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No. All stations in a WATCHOUT system must be the same version.

I would t check that, There have been no confirmed reports of that being an issue.

The answer may be different based on the WATCHOUT version you are using. v5.5.x and v6 have differences in WATCHPAX configuration. Note, a WATCHPAX 2 as shipped from the factory is NOT compatible with the current version of WATCHOUT. The original configuration of WATCHPAX 2 is only compatible with WATCHOUT 6.6.5 and older versions. If you wish to use versions 6.6.7 or higher, the unit must return for factory update (this can be done by Premium Partners or Dataton factory.) WATCHPAX run the same WATCHOUT Display software as any other WATCHOUT Display computer. So any user guide reference to the display software applies to WATCHPAX as well. IP address is set with a startup script stored on the WATCHPAX. See: https://www.dataton.com/watchout-users-guide/appendix/c-control-protocol/controlling-the-display-software BTW The setIP command only applies to WATCHPAX so it is documented in the WATCHPAX sample startup script. see: Also

No, there is no command to determine conditional layer status. Conditional layers are typically used with external control methods. The control system should keep track of conditional layer status. Anytime the control system sends a conditional layer command, it sets the status of every conditional layer. And a reminder, enableLayerCond 0 does NOT turn off all conditions, it resets to the default conditional layer states defined in the preferences tab when the show was saved.

https://cdn.dataton.com/Files-PDF-etc/userguides/Dataton-WATCHOUT-Guide-to-updating-systems.pdf

A possible cause is a consumer OS. Windows Enterprise is required to provide the opportunity to disable automatic background functions that can not be disabled in consumer OS. And Windows Professional is a consumer OS, contrary to what the name implies. The other most common cause is MPEG movies with the wrong option settings.

… in the sound cue, on the second tab …

Could you provide a screenshot of the watchpoint computer’s Audio Out menu with an output selected so we can see the available audio output choices? (Something like this … In your audio cue, How are you designating the display computer for audio output? Are you using the output channel assignments tab to route your outputs? Is the audio volume tween set above 0 ?

please indicate WATCHOUT version, is the interface connected to watchmaker/ production or watchpoint / display?

that is where i would initially focus codec on the movies in “other material” ?

Yes, with qualifications. Connecting directly to projectors? Yes. Connecting directly to flat panel displays with frames. Yes. Connecting to LED processors, vision mixers, or any type of processor? Needs gpu manufacturers synch hardware added.

I am not sure what you are saying there. The $ character is a special character reserved in WATCHOUT string output as it is used to designate a single character hex value. For example, $0D sends the single character for carriage return . i think $24 will be replaced by just $ character. So if you are trying to send $(PVC:muteState) Then you would enter $24(PVC:muteState) into a WATCHOUT string cue. You may need to add a carriage return and / or line feed to the end of that string. Such as $24(PVC:muteState)$0D$0A To create that string cue you must define an output — go to Window - Output, add an output, give it a name like Proj1, define it as as a “network port (TCP or UDP)”, add IP address and port and then select TCP or UDP radio button at the bottom. Drag that output from the output window to a timeline to create a string cue. reference: https://www.dataton.com/watchout-users-guide/inputs-and-outputs/outputs

The place to start is Epson. Find out from Epson if they offer external control by others and if so / how? Once that is clearly defined it is straightforward to send some forms of control (IP, ArtNet (DMX), RS-232, etc.). Or maybe someone on here has done it and will share. Adela btw I looked for more info on Epson LCD H944a with no success. when asking about other products it would help if you included a link to the product

We have observed situations where Windows background tasks that execute during inactivity take down WATCHOUT. That can occur with images on the screen while sitting in pause. That is the reason Windows Enterprise is recommended, as those things can be disabled in Enterprise and not in consumer Windows versions. why adding a still image fools windows into thinking there is activity when it otherwise would sense inactivity is a mystery to me.

No, i do not think that will work. Is the goal six outputs? if so, with WATCHOUT 6 and earlier the only straightforward choices are AMD six output cards. How soon do you need this up and running for serious use? WATCHOUT 7 uses modern methods to utilize the graphics subsystem. While Dataton is not testing with multiple GPU cards, and make no claims on the topic, technically it should not be a problem. But 7 is still a ways off for some uses.

WATCHOUT 6 (and earlier versions as well) only support output from a single graphics card.

MIDI Show Control I do not know enough about EOS macro to comment. You have two choices. MIDI Show Control (preferred) is a cue based protocol designed to trigger specific cues. When using MSC, the EOS cuelist (fader pair?) number and the cue number have function. An aux timeline in WATCHOUT renamed to the cuelist number chooses the timeline and a control cue named with the cue number from the EOS determines where in the timeline. That way, the console and the timeline will always stay in perfect synch, even if you jump around on the EOS. btw you can ignore cuelist number by using the main timeline preference setting and then just the cue number is used. ArtNet is a level based protocol not well suited to triggering cues. You either get a blind go or a lot of extra work compared to MSC, as you must use a different aux timeline for every cue and then manually define each cue’s level change trigger condition.

EOS playhead or WATCHOUT playhead? of course MIDI Show Control can be used to trigger a task when a cue is run from the EOS. If you are trying to trigger a WATCHOUT task without running a cue from the EOS, then your only option is to use ArtNet to trigger a WATCHOUT task by moving a fader. ArtNet is nowhere near as elegant, but can do the job.

While sending IP commands to itself solves some needs, in the two cases above, no IP commands exist. Unfortunately MIDI disable does not exist, MIDI input is always active. Connect / disconnect MIDI via external means.

Sounds a bit like a refresh mismatch between WATCHOUT and the actual display.

Tasks don’t disappear unless someone specifically deleted them. There are a large number of WATCHOUT 5 shows out there running on a daily basis and that has never been reported. So possibly someone accidentally deleted them. Or possibly you have opened a different show file. An advanced WATCHOUT user could pull the show file copy on the display computers. But if someone went online after accidentally deleting tasks, they are gone for good.

There is no error shown in your sample screenshot. i.e. Above would be correct if the Status Window - Main Timeline Position is in its default timeline time display. SMPTE NTSC 29.97 both drop and non-drop time code time never match real time. NTSC time code is always short of real time although drop frame has a much smaller error. The amount of error increases with time. On the other hand, SMPTE EBU 25 will match real time. As a double check on what is shown above, I used a time code converter to convert SMPTE NTSC 29.97 NDF 56:03.20 to SMPTE EBU 25. Comes out the same as the WATCHOUT screenshot above. Note: the Main Timeline Position display can be changed to show time code format of your choice. The tool linked above will allow you to upload the list of SMPTE times and convert them to a close approximation of timeline time.

You missed the opportunity to join the first group to receive WATCHOUT 7. See https://www.dataton.com/products/watchout-7. Best guess is December, but that depends a lot on the first group results.

WATCHOUT provides software frame synchronization. While it is frame accurate, there will be variations server to server within the boundaries of a frame. That may be what you are observing. Software synch is sufficient for overlapped projection and multiple flat panels with mullions. What you likely need is scan accurate synchronization between servers. To accomplish that, you need hardware assisted synchronization. To add hardware assisted synchronization to your two servers, you would need to add a nVidia Quadro Synch card in each computer. You must also use an nVidia gpu compatible with the Quadro Synch card. A dedicated cable runs between those cards to provide scan accurate synch. When you set those synch cards up, one is designated as the master, the other the client. I did not see your gpu in the compatibility list, but possibly the list I saw was out of date. Check with your hardware provider. The WATCHOUT setting “Use as Synchronization Chain Master” should be set only on the server where the Quadro Synch card is set to master. This setting has no meaning when not using hardware assisted synchronization.