One of my most important requirements for an effective working environment is pixels. The more I have, the more efficiently I can work. Starting in the days when dual-outputs required having an AGP and a PCI card working in tandem, and eventually bringing in multiple computers controlled via Synergy (on CDM) I’ve steadily upgraded to the point where I currently have 6560 pixels of desktop-width in front of me, spread over 3 machines.

The current biggest and brightest is a BenQ G2400W. After purchasing my first HD video camera, I spent several months looking for a reasonably priced monitor with HDMI input and the requisite 1920×1080 pixels to allow me to get a 1:1 HD preview. The G2400 was the first monitor I found with these specifications priced under AU$500 (around US$400).

Prior to picking it up, my biggest monitor was a Phillips 21″ CRT. It pushes out a respectable 1920×1440 pixels, and pushes down a reasonably frightening 28Kg. At its highest resolution, those pixels start getting a little small. I’m happy with lots of tiny text on screen, but few other people can use my setup on that monitor without squinting and leaning close enough to hear the photons bouncing off their epidermis. Upgrading from a CRT to an HD LCD gave me just about as many pixels, but much more clarity, more readable text, and considerably less flickering.

iHologram - iPhone application from David OReilly on Vimeo.

Speaking of iPhones, here’s some really brilliant work by David O’Reilly. You may have seen it already, as it looks like it’s made the rounds, but I love the technique. By doing anamorphic perspective warping of the 3D scene on the device, this app simulates a holographic 3D on the screen of the iPhone, courtesy the device’s motion sensors. Correction: Okay, it’s not actually possible to do this on the iPhone. So why not build your own hardware for the job? Rotation sensors should be possible with the proper gyro-sensor. That makes all of this even less about the iPhone, and more about what is possible with augmented reality and mobile devices. (It looks absolutely possible — and suggests still other ideas. Thanks, visceralX, for the correction.)

It’s a fairly simple gimmick here, but it suggests some of the possibility of making art not just for big screens, but small screens, too, turning a “weakness” into a strength. Way back when CD-ROMs were in vogue, I remember hearing composer Morton Subotnik talk about how multimedia for computers was a new kind of chamber music performance. He saw the shift to smaller screens not as damaging large-scale performance spectacle, but making the work more “intimate.” I wonder if motion graphics and even live visuals might be able to do the same.

One possibility: invite three or four of your closest friends to your next gig. Gather them round a little screen, uncork some wine, and enjoy real appreciation instead of a massive club full of people.

Simple shapes with effective use of 3D mapping to a scaffold covered with semi-opaque scrims.

From French crew Exyzt, who also have released a minimalist Mac video instrument: Cowboy Bitmap.

via VJ.TV

CDMo reader Seej has been getting rather DIY projection, with instructions on how to build a portable projector screen, and a DIY projector mount.

I do a lot of projection installations, in unique locations, usually with about zero setup time. When I looked into buying a professional 10’x7’ “fast-fold” screen, I was blown away by how much they cost. Instead, I decided to design my own, using easy to find materials.

The Challenge:
1. Fast to set-up
2. Fits in a cab
3. Front or rear projection
4. Affordable

We’ve seen a similar projector mount before at VJKungFu, but Seej’s version seems to be even easier. A couple of these would have saved countless setup hours for me over the last year.

So, the next step is to make this even cheaper: Does anyone have a source for cheap ball joint heads and clamps?

I’ve had 2 rented Draper Cinefold screens with me on the tour. These are relatively expensive collapsible screens which we got a good deal on for a 3ish month rental. Unfortunately their former life at dance parties outside in the elements had left them with some pretty serious battle scars. One of the screen frames had a broken hinge, as did one of the legs.

These I “fixed” with gaffer tape and strips of plywood, until we had a couple of days off between tour legs and I time for some maintenance. I realised that while the screens came with drape bars to hang blacks from, they had never been used as the drapes are an extra US$1000ish, and not really required for raves out in the bush.

It was a relatively quick fix to dremel off the rivet heads from the broken and fresh hinges and to bolt the new ones in place. Requires some 6mm bolts, washers, and some nyloc nuts if you want to be extra sure that they’re not going to work their way free as the kit vibrates its way around the country in the back of a truck.

I shot a timelapse of the fix. Not really as a tutorial, as it’s not really something which requires much explanation. More as a celebration of my return to civilization, where I can waste a couple of hours shooting and motion tracking a mundane exercise.