Managing a Multiple-Monitor Presentation

Before you dive into the deep end of the presentation pool and decide you need a 12-monitor array on the boardroom wall, do just a little due diligence on your project design. Unless you are working for a Fortune 500 behemoth with a floor (or entire pavilion) to itself at the Consumer Electronics Show or the Cannes Film Festival, you probably don’t need the “wall-to-wall TV.”

There are, however, some good arguments for using multiple monitors in an array to present one larger image, or a sequence of images. We are not discussing a related need that is common to large firms, which is sending one PowerPoint, Keynote or digital-motion-graphics file (Flash video or .avi movies, etc.) to, say, 10 monitors around a conference table. What we are talking about, albeit in a necessarily brief and introductory manner, is synchronizing a presentation among two or more audience monitors.

Basic Always Come First

Of course, the first decision to make is about the screens. How many people will be viewing the presentations, in what room, at what distance from the screens, and so forth, are the initial questions to be answered. After you make these determinations, you will settle on the computer platform to be used (Macintosh, PC or both) and then figure out your power needs, cabling, and so forth.

With all the back-end determined, you now you need to decide on your front-end: the software. There are various options here, from very low-cost and powerful to very high-cost and powerful, as well as poor solutions that are both free and expensive. We will stick with a handful of applications, all of which are mature programs with installed bases of satisfied users.

The Soup-To-Nuts Approach

Of the many specialized presentation “control” applications, the best-known and best-rated are Spyder, Dataton’s Watchout and Barco Viewscape. They have both common and unique features, and for a full discussion of their respective capabilities you should check the links in the “Glossary & Resources” panel accompanying this article.

All of these programs are quite robust, for use at large events or intimate ones. In their own ways, they all seek to combine multiple projectors, or other display devices, with standard computer and network components to create sophisticated, sequenced presentations. The Watchout system’s approach, for example, is to designate one computer the production (or “control”) computer. The program uses a familiar, timeline-based workflow to build the show, then distributes media files through the network to the display devices used to watch the show.

The Spyder system claims to be the right one for everyone “from the most sophisticated pro to the first-time user.” Spyder has over a dozen models to choose from, and you can configure any system to suit your needs with expansion options that allow you to add inputs, outputs and extra processing capabilities. The system, like Watchout and Viewscape, is expensive, but if it’s what your company needs, then it will be worth it in the long run.

A Modest Proposal

One of the great things about “shareware” and “freeware” developers is that they are always devising competitive hardware and software products that are low or no cost. Your firm may really need the power and scalability of a Viewscape or Watchout system, but they run into the thousands of dollars.

On the other hand, there’s an interesting little program that lets you control or “sync” multiple Keynote or PowerPoint presentations, over a network from a Mac. It’s called KeyShowX and is somewhat less expensive.

Try Ten Bucks.

We have all seen those high-end video systems split over multiple screens, all in sync, and it is suitably impressive. This low-cost alternative to Dataton’s Watchout gives you a reasonable degree of that functionality by using multiple Macs and PCs running PowerPoint or Keynote.

You will need one Mac or PC per projector or plasma screen, and one more Mac or PC to “drive” it all. Control is pretty simple, and although you must “step forward” on all the presentations simultaneously, the judicious use of blank or background screens could create an interesting, multi-screen animation. You would need a good plan, and be willing to go through the sometimes tedious task of setting it all up, but the resulting effects could be most impressive.

Finally, another useful Mac application is called MaxiFrame. It enables the playing of a QuickTime (QT) movie across multiple monitors or projectors from a fast control-station Mac. Its ability to split a QT movie (.mov file) over multiple monitors or projectors allows you to use two relatively low-cost XGA projectors to display high resolution HDV widescreen material on a large scale.

This last product is still under development, and lacks many features that would make it a good candidate today for multi-screen presentations. Tomorrow may be different, however. With the addition of more media file compatibility, more powerful controls and expanded input/output options, this software application could head in a very interesting direction.

Interestingly, multiple-monitor presentation control is a niche of the high-tech industry that is finally getting some much-needed competition. There are very few products in the “sweet spot” price-wise, as three or four expensive applications dominate the corporate market and the competition, at this point, is from shareware developers. Once a well-funded start-up (or, heaven forbid, another Apple or Microsoft division) gets into this field, watch the prices fall and the capabilities soar. It’s an exciting time for excited presenters!