Dynamic video wall showcase
The Challenge
The front page of The Telegraph, both print and digital, undergoes constant iteration with new headlines and visuals. The objective was to create a real-time display showcasing this dynamic cover art across the publication's physical spaces, capturing the essence of its ever-evolving news cycle.
The Solution
Through collaboration with the print publication team, I secured access to the PDF versions of all printed editions. A custom Node.js script was developed to:
- Download the latest PDFs daily.
- Extract the first page using ImageMagick, converting it to a PNG format for display.
- Upload the converted cover image to cloud storage for secure and persistent access.
- Utilize Puppeteer to capture a screenshot of the current website homepage, reflecting the latest digital edition.
To ensure continuous freshness, a simple cron task was implemented. This task
automatically runs the script every morning, replacing the displayed covers with
the most recent versions.
With the cover images ready, the focus shifted to the display system. The lobby and newsroom were equipped with video walls displaying full-screen Chrome windows. I designed a website that loaded and animated these images in a continuous loop and did the following:
- Load the cover images and homepage screenshot.
- Implement transitions between covers using the PixiJS library, creating a visually engaging animation loop.
- Analyze each cover image to identify the dominant hue using the HSV color space. This hue was then adjusted to generate a complementary background color for each transition, enhancing the visual appeal.
The dynamic cover display successfully translates the energy and dynamism of The Telegraph's news cycle into a physical space. It serves as a visual reminder of the publication's ever-evolving nature and journalistic heart, captivating staff and visitors alike.
This project demonstrates my technical expertise in Node.js, Puppeteer, ImageMagick, and PixiJS, as well as my ability to translate complex workflows into practical and visually appealing solutions.