# Free Video Cueing?



## ZephireNZ (Mar 6, 2013)

I run the Sound/Visuals for a school hall (student there also) and I'm looking into a solution of professionally cuing videos.

Up until recently we had been using VLC to play videos on the 2nd screen (the projector). Sadly, I've tried searching for settings inside VLC that would allow control on one screen, and video on the other, but to no avail. I've yet to even find a way to get VLC to always start video on a 2nd screen (it starts on the screen the control is on). Having to drag a window across is quite unproffesional and looks quite bad.

I looked around and found that Quicktime had a config to always show fullscreen on the 2nd screen, so I've been using that to cue videos recently. However, it's by no means a solid solution as it lacks the required codecs for some videos (such as wmv) that I often have to play.

So I ask, is there any *free* software available that could do what I need?


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## headcrab (Mar 6, 2013)

What version of VLC are you using?

I know this works for VLC 2.0.5:
If you go to Tools -> Preferences and select the All settings bubble, it will give you a tree with a bunch of options. Under Video, look for "Fullscreen video output," "Embedded Video," and "Show media title on video."
Fullscreen video output should be checked.
Embedded video and Show media title on video should be unchecked.

Then, under "Window properties" (subset of the Video tab) you need to set the Video X coordinate and the Video Y coordinate to (I think) the upper-left-hand corner of whatever monitor you want the video to appear on. I don't know exactly how windows assigns monitor coordinates or where the origin is so I can't say anything more than play around with it. If you're using a Mac or Linux, you're on your own. Theoretically you should also have to set the Video width and Video height fields to correspond to the monitor's native resolution, but in my tests it appears that the video gets scaled appropriately.

Every time I have had to do this, I had to try a few different settings to make it work the way I wanted it to.


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## ZephireNZ (Mar 7, 2013)

All of your advice is sound, thanks a tonne. I'd actually played with all these setting before but to no avail. But finally, after experimenting with something I assumed was unnecessary, I got it to work!

I changed all of the settings you told me to. I then fiddled with the Video X to set it to be 1 pixel wider than the primary display. Still no success, video always launched on the primary display. Just because why not, I decided to change the Video Y by one measly pixel and.... Hey presto, always on the 2nd display!  Turns out, if y is set to 0, it will no matter what resort back to the first display. So now, I have separate controls for VLC that always launches fullscreen on a second monitor, so I thank you headcrab! Your advice may not have been the solution, but it certainly lead me to it!


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## FACTplayers (Mar 7, 2013)

Playing video on one screen and controlling it (or doing something else) on another screen isn't a standard windows feature?


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## headoned (Mar 7, 2013)

screen monkey?? its so far the best free software iv used


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## headoned (Mar 7, 2013)

Screen Monkey - Show and Presentation Control Software


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## cpf (Mar 7, 2013)

Shameless plug: http://cpfx.ca/theatre/index/vlcpresenter/ will save you from fiddling with VLC settings and hoping they always work.


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## JohnHartman (Mar 7, 2013)

Multiplay has a function to playback video files, I have never ran it in a show, but have played with it a bit, it will support addressing a second screen with the first staying as a control surface.


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## headcrab (Mar 8, 2013)

ZephireNZ said:


> All of your advice is sound, thanks a tonne. I'd actually played with all these setting before but to no avail. But finally, after experimenting with something I assumed was unnecessary, I got it to work!
> 
> I changed all of the settings you told me to. I then fiddled with the Video X to set it to be 1 pixel wider than the primary display. Still no success, video always launched on the primary display. Just because why not, I decided to change the Video Y by one measly pixel and.... Hey presto, always on the 2nd display!  Turns out, if y is set to 0, it will no matter what resort back to the first display. So now, I have separate controls for VLC that always launches fullscreen on a second monitor, so I thank you headcrab! Your advice may not have been the solution, but it certainly lead me to it!



I didn't think to say anything about that, but that coincides with my experiences as well. I have one computer with two 1280x1024 monitors arranged side by side. For the video to show up on the secondary monitor (the right one) the video coordinates have to be (X=1281, Y=1)


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## kmccoy (Mar 10, 2013)

I know you've found a solution that works for you, but I recently discovered Unified Remote, a $4 app which I use to control my computer from my Android device, and it's pretty amazing. I can see some interesting applications if you're already using VLC to do theatre presentation.


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## NickVon (Oct 16, 2017)

anyone have CPF's little VLC batch app that used to be hosted? The link above is dead, and I never thought to archive it locally.


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## ruinexplorer (Oct 17, 2017)

No, but if you find it, let us know!


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## Amiers (Oct 17, 2017)

ruinexplorer said:


> No, but if you find it, let us know!


https://web.archive.org/web/20150307231600/http://cpfx.ca/theatre/index/vlcpresenter/

Can't click from my phone. See if it cached it as well.


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## ruinexplorer (Oct 18, 2017)

Amiers said:


> https://web.archive.org/web/20150307231600/http://cpfx.ca/theatre/index/vlcpresenter/
> 
> Can't click from my phone. See if it cached it as well.



Yeah, I had tried that. The file wasn't archived.


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