Overview

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Key Operational Features

Operate by Wireless Remote Control

• Play Multiple Videos Simultaneously
• Automation Manager - The Automator let's you build automation Scripts to Load and Play videos in a sequential playlist format or by timing automation Steps to execute after a specified time expires. It will allow you to build professional multi-screen video scenarios for performance venues. Eleven (11) different Steps types allow for very intricate video-scapes. (Learn more. )
• Automator with Two Behavior Modes
  • As a Media Player - Acts like a standard media player which plays a playlist of videos in sequence.
  • As a Slide Presenter - Acts like a standard slide presentation program (ex. like PowerPoint). It will wait after each video plays for the presentor to press the Play Next button.
• System Integration or control by Smart Phone - Integrate with other automation apps (Windows or non-Windows based) or send commands from your smart phone.
• IPC (Inter-Process Communications) Integration - Send and receive automation commands from Video Mill to Video Mill (or Sound Mill ). Enables syncronized, large scale media applications across multiple computers (ex. video walls). Provides split second timed automation of audio and video programming. The programs can reside on the same computer or separate computers on a wired or wireless network.
• Trigger automation from a third party tool - You can kick-off automation from any third party tool that can execute Windows command line tools. (via free SendTo_UDP Tool based on IPC Comms above)
• Control Over a Network - Via the separate Remote Media Manager , an untrained user (or kiosk user) can run basic operations of Sound Mill over a local computer network (wireless or wired). RMM also has an admin user interface to manage Video Mill running on remote computers.

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Video Walls (any size displays)
• Operate by Wireless Remote Control - Use any PC-enabled Wireless Remote Control device to control the standard presentation controls of a video playlist (play, stop, pause, resume, next, previous, volume, etc). Create a playlist for each display and sync-control them with one button click. (Learn more. )
• Operate by Elgato Stream Deck - Video Mill supports operation by the popular Elgato Stream Deck. (Learn more. )
• Video Walls - Create wall designs of any number of displays (ex. rows by columns, 1x2, 2x2, 2x3, 3x3, ...). Play videos on some displays and slide show image playlists on others. Videos can be stretched across 2 or more displays. Videos can be muted so that only one video produces audio at a time or play a soundtrack audio file.
• Media List Portability from Venue To Venue - Use Virtual Displays to assign your video target displays. When you arrive at a new venue, simply map the Virtual Displays to venue physical displays in a few clicks. (Learn more. )
• Scheduler- The Scheduler provides a convenient way to schedule automation Scripts to run or to Load and Start individual Media Screens. Just start the scheduler and relax -- let the automation do all the work. Perfect for doing theater screenings of feature films preceded by a short feature and/or promotional marquees. (Learn more. ).
• Start External Programs - With the Automator you can start External Programs timed to execute with your video automation. This includes passing text variables to programs that accept command line arguments. (Learn more. )
• Text Screens- A special type of Media Screen that displays multiple lines of text from a standard text file. It provides a quick method to compose an audience message and present it on a visually interesting screen with minimal effort. Could also be used as a Lyric display system. Set font type, font size and apply a drop shadow. Use an image as background or a color gradient. (Learn more )

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Marquee with Count-Down Timer.
• Display Mirror Tool -If you do not have a direct line of sight to a secondary display, you can use this tool to monitor video on one or multiple secondary displays. (Learn more )
• Marquees - Overlay Playing Video with Informational Signage or audience messages. Pop-up a multi-line text and/or image box to inform the audience of important information, advertisements or display a logo. Also, create compelling, full screen signage to announce events or services. Clock, Timer and Numeric Counter features are included. (Learn more. )
• Times Messages - Presents rotating announcement messages on a timed interval. You provide the messages from a simple text file. (Learn more. )
• Subtitles - Display video subtitles for national language translation or other purposes. Supports the popular SRT Subtitles file format. Free tools are available to convert other formats to SRT. (Learn more. )
• Standard Player Controls - Oversized buttons for Play, Stop, Pause And Resume. Pre-Load and Unload one or multiple videos. Plus mouse-free operation with keyboard shortcuts.
• Go-To Play Position - Toolbar buttons jump to preset positions within a video. Useful for testing or rehersals when you need to reposition a video to a specific time position repeatedly. Go-To Start-At/End-At times, plus an unlimited number of configurable Go-To markers. (Learn more )
• Video Fade-In/Fade-Out - Individual Media Items can be set to fade-in/fade-out automatically on Play start/end. Or apply fades to All videos with one click. (Learn more )

Load Template: Wrap Videos with Theme Signage.
• Fader Bar -Performs adhoc fade-in, fade-out of video/volume. Will optionally pause/resume video on fade-in, fade-out. Useful to interrupt show videos to make a PA announcement. (Learn more )
• Video Cross Fade - Provides a simple method to fade one video into the next video, commonly used by video jockeys (VJs) to avoid dead air and provide a smooth transition between videos. (Learn more )
• Video Crop - Crop your video to visually interesting shapes: Rectangle, Ellipse, Diamond and Parallelogram. Crop area size is fully configurable. Note the Ellipse cropping used in the Load Template image (on the right). (Learn more. )
• Video Stretch to Display Size - Stretch the video to the display size while maintaining video aspect ratio or stretch it to fill every display pixel by using the display aspect ratio. (Learn more. )
• Stretch Across Displays - Stretch a video or panoramic photo across two or more displays in just a few clicks. (Learn more. )
• Video Resize/Zoom - Let the video fit to the Media Screen automatically. Or do a custom resize including Zoom-in. (Learn more. )
• Green Screen or Blue Screen - (Aka Chroma Key) - Record yourself against a green (or blue) backdrop, or live stream via camera, then pick a video or image as your background. (Learn more. )
• 20+ Video Filters - Adjust color, lightness, darkness and add special effects to videos with 20+ video filters. See the complete Filter Gallery for screen shots.

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Green Screen with Background Video or Image.
• Video Speed - Speed up or slow down the video as desired by any amount. Usually used for scanning a video during editing but can be used for special effect during performance as well. (Learn more. )
• Load Templates - Create Load Templates that feature your own themed signage to wrap around videos. Create templates for special events or simply to show your business or organization contact information. Then any video you play will be played through the current active template. See example on right. (Learn more. )
• Control Groups of Media Screens - Define a collection of Media Items and apply operations to the group with a single button click (examples: Load, Play, Stop, Pause, Resume, etc.).
• Auto-Size Screens - Set one or many Media Screens to a pre-defined size in one click.
• Auto-Position Screens - When playing multiple Media Screens, you can arrange them in Tiled or Cascaded positions in one click.
• Media Screen Visibility - Show or hide any or all running Media Screens. Videos can continue to play while hidden if desired.
• Media Screen Layout - Add colored border, a background image (when Opacity is applied), or two color gradient background.
• Media Screen - Capture - Do screen capture of videos as they play. Image files saved in common formats (GIF, JPEG, BMP, PNG).

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Text Screens for Information Presentation.
• Play Position Scrubber Modes - The Position Scrubber bar will move the video play position of one or multiple screens depending on Apply mode selected.
• Plays audio files too - Don't like the sound track on the video itself? No problem. Mute the video sound track. And accompany the video with a separate audio track.
• Display Image files - Load a still photo into a Screen as a Marquee. Most any format supported (Gif, Jpeg, Bmp, Png, more...)
• IMAG - Stream most cameras to Media Screen - Stream most any computer connected camera to a Media Screen for IMAG or other purposes. It could be as simple as a stationary Webcam or a camcorder that is capable of streaming its feed to a file or server protocol such as http. (See our knowledge base article on Streaming Camera Feeds ).
• Volume - Set volume for individual videos. Mute audio any video if desired. Or play a separate audio file along with the videos.
• Audio Balance - Balance the audio across Left and Right channels as desired via simple slider control. (Learn more. )
• Loop/Multi-Play - Play a video in a continuous loop or a specific number of times.
• Favorite Values - Save Favorite values used when creating new Media Items.
• Start-At and End-At Play Positions - Set the times to start and/or end play at any position in the Media File. Set the time with one button click to the current playback position or enter a time via a time set dialog.
• Delay - Set a time to delay before and/or after playing a sound (Pre/Post Delay). Useful when looping a video but a delay is required between plays.
• Eliminate App Screen Glare with Dark Skinned Theme - Use a High Contrast Theme from Windows Control Panel > Personalize when in a darkened venue. (see Screen Shots page)
• Windows 32-bit and 64-bit support - Operates in full 64-bit mode on x64 systems.
• More... - This is the short list of features. See the User's Guide for a complete tour.

Apply Effects Animations to Any Video.

Use Effects alone or in any combination on any video.
• Opacity - Opacity (transparency level) allows you to fade the video image in and/or out.
• Rotate - Rotate Effect rotates the video orientation to any angle between 0 and 360 degrees.
• Scale - Scale Effect multiplies the video size (larger or smaller than the video recorded size.)
• Skew - Skew Effect bends the sides of the video at an angle to change perspective.
• Translate - Translate Effect translates the video position (moves it) within the Media Screen.
• Set Origin Point - Provides alternate pivot point behavior for some effects (ex. on rotation).
• Timing - Set a Start time for an Effect and a Duration time for an effect animation.
• Motion Behavior - Five methods are provided for how the effect behaves when the animation reaches a target value. (ex. reverse or stop animation)
• Cycle Speed - Speed up or slow down an animation.

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Key Editing Features

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Stunning Visual Effects with Video Filters.

• Drag and drop - Use Windows Explorer or other file manger to drag and drop video files into your Media List.
• Copy and Paste Editing - You can copy a video with all of its configurations and paste as a new Media Item.
• Sort List - Sort provided on several criteria for more productive editing.
• View/print Reports - View a report (a.k.a. video design plot) showing the list of videos and configurations applied to each video. You can save as a file and/or print the report. Set the level of information and detail as desired.
• Save your designs - Save and restore all video configuration design work as Media List files.

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Video Mill Usage Scenarios

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In-Store Sales Display - Click to See Video

For Teachers, Presenters and Mobile Performers

Keyboard short cuts to start, stop, pause and resume play make it easy to control the videos with a laptop computer positioned nearby (mouse-free operation). Connection and setup to any TV display takes only a minute.

Business and sales professionals can walk into a potential client's conference room, connect to the room's TV or video Projector and give a video sales pitch tailored to the customer. Pick and chose the most relevant videos for the customer.

Teaching professionals will appreciate the ability to play two video demonstrations side by side -- Pausing one to point out a detail.

Mobile performers and entertainers such as magicians, story tellers and artists will bring a whole new dimension to their performance.

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Command Center of Live Video Streams

For Theater, Concerts and Public Speaking Venues

Most large entertainment venues now have digital video projectors to project an image onto a stage screen. Take advantage of this whole new dimension to the entertainment experience. Set the mood with video backdrops. Video is more lifelike and virtually free compared to the expense of renting painted backdrops.

For Theater productions, design a complete video plot for a show and print a report for the show tech listing all timing and special instructions. Loop and multi-play allow your to use short videos as continuous backdrops over a long scene (ex. rain or snow storm, ocean beach, etc.) .

For music concerts, play videos of band members, crowd reactions, band videos (sound can be muted of course) or just interesting clips related to the piece of music being played.

For Haunted Mansion Walk-throughs or Museum Displays

Whether you are a designer for an amusement park attraction or museum display, or you just want to create a spooky walk-thru for Halloween at your home or school, Video Mill provides the perfect video capability. Loop and multi-play allow your to rerun a short video continuously. Add time delays between plays.

4-Up Videos Presentation

For In-Store, Business and Public Venues - Advertising and Promotion Kiosks or Showcases

As the old sales mantra goes, "Always be selling!". There is no better time to bring your sales promotions to the attention of your customers then while they are actually in your store or venue. Play two promo videos side by side with a separate sound track. If one promo doesn't interest the customer, maybe the second one will.
See the video of In-Store Sales Display.

For Security and Status Monitoring

Build your own command center of live streaming feeds. The feeds can be Internet streaming feeds as in the example screen shot of the Deep Water Horizon remote submersibles ( ROVs) camera feeds (above, right). Or build your own home/business security command center using networked Webcams placed at strategic locations. When something of interest happens on one of the screens, just re-size the window to zoom in on the action.

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