Modus VR's compositions make it easier to demonstrate content on large videos, command cand control rooms, and more!

Compositions

Ken BrueckBlog, How to

Compositions

Introducing compositions, a flexible, intelligent, and more performant type of media that can adapt to the screen on which they’re displayed. They enable better storytelling, particularly for projects with large video walls, lots of control room consoles, or involve discussions around different screen configurations in video conferencing applications.

Compositions are found in the media library and can be played on any display in Modus VR, just like traditional videos. However, they’re more complex in that they change their presentation based on screen size, aspect ratio, and other user inputs. The same composition shown on two different devices may look entirely different!

Compositions are indicated by a small icon in the top left corner of each item in the media library

When compositions help

If your typical use of video in Modus is to show a movie trailer or sports clip, compositions won’t impact you much. That behavior remains the same because it already reflects how content behaves on displays in the real world.

However, there are many other scenarios where the previous approach of “fit vs. fill” wasn’t nearly robust enough. This section covers several of those scenarios and demonstrates how compositions provide a better storytelling experience for your clients.

Large video wall installations

Large video walls, particularly those that end up in control rooms, are often non-standard aspect ratios. Ultimately these will have content designed specifically for the installation, like a status dashboard or a grid of traffic camera feeds. Instead of a fixed aspect ratio video that likely won’t match the aspect ratio of the video wall, a composition can adjust its presentation to create a perfect fit. Here are two examples of this in action:

Status dashboard

The status composition adds content and changes its layout to fit the display.

Traffic

The traffic composition changes its presentation to fit well, regardless of the aspect ratio.

Software applications

Software has always been able to change its layout based on a display’s resolution and aspect ratio. Previously, to show what a Microsoft Teams call might look like on a 16:9 display vs. a 21:9 display, the user would have to select the corresponding video from the library. Now, a single composition can handle both scenarios seamlessly and simultaneously:

Teams changes its layout to match the display’s aspect ratio. However, unlike the status or traffic compositions, the Teams composition letterboxes itself when it encounters aspect ratios the software doesn’t natively support.

Note: see the Subchannels section below for how compositions handle dual display content!

Excel handles things similarly but with fewer restrictions than Teams:

Just like Excel in the real world, the composition changes its layout to match any aspect ratio.

Minimizing repetition

Too much repetition of a visual element can take away from the presentation. Some compositions automatically randomize their content to make things feel more natural. Here are some examples of this in action:

Playing a traditional video (left) vs. playing the status composition (right) in a control room full of consoles.

Three displays all showing the traffic composition with the same layout, but the content is different on each screen.

Two Teams calls with the same layout but each have randomized call participants.

Clearer text

Compositions allow Modus to use entirely different techniques when rendering text on displays, like in a Teams call or a font size preview image. The end result is higher resolution text that holds up when the camera is close, but also avoids jittering as the camera moves away.

Left: How text used to look in the Teams video. Right: How it looks with a composition.

Text stays clear as the camera moves farther back.

Subchannels

Some compositions have alternate content a display can “tune in” to. This feature is primarily used for video call compositions, so we’ll use Microsoft Teams as an example of when subchannels are important.

Previously, Modus VR not only had a Teams video for each available aspect ratio, it also had left and right variants to support dual display configurations. This meant Modus had a 16:9, a dual 16:9 left, a dual 16:9 right, and a 21:9 variant, all for Teams Front Row. It was a lot to fumble through during a live presentation with a client.

We’ve already covered how compositions eliminate aspect ratio variants, and composition subchannels are the solution for eliminating left and right variants. Just as displays in Modus could tune into a channel, they can now tune into a subchannel. The Microsoft Teams composition has three subchannels a display might tune into: the single screen layout (default), the left display layout, and the right display layout. Tune into subchannels via a display’s properties panel, just below channel selection:

Because it’s not used very often, the Channel Options section is initially collapsed. Left: If you change subchannels while a composition is playing, you’ll see hints about what the subchannel content contains. Right: If content with no subchannels is playing, you’ll see unlabeled options.

Here’s a practical example of this in action. All 4 displays are tuned into the same channel, the Microsoft Teams Front Row composition:

The first two are set to the default subchannel, which for Teams Front Row means a single display configuration. The 3rd display is tuned into subchannel 1, signaling it wants dual display content for the left screen. The 4th is tuned into subchannel 2, signaling it wants dual display content for the right screen.

The exact same setup after the user changed Channel 1 from Teams Front Row to Teams Gallery + Content. It only took one click and all the displays updated automatically. It’s never been easier to demonstrate different video conferencing configurations.

Finally, displays blindly tune into a subchannel and fall back gracefully. They are never directly tied to the composition’s content. If the currently playing content doesn’t have the subchannel a display is requesting, the default content will be shown instead:

The exact same setup after the user changed Channel 1 from Teams to the THX Intro. Because THX doesn’t have subchannel content, all the displays are showing the default video content.

Wrapping up

We’re so excited to see how you use compositions in your client presentations. If you have ideas on other compositions you’d like to see, let us know!