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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Author
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Topic: Pro hardware video players 2016!
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Javier Plano
Film Handler
Posts: 13
From: Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Registered: Apr 2016
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posted 04-10-2016 08:25 PM
hi guys
I discover this forum googling for professional video players to use on an indie film festival. there was a thread about it from 2012.
http://www.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=001206#000000
as I didn't wanted to revive such an old topic, I'm starting a new one, just to see if anything has changed since then. I'm from Argentina, sometimes things take a little more time to become popular here
if DCP it's not an option (for its costs), what's the next best thing out there right now for screening digital files with high quality and stability?
if the answer is a computer, any software free or paid to do a decent playlist, that really makes videos look and play as should (VLC it's not top notch, in my opinion)? what about file formats, some HD codecs are really preferable to others for a public screening?
thanks for the answers, I really apreciate them.
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Marlon Martins
Film Handler
Posts: 78
From: Torres, RS, Brazil
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 04-11-2016 01:15 PM
i like VLC cause it's easy to manage playlist, create shortcuts, and very very configurable.
im using not for cinema, but on small projectors on social events. not the same audience, but the same functionality.
i got a mini-pc just for this function, everything works great. i use my phone as remote controller with shortcuts for enhanced usability.
when using windows/mac/linux, there are a lot of possibilities on playing videos ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
about video formats, a few can easily be used. h.264 i-frame (properly configured) can get amazing results. also mpeg2 i-frame with high bitrate.
some codecs also can use higher profiles for lower quality loss, to keep the best "originality"
i believe there is some programs aimed specific for this (like some VJ software) but for now, quality wise, VLC is great for me.
as VLC have internal decoders, it handle it better and more safely. just drag the playlist to a second monitor, and primary hdmi output to the projector. disable any on-screen stuff, works great.
my main tip is: use SSD only
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 04-11-2016 02:28 PM
The most stable option would be a broadcast videotape format. HDCAM, HDCAM SR, and D5 are all good choices. This is really the right way to go if you don't want to do D-cinema. You don't want to see the price of the decks, however.
I don't like using actual computers for cinema playback. If something goes wrong, you can potentially end up showing the computer output on screen, which strikes me as terribly unprofessional. If you are going to do this, get something with an SDI output, so that the only signal being fed to the projector is actual video content, and there is no risk of showing error messages to the audience. Also, SDI lets you play back embedded audio in whatever channel configuration is provided to you. Otherwise, you need a high-end sound card wired in such a way to connect it to your cinema processor if you want discrete multichannel sound.
For hardware players, I like the AJA Ki-Pros. They only play a couple of file formats (Pro-Res 422 and DNxHD) and the requirements are very specific. If you can get your content in one of these file formats, this would be a good choice.
With all of these options, you have the issue of mixing frame rates in one program, which tends to cause glitches on screen and sometimes pops in the soundtrack. The Ki-Pro cannot (or, could not, when I last used one...maybe a firmware update has changed this) have a playlist with a mix of different frame rates.
The two primary issues that I have seen with venues that accept file formats are a) no two venues want the same formats, which means that the producer needs to make or have a lab make a different file type for each exhibition (or he will just send you what he has, regardless of your ability to play it) and b) there are no standards for submission (should the content be broadcast-legal or full-range, for example). I still have hope that DCP will make these issues moot, but it has not happened yet for all producers and venues.
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Javier Plano
Film Handler
Posts: 13
From: Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Registered: Apr 2016
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posted 04-11-2016 02:58 PM
thank you for your reply Scott!
quote: Scott Norwood
I don't like using actual computers for cinema playback. If something goes wrong, you can potentially end up showing the computer output on screen, which strikes me as terribly unprofessional. If you are going to do this, get something with an SDI output, so that the only signal being fed to the projector is actual video content, and there is no risk of showing error messages to the audience. Also, SDI lets you play back embedded audio in whatever channel configuration is provided to you. Otherwise, you need a high-end sound card wired in such a way to connect it to your cinema processor if you want discrete multichannel sound.
this is very good advice, because it is true, the worst possible situation is having a problem and show it to the audience.
sadly, I don't have experience with SDI. are there any good external cards that output video connecting thru HDMI, USB3 or thunderbolt?
and what about software? any specific for playing video lists? any needed to route the video to the SDI output?
if I'm using a laptop, am I able to take stereo audio out from it using SDI?
thanks again, really appreciated
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Carsten Kurz
Film God
Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009
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posted 04-11-2016 03:23 PM
While I like the idea of having a professional output card, they are in reality limiting choices for codecs and frame rates too much.
I hate VLC for it's cluttered interface, and it's a lot of work to configure it properly for festival use. But it's unbeatable for its functionality.
The question is: Will this festival constrain the formats to be shown during the festival, is there provision for conforming all sorts of formats? I do not advise a festival to transcode those zillions of incoming media to a common format supported by a dedicated HD-SDI output card or hardware player. It makes the projectionist's job easier, but it doesn't guarantee a proper presentation. A festival is not a mastering service.
In our location, I prefer to convert incoming content to DCP (if time allows), otherwise, show with VLC.
A Mac/Mac Book with a second monitor configured (black desktop) will not show the computer desktop on screen, even if it crashes.
What I usually prefer to do on smaller events is to configure a poster slide (e.g. the festival logo) as the desktop background for the second screen. When playing back video, that logo is invisible. When the videos finish, you always see the festival logo on the background. That's an easy way to accomplish a streamlined presentation with very little effort. Of course you can as well add slides to the video playlist giving additional information, or serving as spacers. The Mac will play up to 8ch of audio, either stereo or up to 7.1, through it's HDMI or display-port/HDMI output.
- Carsten
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Marlon Martins
Film Handler
Posts: 78
From: Torres, RS, Brazil
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 04-11-2016 04:56 PM
VLC can be set show images indefinitely, so i use them as a "holder" on the playlist. (if changing manually)
image
movie1
image
movie2
image
movie3...
and i can change, reorder, add stuff while playing, so really flexible...
about "not liking the idea of a PC", i understand that, but i also disagree. get a decent computer, remove/disable anything you won't need or would cause interruption, and that's it.
my mini-pc have a "clean" windows 7, im using for months, all the time, works wonderfully. Intel have some great mini-pc's, so you don't have to carry big stuff (like a full-pc), the components quality is great. a good quality laptop also works great.
also, if i recall, some cinema servers does not have pc components inside, like the doremi showvault? ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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