Interactive displays with xLights

[dowdybrown]

Several people have suggested that they would like the ability to have a visitor at their display be able to select the next sequence that gets played, perhaps via a web site.

After pondering this for a while, I think the web site approach has several problems:

• You cannot be sure whether the person selecting a sequence on your web site is at your display, or some hacker in a foreign country. When I had a guestbook on one of my web sites, I got 10 times more spam than useful comments - despite requiring a captcha (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login) to get in.
• The person watching your display must type the address of your web site into the tiny keyboard on their mobile phone in the dark.
• You would probably store the user's input in a file on the hosted web server. xLights would have to regularly poll the web server via ftp to see if there were new input.
• The previous step would require that the show computer have internet access. I don't know about you, but I don't allow my show computer on the internet, because I don't want some program updating itself during the middle of a show.

To get around these issues, I would like to propose a different arrangement. This would involve the following:

• You would run wifi in your front yard and connect your show computer to it. This network would not need to have internet connectivity. The network name (SSID) would be "xLights".
• I would create a mobile xLights app that visitors to your display could download.
• On the show computer, you would be able to specify in xLights what you wanted to allow your viewers to control. You could specify which sequences they could choose. You could also create some special short sequences that could be superimposed over the currently playing sequence - like spin the megatree one time, or run the strobes for a few seconds. The mobile app would have buttons the user could push to invoke these short sequences.
• When a visitor starts the mobile app while visiting your display, the app would turn the phone's wifi on, connect to the xLights network, then download the allowable choices from the show computer. Then the mobile app would display those choices. Any selections or button presses from the user would be sent back to the show computer and xLights on the show computer would carry out the instruction.

Comments? Questions?

FWIW - I have not coded or tested any of this yet, these are just concepts so far.

I have been looking at mobile development tools. I like the looks of Appcelerator (which would support a single code base for Android and iPhone), or I would use tools native to each platform. Feedback on this aspect is welcome as well.

Matt

[taybrynn]

OMG, I love your idea ..... most than I can state in words.  I had been thinking something similar.  In fact I have an old 802.11 wifi unit ready to go for this purpose!  Great answer to security ... keep it local and isolated.

I think the ability to allow a guest to request 'overlay' display actions would be extremely popular, esp. since so many of my viewers are children and their parents would typically have smart phones (android/iphone). 

I also like the ability to request a song.  But below is a variation on the theme you presented:

Here's another idea:  schedule a 'viewers choice' sequence ... and it would play a particular song or perform a certain action ... based on the result of not one request, but based on the results of an interactive poll that the app could present during a regularly scheduled song ... and basically the choice with the most votes in a certain timeframe .... would become the viewers choice.  I would be cool if an optional audio file could be played to indicate the winning option, or the app would just display the results as they are collected and then the viewers choice would play.

A more advanced feature might be to schedule the TOP3 sequences ... i.e. the #1, #2, #3 most popular sequences based on prior viewers choice results (cumulative viewers requests stats). 

[dpitts]

Sounds great. How about a small JPG or bitmap file be transported to app from XLIGHTS. This file would be created by user and imported into XLIGHTS along with hotspot regions that could be mapped to the short sequences you spoke of. Then app could as an option display this image and when user touches hotspot regions the mapped sequences could play. An example image could be image of the show or simple images of display items. An Android app with images was created by user on DIYC. Although your idea of WiFi seems cool.

[dpitts]

taybrynn stoled my thunder. He types fast.

[rimist]

I like it, however, remote controlling individual components could become troublesome as the number of simultaneous guests show up. The favorites idea works to deal with song requests, but not components. One idea would be to only allow a phone to control the components for a certain amount of time, and then go to the next. This would require keeping track of who arrived, in what order, and who left as well. Just things to keep in mind.
I really like the disconnected idea, however, it does pose a couple other issues. In rural areas to need to put the router in a weather safe location close enough to the road for people to use. In urban areas you run into network interference from so many other networks and other items.

-Rimist (via Tapatalk)

[chrisatpsu]

you would be relying on the viewers to be able to configure a wifi network on their phone...
most people probably don't know they can do it, or how to do it.

[dpitts]

Not sure if it is possible but he indicated that app would automatically turn on the WiFi of Android device and automatically connect to ssid = "XLIGHTS".

I know when you install apps on Android the installation program asks user if the app can use certain resources. Maybe WiFi is one that can be used if user accepts when installing. Not sure.

you would be relying on the viewers to be able to configure a wifi network on their phone...
most people probably don't know they can do it, or how to do it.

[MrChristmas2000]

If you were to get multiple request they could be put in a que simillar to a musical jukebox then played in the order requested. You could also limit the request for a particular sequence in some fashion as to prevent pest from requesting the same sequence over and over. It could be that a sequence would not be repeated back to back or depending on how many sequences you have.

Would there be a way to show the user what sequences are currently waiting to run?

xLights could switch back to a preprogrammed list when no special request were pending.

This would provide for a truly dynamic show.

You could have an announcement or a special sign made up for vistor instructions or even a localized web server with instructions.

[dowdybrown]

Not sure if it is possible but he indicated that app would automatically turn on the WiFi of Android device and automatically connect to ssid = "XLIGHTS".

I know when you install apps on Android the installation program asks user if the app can use certain resources. Maybe WiFi is one that can be used if user accepts when installing. Not sure.

you would be relying on the viewers to be able to configure a wifi network on their phone...
most people probably don't know they can do it, or how to do it.

Yes, I was thinking of the Android app "wifi analyzer" which automatically turns on wifi when I start the app and turns it off when I exit. As long as the ssid is fixed, it should not have any trouble making the correct connection - even in a crowded wifi environment.

Matt

Matt

[chrisatpsu]

so you would have an open unsecured wifi network to your show computer?

i'm not being a negative nancy, just the devils advocate   

[mms]

If you have a dedicated Wifi router on your show computer with no other access "permissions", wouldn't that be "secure" enough for this purpose?  I would also think there would be some sort of security key (similar to the way satellite receivers work) that would allow the app to only schedule the requested event with no other abilities to access the show computer.  I'm not well-versed enough with networks or software to know how something like this would work.

I would foresee using this as a "make your own sequence" where during a specific song during the show, kids (and their parents) would be able to spin the mega tree, tap to light the window frames, change the colors of smart nodes, light up the roof, etc.  Obviously, there's no way to configure for everyone's individual layout.  Maybe also allow each item to be logged into one at a time.... for instance only one person can spin the megatree at a time. 

I love the potential this has!


Matt,

This sounds awesome!  I, like many others, wouldn't have had a show this year had it not been for xLights!  Keep up the great work!

[taybrynn]

I see any adhoc control of display items ... to only make sense during a voiceover or other short (generic) song ... perhaps the requests could be queued up (for up to duration of the next adhoc song) ... and then it would basically show everyone on the app who's up next:

john: left megatree - triple spin

cindy: tree line red, tree line green

...

[rdebolt]

This is a fantastic idea!!!! I could never get away with this at my display as I live in a cul-de-sac and I have "crowd" problems. I could see people outside playing with this all night and other people not being able to get in to see the show. I really do love the idea though!!!

[rimist]

The point about WiFi access to the show computer is concerning. I'd only run bsd on that machine, and harden it.

-Rimist (via Tapatalk)

[dowdybrown]

so you would have an open unsecured wifi network to your show computer?

i'm not being a negative nancy, just the devils advocate   

Good point. I think this can be easily addressed by including encryption and authentication features in the protocol between the show computer and the mobile app.

Matt