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DVD Control System for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
By: Thomas A. Walsh
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, established the George M. Low Gallery. George Low (1948), Rensselaers 14th president, led the Apollo Spacecraft Program that successfully landed man on the moon. A collection of his space memorabilia, donated to Rensselaer by the family, is on display in the newly designed gallery. The George M. Low Gallery, open daily to the public, is located on the fourth floor of the Low Center for Industrial Innovation.
In part of this gallery is a large plasma display that presents Apollo Program videos to viewers who approach the display. When there is no one standing immediately in front of the display, a series of video previews are played. When a viewer gets close to the display one of 12 short videos of the Apollo Program is played. At the end of the day the playback system and plasma display is automatically turned off.
To accomplish the requirements for this application the Leightronix TCD/IP Event Controller, two Pioneer DVD-V7400 DVD Players and a Knox 4x4 Audio/Video Router were utilized.
The two Pioneer DVD players are used to play back the Apollo videos. One DVD player repeats a single title on a DVD. The other DVD player is used to play 12 titles in a sequence and then repeats. The TCD/IP controls the DVD players, router and plasma display.
Using the Script Programming language feature of the TCD/IP, a Script program was developed for scheduling each DVD. One program controls the first DVD player and repeats a single title from 8:00AM to 10:00PM. The router is switched to an unused input (black) while the DVD player is re-cued to provide a smooth clean presentation to the viewer. Another Script program schedules the second player, cueing each title between GPI triggers and arming and disarming the GPI input.
A motion sensor is connected to the GPI input of the TCD/IP. When a viewer approaches the plasma display, a GPI contact closure is activated and is sensed by the TCD/IP. According to the program script, the cued title is then played. When the title is complete, the next program is cued. After the 12th title is played the DVD is re-cued to the first title. When each title is played the TCD/IP controls the routing switch to change the video from the preview DVD to the Program DVD.
At the end of the day, the plasma display is turned off by the TCD/IP through its Plus-Bus RS-232 control module and the DVD players are stopped. At 8:00AM the Scripts are loaded, the plasma display is turned on, the preview DVD player is started, and the Program DVD Player is cued in preparation for the first viewer to approach the display.The system was designed by Media Control Systems and installed by Presentation Concepts.
Media Control Systems
1050 Pioneer Way, Suite Q
El Cajon, CA 92020
619-599-1050
Thomas A. Walsh
Presentation Concepts Corporation
6 Whispering Pines
Gansevoort, NY 12831-1443
518-583-0997
Charlie Moore