Video Proxy still helpful in new WO5 version

[kkimsato]

Does using video proxy really help?

Used it in the past and made a big different in version 4 where one computer would play that one and only one video for the display.

 

I just moving into version 5 with 4 display output machines.

Computer processor now process all 4 videos at the same time now. Does it make different to make video proxy?

 

Have tried it but not seeing much difference.

If I create Proxy does the video card see them as individual threads. coming from processor ?

 

Thank you for clarifying,

 

Kim

[Mike Fahl]

Yes, playing a large video as a pre-split still has the advantage of possibly spreading it across larger number of threads. So depending on the threading capacity of your CPU, this may help in some cases. However, there's of course also a certian overhead associated with playing multiple videos compared to playing just one. Finally, you also have the issue of creating a single large video, at very high resolution (e.g., 4000 pixels across) compared to creating a number of smaller videos at more "standard" resolutions. It can be done, and WATCHOUT can play such high res videos, but many video encoding tols are constrained here.

 

Mike

[kkimsato]

I still cut up my very large videos (4000 res ) in aftereffects,  because i find , they play smoother than one large video.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

 

Kim

[rdkamperRDK]

Could you use Tiers like Proxies or instead of a Proxy?

 

Let say you have to 2 - Display Computers with 3 outputs each and all the output make up one large blended screen.

 

So if you made a Tier A  for Display Computer #1 (output 1,2,3) and a Tier B for Display Computer #2 (outputs 3,4,5)

 

Would that not act the same way as a Proxy...Tier A will only play the three movies on those on that Tier. The overlapping movie from  Display Computer#2 (output 4) should not be playing on  Display computer #1 ...Right?  and the same would be true for Display Computer #2 not playing output 3.

 

 

I see a lot of advances if this correct.

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

[jfk]

Could you use Tiers like Proxies or instead of a Proxy?

 

Let say you have to 2 - Display Computers with 3 outputs each and all the output make up one large blended screen.

 

So if you made a Tier A  for Display Computer #1 (output 1,2,3) and a Tier B for Display Computer #2 (outputs 3,4,5)

 

Would that not act the same way as a Proxy...Tier A will only play the three movies on those on that Tier. The overlapping movie from  Display Computer#2 (output 4) should not be playing on  Display computer #1 ...Right?  and the same would be true for Display Computer #2 not playing output 3.

 

 

I see a lot of advances if this correct.

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

 

Mostly, they won't blend across tiers, so you may have to use phantom displays to overcome that (messy, but workable).

The pre-split proxy deals with the hold back and the blending.

And even more useful, pre-split proxy provides an option

to assign one additional movie just to be used for the watchmaker preview screen.

So instead of running video as thumbnails, you can provide a scaled down movie of the entire comp to display in preview.

[rdkamperRDK]

I still cut the movies in aftereffects for each screen (they play better than one large movie).

The project that I am working on is 28 screens, each movie is 1.2gigs. So having to make proxies takes a lot of time.

And then are updates to the movies...so not having to remove file extensions and renamed the file, then replacing them in the correct proxy folders ( 9 different folders).

Even with "FILE Re-naming tool" this takes time.

 

So Tiers work faster , just hit refresh and the movies are downloading the the 28 displays.

 

Oh by the way,I do not have worry about the blend because the projectors do the blend ( I just do the overlap on the Stage window).

I have not done blending in Watchout for about 3 years now, since it can done by the Projectors, Spyder or Encore.

 

I make a low res movie to use on the stage to program with...I just place the Background movies in a "composition" and turn it off while programming the show.

The tiers work great for this situation.

 

Thanks for the feedback,

 

Richard

[jfk]

... And then are updates to the movies...so not having to remove file extensions and renamed the file, then replacing them in the correct proxy folders ( 9 different folders). ...

 

FYI While you can still do it that way (maintained for backward compatibility),

you don't have to do that any more, there is a newer alternate technique.

Updated in v5, reference WATCHOUT 5 User's Guide, Chapter 8 - Commands - Pre-split - page 140.