Content For FireFly Mobile LED Screens

 Without content all you have is an empty screen. Make sure that when you plan your event you also plan content to play on your screen. But don’t worry, you’re not alone. We will work with you to make this happen and find the best solution for your event. There are two general options for playing content on the video wall:

Use our equipment to play content

• DVD player – You provide a DVD, not a DVD data disk
• Media player – You provide files and we load into our player
• Dish Satellite – Play network or cable TV with our Tailgater
• Multi-camera live show – Live video production with multiple cameras
• Social media feed plugin – Display live social media content
• Other sources – We have plenty of options to play content, just let us know what you are looking for and we will help make it happen

Play content from your source and plug into our screen

• HDMI
• SDI
• DVI
• Other options may be available upon request

Note: See our Content Help Sheet for more information on content options on the screen. We also have more information as you scroll through the page. And if you still have questions we will be happy to answer any questions.

Other things to consider:

Text Size:
A big concern used to be receiving content with text that was too small to read on an LED screen. However, with the technology evolving and our screens now utilizing 4.8mm HD LED, that concern has significantly decreased. While some very small text may be difficult to read, the FireFly SS screen has such a great picture that most text is legible. As a general rule, keep your text as large as possible. This will give your audience the best change to engage with the screen. Big bold text looks great on the Jumbotron. Typically distance and poor eyesight are factors for legibility before the resolution of the screen itself.

Color:
As a general rule for LED, do not use white as a background. Beyond that, contrasting colors work well.

Content Help Sheet:
Download/view the content help sheet for a deep dive further in getting content on the screen.

Sending Us Files:
Click here for more information on our Dropbox.
Send files to our Dropbox here: https://www.hightail.com/u/jumbotron

Signal Convertors:
We carry a number of signal convertors or distribution amps with us on each show. We have options for many inputs, so we’re prepared for most situations. However, we can’t carry everything in each trailer, so call if you need something specific.

More Details for Specific Types of Content:

DVD
In our FireFly SS screens we have a professional 1Tascam DV-D01U – DVD PLAYER. We can set a loop command to play your video continuously. We ask that you set up entire video on one timeline and burn as one long video. If you have a situation that you are doing a live production and will cut from live speaker to a video segment and back and forth, the best option is to send us the files so we can put them in our switcher.

Note: Make sure your DVD is not a data DVD that holds files like a flash drive. We are looking for an authored DVD that plays in a home DVD player.

Note: Our FireFly SS screens are very close to 16×9 aspect ratio. The image will have very slight scaling or some black top and bottom depending on the source size. The exact pixel count is 520×936 if you are creating specific content for the screen.

Media Player
If you send us image or video files, we can bring them into our video switcher to create playlists and play specific files on cue (with help from you or your team on timing). We typically accept JPEGs and MP4s, but other file types may work if we can test ahead of the show. We usually ask for files at least a week in advance so we can load and test them. On rare occassion, some files can have uncommon codecs or other issues that cause them not to play on certain devices. If we receive them before the show we can request new files or try to convert them. We can also take any extra files when we show up on site on a USB flash drive formatted for PC. However, if we receive them on site, there is no guarantee they will work. The best option is to send files to our Dropbox here before the show. See the help sheet for image sizing and more info.

Dish Sattelite
We have a couple Dish sattelite Tailgater products so we can play live national and local TV. If you’re looking to play the big game to your audience we can help with that. Just let us know in advance so we can make sure our account is activated and that we can get the right channel for your location. Because it is a sattelite dish, reception is subject to weather and line of site. Although it is quite reliable, there is always the chance of interupted signal with bad weather or if we can’t get a decent siteline to the southwest sky for the dish. Depending on the situation, other live TV options may be available.

Live Video
We can plug in up to four live video cameras to our switcher. We typically accept SDI cameras, and can take HDMI as well. If there is some other output for your camera, please let us know. Most live camera shoots we use our own cameras, gear, and crew. We have professional gear and crew to provide a quality live production with live siwtching between cameras and other inputs. Contact us to talk further about your production needs.

Social Media Plugin
Adding a live social media feed on the jumbotron can be a great way to engage with your audience. We can create different configurations to display Facebook posts, tweets, and Instagram pictures from your guests live on the big screen. They will be more likely to interact with you on social media if they can see their post on the video board. We can create the settings to choose which posts get displayed, or ideally you would have someone from your team approving which posts to display. This would be played from a laptop that would be run from our control room and plugged into our switcher.

Laptop Signal
Most laptops nowadays have an HDMI port, which is best to plug into our screen. If you have VGA, DVI, Display Port, or something else, please let us know ahead of time. We can plug in our laptop to the switcher, or play from yours. One issue with playing a file from our laptop can be that we risk losing a font or image or other file that isn’t on our laptop. To make sure everything runs smoothly, especially when playing a Powerpoint, it is best to provide us with a laptop loaded with all necessary files. If you do send the file ahead of time, we can also check that the file will play correctly on our laptop as well.

Download our Content Help Sheet for more details on a variety of on-screen content.

For further information or questions regarding content for your screen call Fire Up Video at 612-759-1012 or email us at baum3@earthlink.net.

To find out more about the FireFly mobile screen, click on any of the following topics:

• Screen Quality
• AV Control Room
• On Screen Content
• Screen Setup Time
• Static Banners
• Wind & Safety
• Audio Solutions
• Power Solutions
• Help Sheets & Videos
• DragonFly vs. FireFly Screen