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Before you troubleshoot in WATCHOUT, have you confirmed the hardware by displaying the input signal in the input card vendor's utility? Do this first and work with them to get to that point. Then tackle WATCHOUT.

The short answer is -- Yes. Deja vu all over again. The Show Sage R&D lab observed this issue in testing just yesterday. The Duo card requires PCIe x4 operation to achieve full function. I suspect, that for whatever reason, your PCIe expansion slot is not functioning at the x4 level. In our testing, we encountered an x4 slot that was only operating at x1. We observed that either input of the Duo alone would work normally. When both inputs were engaged, one would flash. This occurred when we had an additional input card in an adjacent slot. On the motherboard being tested, when a second card is placed in the PCIe slot adjacent to the x4 slot, the PCIe x4 slot would step down from x4 to x1 operation. Removing the adjacent card restored x4 function and both inputs worked fine. The offending second card was then placed in yet a different PCIe x1 slot, and both cards and all inputs worked as expected. ymmv

Not sure where you think WATCHOUT is telling you that, that information should come from the Sanyo protocol definition. The WATCHOUT documentation will tell you if you wish to send a hexadecimal value, then yes, you use a $ followed by 2 hexadecimal digits. But if you want to send ASCII, just type the characters. Last time I wrote commands for a Sanyo projector, the protocol was ASCII based. Serial settings were 19200,8,1,N But the projectors I wrote commands for did not have shutters, so maybe that all has changed. We did use video mute, which was written as ... C0D$0D - to engage video mute and C0E$0D - to release video mute. $0D is the hex code for an ASCII carriage return, the Sanyo protocol definition showed that as a single character named CR .

No. Nov 2013 - now there is, see edit above Anytime watchpoint initially loads, you will always see the logo screen, even with the -NoLogo switch. Once a show is loaded, you can keep it from re-appearing, but a show must be loaded first, or what would it show to indicate it is running - a black screen? That would still be confusing, so it does not, it displays the logo to confirm it has loaded.

Sure, Logo screens are suppressed during update while in Standby at all times, startup switch not needed. Use standby layers with images you define instead of No Logo, switch to standby prior to updating, and switch back when you are done - that is what standby is for.

Great find - thanks for sharing!

While that confirms the hardware, it does not confirm the driver. The Datapath utility does not use the same DirectX driver that WATCHOUT requires. Datatpath has had some issues with their DirectX driver recently, they recently released a fix. Have you contacted Datatpath support to determine if what you are attempting is even possible with the DirectX driver?

Just be aware that the capture card will fail with a digital signal requiring HDCP compliance. All set top boxes will require HDCP compliance on their digital outputs, and will shut down the digital out since HDCP is not supported by capture cards. If you can find an HD setup box with analog component output, the Intensity will accept that and anlog does not have HDCP. Providing you feed the same signal to the capture card in each computer - yes. No problem at all.

I guess it is not clear - best results with multi-headed output cards are achieved with digital display connections. As Thomas L pointed out, when using analog connections like VGA or rgbhv, the output capability is reduced to the one that you are achieving. For additional analog outputs, you will need to convert the digital displayport signals to analog. Pick up some DisplayPort to VGA Video Adapter Converters to achieve additonal analog outputs.

No, it is not true when only using the two DVI ports. They should work as expected when only those two ports are used. Are you using the AMD/ATi Catalyst Control Center to set up the outputs? (don't use the Windows control panel). Could you be experiencing an EDID issue with one of your displays?

No, other than the obvious. i.e. The motherboard audio connections are unbalanced analog connections, typically at -10 dB. The external audio interfaces are usually balanced analog connections at +3 dB more common to professional environments, although those are usually switchable for either -10 dB or +3 dB output and can be used either balanced or unbalanced. The external interfaces also move the digital to analog conversion circuitry outside of the computer case, more isolated from the potential noise sources like the cpu, memory, etc.

I believe all pictures / still images - png, psd or otherwise, are still forms of bitmaps. Because of the way WATCHOUT functions, all picture / still image formats - png, psd, jpg, tiff, .bmp, .pict, etc. etc. are equal during playback - regardless of original file size or type. Only thing that matters is the pixel count and color depth. This is because the still image is converted prior to playback, during file transfer (caching). The conversion result is stored on the HD in a proprietary WATCHOUT format for rapid transfer to the graphics card during playback. The original still image file, even though it is locally available, is not read during playback. All that said, and I doubt it will make any difference here, when I experience anomalies with files that do include Transparency (such as png and psd), for peace of mind, I will set the transparency explicity in the media item Transparency: Pop-Up. reference: WATCHOUT 5 User Guide, Chapter 3 Media pg 36

Might help to clarify a bit. Is the random stutter occurring at the intersection of outputs? i.e at the seams If so, what you identify as stutter may be a result of small variations in synchronization of the outputs. Hardware contributes to this issue. Even a single multi-headed WATCHOUT Display computer may randomly exhibit such synch float. Seamless multi-channel displays are particularly unforgiving in this respect. The small variations are somewhat masked when using overlapped or mullioned projection or flat panels with mullions. AMD / ATi addresses this issue with FirePro GPU series compatible with the optional ATI FirePro S400 Synchronization Module. For links to these proudcts, see: FirePro

We have observed this behavior when starting watchpoint from the Startup items at power up. Mostly with v4, not sure if this applies to v5.1. watchpoint is in distress once the events you describe occur. the logo screen appears for a bit, then watchpoint "disappears", the watchpoint icon may not appear on the task bar, but as you note, it is still running hidden. Yes, you may be able to re-invoke full screen operation, via online or update from production, load command from IP control, or Alt-Tab, but watchpoint is still not running correctly. The appearance of the cursor or task bar over watchpoint in full screen is a sign of this issue. Once you get full screen mode to re-appear, I advise you quit and restart watchpoint, and all will be fine. The watchpoint distress appears to occur from other items loading on startup after watchpoint. You may be able to eliminate it by removing items from startup in msconfg (Start - All Programs - Accessories - Command prompt and then type msconfig IIRC). You can remove the Codemeter item from Startup and the keys will still work fine. Look for other culprits in that list.

Is it possible - yes. You would need to write your own iPad application to do that, the hooks are in WATCHOUT 5 to support it. If you have not done so, go the App store and download the free utility Dataton WATCHOUT Remote to your iPad. Get WATCHOUT Remote working as a baseline. Then write a custom iOS web appliction for what you want or commission a custom app to a qualified iOS web app developer. If you can not find a qualified iOS web app developer, consider the company Dataton commissioned to create their custom iPad app for the Dataton WATCHOUT trade show booth - yodesign.se.

WATCHOUT 5 can run on WIndows XP with partial functionality. That primarily refers to the ability to run display with multi-headed output cards. If you run WATCHOUT 5 Display as a single head output, XP is fine. Works OK for WATCHOUT 5 Production too. While we have got two outs to work in testing under WATCHOUT 5 and XP, the second output had anomalies (tears, scaled with black borders, etc.). May have been correctable, but how far do you chase those probelms with XP when Win7 is a quick, known to work, fix ?

That is great! How versatile is the tool? i.e. can it also designate a channel pair (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8) for a stereo .wav file? That is the most common request I see, one stereo pair for each video output in a four output single computer.

While that is certainly true, that may be changing. Vizio is making a hard US advertising push during the holiday season for its 65-inch polarized consumer 3D 120Hz LCD (LED backlight) that works with polarized passive glasses. There is the rub. There is no unique standard to provide 3D source to display signals. WATCHOUT only supports discrete left eye / right eye outputs - 2 outputs for one 3D image. Primarily useful for projection, where two projectors are used to display 3D content. WATCHOUT does not offer the ability to combine the two discrete 1080p60 renderings into one 3D interleaved 1080p120 output. Then the question becomes, is there a conversion device that can accept two 1080p60 DVI connections, and interleave them to output one 3D 1080p120 signal to a 3D TV? A related question is, what do I do when my client's broadcast ad agency provides one 3D 120Hz file for use in the 3D WATCHOUT show? Anyone know of a utility that will convert such a file to seperate left eye / right eye files?

Out of curiousity, what is the refresh rate set in File - Preferences - General - Display Framerate ? The default is 60, if you have not tried it yet, try setting it to Custom fps: 30. WATCHOUT 5 User Guide - page 113

WATCHOUT is not memory restricted, can't think of any situation where an out of memory condition is encountered. I believe the issue is movie decoders. Most Windows movie decoders remain 32 bit, including QuickTime. So until all those key components of Windows get upgraded to 64 bit, not sure what the benefit would be to WATCHOUT. And I beleive Microsft would disagee with the suggestion there is a 2 Gb limit in 32 bit: Memory Limits for Windows Releases

Yes, a multi-channel wav file is the best way to achieve multi-channel audio output. No, there is no way to assign an audio file to a specific output channel in WATCHOUT, that is defined within the multi-channel wav file itself. The Microsoft WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE file format is capable of assigning a mono wav file to a specific output channel by manipulating the channel mask data, but, I have not seen any utility or sound program that provides this function. i.e. You would have to hack the wav file header data to achieve that. (in other words, it is not a very practical solution).

Not exactly sure what that means, but there is no magic to the network. Only requirement is the iPhone and WATCHOUT Display computer must have addresses in the same sub-net so they can see and talk to each other. I have never tried using a WiFi connection point inside the display computer, I have always used a standalone WiFi connection point. At home, I use a WiFi access point (AP), which passes through to my WAN router for DHCP requests. That DHCP host is configured as described below. An access point is simpler than a router, it acts essentially as wireless connection to the ethernet network it is connected to, services multiple WiFi clients simultaneously. While most APs can provide DHCP managemnt, I turn that off and keep all DHCP management in one place (my LAN's router). For example, this allows me to use my iPhone as a WiFi remote to my TiVo hardwired on the ethernet backbone. Works the same for WATCHOUT and WATCHOUT Remote on the same LAN. Most people use WiFi Routers. In that case, in a pure WATCHOUT network, nothing is connected to the internet connection of the WiFi router, and the WATCHOUT network is connected via one of the client ethernet network jacks on the WiFi router. I recently did an inservice tech on a three PC install (1 production, 2 display), and upon arriving on site, discovered there was no network for WATCHOUT at all. In a strange city, with little time to waste, I purchased a dLink DIR-651 Wireless N 300 / gigabit router, 4-port Gigabit switch from a nearby OfficeMax. Combination of WiFi, hard-wired Gigabit Ethernet and a router all in one. Compatible with Win 7 of course. I configured the WiFi router's DHCP to assign addresses in the same subnet as the hard coded WATCHOUT machine(s), and restricted the DHCP to an IP address pool that does not conflict with the WATCHOUT computer addresses. Renamed the SSID to watchout and enabled WEP with a 10 digit hex password. In this way, the iOS device or any WATCHOUT Remote wireless user, (typically) does not need to change any network settings. In this case, when I enabled WiFi, my iOS device popped up a list of available wireless networks in the building, I chose the one I named watchout. From there, simply enter the WiFi network password when asked and you have access to the WATCHOUT display computers, assuming WATCHOUT Production (watchmaker) is offline and WATCHOUT Display (watchpoint) is running. When I returned the next day, my iOS device remembered the network I had chosen, remembered the password (I have that feature enabled on the iOS device), and it connected seamlessly.

First off, it does not look like the Quadro Plex 2200 D2 will work for multi-headed output with WATCHOUT. They appear to use SLI Mosaic Technology to provide 4 output, I do not think you can not do that with WATCHOUT. reference: WO5 - Multi output Since the nVidia system includes Genlock and G-Synch, you appear to understand the challenges of butting the outputs with 0 pixel separation. I listed some GPU options that address that concern in my comment about output synch in a thread titled: FirePro V5900 2GB

Yes it does work with 4.3, you do not need to upgrade. Support for the iPhone app was added in v 4.3, so it works with that version and any newer version.

WATCHOUT 5 is a family of three applications: WATCHOUT Production (watchmaker.exe or sometimes known as just watchmaker) WATCHOUT Display (watchpoint.exe or sometimes known as just watchpoint) WATCHOUT Dynamic Image Server (ImageServer.exe) All three are always installed when you run the WATCHOUT Installer. After an install, shortcuts should appear on the desktop for at least Prodcution and Display. WATCHOUT Production will function without a license with two exceptions: A license is needed to go online and transfer the production to the displays. A license is needed to export a movie of the production. WATCHOUT Production should not ask for a license key if you do not attempt those two functions. You will be able to create a new show, open an existing show, edit / make changes and save. All preview functions are active. All without a license. WATCHOUT Display and WATCHOUT Dynamic Image Server on the other hand have no function without a license USB key. They will display a logo screen and ask for a license when opened. Could you be opening one of those two applications instead of WATCHOUT Production?