Connectivity 404 Connectivity - some terms: Analog ! Information is translated into electric pulses of varying amplitude. ! Digital! Translation of information is into binary format (zero or one) where each bit is representative of two distinct amplitudes. ! Progressive! (ie 1080p) ! Each frame of video is made up of an entire image. Image is clearer than interlaced, motion smoother. Takes more bandwidth to carry the signal. ! Interlaced! (ie 1080i, 720i) ! The even lines of each frame (each image called a video field) are drawn alternately, so that only half the number of actual image frames are used to produce video. Originally used to transmit television signals due to it’s lower bandwidth. Image can look lower quality and ‘combing’ can occur INTERLACED vs PROGRESSIVE IMAGE PHONO or RCA (Radio Corporation of America) or A/V JACKS Usually come in a set of yellow (video), red & white (stereo audio) Most projectors/tvs/audio equipment support PHONO leads ! PROS! ! Can run at extremely long lengths without the signal cutting out Good for connecting audio from playback to speakers etc ! ! ! ! ! ! CONS! ! SD Signal. Picture quality poor compared to all other connectors Outputs an interlaced signal S-VIDEO (Seperate Video) ! Comprises of analogue video signal that carries video data as two separate signals: luma (luminance) and chroma (colour). Video only. ! PROS! ! Transmits a better picture than PHONO Commonly found on most TVs, DVDs, Projectors ! ! ! CONS! ! ! Can be expensive if intending to run a long length Notoriously tricky to connect - easy to snap or bend the pins! Being gradually phased out from current technology COMPONENT Video only. Splits the video signal into 3 parts resulting in higher image quality Supports up to 1080i image ! PROS! ! Supports full HD image - better than Phono or S-Video Can run the signal over a longer distance than HDMI ! CONS! ! Can be tricky to set up. Projector/monitor often has to be ‘told’ how to handle the input. Colours can be slightly off in some cases. VGA (Video Graphics Array) Video only. Commonly used to connect computer monitors to PCs/Macs Supports SD-HD signal but as definition ‘increases’ image quality drops PROS! ! Can run over very long lengths (stable) Commonly used connection for computers and projectors If a projector has a VGA OUT you can ‘loop’ the image into another one for dual screen CONS! ! SD(ish) image quality Image quality drops slightly over long runs DVI (Digital Video Interface) Video only. Provides (almost) Digital HD signal. Many computers have DVI outs and projectors & screens have DVI inputs. ! PROS! ! Supports an almost full HD image - better than analog signal. Easily adaptable to HDMI, VGA or Analogue. If using older pre HDMI flat screens etc this is a second best choice. ! CONS! ! Cables tend to fairly short. Lots of different DVI types (DVI-D, DVI-I etc) so easy to pick the wrong type! ! HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) Supports full digital HD image (1920 x 1080) Carries audio as well as video 2 categories - standard & high speed (high speed supports 4K) ! PROS! ! Supports full HD image (picture looks better than using other cables) Carries audio (good if running straight into a monitor) Newer macs & pcs have hdmi outputs so need for adaptors ! CONS! ! Cables over 5m in length are unreliable and can cut out Carries audio! (If you want to run picture and audio separately this could cause problems) ! RUNNING A LONG HDMI CONNECTION ! If you need to run a long HDMI connection (over 10m) an alternative is to use a CAT 6 run. CAT 6 is usually used to connect up computers to an ethernet port but it can also carry a video (and audio) signal. By using a HDMI>CAT 6 convertor a full HD (1080p) signal can be carried over much larger distances ! PROS! Enables HDMI to run over longer distances. Stable. Very long CAT 6 cables relatively cheap. ! CONS Adaptor sets can be pricey, not easily available and may need power at each end. ! ! ! WHICH CONNECTION TO USE? This depends on the type of equipment you are using and inputs available to you but the following lists highest to lowest picture quality: ! ! 1/ HDMI 2/ DVI 3/ COMPONENT 4/ VGA 5/ S-VIDEO 6/ PHONO MEDIA FORMATS - SD DVD PROS! ! An auto play DVD makes invigilation easier (just turn the player + monitor on and it should start and loop until switched off). Relatively good quality on smaller monitors. Some DVD players have HDMI outputs - best to choose these over analogue outputs Universally playable in most venues Some DVD players support 5.1 Surround Output ! CONS! ! Looks terrible projected large/big monitor SD quality. Image quality won’t be as good as a HD file. Often interlaced so ‘combing’ issues can occur - especially on slow motion shots. Encoding and burning to disc takes time (see pdf ‘How to make an auto play DVD’) ! !MEDIA FORMATS - HD DVD !It is possible to make a HD DVD. These use a normal blank! DVD but can burn a HD file to disc. These can only be played back on a Mac with DVD drive or HD DVD Player (so pointless as you can just play the HD file back instead) MEDIA FORMATS - BLU-RAY Blu-Ray supports 1080p HD files. Can be played in a Blu-Ray player, PS4 or XBOX One. PROS! ! Plays back full HD 1080p content via HDMI Can be set to loop and auto play. Can be a good way of playing HD content at venues without relying on a file to play on their computer set ups. Most Blu-Ray Players support 5.1 Surround output ! CONS! Blank Blu-Ray discs not cheap. Relatively complicated to get the encoding process right. Need a Blu-Ray burner to write disc. Need a Blu-Ray player if projecting in a gallery set up. Newer Macs don’t come with DVD/CD drives. ! ! MEDIA FORMATS - MEDIA PLAYERS Media players are designed to play back digital files from card, USB or built in drive. PROS! ! Plays back full HD 1080p content. Can be set to loop. Can be a good way of playing HD content at venues without relying on a file to play on their computer set ups. Often have HDMI output Smaller size for setting up in gallery. ! CONS! ! Can be relatively complicated to get the encoding process right/some players picky in which file types they’ll play back. Some players don’t have an auto play feature so player needs to be set up each time it’s reset. ! ! ! ! MEDIA FORMATS - COMPUTERS PROS! ! Easy to customise. Usually have HDMI or DVI outputs. Software enables the movie to be played back and looped. Image looks good when fullscreen and projected via HDMI Can run other software besides just playing back movies ! CONS! ! Can be tricky to set up in a gallery environment (especially when laptop or computer out of screen/projector’s line of sight). Needs securing properly (Mac Minis need a separate cage to secure). When switched off needs invigilator to start up each morning! ! ! ! ! ! ! MONITORS, FLATSCREENS, OLD TECHNOLOGY FLATSCREEN MONITORS! ! Newer flatscreen monitors come equipped with HDMI, DVI and COMPONENT inputs. Some also have built in media players or SD slots to directly play and loop files. Useful for simple gallery setups but always make sure you check the inputs and pixel size (just because a flatscreen claims it is HD doesn’t mean it will output a 1920x1080 signal!) ! OLD TVS! ! Often have PHONO and SCART (Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs) outputs. Use PHONO or a SCART Adaptor to run the signal in (if there’s no S-VIDEO available). Also make sure you can tune the TV into the correct A/V channel (a remote is handy). ! OLDER BROADCAST MONITORS/MIXERS/PROJECTORS! ! Can have a combination of inputs - usually a set of PHONO, COMPONENT and BNC (British Naval Connectors which can accept a PHONO). Always test the inputs before committing as not all will work! ! ASPECT RATIO! ! When using older 4:3 (square) aspect ratio monitors think about how this will look on the screen. Is your film 4:3 or 16:9? If 16:9 the image could end up stretched on a 4:3 TV or with bars at the top and bottom of the image. ! SPLITTING THE SIGNAL! ! Playing 2 separate sources and synching isn’t easy. The usual way to do this is via 2 DVD players with a Davy Jones Sync Unit (hired and expensive). Newer software such as VLC and Multiscreener http://www.zachpoff.com/software/multiscreener/ can be configured to output 2 synched movies at the same time. ! SPLITTING OVER 2+ SIGNALS! ! Use a HDMI or VGA splitter unit to duplicate the image (play off laptop or DVD). Alternatively you can use a VGA OUTPUT on one projector to feed into another if it has one. ! ! ! PLAYBACK FORMATS - DIGITAL PROJECTORS Digital Projectors can be SD (Standard Definition) or HD (High Definition). Digital projectors can also be SHORT THROW - this means a built in mirror enlarges the image while being close to a screen/wall etc. Each comes with varying input options but most will have at least a VGA input. SOME CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE HIRING/CHOOSING A PROJECTOR:! ! 1/ Is the projector HD? (You can usually tell this if it has a HDMI input) 2/ How BRIGHT is the projector? (projector brightness is measured in LUMENS - a lower LUMENS number suggests that will need a dark space to see the image properly - most mid range projectors are 3000 Lumens +) 3/ Projector THROW - how far do you need to place it from a wall/screen for the correct size image? 4/ IMAGE SHIFT - some projectors can shift the image up and across - useful if you need to adjust the position of the projector in a space.