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Video
Cosmic Jukebox (Digistar Timer)
Technologies Used
The administrators interface was developed with php and uses a MySQL database. Text files to store simple changeable settings. The visitors interface was developed with Macromedia Director MX which sends information to a php web service.More Info
My second week working at the Science Center I was introduced to the idea of letting visitors play their own shows in the Digistar Dome theater. The jukebox interface was created by Greg from J&K Associates in Boston. We collaborated our ideas via email and telephone for two months. The jukebox interface is a standalone application that stores all of its settings in a simple xml file. All movie clips are stored in mov format on the jukebox itself along with the jpg thumbnails.
A visitor uses a touch screen monitor to select the clips that they would like to see. The visitor will then be presented with the option to play their show inside of the dome theater in full color. If they choose yes, the user will get a "Button Number". This number can be pressed on a wireless PDA or on the button terminal inside of the dome and magically their show is playing.
The administrator's web interface allows them to turn the jukebox on and off. If it is off, the jukebox will not ask visitors to play their show in the dome. The reporting keeps track of how often each clip is chosen. The administrator interface is where new clips are added to the MySQL database
The Digistar script is split up into many parts. Post variables from the jukebox are inserted into place holders while looping through all entries. While looping (pun intended) I used fwrite to [Button Number].sft. The Digistar dome is then directed to [Button Number].sft on the server when the visitor presses their button number. In more words than just one, that's what happens. Nothing much to it, just a lot of collaboration between the server, the jukebox, and the dome!
