Pushing S2 to the limits

[RyanWPowers]

Hi all!

I've been a very quiet member of this forum for years, and it's finally time that I need help from our community with figuring out a task that I have at hand.

I'm attempting to build a presentation with a great deal of show control. I need to control the following things all simultaneously and have them sync together:

1) The obvious - control lighting using a standard 16CH controller

2) Control three animatronic characters using servodog controllers

3) Playback TWO video files (each on their own video output/monitor) One would contain audio, the other not. The audio could be stripped out and put in the below mentioned audio tracks if needed.

4) Playback audio tracks. Each anamatronic character would have it's own track (and it's own audio output on a multichannel audio device - to a speaker by the actual character), the first video has an audio track (because it's a "pepper's ghost" effect) and there is also an overal "sound effect / music track" that plays throughout as well.

5) Closure contact input to start the show, and relay output to run a water effect. (Both of these things should be able to be done with one of the servodogs)

Yikes. Anybody up for a challange? There are software programs that cost thousands and thousands of dollars that will do what I want. But I feel like S2 is SO close to being able to handle this, that it would be silly to switch to something else at this point. I was thinking that this could be multiple computers running LOR S2- all somehow networked together? Or maybe multiple computers that are NOT networked together and completely independent and the only thing that connects them together are the contact closures to start the show?

With Netbooks as cheap as they are, I figure a lot of this could be done using multiple $250 netbooks. (With the exeption of the video playback, which obviously would take a bit more ummmph).

Perhaps some kind of S2 to VLC integation so that multiple videos can be played back on the same machine simultaneously?

I'm just running out of ideas on how to make this work. Obviously, the fewer number of computers, the better.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

Ryan

[jem5136]

I am not sure how to do all of it, but as far as the multi video thing goes, I think i might be able to help you out a little.

What I would do it use the Windows Command feature in LOR S2. You could type in the right code, and it could run the video with VLC or WMP.

I hope this helps,
Jesse

[Steven]

RyanWPowers wrote:

Or maybe multiple computers that are NOT networked together and completely independent and the only thing that connects them together are the contact closures to start the show?

I think that's your best option. You could cut down on the number of computers by using one computer for 2 of the animatronics. Separate the two character's voices into left and right channels.

You could do the show with 2 computers and 2 LOR networks: Computer 1 could do the non-audio (flat) video and 2 animatronics. Computer 2 could do the 3rd animatronic (including audio) and the Pepper's ghost video + audio.

It is possible for the 2 computers to get a little out of sequence, so you have do design it so that a fraction of a second would be ok. Having the LOR network that controls a character on the some computer with that character's audio would be best.

It sounds like you actually need a 5th audio track, so you may need another playback device. It would be possible to mix the "background" audio into the other audio tracks, unless you have a requirement that it be in separate speakers. If the background/music audio doesn't have to be synchronized within a second or two, you could use a cheap MP3 player with a relay to turn it on at the right time.