Jump to content

HAP playback


rlawther

Recommended Posts

  Hi all,

  I'm trying to get HAP encoded movies to playback in Watchout, but am having some issues. The first image attached is the source file, encoded as a .mov with HAP codec. The second is what I get playing back out of Watchout. It seems almost like black pixels stay black, and any shade of grey gets mapped to yellow. It's quite strange.

  I've installed the HAP quicktime and directshow codecs, and I can play the movie file without issues on the IG in both Media Player Classic and Quicktime. Is there anything else I need to do to get HAP playback working properly? Has anyone else seen issues like this with HAP playback before?

  Cheers,

      - Rob

eva.jpg

eva-orig.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello!

The Hap decoder is natively built in into Watchout (both display and production software), so there is no need to install any hap codec. In fact, installing additional codecs will in many cases just make things work worse, which is what is happening here. 

To fix the problems you are seeing, uninstall any codecs you have installed on both display and production computer. You might also need to empty the cache folders. Then it should work properly.

I would also advice against installing quicktime on the display computers. It is not needed there. Quicktime is only needed if you use the Export function in the production software. 

Another issue with installing external Hap decoders is that the decoding will take place on the CPU, but when using Watchout's internal Hap codec, most of the decoding will take place on the GPU, thus giving much better performance. 

 

/Erik 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the quick reply. I've done a bit more testing this morning, but haven't actually removed any codecs yet. It seems that the display computers can render the HAP movie correctly, but not when doing "Pre-Split files for multiple displays". Our setup has 8 projectors run from 4 display computers with 1 production computer.

If I "Add media file", add "Display_0.mov" I can see that file correctly in the preview window, and also when I move it around the stage it shows on the projectors as expected.

If I "Add video proxy", and use "Pre-Split files for multiple displays" then I get the yellow output. I've tried setting Transparency to None, and turning off WATCHPAX acceleration and Frame Blending but didn't seem to help.

Does it still sound like a codec issue? I can remove the codecs but I'm a little afraid of breaking all the existing mpeg2 content we have  :)

We're also running Watchout 6.0.1 - would upgrading help? I'm not sure if our licenses are tied to a specific version of Watchout or not.

Cheers,

      - Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator

 

Quote

The second is what I get playing back out of Watchout. ... If I "Add video proxy", and use "Pre-Split files for multiple displays" then I get the yellow output. ... If I "Add video proxy", and use "Pre-Split files for multiple displays" then I get the yellow output. 

Is the error in the WATCHOUT Production (watchmaker) stage preview, WATCHPAX (watchpoint) output, or both?  If the error is in watchmaker stage preview, does your proxy have an optional preview movie file specified too?  (otherwise, you should see a generic place holder in watchmaker preview for a proxy)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Dataton Partner
On 12/3/2018 at 3:07 AM, rlawther said:

Does it still sound like a codec issue? I can remove the codecs but I'm a little afraid of breaking all the existing mpeg2 content we have  :)

We're also running Watchout 6.0.1 - would upgrading help? I'm not sure if our licenses are tied to a specific version of Watchout or not.

It's always wise to not change things in an uncontrolled way, but MPEG2 is rendered using a WATCHOUT direct draw filter. The same goes for other supported codecs. That's why you do not need to have QT installed on display computers anymore.

Regarding the license key, if you own a WATCHOUT 6 license key, you will be able to use this with all versions 6.x.x. The latest version is 6.3.1 right now and there have been quite a few bug fixes in the early versions of V6 as well as some new features on the way.

https://www.dataton.com/watchout-release-notes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  Thanks for the pointers - it seems that if I add Display_0.mov as a preview file for the proxy then it plays back properly on the display computers. If I don't have the preview file set, I get the yellow output. Is that expected?

  In any case I'm glad it's working now. We'll look at upgrading our Watchout version as well.

  Thanks again!

     - Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...