Processing and control: what nobody sees and everything rests on
Machines, engines, network, room control. None of it appears in a single photograph of an exhibition, which is why it gets cut from the budget first. A year later it is exactly this part that decides whether the place runs or stands idle.
Media player appliance
A box that simply plays
No moving parts and no operating system in the usual sense: switch it on and the schedule runs. It does not hang, does not update at the wrong moment, and does not show a desktop in the middle of a gallery.
Works when
- A film or a schedule with no interactivity
- Many identical points: ten screens with the same content
- Nobody to service it — you need a thing that simply does not break
Falls short when
- Genuine interactivity and real-time 3D — beyond it
- Content that depends on external data and logic
Manufacturers
- BrightSignотраслевой стандарт цифровых вывесок
- Advantechпромышленные плееры и панели
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Industrial computer
No fan, no dust, no surprises
A sealed case, passive cooling, and years of the same model staying available. That last point matters more than speed: in three years you will need exactly the same one.
Works when
- An exhibit inside a sealed box or in a dusty room
- Running for months without being switched off
- A guarantee that the same unit can be bought in three years
Falls short when
- Heavy real-time graphics: that needs a discrete card and active cooling
- A one-week trade show — overpaying
Manufacturers
- Advantechдолгий жизненный цикл моделей
- ASUS NUCлинейка NUC, перешедшая к ASUS от Intel
- Simply NUCсборки под задачу
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Single-board computer
Thirty dollars instead of three hundred
A computer the size of a palm covers half the points in an exhibition: a sensor, a button, sound on a trigger, lighting, simple video. Everywhere a full PC would otherwise stand «just in case».
Works when
- Many small points: a sensor, a button, a lamp, an audio response
- The exhibit hides in a plinth with no room and no ventilation
- Spares matter: keeping three on a shelf is cheap
- A link to the physical world — sensors and actuators connect directly
Falls short when
- Real-time 3D and heavy video: not for this
- The memory card is the weak point; with frequent hard power-offs it dies first — cured by booting from an SSD and a read-only filesystem
- Supply in batches: in a shortage, price and lead time triple
Manufacturers
- Raspberry Piстандарт: документация, сообщество, промышленные сроки поставки
- NVIDIA Jetsonто же, но с нейросетями на борту
- Arduinoесли нужна только физика, без операционной системы
- Radxaальтернатива Raspberry Pi, часто доступнее
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Graphics workstation
When the picture is computed right now
A professional graphics card and several outputs. Needed where the image is not played back but born: real-time 3D, reaction to a person, synchronised screens from one scene.
Works when
- An interactive 3D scene reacting to visitors
- Several projectors from one source, blended into a single field
- Content that depends on data and changes on the fly
Falls short when
- It plays a film — several times the money for nothing
- No ventilation in the plinth: this machine runs genuinely hot
Manufacturers
- NVIDIA RTXпрофессиональные карты, синхронизация выходов
- Dell Precisionстанции с длительной поддержкой
- HP Zто же, альтернативный поставщик
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Neural networks on site
Computes here, sends nothing anywhere
The module runs recognition right in the room, with no internet and no cloud. Frames never leave the museum — and half the legal questions vanish before they arise.
Works when
- Recognition where data may not be sent outside
- Unstable internet, or none at all
- Latency is critical: the response must be immediate
Falls short when
- The heaviest models: on-site capacity is always less than cloud capacity
- A model that needs frequent updates — on site that is manual work
Manufacturers
- NVIDIA Jetsonстандарт для зрения на месте
- Luxonis OAKкамера и вычислитель в одном корпусе
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
The operating system of the room
A dull choice that echoes for two years
Windows, macOS or Linux is decided once and determines who can service the exhibition. Chosen not by taste but by what the required software runs on, and who will fix it on a Saturday afternoon.
Works when
- Windows: interactivity, 3D, unusual hardware, media servers
- macOS: audio, video, colour accuracy, a small quiet point
- Linux: schedules, players, single-board machines, anything that must simply not fall over
Falls short when
- A mixed estate of three systems in one gallery: there will be nobody to service it
- Choosing by the contractor's habit rather than by the software — the commonest reason a museum ends up tied to one supplier
Manufacturers
- Windows IoT Enterprise LTSCредакция без внезапных обновлений, для киосков
- Ubuntu LTSдолгая поддержка, бесплатно
- Debianоснова большинства плееров и одноплатников
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Media server
One brain for a whole projection wall
Feeds a dozen outputs, blends projectors into one field, corrects geometry for a curved surface and holds it all to a timeline. More than two projectors without one is a zoo.
Works when
- Several projectors into one field: a panorama, a dome, a vault
- Mapping onto volume with exact geometry
- The show runs to a schedule and must start itself
Falls short when
- One screen with a film — an order of magnitude more than needed
- Deep interactivity: a media server is strong at playback, not at logic
Manufacturers
- Dataton WATCHOUTмузейный стандарт, много выходов
- disguiseверхний сегмент, сцена и большие площадки
- Green Hippoмаппинг и живое управление
- Modulo Piинсталляции, сильная геометрия
- 7thSenseкупола и планетарии
- Christie Pandoras Boxпоказ и маппинг в одной системе
Where we apply it: Models and mapping
Warping and geometry correction
So the seam cannot be seen
Software works out from camera shots how to distort each image so the projectors merge into one field. Recomputed in minutes rather than overnight — which matters, because buildings move and equipment shifts.
Works when
- More than one projector on one surface
- A surface that is not flat: a vault, a dome, a corner, a model
- Calibration will have to be repeated — buildings move and equipment shifts
Falls short when
- One projector on a flat wall — nothing is needed
- No way to place a camera where the viewer stands
Manufacturers
- Scalable Displayавтокалибровка по камере
- VIOSOсшивка, в том числе внутри медиасерверов
- Domeprojectionкупола и сферы
Where we apply it: Models and mapping
Unity
The workhorse of interactive exhibits
The standard for museum interactivity: real-time 3D, any sensor, builds for anything from a gallery screen to a headset to a phone. More specialists on the market than for any other tool on this list, and a contractor who is easy to replace.
Works when
- An interactive exhibit with real logic and state
- One body of content across several devices: gallery, headset, phone
- You want a contractor who can easily be replaced later
Falls short when
- A simple film — overkill
- Top-grade photorealistic architecture: Unreal is stronger there
Manufacturers
- Unityдвижок и среда разработки
Where we apply it: Multimedia equipment
How we built it: Cosmonautics and Aviation Center
Unreal Engine
When the credibility of the image decides it
The strongest lighting and materials out of the box. Chosen where the image must be indistinguishable from a photograph: architecture, interiors, landscape, a product at advertising quality.
Works when
- Architecture and territory that must look real
- A large world with distant views
- Material matters in itself: metal, fabric, glass
Falls short when
- Modest hardware: the machine requirements are noticeably higher
- Simple logic on a small screen — heavy for the job
Manufacturers
- Unreal Engineдвижок, бесплатен для невыпускаемых проектов
Where we apply it: Multimedia equipment
TouchDesigner
An environment for things that never repeat
A node-based environment for generative graphics and live reaction to data. Unity builds a scene; TouchDesigner builds a flow — a picture born of movement and sound that never looks the same twice.
Works when
- Generative content: an image born from data or movement
- Many inputs and outputs at once: cameras, sensors, projectors, sound
- Fast rework on site, during the install
Falls short when
- Classic game logic with levels and states
- A wide choice of replacement contractors: there are markedly fewer specialists
Manufacturers
- Derivative TouchDesignerсреда, бесплатная лицензия для обучения
Where we apply it: Multimedia equipment
Ventuz
Real time without a line of code
A node-based environment for interactive graphics: configurators, storefronts, video walls, virtual studios. Split into three parts — Designer draws, Runtime plays, Director drives the show from a desk. Strongest where the picture changes live, in front of people.
Works when
- A product configurator: colour, trim, material — instantly and in volume
- A showroom or dealership where a person runs the show, not a schedule
- Live data on a large screen: markets, production, logistics
- A TV studio, virtual sets and on-air augmented reality
Falls short when
- Windows only
- Far fewer specialists on the market than for Unity
- Paid licensing counted per machine — an estate of ten points will feel it
- One exhibit with simple logic: overkill
Manufacturers
- VentuzDesigner, Runtime, Director
Where we apply it: Multimedia equipment
vvvv
Nodes, hardware and network in one window
A node-based environment grown out of media art. Its strength is not the picture but the plumbing: sensors, DMX, lasers, industrial protocols, several machines across a network — all in one window. Where TouchDesigner is about the image, vvvv is more often about making mismatched hardware get along.
Works when
- Lots of different equipment that has to behave as one thing
- Unusual protocols and home-built electronics
- Several machines running in step
- A prototype to be tested against real hardware rather than on screen
Falls short when
- Even fewer specialists than for TouchDesigner: there will be nobody to hand it to
- Windows
- A high barrier to entry, and documentation that is thin in places
- A simple display with a looping film — a sledgehammer for a nut
Manufacturers
- vvvv gammathe current generation
- VLlanguage and reference
Where we apply it: Multimedia equipment
Notch and Resolume
Tools for live performance
Notch computes real-time effects inside media servers; Resolume drives playback and mapping from a desk. Both are about an event and a person at the controls, not an exhibition running unattended.
Works when
- An event, an opening, a show on a façade
- The effect has to react to a live signal — sound, camera, operator
- You need a desk that a person sits at and drives the show by hand
Falls short when
- A permanent exhibition with no operator
- Complex branching interaction logic
Manufacturers
Where we apply it: Multimedia equipment
Creative coding
Here the graphics are written, not assembled
Open environments where the picture is born of code and data: sound visualisation, generative patterns, reaction to the flow of visitors. No licences required, and happy on modest hardware.
Works when
- Generative content: a pattern out of data, sound, movement
- A small budget with no software licences
- A prototype that has to be tested in a day before a decision is made
- A long life: open source is not withdrawn or moved to a subscription
Falls short when
- A complex scene with 3D and physics — faster in a game engine
- Handing the project to another contractor: markedly fewer specialists
- Vendor support is wanted — by definition it does not exist
Manufacturers
- openFrameworksC++, инсталляции, максимальная производительность
- Processingсамый низкий порог входа, огромное сообщество
- p5.jsто же в браузере: работает на любом экране без установки
- vvvvузловая среда, сильна в работе с железом
- Max/MSPзвук и взаимодействие, стандарт медиаискусства
Where we apply it: Multimedia equipment
Signal distribution
Distance decides more than you would think
An ordinary cable works to about fifteen metres; beyond that you need twisted pair with transmitters, fibre, or the network. Settled while the walls are open. Afterwards — expensive.
Works when
- Machine in the rack room, screen in the gallery: separating them is right
- Many sources and many screens with switching
- A historic building where chasing walls is not allowed — the network saves you
Falls short when
- Network transport adds latency, and interactivity does not forgive it
- Cheap extenders produce dropouts that take months to track down
Manufacturers
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Room control
One button for the whole exhibition
Switches on to a schedule in the morning, shuts down at night, and gives the attendant one sensible panel instead of ten remotes. This is what decides whether the museum opens without an engineer.
Works when
- More than five devices in a room
- Opening and closing to a schedule, with nobody present
- An attendant has to be able to restart an exhibit unaided
Falls short when
- One or two exhibits: a socket with a timer does the same
- No trained person at all: this too needs a minimum of competence
Manufacturers
- Crestronверхний сегмент, полный контроль
- Q-SYSзвук, изображение и управление в одной системе
- AMX / Harmanинсталляционный стандарт
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Monitoring and remote access
Learn about the fault before the visitor does
The system reports that an exhibit has gone dark, a lamp has reached end of life, or a machine rebooted overnight. Without it you hear about the fault from an online review.
Works when
- An exhibition of more than one room
- The contractor is not in your city
- Equipment under warranty, where running hours have to be evidenced
Falls short when
- Security will not permit external access — settle that beforehand, not after install
Manufacturers
- Zabbixоткрытый мониторинг, российская разработка
- BrightSign Networkуправление парком плееров
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Content management system
So text can change without the contractor
The panel through which the museum edits captions itself, swaps photographs and adds a language. The most important line in the acceptance list and the most frequently absent.
Works when
- The content will change — and it will
- Several languages, added over time
- Temporary exhibitions inside a permanent display
Falls short when
- A one-off exhibit that will never change — rare, but it happens
- Nobody to use it: a panel without a trained member of staff is dead
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Machine synchronisation
So adjacent screens stay in step
Each machine runs on its own clock, and within a minute of playback the drift is visible to the eye. Synchronisation binds them to a common time: frame to frame, sound to image.
Works when
- A panorama or wall assembled from several machines
- Sound and image from different sources that have to coincide
- The show loops all day and must not drift apart
Falls short when
- One machine for everything — nothing is needed
- Screens far apart and never seen at the same time
Manufacturers
- NVIDIA Quadro Syncаппаратная синхронизация выходов
- PTP / IEEE 1588единое время по сети
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
Backup and recovery
A plan for the day it does break
An image of every machine, a copy of the content and a written recovery procedure. Not equipment but a clause in the contract — and without it, replacing a burnt-out computer turns from an hour into a week.
Works when
- An exhibition that has to open tomorrow whatever happens
- The contractor may leave the market — the museum will not
- Uniform equipment: one image covers ten machines
Falls short when
- Not a single person who will follow the procedure — then you need a service contract
Manufacturers
- Clonezillaснятие образов, открытое и бесплатное
- Veeamрезервное копирование парка машин
Where we apply it: Museum fit-out
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Other categories
Output equipment · Input equipment
Integration by Playdisplay
We are integrators: we build working exhibitions out of this kit, from the story to opening day. We know it from the rooms we designed, installed and later repaired, not from catalogues. What each item really gives you, where it will let you down, and what to swap it for when the budget will not close — we know from our own work rather than from somebody else’s promises.
In our hands an ordinary monitor becomes a display people stop at. The same monitor with no story is a noticeboard. The difference is not the monitor — it is what happens on it, and why anyone noticed.
We are independent of suppliers: no warehouse of our own, no commission on hardware. So the solution gets picked for the job rather than for the stock. Supply is handled by our partners — anything on this list, on the best terms for you. Ours is the story, the content, the interaction, the software and the integration: one hardware-and-software system, rather than boxes from five vendors who have never heard of each other.
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