on startup, but it does not remember it was in full screen when it closed last. This interactive will be in an environment where it will not be possible for someone to go and push the full screen button every morning. Thanks in advance for any suggestions, Jason Jason Bondy Exhibit AV/IT Systems Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-522-0783 - Office 405-522-5402 - Fax http://www.okhistory.org/ http://www.okhistory.org Follow us on Twitter! http://twitter.com/okhistory http://twitter.com/okhistory
[MCN-L] Launching Safari in kiosk mode on Windows XP
Hello all, We have had a small interactive exhibit developed for us basically using a lot of linked web pages. We have determined that this interactive looks best and is most functional when viewed in Safari. Unfortunately, we can't seem to figure out how to make Safari for Windows launch in full screen or kiosk mode. We have it set launch Safari on startup, but it does not remember it was in full screen when it closed last. This interactive will be in an environment where it will not be possible for someone to go and push the full screen button every morning. Thanks in advance for any suggestions, Jason Jason Bondy Exhibit AV/IT Systems Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-522-0783 - Office 405-522-5402 - Fax http://www.okhistory.org/ http://www.okhistory.org Follow us on Twitter! http://twitter.com/okhistory http://twitter.com/okhistory
[MCN-L] Auto-On Monitor/TVs for Exhibitions
Justin, We have pro-grade monitors from NEC and Panasonic that automatically go into standby mode when the video signal is lost and come back on when video signal is restored. This requires the monitors to have a continuous power source which eliminates the need to cut the power to those outlets. Also, many of the NEC and Panasonic commercial-grade monitors have system timer programs built in where you can set on and off times for the monitor. Feel free to contact me off list if you have any more specific questions. Jason Jason Bondy Exhibit AV/IT Systems Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-522-0783 - Office 405-522-5402 - Fax http://www.okhistory.org/ http://www.okhistory.org Follow us on Twitter! http://twitter.com/okhistory http://twitter.com/okhistory -Original Message- From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of Justin Collins Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 7:56 AM To: mcn-l at mcn.edu Subject: [MCN-L] Auto-On Monitor/TVs for Exhibitions We are currently looking to purchase a few monitors or TVs for permanent and temporary exhibitions and the biggest sticking point is finding screens that will automatically turn on when power is turned on to their outlets. Our front-end staff currently has to walk around with remotes to individually turn on our screens. The other specs we are looking for in the screens are: ability to play HD video, HDMI, RCA and VGA inputs, as well as be over 22. If anyone has suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them. Thank you, Justin Collins Exhibits Developer Lake County Discovery Museum
[MCN-L] Digital recorder for teacher/classroom use
Just wanted to post an update: We ended up getting a Zoom H1 recorder and so far it is working out nicely. The built-in mics are very sensitive and pick up the kids well. Also, we got the accessory kit with it that includes a neat little tabletop stand for the recorder as well as a padded case to keep it in for travelling. Thanks again for all your suggestions and ideas. Jason ___ Jason Bondy Exhibit AV/IT Systems Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-522-0783 ? Office 405-522-5402 ? Fax http://www.okhistory.org Follow us on Twitter!? http://twitter.com/okhistory -Original Message- From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of Jason Bondy Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 3:06 PM To: mcn-l at mcn.edu Subject: [MCN-L] Digital recorder for teacher/classroom use Hello all, I am hoping someone out there will have some suggestions for this challenge. We have a series of education trunks that go out to schools around the state with props and curriculum for schools to build a lesson around. One of the ideas we have is for an old-time radio trunk. One of the features we would like to have is to allow the instructor, with script and props, to record students creating a radio show. They would then transfer the recording to a computer to make a CD of the program. The questions are: Has anyone done anything like this before? Does anyone have any ideas for digital recording devices that would be easy to use by teachers, but also durable enough to be out on the road in a variety of classroom situations? Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thank you in advance for your input! Jason Jason Bondy Exhibit AV/IT Systems Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-522-0783 - Office 405-522-5402 - Fax http://www.okhistory.org/ http://www.okhistory.org Follow us on Twitter! http://twitter.com/okhistory http://twitter.com/okhistory
[MCN-L] Digital recorder for teacher/classroom use
Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. You all have definitely given us some good directions to start looking. What a wonderful resource we have in this mail list community! Jason Jason Bondy Exhibit AV/IT Systems Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-522-0783 ? Office 405-522-5402 ? Fax http://www.okhistory.org Follow us on Twitter!? http://twitter.com/okhistory -Original Message- From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-boun...@mcn.edu] On Behalf Of Ari Davidow Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 6:48 PM To: Museum Computer Network Listserv Subject: Re: [MCN-L] Digital recorder for teacher/classroom use The TechSoup bundle is for two older Flip cameras. When we looked into it, we realized that we wanted something more recent. The Flip that we did get is =great=. Easily records two hours of video, totally simple to use, saves in a reasonably high-res mp4 format. I recently took it on a trip where on one night I recorded a live band, and at other times got several hours of my mother reminiscing. Sweet. For audio recorders, I echo those who note that recent iPod Touches, along with most smart phones, come with audio and video recording ability. That's a reasonable place to start. There are a host of excellent audio devices used by oral historians, etc. A great site to read reviews is Jay Allison's transom.org. He covers everything from apps for iPhones to wonderful devices like the recent Marantz audio recorders, Edirols, and the like. ari On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 5:38 PM, dlewisarfm at aol.com wrote: I've never worked with the myself -- but I've head GREAT things about the ease and usability of the Flip Video Cameras. and Tech Soup is offering a two-for bundle, -- two cameras for $175 (normally they're about $150 each). See: http://home.techsoup.org/stock/pages/category.aspx?category=FlipVideo - David - David Lewis, Curator Aurora Regional Fire Museum www.AuroraRegionalFireMuseum.org -Original Message- From: James Keeline keeline at yahoo.com To: Museum Computer Network Listserv mcn-l at mcn.edu Sent: Wed, Jan 5, 2011 12:05 pm Subject: Re: [MCN-L] Digital recorder for teacher/classroom use Last July my wife and I organized and hosted a successful convention to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Tom Swift series of books about a young inventor. The first five stories were published in 1910 and since that year there have been 105 books in five series. The first three of these series were produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, also responsible for Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys among many others. As part of this convention we produced two live performances based on a book from each of the first two series. Tom Swift and His Airship was from 1910 and public domain. Tom Swift and the Visitor From Planet X was from 1961 and in the public domain because the owner failed to renew the copyright. The shows had voice actors from San Diego's WriteOutLoud (http://writeoutloudsd.com) and the script, direction, and sound effects were accomplished by the talented and resourceful Scott Paulson (http://ScottPaulson.info). Scott engages in performances like these to provide sound effects for stage performances like the recent It's a Wonderful Life at the Cygnet Theatre in Old Town San Diego for the Christmas season. In this version, the performance is a 1940s-era radio show with a live audience, voice actors who step up to the vintage-looking microphones, and Scott as sound effects artist on the side of the stage. He has also provided sound effects and movies for silent films through his Teeny Tiny Pit Orchestra. Recently these have been shown at New Village Arts in Carlsbad in the northern part of San Diego county. In these, as with many of his performances, he gets the audience involved by passing out noise makers and then gives direction to how and when to use them in the program. Some of these are cheap items which can be given away and others are vintage sound machines that he collects at the end of the performance. In our Tom Swift and His Airship show, bubble wrap was used for gunshots and cellophane for crackling fire. As usual, he also had machines that made ratchet sounds and other devices for use in the program. Here are a few clips to give an idea of how this worked: 2008 clip about Scott discussing sound effects devices http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szyht9jc8PE Tom Swift and His Airship performance at UCSD library http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M88EuLHIfWg The performances of Airship and Visitor from Planet X were highlights of our convention. Looking at your project, it appears that you initially asked for an audio recorder to gather the sounds and build your performance. Of course, many phones
[MCN-L] Digital recorder for teacher/classroom use
Hello all, I am hoping someone out there will have some suggestions for this challenge. We have a series of education trunks that go out to schools around the state with props and curriculum for schools to build a lesson around. One of the ideas we have is for an old-time radio trunk. One of the features we would like to have is to allow the instructor, with script and props, to record students creating a radio show. They would then transfer the recording to a computer to make a CD of the program. The questions are: Has anyone done anything like this before? Does anyone have any ideas for digital recording devices that would be easy to use by teachers, but also durable enough to be out on the road in a variety of classroom situations? Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thank you in advance for your input! Jason Jason Bondy Exhibit AV/IT Systems Oklahoma History Center 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. Oklahoma City, OK 73105 405-522-0783 - Office 405-522-5402 - Fax http://www.okhistory.org/ http://www.okhistory.org Follow us on Twitter! http://twitter.com/okhistory http://twitter.com/okhistory
[MCN-L] Headphones in exhibits
Hello, This is more of an AV question, but since we all multitask anyway. We have a music exhibit that has been up for a year and will be up another 14 months. Within the exhibit are five listening locations with headphones. With daily use (and abuse) we have gone through approximately 12 sets of headphones since the exhibit opened. I was wondering if anyone had some experience with decent quality headphones that are designed for heavy use. Since it is a Rock and Roll exhibit, we aren't really looking for library study carrel style, although they would probably last longer! They do need to be tough though, as we often have large (100+) groups of 4th through 12th graders wandering through the exhibit. Thanks in advance! 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] Social Networking Guidelines
Stephanie (and others), We do not currently have a policy, but would also be interested in seeing how others are approaching this. 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 Stephanie Fisher Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 8:46 AM To: mcn-l at mcn.edu Subject: [MCN-L] Social Networking Guidelines I am putting together social networking guidelines for employees at our museum. Does your institution have a policy? Please share links and key ideas, if you can. Thanks! Stephanie Fisher ITS Coordinator Minnetrista 1200 North Minnetrista Pkwy Muncie, Indiana 47303 765-287-3509 www.minnetrista.net Minnetrista Cultural Center 1200 MInnetrista Parkway Muncie, Indiana United States ___ 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 The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://toronto.mediatrope.com/pipermail/mcn-l/
[MCN-L] Gallery video projector reccomendations?
I don't have any particular recommendations, but an experience that may be helpful. We have several LCD projectors, about three and a half years old, which are on nine hours per day every day. About two years into the life of these projectors, the LCD panels required replacement at a cost of $800 each. Now the replacement LCDs are starting show the same discoloration. I have been told that this is just something that happens with LCD projectors. It has been recommended by a local dealer that we replace them with DLP projectors, but the funds are not available for that yet. You may contact me off list if I may be of more 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 Jason Herrington Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 4:01 PM To: mcn-l at mcn.edu Subject: [MCN-L] Gallery video projector reccomendations? Hi all, In the next two years my museum will be hosting exhibitions that incorporate still images and video. Part of the artistic vision for the exhibitions is to use ceiling mounted projectors, rather than video monitors, to display the images and video. This is the first time we will have attempted something like this, and I'd like to make sure we get the proper equipment. There are so many projectors on the market, and I'm curious if the list as a preference toward a particular brand or vendor. DLP, CRT or LCD? Is there an HD option that we should invest in? Thanks! -- Jason Herrington Master's Candidate Department of Museology University of Washington ___ 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 The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://toronto.mediatrope.com/pipermail/mcn-l/
[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?
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 jbondy at okhistory.org 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
[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
[MCN-L] HD video in the galleries?
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
