Can I divide each 4K output in four 1920x1080

[jaydeeshow]

The final idea is to create a very long/panoramic screen.

If I take a W7100 with four times 4K output (3840x2160 at 60fps) can I use each of them with a datapath Fx4 and plug four FullHD projectors (1920x1080)?

I do have some other questions, but I will make them after understanding more.

 

Best regards,

 

J.

[Steve Farris]

I have used this concept for input by setting up a 4k output from Keynote and importing through a Datapath card to create a 4 screen input.  I have also sent a 4k output through a Datapath Fx4 to create 4 displays.  I don't see any reason you couldn't scale to more outputs.

 

One issue you could run in to is that Watchout will see the displays as single 4k displays and won't do any blending between them if you are trying to do a blend.  You would have to manage the blend outside of Watchout, and your stage layout will not be able to represent the layout of the displays.  On the input side, I can create 4 separate instances of the 4k input with different cropping in order to differentiate between the individual screens.  You might be able to accomplish the same thing with virtual displays on the output side.  However, I haven't tried to do that.

[Walter]

Hi Steve,

“And your stage layout will not be able to represent the layout of the displays”

 

This is of course not true!! This is, I suppose, exactly where virtual displays are meant for. Just create a physical 4K display somewhere out of sight. Then create virtual displays (1080) as if you were building a normal widescreen. Then layout the created VD’s back on each quarter of the physical 4K output. If you really want you could put in (self created) blend masks on top of these to finish it off ....

All programming / editing then can be done as if you were running a conventional HD workflow!

Watchout is sooooo awesome being able to provide such a wonderful, creative, impressive and efficient workflow !!!! ;-)

[Steve Farris]

Hi Walter

 

I had a sense that virtual displays could solve the problem, but as I said I haven't tried to do that.  I'm wondering about adding "self created" blend masks - if the virtual displays are configured with blends, wouldn't Watchout add the blend masks?  I haven't experimented much with this kind of situation.  I sounds like this would be a way to create 16 HD displays from one computer, although the machine would have to be pretty beefy to keep up with that much throughput!

[jfk]

Hi Walter

 

I had a sense that virtual displays could solve the problem, but as I said I haven't tried to do that.  I'm wondering about adding "self created" blend masks - if the virtual displays are configured with blends, wouldn't Watchout add the blend masks?...

 

WATCHOUT automatic blending is only available on 2D displays.

Virtual displays do not offer geometry or blending.

[Walter]

  I sounds like this would be a way to create 16 HD displays from one computer, although the machine would have to be pretty beefy to keep up with that much throughput!

 

What James said. 

This workflow works great for ledwalls or multidisplay solutions (i.e. 32 separate displays in some sort of creative configuration on an exhibition).  If you do the blending and warping in the projectors, then this would work out perfectly too (it's always better to do this in the projectors anyway because of the lack of black level correction in WO).

About the throughput = it wouldn't scare me of personally but perhaps I'm just spoiled with extreme beefy systems to work with ;-)

[Guest DavidA]

Walter, 

I would be careful to make a general recommendation to do blend/warp in projectors. Almost none of them adds any black level matching (not sure if any of them do?) and quite a few of them adds latency that would not be acceptable for all kinds of installations. And some projectors will also not allow you to do both blend and warp. You have to choose.  

 

 

Best regards, 
David

[RBeddig]

Hi all,

 

It's getting a bit off-topic here, but in reality a lot of people are using the alignment inside the projectors and not in WATCHOUT or other servers.

 

The reasons for this are:

 

- the projectors often do it with 10/12bit colour depth, which can lead to better overlaps

 

- they use a seamless switcher / scaler in between WATCHOUT and the projectors

 

And some of the larger event projectors actually have a setting for black level correction built in, e.g. those of Panasonic. This black level correction will make everything more grey of course but will hide the overlaps for dark content. To enable this feature the projector also needs to do the overlap internally (to know the exact overlap).

 

Best regards,

 

Rainer

[Walter]

Thanks David and Rainer... indeed bit off-topic, but to clarify, I’m indeed operating in large (high end) events, and all that Rainer said applies. (ALL projectors I use carry BLC).

About the latency, yes, and one should avoid using warp in any case, BUT, with class A camerasystems, genlocked to their camera switcher and the seamless switcher, that additional delay won’t matter at all (just enable warp on all PJ’s then even if that particular PJ doesn’t need to be corrected).

[Jonas Dannert]

Just a sidenote on this off-topic discussion ;-) :

 

David A: "Almost none of them adds any black level matching (not sure if any of them do?)"

 

All of Barco's current Event/Rental Staging projectors do this, and have done that since long time ago (ELM/SLM/XLM ->)

It's part of the ScenergiX setup feature. They also do low-latency edge-blending/warping simultaneously. 

Some of the smaller single-chip lamp-based projectors would need an add-on warp/blend box though.

 

Agree on Walters statement above, too. (just enable warp on all PJ’s then even if that particular PJ doesn’t need to be corrected)

 

/jonas