Idea: Freestream video standard

[DrEskaton]

Just a random thought. Since everyone wants a VGA mixer but they are unaffordable why can't we invent the capability in software with an open standard?

Imagine similarly to freeframe, we develop or pick an existing standard for streaming synchronised video across a fast ethernet network. Seems a lot of the work has been done by VideoLan which is GPL so could be freely used to set a standard. You would probably need gigabit ethernet to stream a couple of 800x600 or 1024x768 streams but gigabit is relatively cheap now.

Then get as many VJ apps as possible on both PC and Mac to support sending or recieving "freestream" inputs or outputs. You could also have simple programs that just capture a video in and stream it over "freestream". I imagine you could also write a program that captures a video output and redirects it to "freestream" in order to allow VJ apps that don't have direct support to stream their output to a freestream network with a performance hit.

Resolume already does this between multiple copies of itself, if we had a cross app, cross platform standard for this it would give us the fabled VGA mixer option in software? Anyone think this is a good idea?

[DrEskaton]

What you have linked is only video resolution, the idea of "freestream" would be to support higher resolutions than PAL or NTSC.

[alangeering]

patchbox for freeframe hosts??

[alangeering]

http://www.vjforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=7936&highlight=patchbox
http://www.vjforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=7706&highlight=patchbox

This can be configured as you wish.

[sleepytom]

yeah there are a few solutions for this allready - the thing in resolume that Dave inside-us-all wrote and patchbox.

neither of these are opensource though so there could be good reason to start an open project.

it won't ever be a good as a proper hardware vga mixer but could certainly be fun.

[DrEskaton]

hey cool, I didn't know about patchbox? So it lets any VJ app that supports freeframe plugins send and recieve video over the net right?

ok so we're half way there. very cool

[InsideUsAll]

i'm currently thinking about releasing vidnet [the video over network component from resolume II] as a very cheap freeframe plugin. and publishing the protocol.

[krokodril]

love this idea,

means finally!! the live capture(s) can be a different machine as the (daisy-chained?) effect machines(playing live ping-pong), al that i would like to see next to this(more more i want more) is ofcourse several seperate consoles(ervers) to steer the whole rig in the most ergonomic silly way......


btw mpeg and mjpeg (hardware)encoders are lovely little ic's wich also could generate an analysis stream, instead of encoding video.....

:confused:
am i being vague??

copy the input video,one is ofcourse encoded, second: instead of encoding it, analyse it real time frame by frame, using the same hardware but different software(most cctv detection software seems to work like this)
next to your mpeg videofile you now also have a parameter file wich is content dependend and can be used directly to set filters, masks etc.


If anyone would know the right geek for this job, with knowledge of hardware(encoding) as wel as the software knowledge. i'd sponsor or promote him or her to the best of my abillities.