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Overview

MeshExpert Live! includes a complete set of hardware, support software, and application software. This guide will first provide you the detailed information of MeshExpert Live! system structures and how it works. Then the complete hardware specifications are given along with where to buy them. And Finally this guide will show you to assemble them together.

System Structure

MeshExpert Live! is made up of two parts:

  • Live Rig: a set of movable video device with the function of getting video and location information of the real world.
  • Live WorkStation: a high performance graphics workstation used for running MeshExpert Server and synthesizing real-time holographic video.

System Structure

How It Works

MeshExpert Live! contains two main parts: collaboration, and live streaming. The collaboration within multiple devices are coordinated by MeshExpert Server which broadcasts messages through a simple protocol. For live video streaming, the App running on the Workstation takes the real-time anchor from the MeshExpert LiveAgent running on HoloLens on the Rig, and synthesizes the holographic videos. The live video stream can output to screens through HDMI interface or be captured to video files.

RIG Installation

The Rig is used for obtaining the real-world images and location information and further delivering them to the workstation in order to carry out real-time synthesis.

MeshExpert Live! Rig consists of the following main components:

  • Digital camera/video camera
  • HoloLens
  • Tripod
  • Accessories for fixing

Note: HoloLens here is responsible for providing location information. You can replace it with other devices which also can provide position information. Besides, HoloLens can be removed if you don't need real-time synchronization of location information, such as fixing the camera stand.

Rig Assembly

The purpose of the assembly is to securely secure the complete set of equipment together to minimize the effects of unstable factors such as shaking. Depending on the requirements of the working site and the choice of equipment, the ways of assembly and connection may vary. If you want to use non-recommended equipment, please make sure that you know how to connect them together. Below is a typical example of the assembly.

item Function specification
HoloLens stand Fix HoloLens firmly Aluminium stand offered by DataMesh
Digital camera Hot shoe interface for the the convenience of connecting HoloLens One possible choice is the Sony ICLE-6500 + EPZ 16-50
Tripod/head Support camera and HoloLens firmly
Other accessories Camera can connect to HoloLens through hot shoe interface Screws for hot shoe switch

The assembly processes of Rig Suite depicted in the picture below, and the steps are as follows:

  1. Fix HoloLens on the dedicated Aluminum HoloLens Bracket.
  2. Add the Hotshoe Adapter to the HoloLens mount in Step 1 (to later in Step 5, connect the HoloLens mount to the camera).
  3. Connect the Camera to the Tripod.
  4. Fix the Hotshoe Fastener to the Camera.
  5. Finally, connect the HoloLens Mount and the Camera by connecting the Hotshoe Adapter and the Hotshoe Fastener.

RIG Assembly Diagram

If you are looking for a shopping list of the Rig parts, here is one possible choice in the Rig Shopping List.

Workstation Installation

Hardware Requirements

The workstation requires a certain amount of computing power, which could be satisfied by hardware sets of the given specifications, to meet the demands of MeshExpert Live!. There would also be some restrictions regarding the hardware and software choices. Below is a list of recommended requirements for the workstation:

Item Specification Remark
CPU Intel Skylake 6700K or above OR AMD Ryzen 1700X or above
GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or above
  • GPU needs to support NVENC (Hardware-Accelerated Video Encoding) encoding APIs for H.264.
  • AMD GPUs currently are not supported.
Mainboard Support M.2 SSD or PCI-E SSD
  • Note that if you choose to use internal capture card the mainboard must have one extra PCI-E x16 slot for capture card.
Memory 16GB dual-channel DDR4 or above
Operating system Windows 10 x64
  • Only 64bit system is supported.
  • Windows 7/8 and Windows Server editions are not supported.
  • Windows 10 Pro version and above are required for development.
Hard disk 500GB M.2 SSD or PCIE SSD
  • Recommend SAMSUNG 850 EVO 500G M.2 SSD.
  • You can use SATA SSD if you don't need to record 4K videos.
Capture Card PCI-E Video Capture Card

Note 1: Visit https://developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-decode-gpu-support-matrix#Encoder to see the NVIDIA GPU support matrix.

Note 2: Single common GTX1070 card could accelerate the transcoding process up to 8x, which roughly means the system can process an 8-minutes recording in about 1 minute. The use of cards of lower GPU computation power is also possible but would result in slower video processing.

Assembly Steps

Workstation access steps are as follows:

Workstation Connection Diagram

  1. Install the Capture Card to the PCIE slot of the Workstation.
  2. Connect the camera's HDMI Output Port to the Input Port of the capture card of the workstation, with a HDMI to Mini-HDMI cable.
  3. Connect the Micro USB port of HoloLens to one of the USB3.0 port on the workstation with a Micro USB to USB cable. (This is for the convenience of USB debugging and charging of HoloLens, and thus is optional) .
  4. Connect the workstation to the LAN Port of the Wireless Router using a Lan cable.
  5. Use an HDMI to HDMI cable to attach the Output Port of the capture card of the workstation to an external display or any other campatible screens.
  6. Let the HoloLens join the local wireless network and make sure the HoloLens and the workstation are in the same vlan.

Broadcasting-Grade Setup

If you are looking for high-end professional hardware that could be used for scenarios like television production and filming, or if you have already got those equipment, please contact service@datamesh.com for help. MeshExpert Live! supports broadcasting-grade setups and has already been used for TV shows.

Appendix

Rig Shopping List

item Buy Link Comments
HoloLens stand DataMesh Shop Aluminium stand offered by DataMesh
Digital camera Sony ICLE-6500 + EPZ 16-50 You may also buy an extra battery for backup
Tripod/head For instance, Ravelli AVTP
 Capture Card Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro 4K Other tested cards include: Blackmagic UltraStudio for Thunderbolt Card and Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle Card

For other possible hardware choices, see the SpectatorView from Microsoft.

Note: if you want to use external capture card instead of integrated capture card, you can use Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle which is also supported by MeshExpert Live! with up to 30fps. Note that the integrated card Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro 4K comes with better stablility and performance (up to 60fps).