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cowboyclint

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Everything posted by cowboyclint

  1. The Kinect for XBox ships with a power/USB breakout, so you can get straight USB to the computer and the wall wart into the wall.
  2. I typically put the output strings in a short AUX timeline, and name that something that makes more sense. Then trigger the AUX through the main timeline. It keeps me more organized.
  3. I second what Daniel said. The other thing to consider is your audiences eyes. How old are they and how far are they away from the stage?
  4. Those are the correct strings. I usually put them in a task. 1 for open, 1 for closed. In that timeline, I put 2 copies of the command. 1 at .2 seconds, 1 at .7 seconds as a backup. They need some space or you will confuse the projector. Also, search PJLink on the forum. JFK has a great tutorial with pics.
  5. I usually keep a soft edge black square in my utility folder to throw behind an image if I need drop shadow. I can scale it to the size of the image, reposition it right quick, then make it the length of the content.
  6. I'm in Houston. www.newaspectdesign.net
  7. Sometimes I have accidentally hit ALT + Spacebar, and it won't take the cue. I have to reselect the timeline window or press the play button to make it work. I don't know what ALT+Spacebar does in the system, but it throws the focus out of the timeline window, and feels like you have a broken spacebar button on your keyboard.
  8. Use Tasks. Each one can be triggered individually. And since you already will have MIDI set up, you can use it to trigger each task. However, MSC can control the main timeline or tasks. I don't remember if it does both. You might use a Midi Note to trigger each subtitle.
  9. It's in the preferences panel. Set WO to look for a MSC controller # Then set Qlab to be that controller #. That's it.
  10. Glad the Barcos work. Don't know much about the MA. I'm sure you've already seen this: http://help.malighting.com/view/reference/Ref_Window_Menu_Setup_Console_MidiShowControl.html
  11. Here are the 2 links. I'm not fancy enough on the forum to link to other topics. http://forum.dataton.com/topic/1017-midi-show-control-question-from-grand-ma/?hl=%2Bmsc+%2Band+%2Bgrandma http://forum.dataton.com/topic/89-grandma-midi-show-control/?hl=%2Bmsc+%2Band+%2Bgrandma
  12. Barco Codes Below and you DON'T need the $0D carriage return. Barco IP Port# 43680 Shuter Open $fe$00$22$42$00$64$ff Shuter Close $fe$00$23$42$00$65$ff Lamp On $fe$00$00$03$02$76$1a$01$96$ff Lamp Off $fe$00$00$03$02$76$1a$00$95$ff I use MSC, but not with a MA and it's a piece of cake. Control cue # is the same as the LQ# and you are good. I seem to remember another post about MSC with a MA on the forum. You might do a search for it.
  13. I have not run into the problem you are describing exactly, but I have used PJLink on many occasions and it's always been fine. I put all the tasks in an AUX timeline each on a different layer at .01seconds, and then repeat those commands about .5 seconds later. I then trigger the aux timeline from the main timeline. I close and open all 3 no problem, and power on and power off always work too. Suggestion: put a pause in the AUX timeline for power off so you have to click the button twice, otherwise you might have to wait awhile if you click the power off timeline accidentally.
  14. Select the Display of the computer you want to manage in the Stage Window then go to Stage in the toolbar, > Manage Display Computer > Remote Access. You don't have to delete the cache, and depending on how large the show is, rebuilding it could take awhile. Also, I noticed in 5.5 there is a rebuild cache command in the toolbar somewhere. Maybe Jonas or Jim can describe that for us. Another thing: If a WO display computer goes offline during a show and you get the splash screen onstage, you can sometimes just go offline and back online and it will catch up. All depends on how and why it went offline.
  15. I know this list keeps getting longer and longer, but here's another. Could we have a MIDI/MSC toggle keyboard shortcut that would activate/deactivate MIDI/MSC inside watchout? When the Lighting Designer is jumping around doing notes, it's a real pain. The console can turn it off, but I would like to inside Watchout. Also, a little RED/GREEN button that shows whether it is toggled on and off.
  16. Came across this a few shows back. Here's how I worked around it. IF, and it's a big IF, you can control the projector through TCPIP or Serial, you can change the source on the projector through watchout. Both displays must be the same resolution, and you go out of the computer to another input on the projector. Send a command through a task in watchout to switch inputs (preferably when the shutter is closed), and you can have a sized screen and an unsized screen on the same projector. I don't know if you have watchout control of your projectors, or what type they are, but you can look up the codes for switching inputs. That's what I got.
  17. a KVM is really the best solution here. This is what I typically require in this situation. If you use one that works over ethernet, and you have a patchbay for the ethernet in the theatre, it's a pretty simple setup.
  18. I just recently used my Macbook as the production machine for running a small show. I have Windows 7 installed through Bootcamp. I did no programming with it, and used the MBP only to run a few tasks. It preformed well with no hicupps. I'm not saying I would recommend it for a big show, just saying that Watchout will perform as a production machine on a MBP with bootcamp. I would never use it as a display computer.
  19. I would say your codec is wrong. Re-encode with a different codec in the .mov "wrapper" From the version 4 manual: Pg. 39 There’s a wide variety of codecs available, each optimized for a particular kind of source material and playback requirements. WATCHOUT supports both Apple QuickTime and Microsoft DirectShow codec technologies for playback. Here’s a rundown of some of the more commonly used codecs: MPEG-1. Medium quality. Generates very small files. Optimized for camera video. Native frame size is fixed, based on a quarter of the video format’s frame size. Since this codec doesn’t require a lot of computation power, use it when you need to play a lot of small video clips at the same time. MPEG-2. High quality. Used on DVD video discs. Optimized for camera video at normal frame sizes. Also supports high definition formats with some encoders (see “High Definition Video” on page 39). The WATCHOUT MPEG- 2 decoder performs de-interlacing automatically when required. Quicktime Animation. High quality. Very low compression. Optimized for computer-generated material. Supports transparency when set to “Millions+” of colors. QuickTime PNG. High quality (non-destructive). Low compression. Optimized for computer-generated material. Supports transparency when set to “Millions+” of colors. DV. High quality. Medium compression. Optimized for video editing. Generated directly by most digital video camcorders. Native frame size is fixed, based on video format’s frame size. For best performance, use the AVI file format for DV content to be used with WATCHOUT. Windows Media 9. High quality. Flexible in terms of frame size (useful for making tall or narrow movies), frame rate and interlacing/progressive options. Very demanding on processor speed when using high resolutions at full frame rate. Choosing the right codec and codec settings for your source material and playback hardware may require some experimentation. Recommended Compression Formats Although WATCHOUT supports most video file formats, some formats tend to give better results. As a general guideline, use MPEG-2 or Windows Media 9 unless an alpha channel is required, in which case QuickTime Animation is the recommended codec. WM9 requires more processor power, but provides greater flexibility in terms of supported frame sizes.
  20. Melies, If all your computers are on and watchout is running, Select a display of the computer you want to manage. Then select manage display > Remote Access on the menu. This will pop up a VNC screen on the production computer allowing you to change anything you wish on the Display computer. Just don't close Watchout on the display PC. Pg. 132 in the manual.
  21. Thanks Jim! I'll make it my production desktop background as a quick ref. @ jonas, I would love daily "Did you Know" posts. That would be pretty awesome. Especially if they were tagged and searchable.
  22. Jonas, I notice that you included the shortcut keys for manage dsplay computer. This may be in the pull down menu, and I haven't memorized it yet, but is there a list of ALL the keystroke shortcuts? This would be fantastic information pinned along with the tweaks, reccommended systems, etc..... Thanks, Clint
  23. I was looking over the sync card and am curious why you need it. Watchout should sync both computers and all 8 displays. I would definitely pre-split my movies to 1920X860. There may be some reason you have that I don't know of to use the sync card, but I've never had a problem with 2 identical machines getting out of sync.
  24. How about a feature request not related specifically to Watchout, but the forum? With all the feature requests that get posted here that Watchout can already do, maybe a "How To" tab at the top of the forum with mini videos or a screenshot that briefly show how to do things like Ctrl-P for markers, linear key, setting up Watchman, etc... That way if someone needed a refresher, it's all there in one convienient place. I know a lot of it is in the manual, and everyone should really start there, but some people may not think of using play cues as markers...... Clint
  25. I see. We never got it working before that projector got cut from the show. Sorry I can't be of more help.
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