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Electronics for Exhibits
Anybody here involved with putting together exhibits? As the "computer guy" for MNA I'm expected to know about everything electronic. Interactive video within exhibits is one of my current challenges and one that I surely don't know enough about. Does anyone have any pointers or resources on what a newbie needs to know so that you don't make wrong early choices that are hard to undo later?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on
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My advice is this...if you have the money get the best equipment you can get. A few things were done before I got here and they went with the cheapest equipment. We are now paying a high price for that decision. As for what to get, it just depends on what you want. My e-mail address is bratliff@pphm.wtamu.edu if you any specific questions.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Bertrand on
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One bit of advice I can offer would be to look at what similar institutions to yours are doing along those lines and talk to those decision makers. You would certainly be narrowing in on the precise people who could really help you.
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Permalink Reply by dmje123 on
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Ernie, in terms of general advice (rather than specific video-related stuff), I'd say:
1. Try to think really big picture before you do anything. At the end of the day, try not to let this stop you innovating, but thinking "how else could I use this content/widget/technology?" is a good approach
2. Don't do anything at all, ever, without testing it with your users, both internal and external
3. Avoid systems which appear to be good only because the initial outlay is low...
4. Where possible, choose systems or techniques with data transparency in and out - ultimately an API (but this is often asking too much..) but at least good standards, hopefully some XML, known (not bespoke) databases, etc, etc
Bear in mind I'm a web guy not an on-gallery exhibit guy, but I reckon the advice is similar. We've put together some stuff at the Science Museum, for example, which lets us take a single source of XML data and publish it to Flash for use in on-gallery exhibits and to the web as HTML. The web publish takes around 10-12 minutes to build an entire story. See fire fighting robots as an example.
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