Open Forum: What's the Best Way to Display SL at a Public Event Under Non-Ideal Conditions?

Hardcore SL techies, event managers, and other experts, we need your advice: Next month (September 8 to be exact), Second Life is going to be featured onstage at the DNA Lounge, one of San Francisco's top nightclubs, for the annual Bootie SF/SL mixed reality show. However, at last year's event, this is what Second Life looked like, projected behind the DJ's booth:

It was about as blurry as that, in person; the big screen wouldn't display SL in high res, and most of SL was an unresolved gray blur. I talked about the tech problems in a post last year. This year, however, Bootie SL's on-site manager Keela Latte is trying to improve the performance. Here's what she's dealing with:

• She can run SL on her Alienware or Mac
• The DNA screens only take S-Video or composite video
• The DNA uses wifi

Basically, we're looking for the best way to feature Second Life on big screens in as optimal a way as possible, despite such technical limitations. I've asked Keela to participate in Comments, so she can specify more details and field suggestions.

Screengrab from a video by Rik Riel.

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Comments

[Melissa Yeuxdoux]

First suggestion: for heaven's sake, don't shine a light on the screen you're trying to project video on!

[Little Lost Linden]

"First suggestion: for heaven's sake, don't shine a light on the screen you're trying to project video on!"

Definitely agree.

Also, can it be confirmed that it is Composite video and not Component Video?

S-Video would be the better choice if Composite is the only other option.

Component Video is much better than S-Video. Are they sure that all the screens have the same limitation of S-Video and Composite only? Are they all the same model number or something?

If so, your best option may be to head over to Sam's Club and pick up an HD projector that can do HDMI or Component video. You get 90 days to try it out with no questions asked on the return. Or, ask a friend to loan you a nice HD unit.

Also, how long has it been since they've replaced the bulbs in the projectors they have at DNA? After a few years, the brightness levels go way down and should be replaced. Some are expensive, some are cheap depending on the projector model.

[Keela Latte]

Here is the info from the DNA I was given by the DJ's;
"they can only take S-Video or composite video in ... so you will need a converter to go from your laptop into the DNA Lounge's system."
There are three screens that are displayed in the front and both sides of the lounge. The front one, where the DJ stands at the booth is where the spotlight is, so yes, it's harder to see. The other two are in darker areas and easier to see.
The feed comes from a display monitor up in the sound booth where all the equipment is, that's where I am with my laptop, and where I have to make sure I have the appropriate connection. I believe the equipment was installed in the late 70's? I don't know when or if it's been upgraded.

[Hamlet Au]

Keela, would it be feasible to borrow a desktop gaming PC and connect directly to the DNA's Internet router with a hardline? I'm thinking that would solve a lot of the performance problems. Using a laptop on wireless is the worst possible scenario in this case.

[Little Lost Linden]

"I believe the equipment was installed in the late 70's?"

Holy Moly!

Which feed did you use last year, composite or s-video?

It's too bad the DJ image seems so small compared to the rest of the club. It would be awesome if it could be increased somehow.

What was the biggest problem from last year, was it the low resolution, or the slow load times due to the wireless internet connection?

Jennifer: He wasn't very old.
David Lightman: No, he was pretty old. He was 41.
Jennifer: Oh yeah? Oh, that's old.

[xi larnia]

I would consider bringing in an outside av company also. For the price of the rental, they can get you the latest and greatest projectors with up to date connections.

[Archangel Mortenwold]

Tell them not to use the default Linden Lab viewer or any of its clones (including Firestorm). Instead use Phoenix or Singularity or Cool VL Viewer. Otherwise they'll be embarrassed when the viewer either doesn't start up or crashes soon after.

[David Cartier]

Maybe it would be best to project recorded videos, rather than live SL content. Who is going to notice, after all?

[Keela Latte]

I couldn't run my Alienware on their system, the graphics just wouldn't show up on their monitor.
I ended up using my Mac, an old Mac book pro and bringing the graphics down as far as it would go.
So, the low resolution, meant things just didn't rezz.
The viewer I had on my Mac was the old SL viewer, I hadn't expected to use it.
I had both S-video and composite capabilities, I used a converter, which I purchased plus the cables, and I don't know if attaching to their hardline was an option.
If I had another PC, I would have used it! Any one wan to join me this year?
The DNA doesn't pay for this (I get free drinks!) SL doesn't either, nor does the SL club that the DNA feeds into, it's just me, I bring my own equipment, so if anyone has better equipment and expertise, that would be great, I could put you on the guest list with me!

[Hamlet Au]

Keela, what's the resolution limit and scan rate of the DNA's monitors? I think it's possible to adjust the display rate of a 3D card so it syncs to it.

I bet the DNA's router is up there in the control booth, or at least, that's where I would put it. Definitely worth asking where it is, SL just doesn't work very well on wireless. (Which is a major problem, but I digress.)

Also, is it possible to test and tweak all this before the doors open, like at 6pm? Seems like would help quite a bit too.

[jjccc coronet (@JJcccART)]

The best way to see sl on a big screen, that i have seen is to use a twitch tv pro account its so good you can read someone im's off the screen cause it runs at your highest screen resolutions in hd, the basic account is ok but it isnt as high rez

[Keela Latte]

I don't know what the resolution limit and scan rate is of the DNA's monitor's. I'm pretty much on my own when I get there, and I get there at 6:30 to set-up. That's the earliest they've let me in. It really has taken that long to get everything running both years. The first year their tech guy wiped the desk-top of my Alienware in the process of trying to get it all set-up, so that it was completely black, I wanted to use his PC, and he said "no", so, I called Dell support and 15 minutes before DNA opened they got it running again by syncing with my computer. The tech guy at DNA reversed the cable I brought and we were good to go. However the next year, last year, the tech guy didn't work with me, someone else did, who wasn't a tech guy, and we couldn't get my Alienware synced, so we switched to my Mac and reduced the graphics. From what I'm seeing here, it doesn't sound like the time I'm spending, but really the expertise and the equipment. I need someone with me who has the expertise to figure out what we need to do to problem solve with what we have, or to figure out ahead of time if there is something that we need that we can get, that the club will allow us to use.

[Damaris Whitfield]

Hamlet, good advice about connecting directly to the router. When we did our hybrid show at the Brainwash in SF, we went to extra lengths to get the laptop physically connected to the club's router. There was no way we were going to depend on wireless. It's never easy to ask a club for special arrangements, but it was well worth it.

[shockwave yareach]

On an Android phone, of course. Just ask everyone who thinks desktops and laptops and those that still use them are dinosaurs. :)

[Hamlet Au]

Ooof. Got no choice but go old school, in this case.

Actually, Keela, David's idea above is actually a good one -- why not shoot a really good machinima of Bootie SL in advance, and play that on the DNA screens? You could still be at the club logging in live (from a booth maybe), so people at DNA can come by and ask you about SL. Since the club members can't really interact with the SLers from the big screen, and you're not really syncing the SL event with the live show, might as well go with a machinima that can be totally pimped out visually.

[Keela Latte]

I do love the power of collective creative thinking here, and Hamlet had a great idea of posting this request on this site.
I appreciate all of the ideas.

That's really not a bad idea, of projecting a recorded video/a machinima, although it wouldn't technically be 'live' SL/RL' it WOULD be SL IN RL. Still, those is RL wouldn't know the difference and it would look better.
The peeps in SL still love the music and come to the club because they enjoy that, although they look forward to this event too.
Do you think it would be possible to record 6 hours of BootieSL machinima between now and Sept. 8th?
We have 3 Saturday nights left, and typically in a 6 hour night we get about 2.5 hours worth of good SL audience participation.
Also, I've never done Machinima, so, I would have to get up to speed pretty quick.

[Hamlet Au]

Keela, the guy in this thread, jjccc coronet, does really cool dance club machinima -- Duran Duran has even featured it in their concerts. Maybe he can help out, or recommend someone who can.

"it wouldn't technically be 'live' SL/RL' it WOULD be SL IN RL"

I'm thinking the DNA DJs could do a shout-out to you and say, "Hey, if you want to see the SL show up close and live, go see Keela upstairs." And you'd be in SL live there. :)

[Keela Latte]

That's a great idea, Hamlet. I'd love to have help doing a machinima of the club!