View source for Making a video installation with Raspberry Pi

=Equipment needed=

* 1x Raspberry Pi for each video <br>
* 1x screen/projector for each video <br>
* 1x SD card for each Pi (32GB raccomended)<br>
* HDMI cables to connect to screens/projectors<br>
* Power cables <br>
* Keyboard + mouse for each Pi

=Prepare the SD card=

''This tool has been tested on the following Raspberry PI models:''
*Raspberry Pi 1 
*Raspberry Pi 2 
*Raspberry Pi 3 
*Raspberry Pi 4 
*Raspberry Pi Zero W 

*Syncing multiple video channels via Ethernet is possible with the models with Ethernet port  (Raspberry Pi 1, 2, 3 & 4)
*Syncing multiple video channels via WiFi is possible with the models with integrated WiFi (Raspberry Pi 3, 4 and Zero W)

= Download and burn the image =
You can download the .img files here:  <br>
[https://interactionstation.wdka.hro.nl/shared/old/conductor.img Download <code>conductor.img</code> (9.26GB)]
<br/>
[https://interactionstation.wdka.hro.nl/shared/old/follower.img Download <code>follower.img</code> (8.98GB)]

or you can transfer them from the interaction Station hard drive. 

==Download Raspberry Pi imager ==
[https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/ Download it here]<br>
We are going to use it to burn the .img file on our SD card.

==Use Raspberry Pi imager  to flash the SD card with the image==
[[File:Rpiimager.png|500px|frameless|none]]
<code>Raspberry Pi device >Select your model of Pi </code><br>
The ones we have at the station or at the rental are RPi4 Model B. If you are using another one the model is written on the Pi itself. <br>

<code>Operating System >Use custom image >conductor.img</code><br>
Upload the .img file you just downloded <br>

<code>Storage >Select your SD card</code><br>

FLASH!

= Configure the Raspberry Pi for playing a video on a loop =

Connect the Pi to a screen, keyboard and mouse:
*Notes on Raspberry Pi 4:
*The Raspberry Pi 4 has two HDMI (micro HDMI) outputs. You will need to use "HDMI0", that is the left output next to the power connector.


Insert the SD card that you just flashed in the Pi.

Plug in the power adapter. 

When you see a video playing press repeatedly the keys 

 CRTL + C  

to escape the looping video.

To get into the graphic interface type:

 startx

and hit the key Enter.

Insert a USB stick with your video (video coded: H264, the file name shouldn't contain spaces or non alphanumerical characters)

Go to “File Manager”

Search for your video in folder /media/root/PEN_FAT32

Copy your video and place it in /home/pi/video-sync-loop/videos

Go back to the folder video-sync-loop and edit video-sync.config

adjust the configuration so that it says:
 playback_mode=loop

Or, if you are syncing videos adjust so it says:
 playback_mode=sync

Name the video in:
 Video_filename=yourvideoname.mp4
(swap yourvideoname.mp4 with the name of your video)

Save the file

Restart the Pi by typing:
 sudo reboot now
And pressing the key 'Enter'. Your video should automatically start looping after rebooting

= Configure multiple Raspberry Pis for playing multiple videos in sync =

== Notes: ==
*You need as many Raspberry Pis as videos. 
*All Raspberry Pis should be the same model.
*The videos should be of the same length. 
*The videos need to have the same file name in all Pis, even when different videos.
*The Pis will act as either conductor or follower. 
*There can only be one conductor. There might be one or multiple followers.

== Conductor ==
Change the config file:
  cd /home/pi/video-sync-loop/
  nano video-sync.config
Adjust the configuration so that it says:
 playback_mode=sync
Look for is_conductor and set it to true:
  is_conductor=true

=== Synchronising the Pi units via WiFi ===

Open a Terminal window, then type:
  sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces.d/wlan0
Look for the line that starts with address, and set it to:
  address 172.24.1.1

Change the ESSID to a unique name for your (group of) Raspberry Pi's, so your conductor doesn't conduct another group's screens. 

look for 
  wireless-essid [yourid]

and change what comes after to a unique name. Make sure it's the same across your devices. 

To save the changes: 

press CONTROL + S (at the same time) to save

Close the terminal window



When back in the terminal, type

  sudo restart now

and hit enter to restart the Raspberry Pi

=== Synchronising the Pi units via Ethernet ===

Type:
  sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf  and type:
Look for the line that starts with static ip_address, and set it to:
 static ip_address=192.168.1.1/24

== Followers ==
Change the config file:
  cd /home/pi/video-sync-loop/
  nano video-sync config
Look for is_conductor and set it to false:
  is_conductor=false

=== Synchronising the Pi units via WiFi ===

Type:
  sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces.d/wlan0
Look for the line that starts with address, and set it to:
  address 172.24.1.2
(Only if there is only one follower. Otherwise increment this number (172.24.1.3, 172.24.1.4, etc) for the other followers)

=== Synchronising the Pi units via Ethernet ===

Type:
 sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf  
Look for the line that starts with static ip_address, and set it to:
 static ip_address=192.168.1.2/24

(Only if there is only one follower. Otherwise increment this number (172.24.1.3, 172.24.1.4, etc) for the other followers)

= Other options in the config file =

To edit the config file, in the terminal:
  cd /home/pi/video-sync-loop/
  nano video-sync config

== Selecting the Audio output ==

By default the sound will come out of the Audio jack of the Pi (you need to connect an amplified speaker to it).
In case you'd like to have the audio played via HDMI you need to change the line:
 audio_out=headphone_jack
to:
audio_out=hdmi

And save the file. If you use nano as an editor, you can save the changes by pressing the keys CTRL and X at the same time and pressing the key Enter to confirm.

[[Category:Raspberry Pi]][[Category:Video]]