MediaShout and ProPresenter have some big differences in how they operate that are inherited from their platform. ProPresenter uses QuickTime, MediaShout uses DirectX, etc. But there’s also a big difference in the user interface that is by design and not just because of the computer the program runs on.
The person responsible for making MediaShout work uses tools such as Scripts and Cues. The ProPresenter operator relies on playlists and miniature versions of the actual slide as you would see it on the big screen. This isn’t a matter of one method being superior to the other, but they are completely different in how easy it is for a user to get results and be able to make last minute changes. And as the ongoing debates I participate in demonstrate, everyone has their own preference for which option is better.
As I said, MediaShout’s primary tool is called a script. This is because it can have all the same content as the actual script for your production. The content of your production is placed in order from top to bottom. Section headers can divide the script into different parts, such as “Announcements”, “Music”, “Sermon”, etc. The lyrics or notes can be seen like normal written text, or hidden away to only see titles. The user interface isn’t so much a preview of what you will get on the big screen, it is a detailed view of what is coming up and can give you enough information that you won’t need a copy of the script next to you. The contents of the full script appear from top to bottom much like a document.
On the contrary, a preview is exactly what you get with ProPresenter. The operator selects what goes on the screen by clicking on a miniature picture of exactly how the output will appear. The Renewed Vision team wanted to give you a full “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWG) experience. So rather than see the lyrics in a paragraph format like you would find in a script, you see the individual lines inside boxes positioned exactly as they will appear on the projector once you click on them. Likewise, the background and foreground elements are divided so that you can click on different backgrounds for the same slide as you feel compelled to. All the background options appear on the bottom half of the screen and you can click on them at any time without affecting the foreground (the words or pictures being presented).
Generally speaking, MediaShout is geared more for the person who has planned the whole script in advance, while ProPresenter allows for more fluid on-the-fly options. The MediaShout operator can go through the whole production by hitting nothing more than the spacebar over and over because the whole script is already present and in order, while the ProPresenter operator will have to rely on the mouse to change songs or find the appropriate video clip or background graphic. On the other hand, the ProPresenter user will have an easier time switching between slides if last minute changes means you need to find a different slide than was already planned for a given segment.
I’m not saying the MediaShout operator can’t stray from the script or be more dynamic, it just isn’t the default mode. You can scroll up and down the script and double-click any entry that you want to switch to right away. And there’s a couple of additional windows MediaShout has that works much like ProPresenter, showing thumbnail views of different video clips, graphics, or even songs that you can have sitting on the side just in case.
May 18, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Great overview, Daniel! Just a comment, you can run through an entire service in ProPresenter pressing nothing other than the spacebar (as long as you’re using the latest version). The spacebar now advances you through the presentations (songs), as well as the playlist. Though when I cue a service, I use my Apple remote…
May 19, 2008 at 8:44 am
New item for the to-do list: Look for an RSS feed or some other method to keep up with ProPresenter updates.
Thanks for the correction, this will be useful information the next time I’m running the CG at North Point.
So when you use the space bar (or remote), does the list scroll down in advance? That’s one of my other “complaints” about PP when I’m running lyrics, you have to use the mouse to scroll down to see what’s coming up next. Otherwise the slide you are on is at the bottom of the screen and you are on blind faith that the next slide is the right one once you hit the bottom right.
Of course this too may have been fixed and I’d never know it. I’m not responsible for updates on the computers I use at NP and I always hit the “Later” button when it tells me there’s a new update, so I know I’m missing something.
July 29, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Media Shout can be used in much the same way to do on-the-fly presentations. People have traditionally used the script method, but by using the various tools you can run an entire service without ever putting a single cue into a script.
July 29, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I have definitely run “on-the-fly” under some special circumstances (like relatively unplanned youth events), and you are correct, MediaShout can do so just fine. However, there is still no comparison to ProPresenter’s ability to change the background as the presentation runs.
Again to clarify, one could change the background in MediaShout’s properties window and hit apply quickly, and you may be able to get away with it. But in Pro, it is default behavior to be able to change the background on a whim.
On the other hand, I’m not sure why that’s a good idea anyway. Now that MediaShout can support changing the background mid-song (like having a unique background for the chorus or bridge), I think that’s all that is necessary and makes for smoother transitions than having to click on the slide advance and background separately. So I feel no sense of loss by not having this “feature” and would much rather pre-plan a mid-song change anyway.