Touchscreen control!

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Touchscreen control!

Postby Detour DJ » 19 February 2015, 19:29

I've just tripped across something that many of you may find interesting. I bought an Acer FT220 touchscreen monitor to match with my Windows 7 Pro laptop and run ShowXpress. No news there...the display works fine with the laptop, as expected. But it's Windows, ya know? I'm a Mac guy, and I avoid Windows computers as much as I can. So, once I confirmed all was good with my new monitor attached to the PC laptop, I thought I'd take a chance and try it with my MacBook Pro.

Hallelujah, pass the bacon! It works!!! Albeit, there are a couple niggles, but it works! Who knew? I've read several articles about how Macs and OSX don't support touchscreen monitors. Apparently, they didn't tell Acer about this. Okay, here are the niggles...but they're very minor:

1. While the ShowX Live buttons all work nearly instantly with Windows, Macro buttons take about a second to engage with the Mac. Regular scene buttons engage the same as Windows. It's just the Macro buttons that are slightly slower.

2. The touchscreen only works when you move the cursor arrow onto it. I haven't tried all combinations of connections; I'm set up with the MacBook as a master and the Acer as an extension. But that's how it's reacting as I have it set up.

Other than that, it's working! Even tap+drag works on the master faders to the right. Tap Tempo works for Manual BPM scenes. I can't describe how tickled I am right now. More bacon, please!!!
Larz Hanson
Owner-Operator
Detour DJ, Sound & Lighting
7431 Frontage Road NW
Cleveland, TN 37312
(423) 432-3489
DetourDJ@gmail.com
http://www.DetourDJ.com
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Re: Touchscreen control!

Postby Detour DJ » 19 February 2015, 21:32

Update with more happy news: I hooked up the monitor to my Mac Mini and there's no delay at all when pressing either scene or macro buttons. All other controls work equally as well. I obviously can't say anything regarding other touchscreen monitors, but after all the "no" answers I got when asking about using a touchscreen with a Mac, this Acer monitor has said a resounding "Yes!!!"
Larz Hanson
Owner-Operator
Detour DJ, Sound & Lighting
7431 Frontage Road NW
Cleveland, TN 37312
(423) 432-3489
DetourDJ@gmail.com
http://www.DetourDJ.com
Detour DJ
 
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Joined: 10 January 2012, 14:38

Re: Touchscreen control!

Postby support » 19 February 2015, 22:54

Thank you for this report.
The Lighting Controller
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Re: Touchscreen control!

Postby Detour DJ » 24 February 2015, 19:17

I've had a little time to play with my new setup now, and here's an addendum to my previous posts:

Using the touchscreen as the only display connected to the Mac Mini, it works very well with just a couple drawbacks. As discussed in other threads, I'm only getting single-point touch response, while the monitor is capable of 10-point. I think this may be a limitation of ShowX though, not the system. While web-surfing in Safari, I can use two fingers to create a selection box. Other common multi-point gestures didn't seem to work.

While I use the Mac for lighting control, I also use it to play DJ music between the band's sets. My new monitor has built-in speakers and twin HDMI/MHL inputs. I could get the Mac to switch it's choice of audio outputs, but Virtual DJ 8 would not switch off HDMI as the selected output choice. Obviously, this sounds like a problem with Virtual DJ, but it's important to note for anyone trying a similar setup. So, as a last resort this past weekend, I ended up using the Mac Mini & touchscreen for ShowX and my MacBook for music via AirPlay to an Apple router and into the PA.

I'm assuming I'll eventually find a solution to the audio issue and be able to use just my Mac Mini for both tasks. I'd like to keep my MacBook home away from stupid drunks. As for the touch control of ShowX, even with just single-point touch, it made my job as LD way easier and more fluid than using a mouse or trackpad. This is gonna be a lot of fun!
Larz Hanson
Owner-Operator
Detour DJ, Sound & Lighting
7431 Frontage Road NW
Cleveland, TN 37312
(423) 432-3489
DetourDJ@gmail.com
http://www.DetourDJ.com
Detour DJ
 
Posts: 94
Joined: 10 January 2012, 14:38

Re: Touchscreen control!

Postby Pink LD » 25 February 2015, 19:16

I'm only getting single-point touch response, while the monitor is capable of 10-point. I think this may be a limitation of ShowX though, not the system.


It is my experience that it is a software limitation to single touch.I run Win 8.1 with twin Acer 10 point touchscreens, and it is single touch across both screens. Basically it is because the touch gesture is not treated differently than the mouse. Touch is treated as a mouse so when you touch the mouse cursor goes to the same place.

Now I have gotten multi-touch with the software 2 different ways. The first way gives me 10 point touch but I have to use a tablet emulator on my PC like Blue Stacks (Android Store/Play Store), then I run the ShowXpress Live Mobile app. I then have 10 touch on the mobile app.

Alternatively I can get single touch on each monitor but I have to use a multiple keyboard and mouse app, then designate each mouse to be limited to a separate screen. Then you have single simultaneous touch on separate screens. But you also have two mice hooked up.

Either way you still have to make sure Windows understands you have 2 touch monitors and in Win 8 there is a process for windows to ID and know which is which for touch input.

Ultimately I look forward to touch input being separate from mouse input. And hopefully someday the software engineers will institute multi touch support for ShowXpress. At least for Windows even if Mac is dragging it's feet on touch PC's.

Maybe the fact that you have configured a touch screen to work with a Mac will be the catalyst for ShowXpress software designers to be able to include multi-platform OS support muli-point touch.
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Re: Touchscreen control!

Postby Detour DJ » 25 February 2015, 19:50

That's the happy part here...all I did was plug it in and it worked fine without any calibration moves. I tried the exact same thing before with a Planar 22" touchscreen designed for Win7 and it didn't work. Both that monitor and my new Acer are industry-standard 1920x1080 resolution with HDMI connections. Of course, Mac has updated OSX since then, and touchscreens a have taken a step or two forward with widespread Win8 support, so maybe there's some common ground us Mac users can enjoy? I don't know the details, I'm simply tickled that it works so well and easily with ShowX. Even just single-touch is a light-year leap from mice and trackpads for active lighting control!
Larz Hanson
Owner-Operator
Detour DJ, Sound & Lighting
7431 Frontage Road NW
Cleveland, TN 37312
(423) 432-3489
DetourDJ@gmail.com
http://www.DetourDJ.com
Detour DJ
 
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Joined: 10 January 2012, 14:38

Re: Touchscreen control!

Postby Pink LD » 25 February 2015, 20:32

I do still mouse sometimes, trackpads I disable for shows as I use nearly 26 keyboard triggers.

But I am with you, any improvement in touch usage for delivering a lighting show is a good thing.
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Re: Touchscreen control!

Postby Detour DJ » 17 March 2015, 04:39

It's been a while longer now, and I just want to let Mac users know all is well with my touchscreen setup. Occasionally (rarely, actually), the touchscreen becomes inoperative. A quick unplug and replug of the USB control cable to the monitor solves the issue immediately without problem. As for switching from the HDMI to the AirPlay output in Virtual DJ, that turned out to be an easy fix. Instead of trying to change the output selection, I simply deleted it, then chose AirPlay for a new output configuration. Works like a charm.

My typical setup now is a Mac Mini, the Acer touchscreen, an inexpensive backlit keyboard, and an Apple wireless trackpad. I run ShowX to a Chauvet D-Fi transmitter out to several D-Fi receivers onstage. Amazingly fun and useful rig!
Larz Hanson
Owner-Operator
Detour DJ, Sound & Lighting
7431 Frontage Road NW
Cleveland, TN 37312
(423) 432-3489
DetourDJ@gmail.com
http://www.DetourDJ.com
Detour DJ
 
Posts: 94
Joined: 10 January 2012, 14:38

Re: Touchscreen control!

Postby Pink LD » 17 March 2015, 04:42

Do you have single or multi-touch in the software?
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Re: Touchscreen control!

Postby Detour DJ » 17 March 2015, 04:48

Still just single, though I can do multi keyboard triggers at the same time.
Larz Hanson
Owner-Operator
Detour DJ, Sound & Lighting
7431 Frontage Road NW
Cleveland, TN 37312
(423) 432-3489
DetourDJ@gmail.com
http://www.DetourDJ.com
Detour DJ
 
Posts: 94
Joined: 10 January 2012, 14:38

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