Green Hippo

Video Review: The Green Hippo Hippotizer V3 by Church Production

Video Review: The Green Hippo Hippotizer V3 by Church Production

by David Martin Jacques writing for Church Production.com

Lighting technology is now experiencing an exciting technical and artistic metamorphosis, not unlike when the first moving lights came on the scene. Anyone who has seen the latest rock shows, television awards shows, and Broadway productions has probably witnessed some incredible projected video lighting effects. Usually, you see these effects on projection screens, but due to new technology in LEDs, you can see these video images embedded in the stage walls, backdrops, or even in the floor.

Although video projectors like the High End DL3 or even an inexpensive video projector are required to display the video, you need a sophisticated “video brain,” or “media server“ to create and produce sophisticated video images for these projectors.

Media servers come in many sizes and costs, ranging from a simple Macintosh system ($2,000) to the most sophisticated (upwards of $50,000). When consulting on video systems for churches, the first questions I ask are: “What are your present video needs, and what are your dreams for the future”? The answers will direct me to systems that fit the needs of the particular house of worship.

There are several basic areas of concern when accessing what your video needs may be. First, how much live video (cameras) and pre-recorded media content do you use during a service? How many video outputs do you need? Do you show the same image on all your screens or do you do split images? Do you need High Definition output? Do you need separate video feeds to your remote monitors (in the lobby or quiet rooms)?

After answering these questions, the next step is to address what your artistic needs are. Do you use simple video images to show behind the service? What type of transitions do you use from clip to clip? Do you superimpose text on top of images? Would you like the option to manipulate the video with special effects? And finally, would you like to use the video content to actually illuminate the stage?

Green Hippo has been in the media server business for many years. The Hippotizer models of media servers are used on the largest projects in the world, including the Academy Awards, Eurovision, Blue Man Group, and numerous concert tours, television, and Broadway productions.

TMB (the exclusive distributor for Green Hippo for North America, Middle East, and Asia) sent their top of the line Hippotizer V3 to our light lab at California State University, Long Beach for testing on one of our productions, And the War Came. This production used two live cameras and four high-powered video projectors to mix and display content.

The hardware component of a media server is basically a computer with inputs and outputs. The real design challenge for a media server is in its software design and user interface. This media server consists of two pieces of software. The Engine outputs the video, and the Zookeeper controls the interface. (You can even run the Zookeeper remotely on a portable Windows computer.)

I have used several media servers from other manufacturers and I can confidently state that the Zookeeper software interface for the Hippotizer is hands-down the most user-friendly. After one session with a Green Hippo programmer, my students were able to create and manipulate the video in amazing ways. From the simplest cross-fades to extremely sophisticated tiling and animated effects, the Zookeeper software displayed a very intuitive interface.

Unlike some other manufacturers, Green Hippo decided to use a “timeline” to create media cues. A timeline is not unlike what you see when working with sound or video files on digital audio workstation (DAW) or a non-linear editing system (NLE). By placing the video content into timelines, editing becomes extremely intuitive. Making changes on the timeline is quick and easy. You can also insert content and effects right on the timeline, and have multiple timelines for multiple layers.

The Hippotizer can mix up to eight layers. These layers can consist of video, media graphics, or live sound. I doubt that any production would require more. If more layers are needed, the Hippotizer’s has the ability to network several servers. HippoNet allows seamless networking for control and configuration.

The Hippotizer has a very interesting feature called “frame blended slow motion.” This allows you to slow down or speed up the video without experiencing missing frames of video (which could create a choppy image). The software fills in the missing frames, creating a very smooth image no matter what speed you use. This is quite useful when you want to fit the time of the video image within a song or section of a sermon.

In addition, the Hippotizer has a wonderful soft edge blending feature. This allows you to blend multiple images into each other. It also allows you to blend two or more projectors to create one large image. The software automatically dims the areas where the two projectors overlap, creating a seamless image.

One of the coolest features is the Pixel-Mapper. This allows simple pixel mapping for LED screens. In addition, you can use this feature to control DMX. You can create an array of multiple conventional lighting fixtures into a video image. For instance, if you had 100 PAR Cans (or simple light bulbs) set up on a back wall facing the congregation, you could create a monochromatic video image on this “homemade video-wall”. This also allows the assignment of different video layers to sections of the video map.

Of course there is an automatic keystone function for projecting on angles. In addition, there is a “Screen Warp” feature that will bend the projection onto uneven or non-linear screens. This creates a very professional, customized video surface.

The Hippotizer does not stop at projecting video content. The Hippotizer can be used like a moving light. It includes a library of gobo patterns that can be projected. But unlike patterns in a leko or moving light, these patterns can be manipulated and morphed to any size, scale, color, or perspective.

The Hippotizer comes with about 140 effects that the Hippotizer. These are very similar to Adobe’s After-Effects and can be used separately on multiple moving or still video layers. There are also many 3-D effects, including rotating cubes and globes. Plus there is a really awesome rain effect.

Our real-world testing of the Hippotizer in the light lab and in the theatre was totally uneventful. Hookup to our cameras and video projectors was easy, and calibration almost effortless. One question that our Master Electrician had was quickly answered by TMB’s 24-hour technical assistance.

Once set up, our video content designer breezed through the hundred video cues in the show. He was using a competitor’s media server for three weeks before our Hippotizer arrived, and he gladly re-wrote the content that it took three weeks to create in just one day. Needless to say he was quite pleased with the Hippotizer’s easy-to-use video effects suite.

Changes that occurred during the technical rehearsal process were accomplished quickly and efficiently. This is essential as no one wants to wait while the video is corrected. We found that the Hippotizer was created for such situations, otherwise the countless huge Hippotizer productions would probably still be in tech rehearsals.

The next challenge is training a student with no video experience to run the Hippotizer’s cues. This is where the timeline really came in handy. The student video operator would only have to advance to the next timeline event to execute the cue. It could not be easier. Another advantage of the timeline in show operation is that you always know where you are and what came before and what comes after. This seems very intuitive for most people, and makes operation a breeze.

During the four-week run of the production there were absolutely no issues with the Hippotizer. I cannot say enough about the stability and road-worthiness of the hardware and software. In the Hippotizer’s case, you certainly get what you pay for.

Green Hippo’s media servers include four models; selecting the right model will depend on how powerful your video needs are. The Hippotizer HD is at the top-of-the-line, followed by the “Hippotizer Stage”, the “HippoPortamus” and the “HippoCritter.” All four models use the same Zookeeper software. The difference in the models is the number of inputs and outputs, video layers, and video resolution.

If you use video in your service, I highly recommend that you check out Green Hippo’s website to see if one of their media servers will serve your needs. Yes, the Hippotizer is a major step up from PowerPoint and I-Movie, but I can confidently state that it will open up new, exciting creative images for your services.

David Martin Jacques is a professional lighting designer and consultant. He has designed hundreds of productions in the United States and throughout the world. David also consults on new worship facilities and renovations. He serves as Head of Stage Design for California State University Long Beach.