ANSI Lumens
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) lumens refers to the brightness of a projector.
Aspect Ratio
The Aspect Ratio of an image is the width divided by the height and are expressed as x:y.
Building Projection
Projections onto buildings can look spectacular due to the sheer scale but because of the size of the projection, large bright projectors and often multiple machines are required to produce images bright enough.
Cardioids, Supercardioids and Hypercardioids
Cardiods are named because the sensitivity pattern (see diagram above) is heart-shaped.
Condenser Microphone
In a condenser microphone, also known as a capacitor microphone, the diaphragm acts as one plate of a capacitor, and the vibrations produce changes in the distance between the plates.
DLP Projectors
DLP projectors produce the image by using thousands of microscopic mirrors laid out on a semiconductor chip called a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD)
dmx
DMX512 (Digital Multiplex) is a standard most noteably used to control stage lighting.
Dynamic Microphone
Dynamic microphones work via electromagnetic induction by detecting changes in sound pressure to move a coil of wire in a magnetic field.
Front and Rear Projection
Simply put, front projection is what we are all used to – a white screen with a projector in front of it. Rear projection is a handy technique where the projector is located behind a translucent screen.
Geometric Correction (Warping)
Geometric Correction in video processing can refer to Keystone but is more often used to describe detailed manipulation of a video source.
Holographic Projection (Peppers Ghost)
Contrary to popular belief, Holographic Projection is nothing new, in fact it has been around since the mid-nineteenth century when it was used by John Henry Pepper and the name “Pepper’s Ghost” was coined.
Interactive Projection
Interactive projections are, as the name suggests projections where a persons motion is defected and the image is manipulated by it. It is often used for games and advertising and shown on the floor by projecting vertically down.
Keystone
When a projector is physically positioned, depending on the angle that it is to the screen, the image projected may not be square.
Laser Grafiti
Laser Graffiti is something that would probably be far more common if projection mapping didn’t come along but what is it? Simply put, it’s graffiti that uses projectors instead of paint.
LCD or DLP Projectors?
The answer is it depends on the application. Here is a list of pros and cons of each system.This is not a definitive list and as technology progresses the pros become greater and the cons are being rectified.
LCD Projectors
All of our LCD (liquid crystal display) projectors are 3 LCD models and work by splitting the light
Lens Shift
Lens Shift is not too dissimilar to keystone correction as it allows flexibility in positioning a projector.
Letter-Boxed images
In video, letter-boxed is a term used to describe an image that does not fill the frame vertically.
Live Camera to Screen
Using live cameras on screen is very useful with a very large audience that have limited view of the stage. It is also a useful technique for relaying a presentation to additional overflow rooms.
Media Servers
Media Servers in the Technical Production Industry are essentially high spec computers that are used to playback video files.
Microphone
A microphone is a device used to convert sound into an electrical signal which can then be processed, mixed and amplified before being sent to the loudspeakers where it is converted back to sound.
moving head lights
Moving lights as the name would suggest are lights which have integral motors to enable their motion as well as other attributes. They are part of the rather generic term Intelligent Lighting. This term covers any stage light that goes beyond a static light. In so much as the lights can produce some fantastic results, they do not have any intellegence of their own, this is down to the opperator!
moving head projectors
Moving head or moving yoke projectors are very similar to moving head lights. Instead of using a lighting fixture a digital projector is used. This gives the benefit of being able to physically move projected video around. By combining bespoke video content designed for purpse it’s effect can be nothing short of spectacular.
Portrait Projection
The majority of projectors are primarily designed to be used in landscape orientation as that is typically how videos and computer graphics are displayed.
Projecting on to People
This is something that we are often asked to do for music videos and photo shoots. It is fairly straight forward and can produce interesting effects.
Projection Mapping
Projection mapping is a technique used to accurately project video content onto an irregular surface. This is often a 3D surface such as a building or car, however 2D surfaces can be projection mapped too.We have prepared a glossary of terms with definitions to help you understand video, lighting and audio jargon
Resolution
Resolution dictates the definition and detail of an image and refers to the number of pixels in each dimension, horizontal and vertical,
Soft Edge Blending
Soft Edge Blending in the world of projection refers to 2 or more projectors being used to display a section of the same video image. If is often used when a very wide image needs to be displayed. If we take a 3:1 image for example:
Specialist Projection Surfaces
In addition to standard white or grey rear projection screens there are various more specialised screen surfaces that can be used or projection for functionality or effect such as Projection Films, Lenticular Screens, Electronic Switchable Screens and Scrim Screens.
Stacking Projectors
Two or more projectors maybe stacked in order to increase the total brightness of the image.
synchronisation
In terms of video or audio, sychronisation reffers to the coordination of separate feeds so that everything plays back at the same time. It is extremely important in our industry and a good example of audio and video out of sync is lip sync. We’ve all seen bad examples of this when we hear words before seeing lips move on screen!
Vertical Projection
Projecting up or down isn’t necessarely problematic but something that often needs more consideration than projecting horizontally onto a screen or wall. Many projectors are not “safe” to be used if inclined more than 15° as it can upset their cooling and airflow.
Video / Audio Distribution
Video/Audio distribution refers to taking a signal and spitting it so that it can be sent to more than one device, a screen, mixer, speaker etc.
Video Switching
A vision mixer, also known as a video switcher, video mixer or production switcher is a device used to select or mix two or more different video sources and in some cases to add special effects.