Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: good PC software for running pre-show content

This is topic good PC software for running pre-show content in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Jeff Else (Member # 4063) on 03-27-2010, 04:26 AM:

being that obtaining 35mm trailers for an independent foreign/art/rep house can be quite a hassle, and high quality HD trailers are becoming easier and easier to obtain, i'm trying to create a workable Windows based pre-show & trailer system for everyday use at my theatre. i've built a speedy new PC that can easily handle 1080p content. here's what i want: software that will display content in full screen and show no control information (play symbols, etc..) on the projector, but will allow me to view and operate a controller (playlist, counter, etc) on another screen (in the booth). seems simple to me but i can't seem to find a player that will let me do this, or at least i cant figure out how to configure any to behave this way. suggestions?

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 03-27-2010, 05:10 AM:

VLC, amazing free software, you will never need anything else.
VLC Page

Turn off all OSD, drag the video output as a second screen and you're in business. You can even set start and stop times to only play portions of videos. Set your background to black to avoid it flashing as the next video buffers.

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 03-29-2010, 10:25 AM:

VLC would be the direction I'd head with a PC setup. Codec support is really good and the interface isn't cluttered with a lot of stuff that will get in the way.

Did you consider something like the Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player?

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/index.asp?cat=30

These devices have a lot of good reviews and low cost ($100-$115), and I'd be curious to know how it would work in a theater setup. If you looked at it and discounted it, I'd be curious to know what made it less attractive than building a PC for the task.

Good luck on the VLC route, and follow-up with your experiences!

Posted by Joe Elliott (Member # 4006) on 03-29-2010, 11:42 AM:

I've used VLC player before for a DVD, the only down side I found to it is when it repeated the DVD, it would forget the audio and video settings I had set up. I would change the interlace blending and boost the audio a bit. I don't know if it would do that if it were video clips.

Posted by Jeff Else (Member # 4063) on 04-11-2010, 07:52 PM:

VLC is fantastic! I've got it set so that screen 2 (video projector) is the default playback screen, full-screen is the default playback mode, screen 1 stays out of full-screen so i can still see and use the controller, on screen displays and full-screen controllers are disabled so i don't have to be embarrassed by the fact that my audience is sitting in front of a giant computer screen, and, if all else fails, the desktop background of the projector is black. The perfect solution!

Posted by Mike Moreno (Member # 4887) on 04-12-2010, 07:37 PM:

when i play a video the name of it apears on screen,how can i erase it or make that the VLC does not show the name
thanks

mike moreno

Posted by Joe Elliott (Member # 4006) on 04-14-2010, 12:45 PM:

On the top bar, go to TOOLS, then down to PREFERENCES, then on the left select SUBTITLES & OSD, unclick ENABLE OSD.

Posted by Mike Moreno (Member # 4887) on 04-15-2010, 10:42 AM:

thanks joe.

mike moreno
mexico

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 04-15-2010, 02:47 PM:

That's more or less the only drawback of VLC - the options are a nightmare to the beginner. It takes a while to get through all of them, and as with all free software, documentation is very bad.

Another player with a slicker interface is MPC Home Cinema, also free.
It's easier to set up. I suggest you have both installed.

I would prefer VLC due to some esoteric options, but for some reason, VLC 1.05 and 1.03 is extremely unstable on our projection PC. Don't know yet why. We use it every day, so I'm not fond of messing around with it too much.

- Carsten