How to start 11 macs at the same time?

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Who can help us solve this problem?

For a dance piece we're building an installation with 11 i-macs. Those macs are supposed to start 11 different small films at exactly the same time. Really to the second...

Applescript doesn't seem to be exact enough. Even with linking the clocks of the computers to the worldclock on the internet, there still seems to be this very small time difference, or it takes each computer a different amount of time to start playing a program like Quicktime...

Would there be a way to use a network or a different kind of software? Or would it be possible to just modify a keyboard or a mouse so it will send a signal to the 11 computers?

All suggestions, hardware and software, are very welcome!

greetings from the Overseas team, Switzerland

is the delay with opening up Quicktime, or are the movies already open when the script starts

Not by cross-posting...

But back on topic: I don't know you'll be able to get it this exact using a time-based script. Even with synced clocks there's bound to be a slight variation...

You'll probably have more luck using a wireless remote or something.

There are ways to sync things up exactly over a network, but that would involve writing a custom app of some sort...

Sorry for cross-posting...

Quicktime is already open, everything is set. Every individual computer seems to react at different speed at different times too, even though quicktime is really the only program running...

Have you tried loading the movies but hiding Quicktime. You could incorporate show Quicktime command in the script and hopefully when play is activated they will play the movie in better time

Just a thought from someone who doesn't know much - is it possible to have 1 Mac and 11 screens? Or maybe have a master Mac that sends the film to the others simultaniously?

Cheers

Hugh

Well, it would have been a lot easier if it was just one movie. The tricky thing is that there 11 different movies...

louishen, maybe i don't understand, but the movies are all set to go, wouldn't that be actually easier for applescript to just get them going? How is hiding it helping?

Sorry, thought it would be all the same movie, I'll get me coat, shall I...


Cheers

Hugh