Behind the Scenes - Driveway Matrix - Synchronized Pixel Christmas Light Show -A Very Merry Meridian

[@j.johnson7296]

The driveway lights are dope and really bring it up a level!

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

We think so too...thanks! It's a pain to get all the pixels in the same viewing angles but worth the pain with the finish product each year

[@BDogrides]

This was your best year yet can’t wait to see what you do next year

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Thanks Alison! I have no idea what I am going to do next... I doubt anything will drastically add as much as this driveway build did this year....but we'll figure out something fun for sure!!

[@barbaraknisely6787]

Wow,I keep watching and then I watch again. Ingenious. ,well done ,thank you for sharing

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Thanks for the compliment. Glad the content is worth watching!! :)

[@nexthope1987]

Wowowowowowow sickkkkkk can’t wait to do something like this in 2022. Thanks for the inspiration!!!!!

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Cant wait to see what you get done....now is the best time to plan instead of trying to make it all come together late in the year as it always takes longer than people think :)

[@DJLinMusic345]

Incredible display. I'm trying to learn this stuff

[@earlbradshaw]

WOW! Just wow. That is amazing. I love the driveway matrix.

[@kajunscorpio]

Thank you for the behind the scenes. I just started seeing your videos today. Inspired. Can’t wait to move into my new house this year and slowly start doing this each year.

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Awesome, best of luck getting into the hobby! You likely saw it but I’ve got a much more in depth behind the scenes video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWXXYoSilLupsMk

[@ragincajunm739]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian yes that was the very 1st video I saw before I even saw your light show. Of course now I’m really getting into your different video and inspired to start doing this myself. I’m glad yt pointed me in the direction of your videos when I searched Christmas light show

[@biggieb400]

Looks killer. Thanks for willingness to share.

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Appreciate it! Now it's time to try and pack it all away until next year

[@Daniel_s444]

Several things. BIG FAN!!!! Love what you have done! On the driveway is there a way of mitigating someone pulling in your driveway and destroying the matrix? (like reflectors at the street sire) OR is the matrix always on at night? On the house itself, all of your props, nets, cords, wreaths, etc are all black. Wouldn't white have been a better choice for daytime? OR....would that have adverse reactions at night. Again, love the amount of work and detail you have put in. Thank you for sharing!

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Good conversation there Daniel...thanks for the compliment first and foremost. So we do block the driveway off with cones for visibility, and during the day we put one of our cars parallel to the sidewalk to prevent anyone from accidentally driving into it. You bring up a good point about the black props on the white house....however I have yet to find GOOD matrix mesh that is clear or white that holds up in the sun's UV rays. Most of the clear mesh lasts one season and yeah Im not rebuilding those bad boys time and time again. The big wreaths in the middle of the windows are black by design (could have went white) but figured with the "black space" in the middle of the window at night black might blend in more so went with that. No wrong answer there, just personal preference I guess with white or black. Our singing faces are white and the lights do "glow" a little more off that prop then the black MOAW's (mother of all wreaths) in our windows. Hope that info help! :)

[@sparklehouse4177]

The info you provided on the deterioration of clear mesh is good; i was thinking of buying that for 2023’s show, but will do some more research regarding longevity, since as you said, don’t want to rebuild that every year. Thanks!

[@CruiserRecovery]

Incredible. Thanks for sharing!

[@jimbergh8490]

Go Pack Go!!!

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Yes sir!!!!!

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

What do you all think? What do you like about it? What would you change? Are you thinking about building something similar for your 2022 show??

[@aubreyhanks795]

I love all the ideas you come up with and the engineering behind everything is smart how you've done it. I look forward to next year's additions. Maybe drone additions? Holographics?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

@@aubreyhanks795 I do have some fun ideas but none of it will be cheap....lol

[@clearvisionautoprotectionl2834]

Fantastic set up and countless hours I'm sure. I'm wanting to build a display to go over a large window on the front of the house and program with christmas video, How did you go about constructing yours and get it set up to handle video graphics the way that you did ? Maybe point me in the right direction on " How To " instructions somewhere on the web ? Thank You !

[@LawrenceKaneshiro]

First I love the music. It goes great with all your different sequences. Great engineering on the driveway matrix by the way. How do you plan on storing that thing? Not too sure about the winch idea. You may want to rethink how that section will fold. In your next video, maybe you can showcase how the driveway matrix was programmed and integrated into the rest of your show. Someday I expect to see lasers and/or flame throwers integrated into your shows. Keep up the good work. See you next Christmas.

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

For storage I will just unfold it at the 3 10-foot section marks..so will have a bundle of 3 PVC for each row fold up pretty easily...and will just have 30 of those. I installed 2 more garage ceiling racks last weekend in preparation for it though!

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

As far as next year I’ve always wanted moving heads on top of the house but they are $$$….maybe I can sell a kidney or something lol

[@gorak9000]

Why did you make the foldable section all one piece? If every 3 rows are independent pixel string wise, why not just have them fold up separately? Then you wouldn't need 2 people to do the whole thing at once, you could just fold each section up one at a time. Also, you'd need a double joint on one side so it could fold right over and sit on top of the left side of the matrix - just extend that pivot point on the right side of that joint with a piece of steel with 2 holes drilled in it. When it's folded, the steel strip points up, and the second pivot point allows the actual matrix structure to fold over on top of the left side, rather than getting stuck just past 90 degrees the way it is now.

[@ThanhMai-ml7fo]

after see you lift it up, u should have make emt frame for that side is better then PVC pipe

[@ashlybrandao1530]

Between the last video and the last video is would you mind linking some of the key pieces you use for your guys light show?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Take a look at the description in our first Behind the Scenes video in which I put lots of links of what we use for our show...hope this helps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWXXYoSilLupsMk

[@Ozzy_Studios]

for 2022 you should film Y'ALL setting up the show or like a time lapse

[@jacobabbott4966]

How do guys put it all away!? It must be so long and hard to do! And to not break anything…. Also where do you store it?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Just put the driveway matrix away today…will likely post one more video to show storage as it’s all in our 2 car garage and ceiling racks. The driveway matrix is 30 feet wide but I have PVC coupling every 10 feet so easy to fold up by the 3 10 foot sections leaving all the pixels on

[@barbaraknisely6787]

I WOULD LIKE TO BUY MORE PIXELS ?WHERE IS A GOOD PLACE TO BUY?ALSO WHAT DID YOU USE FOR THE ARCHES?

[@DocEntertainmentProd]

Very neat addition! Nice work! Off topic: you mentioned your matrix sign mounted at your front door real quick in this video, and didn't in your walk through.. can you send link or info?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

So it is a Tune to sign but I bought it last minute one year off amazon so it is free standing and not connected with xLights or our program at all www.amazon.com/programmable-P10-SMD-scrolling-advertising/dp/B07558ML6L/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3EHXZ9EGK7IU8&keywords=p10+led+sign&qid=1642015203&sprefix=p10+led+sig%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-9

[@DocEntertainmentProd]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian thank you! That was what I was looking for. Keep up the great work- true inspiration! Excited to see the Meridian Matrix Driveway Drawbridge (TM Patent Pending) in action next year!

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Definitely not the easiest to set up in their software...but finally got it to work

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

@@DocEntertainmentProd hahahaha I like your name better!!!

[@Rcchristmas7887]

In my top 5 houses

[@richmcbride3921]

hey hows it going Mr Meridian like the add ons very good im not sure about the though lol sorry we took your wr1 lol jk anyway i didnt see a link for the tune tune over the front yard that shows the name of the show where did you get that thanks my show is comming along just need to recieve a couple more items but most imprtant pixels all acounted for from your contact rgb man thanks for that show looks awsome man

[@nightmarecivic]

I'm curious if you're over volting your pixels at all to account for the voltage drop. I'm reading that a 12 volt pixel can easily take up to 20 volts without issues.

[@lpdg3438]

Very nice overall setup, yours and Matt Johnson’s gave me an inspiration to do my first light show this year. Where did you buy the enclosure for your controller?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Thank you very much...his display was a big influence on us as well. So the exact ammo box in the video looks to be currently unavailable but hopefully this link will point you in the right direction www.amazon.com/dp/B00T4XL4HM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_JV57u4m1wPXsj?fbclid=IwAR3x8pe5eDyAwtz0pElCn_1wyrF57l4MzIMhGuJLrck8cyVYZfesj6oesAI

[@MattWells0]

Christmas Lights at Station Drive had a driveway matrix in their video from 6 years ago, it is such an amazing look I'm amazed that it took so long for someone else to do it as well. I love the way you made the effects look more 3D bouncing between the garage door and the driveway. Just a thought with the hindged section, and since you are looking at using a winch anyway probably wont make any difference but would it make sense to have different sections that can be lifted individually rathar being the full length? I am also surpised at how big the spacing is on the matrix as well, I am definetly going to have to re-think how many pixels I want to put into my props. Thanks for the behind the scenes I enjoy them almost as much as the shows :D

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Yeah that Station Drive video was my inspiration for sure! It looked so good and wanted to bring pixels and xLights to elevate it even more and still make the garage accessible! As far as cutting it down to smaller sections I 100% agree with you as if it was 2 or 3 smaller sections and I had like another pin or "leg" of PVC I could even have it hold it place in the up position so I would not even have to hold it. Definitely crossed my mind but with using the winch next year I did not want to cut it down prematurely just in case. Good to know if I had to I could figure something out manually next year if it comes to that

[@MattWells0]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian You know I am no wondering if you could as part of one of the sequence pull up the drawbridge xD I'm not sure it would work so well for people on the wrong side of the swing though >.

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

@@MattWells0 I'm sure it can be done! I was watching another show and he has his garage open automatically to showcase a Disney Castle inside of it on certain songs...pretty awesome

[@MattWells0]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian oooh I saw something similar a few years ago with the Hogwarts castle. I think the Peace Family Pirate light show used a winch to make their pixel tree fall down, I seem to remember them making something to convert pixel signals into other things as well, unsure if that includes winch moters though but maybe that is why xD

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

@@MattWells0 Yeah David has some new products he sells now of "pixels2things" for these exact purposes...most of it is way above my head lol

[@tyholstrom]

How much power for the whole show how many circuit breakers?

[@RiverRaid82]

Nice! Thank you for your videos! I'm just curious, how did you manage to install the pipes for the wires below the concrete?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

I used an air compressor gun with an attachment that was almost like a mini jack hammer. I also used a small garden hand tool to reach as far as I could on my belly underneath the side walk when digging to try and get both sides to connect.....it was a pain! I watched lots of videos that use a pressure washer to make the job easier and if I would do it again I would do it that way but my hands would have froze using all the water trying to do it in December so that was not really an option. If you do it definitely watch KZbin videos using pressure washer!

[@RiverRaid82]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian thank you :) Sounds like a lot of work 😅

[@matjaquier7243]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian as a landscaper pressure washer is how I’ve done it. Looks awesome. Where did you find the fittings for the driveway matrix?

[@kiwigeeknz]

How are you doing your 10 x 300 driveway runs without injection? Are you self injecting by joining power between pixel 1 and 300 on each run?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

12v pixels at 30% brightness with 6 ports not even being used on the falcon with a beefy meanwell power supply dedicated to just those 3,000 pixels www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0109IMRPS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR1m6ihrX6LoYEPOzC8DMKMFh9WHZRFPtkYFpTSLTLPOxWeCXs4q9cxAHj4

[@orleandorsey8307]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian even with a beefy power supply, it seems that the voltage drop over the distance from the controller box to the front of the driveway would require some sort of power injection. Is that not the case?

[@orleandorsey8307]

​ @A Very Merry Meridian even with a beefy power supply, it seems that the voltage drop over the distance from the controller box to the front of the driveway would require some sort of power injection. Is that not the case?

[@lightingUpOrchard]

Any still photos of the frame for the roof prop?

[@texasmike7994]

Where do you get the pipe for the arches

[@mglangford82]

How do you use your garage and driveway?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Simplest answer is for the month of December we don’t. We park in our neighbors driveway 😂

[@erickingsley6525]

I would love for somebody to come and help me set up for next year how to program my computer and stuff to do this

[@oldestcityracelife6257]

Which star is on your roof

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

60 inch, filled Starburst from Gilbert Engineering gilbertengineeringusa.com/products/starburst?variant=29565650206822

[@wowcolors]

How do your neighbors handle this? Are you ok good standing with them?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

We never know if any of our neighbors don't speak up or bring it to our attention but everyone we talk to loves it, really supports us and is proud to have it in their neighborhood!

[@wowcolors]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian it doesn't bother them with all the lights flashing in their windows?

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

@@wowcolors the way our house faces we only have 2 houses right in front of us that are really affected. One of those neighbors are our biggest fans and sets up seats for people to watch it in their back yard to watch the show. I've offered to buy both of those 2 neighbors black out blinds as a measure of good faith and they said they already had them and don't even notice it at night. It's only when some cards turn up their car radios too much is when they notice but in FPP I can manually turn the radio volume down at any time if I hear music is too loud.

[@jcman3113]

I didn't get a chance to ask during the premier but just curious as to what brightness you run your show at? Great vid and go Pack go!

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

GPG! We run most of our props at 30%….the eaves we run at 75% to make it more bright against the house with the light wash

[@jcman3113]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian Awesome, Thanks. I run at about 25% because I’m in an area without streetlights and light pollution. Everything still looks great at those settings. Just a new fan in the same hobby. Yours still looks great.

[@eddieh1985]

What “Tune to” sign are you using? I need one for my house

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

We just bought a stand alone generic one off Amazon that isn’t synced to our show. Not the easiest software to learn but figured it out after some trial. Honestly a small matrix would work wonders and be easy enough in your show or connect 2 P5s/10’s with something that makes it easy from Experience Lights to just plug and play

[@eddieh1985]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian thanks. I’m still using my old incandescent lights for now. I’m hoping to transition over to pixels in 2024

[@cozylazy9080]

How do you store all of this 😂

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Sounds like I will be doing 1 more video this season after all....storage!! :) But seriously, I just put up 2 more garage ceiling racks up last weekend preparing for takedown this week now that I finally filmed this video here.

[@cozylazy9080]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian I actually really want to see 1 how u store all of this 😂 and 2 what ur house even looks like with our Christmas lights

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

@@cozylazy9080 I'll post another video of storage then...but yes the house is sad looking without lights lol

[@texasmike7994]

If you’re city has the time to micro manage petty shit, I’d tell em to pounce sand

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

Yea they said the sidewalk is not my property so if someone did trip over it they could sue the city and not necessarily me. I was just more frustrated that they changed their minds after telling me one thing and then I build the ramps to only have them change their mind again :/

[@texasmike7994]

@@AVeryMerryMeridian that’s true that the sidewalk isn’t private property but come on, not like you just laid em across without coverin em. I use line backers to run my wires across my sidewalk, never had any complaints, like I said your city just wants to be a pain in the ass all because your display gets a lot of attention or two, someone in the city is jealous of it so they’re just trying to piss you off.

[@texasmike7994]

The piano performance was epic, I was raised by a mom that has lived in front of a piano so that to me was a hit. 👍👍👍

[@AVeryMerryMeridian]

@@texasmike7994 That fire organ project was a lot of fun for sure and one of my favorite things we have ever done!

[@JLSLights]

To bad you lose your drive way for a month.