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Construction
4 video projectors. 4 projector supports. 4 sound systems. A 4 channel synchronized video playback system. A screen structure, including 4 16' x 12' screens.
The price range for the materials for this installation is: $25,000 - $45,000.
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Four 16x12 rear projection screens.
One of the screens has a flap on one end that acts as an entrance to the space.
The primary purpose of the frame is to hold the screens in place.
Additionally, the frame will hold up the eight audio speakers.
The frame must keep the screens entirely taut so that there are no wrinkles.
The frame must not block the light of the projectors from hitting the screens.
The frame is constructed from wood and bolts. The use of bolts to attach the lumber pieces to each other makes it easy to assemble and breakdown the installation. The frame is essentially a cube with a pillar at each corner. From each pillar a vertical fin of fabric or plastic extends into the interior. The screens are attached to this fin via snaps or hooks. The screens are only attached at each end. The stress on the ends keeps the screens taut. The contracting force of the screens on the pillars is balanced by the horizontal beams that connect the pillars at the top and the bottom.
The Dimension Elevator requires four projectors, one to light up each wall. The projectors should all be the same brand and model so as to provide a consistent signal to each wall. This is the most expensive piece of hardware. Quality video projectors cost from $4000 to $10000 each.
Projectors could be rented for each installation. A projector can be rented for $300.00 for a weekend.
The ChameleonRoom requires four sound systems. Any sound system that can take a regular line level stereo signal in will do. Acceptable sound systems could cost from $100 to $400 each.
The DimensionElevator requires 4 synchronized video streams.
The difficulty here is in playing back all four streams at the exact same time.
Some options:
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Create a single videotape that has four video streams, one in each corner. Play this videotape in a VCR. Then, split up the signal into the 4 different signals and send each signal to a projector. This is a nice solution because it allows us to use all of the same playback and mixing equipment that we would normally use for video. Unfortunately the quality would go down because we would be forced to use 320x240 pixel signals. There are several methods for accomplishing this.
- A video-wall device, breaks one stream into four. These cost $4000
- Some video projectors allow you to zoom in on one portion of the screen. With four of these projectors, the same signal can be sent to each projector, and each projector can be zoomed in on the appropriate corner.
Create a videotape for each stream. Have one VCR hooked up to each projector. Start all of the VCRs simultaniously.
- Get 3 SMPTE VCR's that can "Chase Lock" to a master VCR. If all of the tapes have SMTPE striping, then you can get VCR's that will match the timecode on one of the VCR's.
- Use 4 consumer level VCRs and just hit play on all of them at the same time. This is less than ideal but would suffice for experimenting with content.
Get 4 DVD players and a hardware controller that can sync them all up.
http://www.djdesign.com/products/proddvd.html
$1100 for the device that will sync them all up.
$1000 for each of the 4 pioneer DVD-V7200 that it requires.
Total cost = $5100.
Content could then be burned onto 4 CD's and one CD could be played in each DVD drive.
Build a PC that can sync and play 4 mpeg2 video streams.
The estimated cost of this sort of system is $4000 to $7000.
- DVD
The system could have 4 dvd drives and be setup so that you create 4 CD's with video content and put them in each drive.
- Harddrive
The system could also run off of four harddrives.
- Hardware requirements
4 dvd players or harddrives.
4 mpeg2 decoder cards
4 scsi cards
Custom syncing software.
Four separate computers could playback the content for each projector. The difficulty lies in getting them to all start playing a clip at the same time. An advantage of a 4 PC system is that it would enable real-time generation of content as well as playback of video files.
The estimated cost of this system is $1500 * 4 = $6000.
- MIDI
Each PC has an mpeg2 decoder and a special MIDI triggered software video player. Each computer has its own videoclips. A midi signal from a MIDI device triggers all four computers simultaneously.
- TCPIP Network
Each PC has an mpeg2 decoder. All of the PC's are then controlled by one of the PC's via a standard network.
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