Synchronized Screen Juggling with DoodleChaos

Seven videos play on seven devices—four smartphones, two laptops, and a tablet—so that five animated balls can roll, bounce, and fall from one screen to the next. DoodleChaos keeps it moving by continuously rearranging the screens so that the balls don’t drop… so to speak. This is Synchronized Screen Juggling.

And while DoodleChaos makes the choreography look smooth, there were synchronization issues behind the scenes:

Sometimes one of the videos would buffer and set it behind, or there would be a difference in the time from click to playback between different devices. One of my solutions was to download the videos so there was no network inconsistencies. This created new problems because of auto-tilt settings on Android. Another solution I attempted was to attach 5 styluses to a yardstick so I could click play all at the same time instead of trying to use my hands (hard to hit all perfectly by hand). This idea failed as well…

Finally, I went back and edited the videos to have a staggered intro. This way I was able to memorize the latency in each individual device and correct for it manually. You know how for the countdown in Mario Kart you hit the gas on 2? It’s similar to that. The right screen started 1 second in because the laptop was old and laggy, the tablet had to be clicked on “1”, and the rest were fairly responsive.

Of course, DoodleChaos has previously created these TKSST favorites: Marbles & Magnets synchronized to Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flower, Line Riders ride to Beethoven’s 5th, and Dance of the Line Riders. Watch them next.

Then watch more kinds of juggling, starting with Boomwhacker Bach: Prélude n°1 aux tubes musicaux.