What are the differences between Spyder and Montage?
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The Spyder screen control system is the most sophisticated screen processor available today. With the experience gained in designing the Montage video processor, the designers went on to produce the Spyder screen processing system as an affordable analogue and digital mixer whether your show is a single screen, multiple screens, or a combination of both using soft-edge seamless blending techniques.
Montage was only capable of taking in analogue signals. The Spyder can use any combination of signals: Composite, YC, YUV, RGBHV, DVI, SDI and HD-SDI signals on inputs as well as outputs. Spyder can be operated from either a standard PC interface or from the new Montage II console.
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What are the differences between Spyder and Dataton Watchout?
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The Spyder and Dataton Watchout systems are very different. Watchout uses Personal computers to output to projectors using the power of the computer to animate images and text. The overlap and edge blending are processed in software by the Watchout system. A 'Master' computer talks with 'slave' computers over a network to enable them to stay in sync with each other.
Spyder is more like a very advanced vision mixer - allowing many live inputs from PC, video, and high definition video to be brought into the system and mixed live in multiple PiP windows in 'real-time'. Inputs can be combined within Spyder to use resolutions much higher then a single source can produce. For instance we regularly run PowerPoint at resolutions of over 3,600 x 1024 pixels giving incredible looking images but with the flexibility of software that people are used to. With our high resolution graphic PC's we are not restricted to just Powerpoint, but can use any application including Director and Flash.
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What are the differences between Spyder and Barco Viewscape?
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There are technical differences and artistic differences between Spyder and Viewscape. Spyder offers uncompromising quality of image with 10 bit processing throughout, the ability to route all sources without needing extra distribution amplifiers, source switchers or any additional external processing. Spyder as standard supports 3 screen outputs with 5 PiPs anywhere on screen. Additional Spyders allow more outputs and inputs to be added extremely cost effectively.
On the creative side, Spyder has no equal. All PiPs can have soft shadows, coloured borders and 3D looks. Full movement, resizing and total control of every PiP is easily achieved with unlimited storage of presets. Cloning of PiPs enables twice as many PiPs to be shown without requiring additional channels. Spyder is the most sophisticated seamless widescreen and multiscreen system available!
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Can the inputs to Spyder be resized, cropped or the aspect ratio altered?
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All of the inputs to the Spyder system can be fully configured, and along with cropping of all edges, independent horizontal and vertical scaling is allowed therefore changing the aspect ratio of the image. Full parameters are stored for each of the inputs available including adjustments for sync, colour balance, brightness, contrast, hue, etc. These are automatically loaded whenever an input is selected in Spyder.
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What information can be stored for use during a show?
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The Spyder system has the capabilities of storing in separate presets all settings for screen pips. Presets can be easily recalled during the show. By the use of sequences, complex presets and moves can be easily stored, and also assigned when necessary to 'quick keys' for rapid recall. It is therefore possible to fly pips around the screen to preset positions during the show, and yet have the flexibility to alter where required and over-ride sequences.
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Can the show only be run at XGA resolution?
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It is best to run the output of the show at the native vertical resolution of the projectors. The Spyder can be configured to give outputs including XGA, SXGA, UXGA, QXGA and video outputs from standard to HD video. Outputs available include analogue RGBHV, SDI, HD-SDI, YUV and DVI. Multiple outputs can have different output settings enabling some outputs to become record feeds while others are sent to projectors.
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How do we make a high resolution background?
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Any source can be used to generate the background, but it is important to remember that stretching a normal 1024 x 768 image over a wide screen will result in a loss of resolution and also display the incorrect aspect ratio. Spyder can use any number of jpg images for backgrounds if required. These should be built at the 'pixel space' resolution of the show and can be extremely hi resolution, 4,000 pixels x 1080 is quite possible. It is also possible to play Dataton Watchout backgrounds through the system if required via Dataton PC's. Joys also have an extremely fast graphics server giving multiple outputs with overlap. When fed into the Spyder system, this forms the basis for the fast background generation system. Because it is an extremly fast PC, PowerPoint is fully supported along with other software applications like Macromedia Director and Flash. Moving backgrounds can be played back from either a PC source or alternatively a video source such as a Doremi hard drive player or our cost effective HD playback system that outputs at HD resolution via HD-SDI at 1920x1080.
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How many inputs and how many screens can the system use?
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The Spyder systems from Joys are available in single screen, three screen, or four screen output. Spyders can be joined together to allow for many live layers, or more screen outputs. All PiPs can be configured as mixers with the ability to mix different sources. i.e. Video to computer.
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What about single screen use?
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We can now supply a Spyder unit with only a single output. It has the capability to show 3 live layers on the single output. With 5 inputs to each layer, with this set up it would be quite possible to mix 2 cameras along with a Betacam, DVD etc and 3 PCs on RGB inputs and another 3 PCs on DVI connectors. This is a very cost effective way to use Spyder as an all purpose mixer and windowing processor. We also have 12,000 and 18,000 lumen HD projectors for stunning single and multi screen use.
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Do you have to use front projection, or is rear projection successful?
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We have successfully produced many shows using front and rear projection. All shows use edge blending on multiple projectors to achieve the seamless widescreen imagery. The type of screen material to use is of paramount importance and Joys are happy to discuss in detail what is required. There are some very good screen materials out there that do not cost the earth.
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WIDESCREEN: Multi Projector Widescreen | Spyder Screen Control | Technical Consultancy | FAQ’s
