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Building an Unattended Computer Presentation?
hastenslowly asks: "I'm a member of a non-profit Association restoring a 1920's gas station, here in the midwest, for National Historic Register status. I'd like to provide an 24/7 'unattended' audio (visual) presentation for visitors using an 'el cheapo' computer, monitor, and mouse. I'd like to connect the entire thing to the doorbell which, when triggered, will start the presentation. Can anyone steer me to some hardware, software (for whatever OS), programming, newsgroup or any other source of info, so I don't re-invent the wheel when I do this?"
Connect the doorbell via opto coupler / relais or similar to a key on an old keyboard. Use an application that can restart a presentation when a single key is pressed. For example, Mozilla reloads the current page when F5 is pressed, so do Opera and the IE. Set a local html page as homepage, containing a Flash or similar presentation. Connect the doorbell interface to F5. Make the browser start when the OS starts. For Win9x, place a shortcut to the browser into %windir%\start menu\startup.
Tux2000
Denken hilft.
What options are there for multi-platform multi-media presentations other than Macromedia?
Is there any open source solution?
I would look at the products from http://akman.com/, they make solid state video and audio players for just this type of thing.
Well, you could go down to some used computer shop and pick up a $50 Pentium or 486 PC with Windows 95 on it, and a cheap 14" sub-$50 SVGA monitor, and put one of these combos on there. As long as you've got those minimum specs, you should be able to do any of these. Except for #3, which requires much beefier hardware.
1) Powerpoint ($$)
2) OpenOffice (Free) with either its Impress component, or Impress plus its built-in Flash movie (SWF) exporter (for which you will need the plugin, which is free) plus Mozilla (Free)
3) Flash development software ($$$) + Flash Plugin (Free) + Mozilla (Free) - note that this would require a much beefier system probably costing $300 or more.
So, you can do this for less than $100. That's about as cheap as you're going to get unless you do the VCR+TV idea someone else had.
Sorry about mentioning Powerpoint, but it's cheaper than Flash Studio for your purpose. Although, why would you use either of those when you can use OpenOffice for free?
The choice is up to you - hopefully my info will be useful in making that decision.
I'll be donating a 50 or 90 MHz, 210 MB, floppy-based laptop and 15" monitor, but as far as commercial presentation 'authoring' software, DVD burners, . . I don't think I can justify the extra cost for this one project. Basically my initial thought was something like using simple, freeware WAV/MP3 players and/or a (*.jpg) 'slide slow' programs under DOS, Win95, . . . (gasp, I apologize) with 'batch' files/macros, C/Basic language programs, . . . (I'm really showing my age :-) looping on a 'screen-saver program' until a mouseclick/keypress starts the audio (visual) presentation.
I DO appreciate everyone's replies, will delve into every one of them, and will keep everyone posted.
And as they say in 'Ol Time Radio, "Please keep those cards and letters coming !"
Regards.
P.S. And AtariAmarok, thank you for alerting me to the ANL work. I worked for them some decades ago and I'll have to write the DOE a nasty letter for wasting our taxpayer dollars by not commercializing/'productizing' it yet. :-)
Using XHTML and CSS it allows you to create a webpage that, when viewed in regular mode looks like a normal webpage, but when viewed in Kiosk mode magically turns into a Powerpoint-style presentation.
This page explains it -- in fact, it is a demonstration itself -- if you put Opera into full-screen mode on that page you will get exactly what I am talking about, a set of slides for a presentation.
Neat stuff.