Inputing VGA into Arkaos

[markwehbeh]

I have Arkaos VJ DMX and i have an application where i have a conference and i want to create a layer of the company logo in the background and then i want to make extra layers for a live powerpoint presentation overlaid ... i know this can be done on a hardware level ... just wondering if anyone ever had experience with such thing.

[PhasedMedia]

Hi there, I do this quite frequently.
Mostly I use Akaos server fed into a presentation mixer (like kramer VP-727XL) and use ppt laptop as a PIP source. This give most redundancy, so if anything goes wrong w server I can always switch to another source (DVD backup loop etc) or freeze image.
If its for a multi-screen setup, I use HDMI in to server from ppt laptop (many laptops have DVI out these days), using blackmagic-designs intensity pro card (which is much cheaper than most VGA frame grabbers, and gives better image quality).

Have had great results from both methods.

[markwehbeh]

Thanks for the reply but doesn't these video capture cards like the blackmagic intensity just capture video source .... i need a card in which i can play a laptop signal in realtime so i can make overlaid layer of the powerpoint presentation live

[PhasedMedia]

if ppt laptop has dvi out (mac or newish pc) then adaptor to hdmi is only a couple of dollars. You will have to use a hdtv resolution like 720p or 1080p.
If not, then you will have to use a framegrabber like vision rgb pro.

I use hdmi to stream one server into another.

[markwehbeh]

But do these cards stream video or grab frames?

[nick c]

you want an RGBvision pre card from datapath, like the ones i have to do that very job.

they do VGA and they have the best dvi capture card on the market at the best price.

cheers

[beatriziya]

What games can I run with a 64MB VGA? And do brand really matter when buying one? My PC is running a 2.4Ghz processor, a 512MB RAM and 64MB VGA and crawls really really crawls when running Turtle Bay by GameHouse...Why does it so? When said that a 64MB VGA can run Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo 2. Do that game consumes a lot of memory than it looks or my VGA has a problem? How would you know then if it has a problem? And do brand really matter?

[nick c]

Hi there

64mb on a graphic's card is nothing!!!, it is enough to runing videao and very basic games.

If you want to play games you should think of 256mb on board, as a minimum. Especially with a 2.4ghz processor. you should be able to pick up a good cheap second hand card on ebay for well under $100. But you should buy the best you can afford!!

How comes we are talking about graphic's cards for gamming??? But a good gamming graphic's card will always be of benefit to your arkaos setup.

Everyone has their own preferences for graphic's card manufacturers, but most people have either ATI or Nvidia. either make is good.

Cheers

[dlights]

beatriziya,

The games you sited have low res settings so enable a broad compatibilty of cards and manufacturers, especially WoW. They have like an 11million subscriber base and to keep all those people happy they need to really scale back what the graphics are capable of. (Look at the blocky unchanged models, even with a hi-res skin the models themselves are terribly low poly counts.

Like Nick said, a 64mb video card you can BARELY run WoW or anything that is current and graphic intensive(i.e. Arkaos, since we ARE on the Arkaos forum)

256mb is the bare minumum you should be using for apps like Arkaos... the bigger the better. The 1gb cards are now sub $300 and perform AMAZINGLY. I know for ESPvision they have done side by side render tests for Nvidia vs ATi cards. Nvidia cards of the same class actually outperformed the ATI cards by 2 to 1 in render speeeds and polly count limits . Basically for video cards its all about the flavor of the week for who is better for the money. For gaming I have found that I am much happier with Nvidia Cards 8600m GT is in my laptop right now and it runs VERY strong for all apps. ATI cards have always given problems if for no other reason thier lack of driver support after 6 months of a card being out. A good source of Vid card information is MaximumPC. They do a vid card round up eveyr month or two and are REALLY helpful when picking current high end components.

Also 512MB RAM... you are doing yourself a HUGE disservice, office 2007 now require 2gb. 2GB is now the standard with anything above and beyond helping greatly. I ran WoW on a laptop with very similar stats to the one you were saying and the performance was HORRENDOUS. Especially in WoW in the busy trade hubs. I went to 2GB of RAM and the performance was VASTLY improved. It wasn't till I upgrade to 4GB RAM and a 256 vid card that I didn't lag in EVERYTHING I did.

My current laptop run Arkaos VERY smoothly. Media Master not so much... I find that i hiccups when I am running multiple layers with Video. Best adivce for gaming AND media server... GO BIG. RAM and VId cards are not THAT expensive and ther performance you get from spending an extra 300 dollars will last you several years AND be a HUGE boost in how much you can run concurrently on the system.

Hope this helps.

'D'

[surujaa]

How can I connect the 2 phono feeds from my Xbox 360 to my headphones using the VGA connection? I have connected my Xbox 360 to my PC monitor using the official VGA cable. Unfortunately, the monitor does not have built in speakers or an audio in line, so I can't get any music.

[lyboora]

How do you connect a laptop to a tv using a VGA cable and audio cables? Having some trouble trying to connect my laptop to my television. I bought a VGA cable and audio cables. What program should I use on the computer for it to show up on the tv? Which mode on my tv should i set it to, av1, or....?I hear the sound but no picture. Please help!