Open Forum

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Hello Regina,
iPads can usually run a video on a loop quite easily.  Because iPads are so versatile you could easily switch to a slide show of photos or run apps on it as well.   Perhaps a mounted iPad on the wall or a freestanding stand would be a good place to start introducing some technology to the gallery.  You can contact me at the email below for some more information on iPad stands and mounts.

eloisew@artdisplay.com

Thanks!

------------------------------
Eloise Wierzbicki
Customer Service and Sales Representative
Art Display Essentials
eloisew@artdisplay.com
www.artdisplay.com
www.10-31.com
www.easelsbyamron.com
2 West Crisman Road
Columbia, NJ 07832
USA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Hi Regina,
 We have used digital picture frames to run short video clips on a loop and mounted them directly to the wall. Some are motion activated and will turn off but turn back on when a guest walks by. They have worked great for our short clips.

------------------------------
Brent Newman
Curator
Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Fort Myers FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Hello all and thanks - we've thought about iPads but have run up against changing technology and specific apps to suit our needs.

I'm very interested in the digital picture frame idea. This is really the first attempt at all this, so we're trying to stay low budget.

I'll begin looking in to that - thank you again!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-19-2017 09:38 AM
From: Brent Newman
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hi Regina,
 We have used digital picture frames to run short video clips on a loop and mounted them directly to the wall. Some are motion activated and will turn off but turn back on when a guest walks by. They have worked great for our short clips.

------------------------------
Brent Newman
Curator
Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Fort Myers FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Hello Brent,

Thank you again for this suggestion. I was wondering what brand you've used? We purchased a Nixplayer frame to test out and I was disappointed with it (had to convert files, could handle large videos etc.) Any thoughts?

Many thanks,
Reggie

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-19-2017 09:38 AM
From: Brent Newman
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hi Regina,
 We have used digital picture frames to run short video clips on a loop and mounted them directly to the wall. Some are motion activated and will turn off but turn back on when a guest walks by. They have worked great for our short clips.

------------------------------
Brent Newman
Curator
Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Fort Myers FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Very timely question and advice.  We're looking at creating our first public exhibit as a traveling exhibit, and we probably have some short videos, sets of photos, and Q&A exercises to engage the visitor.  The idea of iPads had popped up, and your question-response added to our information.

 I look forward to additional comments and suggestions.

------------------------------
Greg Moss
Museum Planning Committee
International Society of Antique Scale Collectors (www.isasc.org)
Pittsburgh, PA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Hi Regina,
Other things to consider are the size and expense of the screen. iPads are small and more expensive than some touch screens or monitors that can be wall mounted. Check out the ELO touch screens for example. With a larger screen more people can watch the videos at the same time, with less crowding. We often use these for our museum projects.
Best,
Robin



------------------------------
[Robin White] [Owen]
[Principal]
[MediaCombo]
[Brooklyn] NY]
[robin@mediacombo.net]
[646-472-5145]
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-19-2017 09:49 AM
From: Greg Moss
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Very timely question and advice.  We're looking at creating our first public exhibit as a traveling exhibit, and we probably have some short videos, sets of photos, and Q&A exercises to engage the visitor.  The idea of iPads had popped up, and your question-response added to our information.

 I look forward to additional comments and suggestions.

------------------------------
Greg Moss
Museum Planning Committee
International Society of Antique Scale Collectors (www.isasc.org)
Pittsburgh, PA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

------------------------------
Angie Albright
Director
Clinton House Museum
Fayetteville AR
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-19-2017 09:49 AM
From: Greg Moss
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Very timely question and advice.  We're looking at creating our first public exhibit as a traveling exhibit, and we probably have some short videos, sets of photos, and Q&A exercises to engage the visitor.  The idea of iPads had popped up, and your question-response added to our information.

 I look forward to additional comments and suggestions.

------------------------------
Greg Moss
Museum Planning Committee
International Society of Antique Scale Collectors (www.isasc.org)
Pittsburgh, PA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

It comes down to your budget. There are many different ways you can approach this and I always look for new technology but it needs to be flexible so the hardware can be reused not just for looping videos.  I am not a fan of the iPads because its not flexible enough; also the galleries that I have seen them used the screens were dark until you pressed the button.

Android devices are a little cheaper and more flexible below are two options that I have used in the past.

1. An Android PC (An Android without the screen) These are very small and can connect to any size HDMI monitor and also support touch screens.  I use these for dumb looping videos and custom interactives that I build.  The best part about them is that they are very cheap $65.00 but require a monitor.

2. Android Tablets is a second option just like an iPad but without the walled garden.  There are a few setup steps and a few free apps to install. I have used Android tablets for our first test of interactive touch screens in the gallery and they work without issue.  These are a little cheaper than an iPad but not by much.

My latest interactive installs uses Microsoft Surface 3 (cost about the same as an iPad) you can also use a Surface pro 3 the difference between the two is that the Surface 3 has a smaller screen and no fans and is slower but still enough power to do what you want.

What I like about the Surface 3 is that it's full Windows 10 so I can program anything I want.  In these installations I use the front camera to track motion and if no motion happens the screen dims to about 15% as soon as someone walks in front of the tablets the screen pops to life. I also wrote code that hides the windows interface to prevent visitor access to Windows.  Also there is the Intel NUC they are very small computers (VERY SMALL) and again use any Windows program to run large screen interactives. You can also use the Intel Compute Stick which is even smaller. 

If you use a Windows computer you can run VLC video player or any video player you like, just set the defaults to run fullscreen and loop then just drop the shortcut into your Windows Start folder and you are good to go. 

If you have any questions please let me know.

Raymond

------------------------------
Raymond Stivala
Manager of Web/Multimedia Development
The Newark Museum
Newark NJ
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Hi Regina, 

If sound is not a priority, I've had good luck with Samsung's DB line of digital signage monitors. The have a built-in media player that takes a USB drive or SD card, and has scheduling options so you can have the monitor turn itself on and off at set times. They also take the usual video inputs, so if in the future you need to plug in an external media player, Blu-ray player or even live camera (as we have), then you'll have the option. 

The only downside I've found is the abysmal built-in speakers. They might suffice for a talking head on the larger models (40"+), but if sound is crucial I would plan on external speakers or a different model entirely. 

------------------------------
George Scharoun
Manager of Exhibition and Gallery Media
Museum of Fine Arts
Boston MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

We use BrightSign players a lot for this type of thing. More advanced models can accommodate touch screen interactivity as well. They are affordable and very flexible.

/david

------------------------------
David Robinson
Museum Technologist
National World War II Museum
New Orleans LA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

Regina,

I recommend Micca Speck players. They're very small, and easy to use. Inexpensive, too - $40 or $50. They say they can handle a variety of file types either from USB or SD card, but I find AVI files to be the most reliable. Check them out: www.miccastore.com

------------------------------
Jeffrey Carr
Exhibitions and Collections Manager
Kennedy Museum of Art, Ohio University
Athens OH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

We use the BrightSign players for video playing, etc.  A lot of the models make it easy to start out with say just a looping video then you want to add a touch screen to add multiple videos.... Easy to do with their software.  Doesn't require any programming but just drag and drop what you want.  If you are planning on "Upgrading from just a video" to adding a touch screen down the road or creating some sort of interactive Brighsign is the way to go in my opinion.  It supports HTML as well so if you have any IT people there who know how to create a website you can even create great effects to go along with it later on.

------------------------------
Alan Byler
Media Specialist / Lighting Technician
State Museum of Pennsylvania
Harrisburg PA
(717) 783-9913
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-20-2017 08:35 AM
From: Jeffrey Carr
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Regina,

I recommend Micca Speck players. They're very small, and easy to use. Inexpensive, too - $40 or $50. They say they can handle a variety of file types either from USB or SD card, but I find AVI files to be the most reliable. Check them out: www.miccastore.com

------------------------------
Jeffrey Carr
Exhibitions and Collections Manager
Kennedy Museum of Art, Ohio University
Athens OH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------

For our traveling exhibit, we used Alcorn-McBride players, large monitors (40" and above), and external speakers.  The Alcorn-McBride players are great options as they are very reliable and offer great audio and video output.  Downsides are that the videos have to be in a specific format to play and the units are very expensive.

We have used some Gefen HD Digital Signage Media Players with fairly good success.  You will still need a monitor and audio output, but the cost is considerably cheaper than the Alcorn-McBrides.  If you go this route, be sure to not use the thumb drive provided; a good external USB flash drive (a SanDisk stick for example) will help to keep the videos running without heat issues.  The Gefens are nice because you can connect them together (via Ethernet) to a central control point and set up specific times when the units will turn off and on.  

We attempted to use BrightSigns for one of our exhibits, but the units were out of stock when we needed them.  I have heard they are quality units and about the same price as the Gefens.  

I agree with some of the thoughts on the iPads.  They are versatile, but the small screen doesn't allow for more than two or three to view the screen at the same time.  We have also had issues with tablets where the programs/videos will stop working and the guest will be able to get back to the home screen to alter settings or use other programs (I took time every week to delete photos that guests took and/or reset clocks).  These could be a good option if you only have space for a couple people to view it at a time, otherwise I would recommend a larger monitor.

------------------------------
Matt Patrick
Exhibit Logistics Project Manager
The Museum of the Bible
Oklahoma City OK
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2017 01:04 PM
From: Regina Lynch
Subject: Videos in Galleries

Hello All,

We're in the process of integrating didactic videos into our galleries. There's so much technology out there! We need something simple to use, doesn't even have to be touch screen at this point.

Has anyone had luck running looped videos in your galleries? Any advice on hardware?

Thanks!

------------------------------
Regina Lynch
Curator of Education Fellow
Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover DE
------------------------------