ProPresenter Advanced Module   Buy Now

The Advanced Module provides capabilities that enhance ProPresenter's native feature set. The most popular part of our Advanced Module, the 3-screen functionality, is now available for both Mac and Windows! The Mac version also offers two additional capabilities that are useful in special situations. These are detailed below.

  Multi-Screen Presentations (2 or 3 screens)   [ Mac & Windows ]

This is a software addition to ProPresenter which requires the Matrox DualHead2Go or the Matrox TripleHead2Go products (TripleHead2Go pictured to right - available from Renewed Vision -- see which Matrox unit is right for you). These devices are little black boxes that connect to your computer's Mini Displayport or DVI port and tricks your computer into thinking that it is connected to a really wide display. The TripleHead2Go then takes this ultra-wide video signal being sent to it and splits it into three separate outputs (left, center, and right). ProPresenter has always been able to work with the TripleHead2Go, but because the computer only thought it was connected to one wide display, ProPresenter would only display text as if it was displaying to an ultra-wide display. With the Advanced module, however, ProPresenter can now project videos and lyrics independently on each of the TripleHead2Go's outputs*.

Lyrics can be placed on any or all of the screens, and background videos can be spanned or displayed individually on each display. This unique solution provides for the easiest and least expensive way to create a multi-screen lyric and video presentation for your environment, avoiding the complication and cost of distribution amplifiers, scaler-switchers, and extra computers and software otherwise required to get your lyrics on multiple displays. No other software package offers this level of support or flexibility for the TripleHead2Go.

The panel below is found within the Multi-Screen tab in the Preferences section and enables you to easily turn this function on or off and choose which screens you want activated. You can also choose to tile a video in the background, stretch it across multiple screens, or turn it off for some screens. This last option opens up many possibilities such as using with a switcher to key video on outside screens or doing a "foldback" where a choir can see a screen with just words on a back wall (no background) while the audience sees everything.

The settings above would result in the output shown below (no image stretching with tiling enabled and the rightmost screens background turned off):

* Does NOT support the Stage Display feature of ProPresenter 4/5. To use that you must have a third video out (i.e. USB adapter).

Most of these controls can also be quickly and conveniently toggled on/off with your mouse or keyboard shortcut as seen below.

Note:

• No alternative lyrics - This feature does not support the display of alternate lyrics/text, but it does offer the ability to format the same text in a different manner (font, size, color, location, etc.). The Master Control Module could be used to display alternative text on each screen (i.e. multi-lingual environments).
• Video from DVD on one screen only for Mac version (2 or 3 for PC version) - Because of the restriction on third party application's ability to interact with DVDs, all DVD content can be displayed on only one of the full-width output of the TripleHead2Go or DualHead2Go and can NOT be mapped as backgrounds. We recommend following the instructions on our FAQ pages for bringing this content onto your hard drive for use with the Advanced Module.
  
• Switching to any other applications - PowerPoint, Keynote, or other apps will not work well because they don't have built-in support for multiple/triple-wide display output, which is specifically what the Advanced Module does for ProPresenter. It can work for slide shows, but only if they are custom designed for a 3 wide resolution. There is no way to tile a single screen Keynote/PowerPoint presentation to 3 separate displays as ProPresenter can with the Advanced Module (that's one specific purpose of this module - neither Keynote nor PowerPoint has an equivalent capability).

  Network Node for ProVideoPlayer   [ Mac ONLY ]

This feature allows the backgrounds generated by ProPresenter to be remotely triggered from a PVP Master over the network, just like a PVP network node would be triggered. Thus, the operator of ProPresenter can hide their background panel and focus only on the words of the song letting the PVP operator determine which backgrounds that system will be playing. In some scenarios, like the Chris Tomlin tour, this saves the purchase and set-up of an additional Mac, PVP Network Node, and switcher (to manage the keying of words of video between Pro and PVP) and keep the highest possible quality output.

* Does NOT support grid mapping function that a PVP Network Node does, but will mirror hue, contrast, brightness, and tempo changes made on Master.

  SDI Output   [ Mac ONLY ]

Instead of outputting all graphics through just the DVI port of the Mac, this allows ProPresenter to output content through an SDI card if one is installed. (Note, this functionality is included with the Alpha Keyer Module).

* Firewire output not supported in ProPresenter 4/5.
* Support for HD1080 resolution requires a suitable Blackmagic card (Extreme Decklink HD 3D, Extreme 4k, or the UltraStudio Thunderbolt device) as well as a display connected that has this resolution selected in the Apple Displays control panel. DVD and website display is not possible through the video component output method.

ProPresenter Multi-Screen Module   [ Mac & Windows ]   Buy Now

The Multiscreen module is a software enhancement to ProPresenter which works with a Matrox DualHead2Go or TripleHead2Go (TripleHead2Go pictured to right - available from Renewed Vision -- see which Matrox unit is right for you). These devices are external boxes that connect to your computer's Mini Displayport or DVI port and are recognized by your computer as single display that happens to be 2- or 3-times wider than a normal display. The Dual- or TripleHead2Go takes this ultra-wide signal and splits it into two or three separate outputs. While ProPresenter and work with the Dual/TripleHead2Go without the Multiscreen module, it would only output a single, wide image. With the Multi-Screen module, however, you can now choose what layers of ProPresenter's output are seen on each of the outputs of the Matrox device*.

Lyrics can be placed on any or all of the screens, and background videos can be spanned or displayed individually on each display. This unique solution provides for the easiest and least expensive way to create a multi-screen lyric and video presentation. No other software package offers this level of support or flexibility for the Matrox family of external display processors.

The configuration preference shown below is found within the Multi-Screen tab in Preferences and enables you to turn the function on/off and choose which screens you want specific layers active. You can also choose to tile a video in the background or stretch it across multiple screens. In ProPresenter 5, you can also choose different templates for different screens (for example you could do full screen text with backgrounds for screens shown in your sanctuary, but lower third words on a black background for a signal sent to your video switcher.

The settings above would result in the output shown below (no image stretching with tiling enabled and the rightmost screens background turned off):

* Does NOT support the Stage Display feature of ProPresenter 4/5. To use that you must have a third video out (i.e. USB adapter).

Most of these controls can also be quickly and conveniently toggled on/off with your mouse or keyboard shortcut as seen below.

Note:

• No alternative lyrics - This function does not support the display of alternate lyrics. Text is merely duplicated on activated screens.
• Video from DVD on one screen only for Mac version (2 or 3 for PC version) - Because of the restriction on third party application's ability to interact with DVDs, all DVD content can be displayed on only one of the full-width output of the TripleHead2Go or DualHead2Go and can NOT be mapped as backgrounds. We recommend following the instructions on our FAQ pages for bringing this content onto your hard drive for use with the Multi-Screen Module.
  
• Switching to any other applications - PowerPoint, Keynote, or other apps will not work well because they don't have built-in support for multiple/triple-wide display output, which is specifically what the Multi-Screen Module does for ProPresenter. It can work for slide shows, but only if they are custom designed for a 3 wide resolution. There is no way to tile a single screen Keynote/PowerPoint presentation to 3 separate displays as ProPresenter can with the Advanced Module (that's one specific purpose of this module - neither Keynote nor PowerPoint has an equivalent capability).

ProPresenter SDI Module   [ Mac Only ]   Buy Now

The SDI Module provides capabilities that enhance ProPresenter's native feature set, but it only works on the Mac version of ProPresenter. If you aren't familiar with what SDI means, it is a professional broadcast quality video interface -- you can read more here.

The SDI Output module converts the output of ProPresenter to a native SDI stream when used with a compatible Blackmagic Decklink Card or UltraStudio 3D product (can purchase here from Renewed Vision Store). While this is an option for those that need an output to an SDI video switcher, our recommendation would be to use a Matrox ConvertDVI (available under "Video Accessories" in our store) or other scan converter downstream of the computer's graphics (DVI/VGA) output.

If you have questions, please call our sales department at 404-935-4044, ext 1.

NOTE: Although not recommended, support for HD1080 resolution requires a suitable Blackmagic card (Extreme Decklink HD 3D, Extreme 4k, or the UltraStudio Thunderbolt device) as well as a display connected that has this resolution selected in the Apple Displays control panel. Neither DVD nor web content can be displayed through the SDI Module (due to DRM legal issues).

Note: While this capability may work on a wireless network, we do not recommend or support this implementation. For reliability sake in a production environment, we require a wired network connection.

ProPresenter Master Control Module   Buy Now

The Master Control Module provides capabilities that enhance ProPresenter's native feature set and works on both Mac and Windows version of ProPresenter 5 (only).

An entirely new and exciting module is available for ProPresenter 5. The "Master Control Module" allows one operator to control multiple ProPresenter Network Nodes from one computer.

This is a highly useful feature for productions where one may need to utilize multiple instances of ProPresenter to control multiple screens, each with varying content, but want one operator to control them all in unison from one station. This new module allows one Master ProPresenter Station to remotely trigger slides and Video/Image bin contents of one or more networked ProPresenter stations. Each Slave station can have their own respective content suitable for its output, so it can be the same or different material than the Master station (great for multi-lingual environments).

All ProPresenter 5 systems for Mac will be capable of being a Network Node out of the box, but to utilize this capability a Master Control Module must be purchased and installed on one system.

Network nodes are connected to in the "Network" Preferences panel of ProPresenter:

Mac Only! This feature is only supported by the Mac version of ProPresenter. We'll be looking to implement this for the Windows version at some point in the future if possible.

ProPresenter Alpha Keyer Module   Buy Now

Renewed Vision is pleased to announce the addition of an advanced Alpha Keyer Module for ProPresenter. Using this new software module in conjunction with a BlackMagic Decklink HD Extreme (required, pictured to right) and broadcast level switchers, ProPresenter can provide perfectly keyed alpha-channel support for graphics, words, and video effects. What's more, we composite the text that is built in ProPresenter, along with the cross dissolves, right with the video backgrounds (with or without alpha-key) for the worlds first fully-functional worship-minded CG solution.

This module can operate in two different modes as described below.

Separate Key and Fill Outputs (Linear Key)

If you're running a broadcast switcher, it more than likely that it has the ability to support separate key and fill channel inputs (commonly referred to as Linear Key). Using the new Alpha Keyer Module for ProPresenter, you can now send separate key and fill signals to your video switcher.

Downstream Key Directly to Display

If you're using a switcher that does not have separate Key/Fill inputs, you can use ProPresenter downstream of your switcher to overlay alpha-keyed graphics and words on top of your video switcher feed. When using this option, all full screen videos will continue to play full screen, and the ProPresenter operator in effect has completely control over what is going to your output displays.

Downstream Key Back to Switcher

The final way you can use the new ProPresenter Alpha Keyer Module is to use the software as a Downstream keyer to a video switcher that does not have separate Key/Fill inputs. In this way, you can use a linear or chroma key option with the threshold set to 100%. This option provides a good fail-safe so that if for whatever the ProPresenter computer goes down, you can immediately turn off the key and take the clean program output.

* Support for HD1080p Alpha-Keyer capability is not offered by any Blackmagic cards at this time, so ProPresenter is not able to offer this resolution for this solution. DVD and website display is not possible through the video component output method.
** The Blackmagic Decklink HD Extreme 3D, Extreme 4k, or the UltraStudio Thunderbolt device are the ONLY suitable options at this time.

Mac Only! This feature is only supported by the Mac version of ProPresenter. We'll be looking to implement this for the Windows version at some point in the future if possible.

ProPresenter Edge Blending Module   Buy Now

What is Edge Blending?

Simply put, Edge Blending is the practice of using two or more projectors to create a single seamless image. The center screen below is an example of this (combines 3 projectors to create one extra wide, singular image):

Why use Edge Blending?

The challenge in any kind of video staging is to create a visual experience people don't see everyday. While the use of basic projection techniques is a good start, standard aspect ratios can create the impression to people in the audience that they are simply "watching television". The ability to create visual images on a wider canvas makes for a more compelling visual experience that make people take notice.

What is involved with creating a seamless Edge Blend?

Most people think that if you have two projectors and send the left half of an image to one projector and the right half of an image to the other projector, that you can just butt the two projected images next to each other to create a seamless image. In practice, however, this doesn't work very well because it is nearly impossible to line the projectors up side by side to form a seamless image. The seams are visible, and create a distraction for the audience who can see the lines between the two projectors.

So because of this obstacle a process called "edge blending" was created. It actually occurs in two steps. The first is called "data doubling" and consists of duplicating content on the projectors used. Using two projectors as an example, the right edge of the left projector shares the same information with the left edge of the right projector, like so:

Obviously, the area in which the two projected images overlap is going to be brighter than the areas projected uniquely be each projector, which will create a brighter "hot spot" at the overlap point. To compensate for this, we introduce the second step of the Edge Blending process, which is called "feathering the edge". In this manner, the data-doubled portion of the left projected image is manipulated to gradually fade to black, while the data-doubled portion of the right projected image is gradually faded in from black. If you were to graph the light output in this manner, the left and right projected edges would look like so:

Such that where they overlap, it would appear like this:

Thus reducing any "hot spotting". Here's a diagram of what we're doing with a 3 screen edge blend - the first image shows an example of 3 full projectors at 800x600 resolution each and the second shows how they are overlapped:

The results of this are better visualized with live imagery. Below you see three projected images with the data-doubled and blended areas outlined for each projector. Next, the image is broken apart to see how they were joined to create the complete seamless image.

What is required to create an edge blend?

In the past, the process of creating this kind of edge blend required the use of special equipment, such as video scalers or multi-channel video processors. At the low end, this requires an additional investment of around $1,500 per projector. At the high end, you could spend $50,000 or more depending on the quality of the image you are trying to create.

The ProPresenter Edge Blending Module makes use of the Matrox DualHead2Go or TripleHead2Go to output 2 or 3 separate images that have the data-doubling and edge-feathering already done.

The module itself has an easy-to-use interface and takes away a lot of the complex math and calculations usually necessary to accomplish a good edge blend across multiple projectors.

What are the limitations?

Because the Edge Blending Module makes use of a Matrox DualHead2Go or TripleHead2Go, you are limited to up to 3 projectors at this time. Projector placement is limited to horizontal at the moment (you cannot create a top, middle, bottom edge blend with the Edge Blending Module).

Also, like any edge blending solution, you cannot create a projected resolution equal to the total output width of the DualHead or TripleHead2Go. Because of the data doubling, usually 100-250 pixels, your finished image horizontal resolution will be 10%-20% less than the output of the computer itself.

Only two things in ProPresenter cannot be projected using the Edge Blending Module - DVD content played directly from the DVD itself or content using the Web view. Neither go through the GPU (where the software does its rendering work) and therefore cannot be manipulated and mapped to this custom resolution. The DVD issue is due to a limitation placed on us by Apple with regard to Digital Rights Management (DRM) that is not legal to circumvent. The Web View is displayed using the industry standard WebKit and therefore drawn in a custom window that we're not able to manipulate.

System Requirements?

The Edge Blending Module requires a newer graphics card and machine to run and depends on the combination of hardware and version of the OS X you're running. Rather than provide a confusing matrix to determine whether a system will work, we do this on the fly in the program testing and confirming whether or not the Edge Blending Module will work on that computer. So just check either the "About ProPresenter" window or the "Registration" for the "Edge Blending Capable" status, as seen below:

ProPresenter MIDI Module   [ Mac Only ]   Buy Now

The ProPresenter MIDI module for Mac allows you to control ProPresenter by a MIDI controller. While simple commands can be initiated from a MIDI keyboard, users can take advantage of the more advanced triggering methods obtained through sequencers or lighting consoles. The MIDI module works with any connected MIDI device accessible to the system through the "Audio MIDI" utility.

Among the commands within the the MIDI Module:

• Clear commands for all layers
• Standard video playback controls for any playing video
• Previous/Next Playlist
• Previous/Next Slide
• Timeline Start/Stop/Rewind
• Start/Stop Countdown clocks and elapsed timers

Advanced selections (make use of the note intensity property):

• Select a specific playlist item within the current playlist
• Trigger a specific slide offset within the current presentation
• Select a specific Video/Image Playlist
• Trigger a specific Video/Image offset within the current playlist
• Select a specific Audio playlist
• Trigger an audio file offset within the current playlist
• Toggle a prop offset on/off

Note: MIDI capabilities vary based on the equipment that you are connecting to. It is highly recommended that you demo these modules first, free of charge, from within ProPresenter before purchase as all sales are final. There is detailed information available within our ProPresenter 5 Manual.

ProPresenter Communications Module   [ Mac Only ]   Buy Now

The communications module for ProPresenter gives you advanced capabilities to control ProPresenter running on your Mac from other production devices (and in some cases control other production devices) to simplify the workflow for your production crew. The module features a number of different protocols for communicating including:

Art-Net for Lighting Consoles (DMX over Ethernet)

Control ProPresenter Slides, Backgrounds, Audio, and Timelines from a lighting console to trigger videos simultaneously with lighting cues.

Video Switchers/Deck Controllers Controlling ProPresenter

There are a bevy of protocols for video switchers that ProPresenter can work with, among them are:

• VDCP and AMP (Serial or Ethernet) - Trigger/query names for video clips in a designated ProPresenter video/image bin playlist; Transport controls for playback
• Sony BVW (Serial) - Transport controls for playback of the current clip
• RossTalk (Ethernet) - Go up and down in the contents of the current playlist; advance through slides or playlist items; clear commands;

ProPresenter Controlling Video Switchers:

• Sony BVS (Serial) - Turn the DSK and Key on/off; Trigger Fade to Black from within ProPresenter
• GVG 100 (Serial or Ethernet) - Toggle DSK and Fade to Black
• RossTalk (Ethernet) - Transition or cut any keys/DSK; Fade to Black; Cue a custom control

MIDI (through a MIDI interface or over a network)

Control ProPresenter Slides, Backgrounds, Audio, and Timelines from any MIDI standard interface or software sequencer (i.e. Ableton Live, Digital Performer, etc.). Also available separately for $99 (click the MIDI Module on left navigation bar).

Below we see a screenshot of the DMX commands available in the Communications Module:

Note: Communications capabilities vary greatly based on the equipment that you are connecting to, particularly using serial devices which can have specialized pin-throughputs for RS-422 connectors. The robustness of the protocol implementation varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is highly recommended that you demo these modules first, free of charge, from within ProPresenter before purchase as all sales are final. There are detailed schematics for creating serial connections available within our ProPresenter 5 Manual.