Anybody know of a fader for projection

[billyfromConsett]

I've been asked to look for the availability of a fader/processor to use when projecting movies. We've got an analogue one, but as we show everything now in the HDMI circuit, to add an svideo connection into that will reduce the clean picture. So is there a fader with HDMI or component connections?

[Dave Watterson]

Billy, can you explain what you want to do.

It is one thing to switch from one source to another ... bang/bang
or do you want to fade pics down to black, switch sources and fade up again.

The latter would effectively need something like a computer because fading a digital signal means re-processing it. (Fading analogue is basically just putting a dimmer in the circuit and reducing the voltage.)

Such beasts do exist - obviously broadcast organisations need them. But I guess even Newcaste ACA is not in the same budget league as BBC/ITV etc !!!

I've asked my engineering friend to start digging for possibilities.

Dave

[billyfromConsett]

Ok it may need a computer answer. Or a kit switch off.
We've gone digital at Newcastle. HDMI from player, to AV amp, to projector. Everything analogue upscaled. The pictures look great. The sound is lip synced.

Last week we had a DVD with a menu, and the presenter wanted certain movies on, but not the menu on screen. So the projectionist had to look at a table monitor to select a movie, then hit one of a choice of three buttons to let the projector see it. The projectionist couldn't help getting the menu on-screen at times. "Why can't we use our old fader/processor? After all we used to have it, and you can tweak those flat colours from that old analogue material with it. This new HDMI stuff is rubbish anyway. It's no better than svideo ...etc etc"

Hence the need for a fader. If I can't find a fader to keep few of our members happy then I would recommend going back to analogue everything and admit that it isn't worth trying to raise the standard. After all if it aint broke ....

So - please help - or I'm dead meat next week!

[chrisk]

Haven't tried it, but how about fading down the brightness of the projector using the remote control or via the rs232 interface.
Chris

[Dave Watterson]

Simplest idea: set up your projector so that its default image is not the maker's logo but plain black. That's usually an option in the setup menus. Then whenever you want the screen to go blank switch the projector to an input with nothing on it, which will make the image go black. The catch is that some projectors take a moment of faffing about before they settle in to the new source, or lack of it.

Cheap(ish) approach: use a switch which accepts two or more HDMI inputs and has one output. This time the idea is that you switch to the unused input ... but because so far as the projector is concerned nothing has changed it should simply show black without any faffing.

Sandberg 130-57 v1.3 at £52.99 from http://www.play.com is mentioned in the current issue of Personal Computer World magazine. It comes complete with an HDMI cable, mains adapter and a 3-button remote control for switching!

Other companies with kit which sounds as if it might do the same are:

Maplin: (http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?Tab ... &U=Strat15) this is intended more for letting you feed all sorts of sources into an HDMI output lead.

CYP: (http://www.cypeurope.com/cyp_products.php?parent=0) are in the pro market and have lots of cunning doo-hickies - what's more the site has helpful detailed pdfs

Lektropacks (http://www.lektropacks.com/view_departm ... t=2&show=2) also have a good choice of beasties.

None of these will let you fade in and out neatly. For that you would probably need a digital video mixer such as this JVC one (http://www.sirentechnology.co.uk/produc ... cts_id=624) at Ex. VAT $12,164.27 or a digital video effects unit like the Pinnacle DVExtreme Digital Effects at about $10,000 before tax etc.

I keep feeling there ought to be some software which would let a laptop process the signal appropriately, but have not tracked anything like that down so far.

Dave

[billyfromConsett]

Thanks Dave- that's given me loads to think about, which I'll look into.

Our AV amp (with a few HDMI's in) lets us simply switch to a different channel and get a black screen. It relies on the projectionist believing it will happen. For me it works ok, for others, they want the fader ...

I'll look at those options. But we may just re-connect the analogue circuit for use at special moments when only an analogue fader will do.