Medialon Projector Control
David Geffen School of Drama at Yale
David Geffen School of Drama at Yale
My first assignment at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale was as a projection engineer. At the School of Drama we have Epson laser projectors and run Watchout for projections content. On Epson projectors it is possible to fade the lasers which is invaluable as it allows the designer to achieve a smooth dowse of the laser as opposed to the harsh cut of a traditional shutter. The goal was to be able to control the laser from Watchout.
Epson projectors can receive Art-Net, however after testing we decided not to use Art-Net directly into the projector as the projectors could not be restricted to only laser control and an incorrect DMX value would cause the projectors to change other parameters such as the input, focus, or lens shift.
Instead, I chose to use Medialon Manager to create a control interface that would receive Art-Net data from Watchout and convert it to PJ-Link and HTTP commands to control the projectors. In addition, Medialon Manager was used to create a control interface that could be used for an operator to control all the projectors manually. This is especially useful during tech and pre/post show checks as the whole system can be powered on or off with just one button press.
Trouble shooting features were also added in, such as the ability to switch the whole system over to a backup Watchout system or mute a group of projectors if one Watchout computer fails.
This system has proved to very useful and has been used on every production at the School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre. Each time it is used I tweak it too add more functionality and improve the operation. I am currently in the process of re-building the system from the ground up to improve it’s versatility and ease of use.
