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External SMPTE synchronitzation with watchout 3.42


JordiPont

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Hi All,

 

i'm trying to sync a production computer watchout 3.4.2 via smpte with a line in input.

 

I've seen i have to make a cmd.txt file with some commands. But it doesn't work at all.

 

My cmd file:

 

authenticate 1

delay 5000

load "the path of my show"

wait

timecodeMode 2

 

 

But it seems its not ok, a message of :

"invalid file data format. Shows made on older versions of WATCHOUT must first be saved using version 2.3"

 

is shown

 

Also i tried the timecode reader and it seems to work ok so the machine is recieving the timecode...

 

Can anyone help me with that?

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Hi All,

 

i'm trying to sync a production computer watchout 3.4.2 via smpte with a line in input.

 

I've seen i have to make a cmd.txt file with some commands. But it doesn't work at all.

 

My cmd file:

 

authenticate 1

delay 5000

load "the path of my show"

wait

timecodeMode 2

But it seems its not ok, a message of :

"invalid file data format. Shows made on older versions of WATCHOUT must first be saved using version 2.3"

 

is shown

 

Also i tried the timecode reader and it seems to work ok so the machine is recieving the timecode...

 

Can anyone help me with that?

It appears as if your script's load command is failing.

Once a script command fails, it stops executing,

so if the fail is occurring on the load command,

the script timecode command never executes.

BTW kudos for explicitly stating the timecode format (EBU 25 fps) in your timecodeMode command ;)

 

You indicate your load command as

load "the path of my show"

[strong]You should never enter a path in this command.[/strong]

The path is implied to be the shows folder of the watchout display computer.

The only control over path on the display computer that you have is either

the location of WATCHOUT Display application file (watchpoint.exe)

which is the default location for the "shows" folder or the

command line option to set an alternate path .

This can not be done in the load command or any script command for that matter.

 

If I have misunderstood that part of your posted script and you are doing it correctly ...

 

Do you have more than one copy of WATCHOUT Display installed on your computer?

(search the entire PC for a file named watchpoint.exe to confirm, there should only be one).

 

After receiving the error, without quitting WATCHOUT Display (if it is still running, window or full screen mode),

open your show in WATCHOUT Production and go online with the display(s) in question

to update the stored show materials.

Go offline and quit WATCHOUT Production and then retest.

 

You might find it useful to use the setLogoString command as a troubleshooting aid.

Something like this:

authenticate 1

setLogoString "Command file has loaded"

delay 5000

setLogoString "Command file delay complete"

load "myShowName without the .watch extension and no path"

setLogoString "Should not see this string during script operation, Logo strings only display before show load"

wait

timecodeMode 2

 

substitute the name of your show for the quoted string above

Note: This forum is a bit too clever, automatically substituting the fancy curly quote marks ( "" )

for quote marks entered as standard straight quotes.

I have not figured out a way to overcome that on these forum posts :banghead:

So if you copy and paste WATCHOUT commands out of a forum post,

you must correct the quote marks - the "curly" quote marks will cause errors.

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Hi Jim,

 

i think that i don't really understand the process of all that.

 

I plug the SMPTE code to the production machine (via line In) then the timeline of this machine sincs to the SMPTE code and simultaneously as usual, the Watchout sincs the Displays.

 

So the load command needs to store inside the path of the exe file of the Watchout production.

 

This is how I know it works. But according to your reply I should put the script in the Display Machine? Not in the Production one. So I have to plug the sMPTE code to all the display machines?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

 

 

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Hi Jim,

 

i think that i don't really understand the process of all that.

 

I plug the SMPTE code to the production machine (via line In) then the timeline of this machine sincs to the SMPTE code and simultaneously as usual, the Watchout sincs the Displays.

That is one way to do it, yes.

But if you do it that way, then no, you can not use command files with that method.

You enable timecode chase in the production computer preferences, save the file,

and it will remember that preference when the file is reopened.

You can automate show load on Production from a third party control system via IP, but not a command file.

 

I think we are mixing our metaphors here.

 

There are two chapters in the User Guide related to control -

Appendix D Production Computer Protocol and

Appendix E Display Cluster Protocol.

[strong]The two are mutually exclusive.[/strong]

Display Cluster Protocol only works when the

WATCHOUT Production system if offline, better yet,

with no WATCHOUT Production system at all.

 

The only time the script you posted would work

is when there is no production computer online,

and the WATCHOUT Display group defined in

the orignal show file's stage are acting as a single playback entity,

i.e. Display Cluster Protocol

So the load command needs to store inside the path of the exe file of the Watchout production.

 

This is how I know it works.

You have got a command script file working on WATCHOUT Production (watchmaker.exe)?

I did not catch that new feature, can not find it in Appendix D Production Computer Protocol.

No timecodeMode command in Production Computer Protocol either,

timecodeMode is unique to Display Cluster Protocol.

 

Maybe I misunderstand.

If you [em]meant[/em] this is how you [strong]think[/strong] it works - you are wrong.

If you meant you really do know how that works with Production, then I am wrong - please "school me".

In WATCHOUT 5, for the first time since version 1, new commands were added to Production Computer Protocol,

so maybe there is more new there than I am aware of :iono:

 

But according to your reply I should put the script in the Display Machine? Not in the Production one. So I have to plug the SMPTE code to all the display machines?

Thanks in advance

No, if you re using a script in a file that is executed on the start of WATCHOUT Display,

you do not feed the SMPTE to Production, since by definition Production is not online,

you feed it to the one member of the group that contains the command script.

 

You put the script file and modify the shortcut to reference the script file on just one display machine.

You feed SMPTE timecode to the audio input of that same machine (with the command script),

and it syncs all the others over the network.

Pick any display machine, does not matter which one, but choose just one.

WATCHOUT Display with the script file learns who all the others are from the definition of your stage

in your original .watch show made on production.

Production transfers and stores that info to the displays when you go online or update.

 

The display cluster load command executed on one display from a script file

loads the show on all displays in the cluster

by using the stored list of cluster members for that show

placed on every display during the show transfer process.

So even though the info needed is stored on every display,

you only need to execute it on one display,

it will manage all the others.

 

 

 

 

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