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I wondered how they did that! (Superbowl half-time) — Parallax Forums

I wondered how they did that! (Superbowl half-time)

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
edited 2014-02-03 15:32 in General Discussion
The in-stands light show at half-time seemed eerily coordinated:

rx6aJtK.jpg

-Phil

Comments

  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2014-02-02 22:25
    ...i noticed that the "hand-helds" (head-helds?) changed color during the show. At first I thought it was my imagination, but toward the end it became obvious I was not lahucinating.
  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,107
    edited 2014-02-02 22:37
    Any idea about the control signal? I have a "Glow With the Show" set of mouse ears from Disneyland that use 2400 baud serial over IR. There's group that's hacked the protocol -- I've taken control of my ears with a Propeller/HID.
  • RDL2004RDL2004 Posts: 2,554
    edited 2014-02-03 02:16
    It's a shame that the best part of the half-time show was the lighting. Red Hot Chili Peppers? Seriously? Who did they bribe?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-02-03 09:15
    Neither lighting malfunctions nor wardrobe malfunctions marred/enhanced the halftime show this year!
  • WBA ConsultingWBA Consulting Posts: 2,934
    edited 2014-02-03 10:11
    The hats were done by PixMob, a Canadian company that specializes in LED based audience involvement for concerts, etc.

    an article on the hats:

    http://www.thestar.com/business/2014/02/02/super_bowl_xlviii_halftime_show_lit_up_courtesy_of_canadian_tuques.html

    and another:

    http://www.wired.com/design/2014/02/super-bowl-audience-became-human-video-screen/#slide-id-412671
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2014-02-03 10:20
    PixMob:

    "The PixMob experience is about taking the show from the stage to the stands, uniting people through shared experiences and reinventing rituals,”

    Seems like turning people into pixels for the aggrandisement of someone or other to me.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2014-02-03 10:23
    I gather from the descriptions that the individual LEDs are are instructed simply by how the IR transmitters are aimed, not by any localized addressing scheme. 'Makes sense, since those passing out the hats wouldn't necessarily know where each fan was sitting to make sure he got the right hat. So basically the effects operators are just "painting" the stands with IR commands, and the LEDs are responding in kind.

    -Phil
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-02-03 10:56
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    JonnyMac wrote: »
    I have a "Glow With the Show" set of mouse ears from Disneyland that use 2400 baud serial over IR.

    Jon: Shhhh... if my daughter Lindsey finds out about those, I'm a dead man. She's absolutely addicted to her Minnie Mouse ears, they rarely leave her head. She even sleeps with them.
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  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,107
    edited 2014-02-03 13:32
    Come on, Eric -- grab some GWtS ears for those cuties! Think of the squeals of delight through your house as their ears change color when the go from from to room.
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2014-02-03 13:40
    Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »
    I gather from the descriptions that the individual LEDs are are instructed simply by how the IR transmitters are aimed, not by any localized addressing scheme. 'Makes sense, since those passing out the hats wouldn't necessarily know where each fan was sitting to make sure he got the right hat. So basically the effects operators are just "painting" the stands with IR commands, and the LEDs are responding in kind.

    -Phil

    Maybe. But the article indicates that the hats were at the seats, and not handed out at the gates.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-02-03 14:33
    JonnyMac wrote: »
    Come on, Eric -- grab some GWtS ears for those cuties! Think of the squeals of delight through your house as their ears change color when the go from from to room.

    Sounds eerily like the mood-reflecting, color-changing "Glow Bows" from one of the Minnie Mouse Bow-Tique cartoons etched indelibly into my mind. I'll spare you by not posting the Youtube link, lest that become as popular here as Cliff Richard's "Congratulations".
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    edited 2014-02-03 15:32
    I've been wanting to strap some syncro LEDs to a crowd too...

    [video=youtube_share;EbqWhSA3BVU]

    I think I'm going to spend more time focusing on markets where things only have to look good to be successful.

    I think the light painting is really cool, I'm glad to see it is still alive and they pioneered another way to do it. I'm also glad to hear other people talking about it. A few years ago you could get hung fer puttin LEDs on a hat.
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