Steve Farris

Shoman, thanks for the tip (I did not know that tab moved put me in the tween field without selecting a particular tween track). That did help streamline the process, although I still had to touch every cue. Walter - it does appear that virtual displays would be an alternate solution. However, I have experience with using variables so that wasn't as hard to wrap my head around. I think if I was starting from scratch, I might think about virtual displays. Since I already had a program built, I'm not sure that would have been any faster to implement. Thanks all for the suggestions, I am in a much better place for our move into the hall. steve

OK, back to the original problem. Thanks Jim for pointing me in the proper direction. Between you and Thomas, I have now created the proper variables to achieve what I wanted quickly. I still have the issue of having to touch each cue that I have already made. I can not find a way to globally copy the formula I need to each cue. With corner tweens, each cue has 8 parameters so that means I have to click and enter 8 times on each cue. I have 4 projectors, so that means 36 variables to be entered for each "look". It would be really helpful to be able to copy and paste the formulas from one cue to another, much like we currently copy tween points. This is where the generic variables that Shoman mentions could come in handy. As it stands, the best method I can come up with is to copy and paste cues that already have all the variables, then replace the media with the correct media. I still have to manually transfer any other tween points that I have already entered on specific cues. It will be a tedious task, but worth the time savings when I get to the show site.

I'm trying to wrap my head around expressions and how to use them. I have a situation that seems ready made for a properly written expression. I have a midi controller with a fader that is set up as an input (let's call it "Hue"). I have a cue with a Hue tween track. I set the expression to be "TweenValue + Hue" and I can control the Hue. It will rotate through the spectrum with the input going from 0 to 1 and the resulting Hue going between 0 and 360. So far so good. What I want to do is limit the values that Hue rotates through. For instance, say my Hue starts at 20. As I move the fader, I want it to move between 20 and 50, so as I scroll up the fader the Hue will never go past 50. This is where I'm stuck. It seems that somehow using a "<" or ">" function would do this. I have tried multiple interactions but can't seem to get the desired result. Any expressions experts out there? Steve

I am currently working on a show that has multiple cues with corner tween points. They are all the same, so I can adjust one cue, then copy and paste the tween track to the other cues. What I am wondering is if there is a shortcut or quick method to do the paste on to multiple cues at once. So far, all I can find is the ability to paste to a single cue. For instance, with moving a cue there is a command under "Edit" that I can apply to multiple cues at once. I am looking for a similar function to use on tween tracks. As it currently stands, I will have to touch approximately 50 cues. Not impossible, but a bit time consuming. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Maybe I missed something obvious, but I can't find it. Steve

I am working with a client's computers that I have tweaked according to the Windows 7 tweak list. I am running version 6.1.1 and I am seeing a peculiar problem. I have seen it in the past with version 5, but this is much more consistent. Once I start Watchpoint on the displays, there will be a period of time pass and then the displays start a second instance (usually around 4-5 minutes). The second instance is always after I have taken the displays online. What happens is a new "splash screen" appears and the displays are no longer responsive. If I go to the displays and terminate the foreground window (alt-F4), there will be a second window minimized on the task bar. I can bring that full screen and it still has my program running. The second instance will tell me that the license key was not found (since it is dedicated to the first instance). The second instance seems to start at some point after I go online (i.e. if I don't go online, it won't launch). This happens whether I launch Watchpoint manually on the display, or use the startup folder (I have tried putting a delay using the -delay parameter with no difference in behavior). It seems like Watchdog is being overly aggressive. Is there anything I'm missing to try and avoid this?

Hi David I would be interested as well in any input form people that have used both systems. I've worked along side Pandora's Box, and in some ways it seems to mirror Watchout as far as final outcomes. I think your list of differentiators sums up my observations. Basically, Coolux is a hardware based system and as such rental/production companies like it since it meshes well with their in house switching systems (Spyder seems to be associated with Coolux frequently) and generates higher rental income. There is a perception that Watchout takes too long on the production side which I believe is a result of how easy it is to use. Since there is a low cost of entry and a short learning curve, you can get yourself buried quickly. With a seasoned operator, many of the bottlenecks in Watchout can be planned for and avoided. I have always tried to take a platform agnostic approach to the technology, and as such I am very interested in hearing from Coollux operators as far as what the advantages are. I think both systems can accomplish the same things. They each have situations that lend themselves to the tools available. Your reference to a presentation tool vs. a playback tool is the best analogy I can think of. Steve

Thanks for the tips. I'll dig around in TCPSyphon.

I am working on a project where one of the elements will be live content created in Syphon. I am trying to figure out the best way to stream that content in to Watchout. Due to system constraints, we can't using live capture cards in the computers. It would appear that the "Network Video" object is the way to accomplish this. I have no experience incorporating this, so I'm looking for any advice I can get. With some preliminary research using The Google, it would seem that VLC is capable of acting as a server for an RTP stream. The question is how to send the Syphon output to VLC. A second question would be are there other streaming protocols that Watchout can access, or does it need to be RTP? Thanks, steve

It depends on the application and the budget. For a recent installation, we simply made sure the computers were turned off before the TVs (the low budget approach). If you have a bit of a budget, the Gefen DVI detective will do the trick (http://www.gefen.com/kvm/ext-dvi-edidn.jsp?prod_id=4714). For live events, we quite often have switcher in line. A switcher will not only keep constant signal to the computers, it will keep a constant signal to the projectors regardless of what happens to the computers. Good luck!

I think Jim has identified the issue. This can happen in many situations. I have seen it with LCD TVs (especially consumer ones). Some will supply an EDID even when in "standby", others totally kill the EDID and Watchout goes bonkers (I usually run from a computer, but the situation is the same). As Jim said, the most stable method is to have constant EDID regardless of display device.

Do you have a local monitor connected to the computer? If so, Watchpoint might be seeing two different displays. The numbers following the IP address represent the output number of each display connected. In addition, if the two outputs are running at a different resolution (for instance projector is 1920X1080 and local monitor is 1920X1200), you will definitely see anomalies in resolution. Solution is to either use a DA rather than two outputs on the computer (preferred), or make sure the two outputs are "cloned" in the display setup.

If removing support for Quicktime will allow Dataton to enter the 64 bit world, I'm all for it. It sounds like Apple is done with Quicktime in Windows, so it's time to move on.

Interesting. I am indeed using an autostart script on the master computer. The slave computer just launches Watchpoint and then waits. If I understand you correctly, the master computer should be sending out UDP broadcasts that will tell the slave computer to play the videos that are looping, even if the "timeline" is paused before the slave has loaded the show. I am using a basic, unmanaged Netgear GS116 switch (http://www.netgear.com/business/products/switches/unmanaged/GS116.aspx#tab-techspecs). When I look at the specs, I don't see where it is distinguishing between types of packets. The computers are running Win7 Home and tweaked according to the Win7 guidelines for Watchout. Is there a windows setting that would stop UDP broadcasts? I was assuming the issue was that the master display is paused with a looping video, and since the slave display loads the show in this state, the looping video doesn't play since it jumps to the location through a "goto" command rather than a "play" command.

It's not actually in an Aux timeline. The program is set to start when it loads, and the video cues are on the Main timeline. The cues are set to loop and free run, then the timeline pauses. The video cue starts at about 4 seconds, and I had the timeline pause cue at about 6 seconds in. I have stretched out the video cue moved the pause cue so that it occurs at about 2 minutes in, that way there should be no issues with the slave computers not being ready before the pause. What I see happening, and why I thought it relevant, is if the master computer has reached a pause in the timeline before the slave computers have loaded, the slaves load and jump to the point where the pause cue sits. But since they didn't "run" to get there, the video doesn't start. The initial description was that the master computer played free running and looping video fine, but the slaves didn't and instead just show a still frame.

I have noticed an anomaly in cluster mode which might apply. I have a timeline that starts some looping videos, then pauses and waits for external commands from a midi keyboard (I am not using Watchnet). When I start up the cluster, the primary functions as it should. However, if the slaves start such that they enter Watchpoint after the primary has hit the pause, the displays will load and jump to the pause (since that is where the master is), but the loops never start. In other words, on the slaves the display is a still frame of the video at the point where the pause sits on the timeline. Once I send external commands that cause the displays to move around, the slaves behave as they should. Since this is related to startup order and what kind of commands the slaves receive from the master, perhaps there might be a similar issue?

Thanks for the suggestion, Mike. I've sent the file to support.

Thanks for the suggestion, Thomas. I tried the check box for "Jump to Time 0", and it does work. However, it jumps the timeline back to the beginning (time 0.0). I can already achieve something similar by jumping to a particular control cue and then running. What I want to achieve is a run from wherever the playback head is sitting. Perhaps there is no "playback head" in cluster mode? As I said, pause works. Run works on a production machine, just not in cluster mode.

I have what seems like a simple question, but I can't figure it out (full disclosure - I'm a newbie to the Midi world and don't really know what I'm doing). I have a Korg Nanopad2 and have configured several buttons as you describe above with 1 second aux timelines (i.e. buttons to jump to a particular cue, run from a particular cue, etc). I have also configured buttons specifically for play (i.e. run) and pause of the main timeline. Everything works as expected on the production machine. When I switch to cluster mode and connect to the main computer, everything works except for the run key. The control cue on the aux timeline for run is "tell main timeline" with the run box checked and no jump to run delay (i.e. 0). As I said, when connected to the production computer it works as expected. When connected to the cluster, run doesn't seem to work. All the other buttons work. What am I missing?

As Jim says, it's a hardware issue. You need a good converter box, and most of those are HDMI to SDI. I have found active mini-DP to HDMI converters (Star Tech makes them for one). But the good converters are expensive - the cheaper boxes don't do a good conversion to 3G, only HDSDI. So there goes your "cheaper" solution. I agree that 3G cable is easier to string since fiber is more fragile, but I'm not sure there is much in the way of cost savings.

A wonderful walk down memory lane. Thanks for all you have done in creating the best production software out there. Here's to many more fruitful endeavors! steve

I would second Jim's thoughts. We have some older machines that run Watchout on a separate EVO SSD from the Windows system. Those machines can play up to 9 full HD videos simultaneously. We do encode the videos at higher bit rates (best results with MPEG2), so the cpu load is reduced. Our bottleneck is throughput off of the drive, but the SSD is capable of quite a bit. I would definitely make sure Watchout is on it's own drive and doesn't share with the system. The system doesn't really need an SSD. Our old machines used to have the system on a rotational drive. Updating to an SSD for the system made the machines boot faster, but didn't really impact Watchout performance. Key is having Watchout on it's own SSD.

After playing with the 2DP capture card, it appears to just work. As Jim mentioned, the struggle is when you don't have a DisplayPort signal. I've tried the converter Jim referenced, it seems to work fine. The newer version of the same converter from StarTech introduces HDCP issues. I think it is trying to be HDCP compliant, which means when the signal hits the capture card my Macs shut down output. Hopefully the world will catch up with DP distribution sooner rather than later!

Thanks Danny for asking the question I came here to ask. I'm getting the DataPath card for testing and will post back what I find out. Steve

Thanks Jim. Unfortunately, I am not able to set up a WiFi hotspot and I'm trying to figure something out that doesn't use a cable. I was also hoping to get rid of the production computer once the show is programmed. If I keep the computer, I can just use my existing PerfectCue to control the Production computer. Can I have Watchnet "listen" to a keyboard command coming from the PerfectCue? steve

Thanks for the suggestions. Using a computer or other device on a wire doesn't really solve the problem. I need a small, simple device someone can carry that has a button to trigger a run. Quim's idea is more what I'm looking for, but I'm really wanting to just trigger a run over tcp/ip. In the past I have done this with a bunch of Crestron gear, but it's a lot of hardware and complicated setup to do what seems simple on the surface.