[v7 General Discussion] Remote clicker

For anyone who is interested we have add issues with range on some of the logitech clickers. To solve this issue we have been very successfully able to use Virtual Here [url]www.virtualhere.com/home.



This enables you to plug a USB device into a remote computer and have it show up on the local computer using easyworship.



For example you can place it on a cheap PC/ Raspberry pi at the front of your church with the receiver plugged in, and when you want to use it you select it from a list and it is connected just like it was a local device.



But you still have to maintain focus on the easyworship software just like normal...



It would be nice for EW to have a mini app that took a clicker input on a separate computer (think rpi or other mini computer) and had it connect via the remote interface that is already built... That way you can shift your focus to getting ready for the next presentation, or what ever you need to do.



Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Have you tried the EasyWorship remote app for Android and iOS ?
Yes he has. Andrew and I work together.

There are two issues here.

1. Some remotes only have a 15 meter range which is not enough in a large venue. What he is suggesting is a way to extend that range. A presenter is not likely to have the EW remote app installed and also be able to use it competently, but they can click a remote (or some of them can!! My guess is all EW operators have come across presenters who can't use remotes properly)

2. Being able to keep focus on what is being presented and at the same time dong preparation for other items.

What he is suggesting is a system where a presenter can use - e.g. a remote clicker which will advance slides as happens now. But keep advancing slides if the operator decides to load a new song (or do some other operation in EW - or on the computer) at that time, (which currently takes the focus off the LIVE panel) and the presenter cannot then advance the slides - but starts doing other functions on the projection PC depending on what the operator is trying to do!.

I have been caught trying to do something - like load a new song - or another PowerPoint, but ended up cutting off the presenters slides advance.

I recently did projection for a program series over 19 sessions, where there was one long PowerPoint prepared for each program (and was only supplied about 5 -10 minutes before the program began), but it was interspersed with live video mixed from two cameras and parts of video clips, plus other media. I found it easier to project using VMix but had a laptop running the PowerPoint via EW and connected via NDI to the projection PC. That way I could easily cue up, the live video, video clips and other media in VMix and do other work, even looking up internet pages on the fly and projecting them, on the projection PC, all while the presenter was using PP and EW without upsetting the presenters rhythm. I could seamlessly switch between the PP, live video, video clip segments and other media then back to PP as required throughout the program.

If EW could continue to project what the presenter is wanting - slides, PP etc. while the operator was preparing other items, that would be great.
Hi Rodger,



Thanks for the reply. Yes I have used the Android/IOS remote and it is very good at what it does. Though it had a belly ache for me last week, mid song...



What I am asking for is a method to be able to use a standard clicker on a mini PC that is near the presenter and uses the "API" the the remote app uses the advance the system. This is to deal with the issue of range and being required to maintain focus on the easyworship window for a presenter to drive ppt.



I have started to reverse engineer the protocol and wrote a little test APP for the raspberry pi as a proof of concept and it works, mostly... I dont fully understand the protocol yet which is probably the issue. It shows up in the Remote menu of easy worship and



You can find the code here https://github.com/agilbett/EWControl



Andrew
The advantage of the app is you can keep loading items or making edits while controlling EW from the remote app, where with a clicker type remote if you are not in the live output screen it doesn't work.

The app is free and you can lock users out once they are done presenting.