Zoe Media Server
Zoe is a free to use simple, lightweight, macOS media server designed to be ready to use in minutes to provide 'digital backdrop' capabilities for small theatre productions.
It is not, and doesn't try to be, an alternative to Disguise, Hippotizer, Avolites Ai, MediaMaster or anything similar. Think of it as a digital slide projector with control by sACN, with a few bells and whistles.
Features
- Simple, minimal, user interface.
- Library of 255 images or video clips.
- Four layers of content.
- Simple adjustments to colour, hue, contrast etc.
- Crop, Zoom, Rotation, and Keystone adjustments.
- Full control by sACN.
Why use a media server?
Simply, this was designed for a small theatre company that uses 'digital backdrops' on a projection screen with their shows.
Since a traditional cloth would 'fade' with lights I wanted to provide the simplest possible way for them to control the 'cloths' from the lighting desk so the image on screen would always fade with the cue.
Zoe (and other media servers like it) allows for selection, adjustment, and fading of images directly from the lighting desk like any other fixture.
How is it different?
Did I mention it was free? ;) ... but, seriously, Zoe is not a full-featured media server. It's designed to solve one problem and to be used by people that aren't skilled technicians.
Zoe Media Server requires only minimal configuration, and you can be controlling your visuals in minutes. There is almost no user interface, just a media library with 255 slots to put your images and video into.
The current version is designed with a canvas of 1920x1080 (i.e. 1080 HD). Why? because that's what our projectors are. Realistically this is also an adequate resolution for most of the productions this might be used in, whether on a projector or LED wall. I may add other options in the future.
Why Zoe?
The original working title was sACN Media Server Thing but it didn't really roll off the tongue.
Zoe is derived from Zoetrope, and the early days of animation in the simplest form which eventually led to the projection and video displays we have today. Zoe is somewhat shorter and friendlier, and a stylised 'Z' made for a good icon.
DMX Profile
You can download the DMX Personality for the current version
Zoe Media Server uses sACN, which is supported by most lighting consoles, but my own experience is using it with ETC Eos. You can download a show file containing the fixture profile here.
Download
The Small Print.
Zoe Media Server is provided free of charge AS-IS and without warranty of any kind, express or implied including but not limited to warranties of merchantabiltiy or fitness for a particular purpose.
I accept no responsibility for anything that goes wrong directly or indirectly as a result of using Zoe Media Server. Including death and injury but, more likely, the wrong thing appearing on stage in a scene change or the Witches' Cottage appearing upside down in your annual panto.
Zoe is free, but if you find it useful perhaps you might also find CueCam useful - so buy that instead, and I'll be exceptionally grateful.