mpt_adam Posted October 12, 2016 Report Share Posted October 12, 2016 Searched for this and haven't found an answer to help. I've got three systems running Windows 7, configured per the tweak.pdf. They're running 5.5.2. They worked just fine at a show earlier this year, I dusted them off to use again and one of them is giving me the error in the title. I can run the Production program from that machine and push media out to them just fine. I tried a USB>ethernet adapter "just in case" with no change. After running Production from this system I went back to the original Display config of the system and it failed while updating media again. It tests out ok in the Display Properties. Anything else you can think of to check? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Leong Posted October 13, 2016 Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 Try a cable change, with a known working cable (maybe from one of the other trouble-free Display PCs). Also try another (known working) Watchout key. I understand a defective key can cause such a problem. Edit 24-hrs later: Found my notes gathered from these forums in the past re 'Connection Lost'. Here's the check-list: Possible Problem Areas/Solutions:1. Fibre Optic Extender/EDID Manager2. In Services: "Automatic (Delayed)" services - set to Manual3. Rebuild Show Cache4. Check logs for hints, etc,5. Look for background tasks that should have been disabled6. Look for incorrect or default (Microsoft) drivers7. Check for vnc installs/remnants8. Preview "Video as Best Quality" ON in the Production computer? Try turn it to "Video as Thumbnails" instead.9. Bad Watchout key"I had a watchout key, or two, go bad. I was able to talk to one server but not the other. The key was intermittent in operation and kept acting like it was plugging/unplugging often.Replacing the key fixed the issue and I have since exchanged all my keys for the new heavy duty keys. No more connection problems for this show!"10: 3rd party codec packs installed clashing with Watchout's Main Concept codecs. Use Codec Tweak Tool:> DirectShow (x86)' - ensure MPEG splitter (elecard) is Enabled and points to mc_demux_mp2_ds.ax which is the Mainconcept/Watchout-installed file; > 'Preferred decoders' - ensure 32-bit decoders for H264 and MPEG-2 are set to Mainconcept.11. Windows Media Centre not disabled?12. Other network adapters not disabled?13. Windows Firewall not disabled?14. Anti-virus software not disabled/uninstalled15. Faulty CAT5 cable/port16. Faulty Switch/switcher port Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt_adam Posted October 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 Hi Thomas, thanks for the suggestions, First, some more info. I've got PC1, PC2 and PC3. If I use PC1 as control, then 2 works ok and i can't push content to 3. That's when I get the Network error. If I use PC2 as control, everything is great. If I use PC3 as control, everything is great. I swapped keys around, I swapped cables around. The problem sticks with PC1 as control and PC3 as the display. I'll try swapping the EDID manager, though it's strange that it stuck was ok when I changed the production machine, but better to be sure and check it. I'll go down the rest of your list, thank you for sharing that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Leong Posted October 13, 2016 Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 First, some more info. I've got PC1, PC2 and PC3. If I use PC1 as control, then 2 works ok and i can't push content to 3. That's when I get the Network error. If I use PC2 as control, everything is great. If I use PC3 as control, everything is great. I swapped keys around, I swapped cables around. The problem sticks with PC1 as control and PC3 as the display. ... Just a question to clarify. Did you mean that at each try, the Production PC (Control) is connected to only 1 Display PC whether it is PC1 -> PC2, PC1 -> PC3, PC2 -> PC1, etc., rather than 2 Display PCs as in PC1 -> PC2 and PC3, PC2 -> PC1 and PC3, etc? If the answer is yes, and PC1 -> PC3 is the only case where the error comes up, I would - 1. Try any other media to see if other media triggers the error too, or is it only a particular media that triggers the error. 2. Compare PC3's hardware performance against PC1 and/or PC2 - hdd, SSD, SATA-connection cables/ports, whatever. 3. If PC3 has more than one hdd/SSD, then try using the command "- ShowsPath drive:\Shows" (without the " ") to divert the media transfer to another drive to see if it is a drive problem. 4. I would use 'Codec Tweak Tool' (google for it but use only the standalone version; it also comes together with a codec pack which you do not want) to check if there are differences in codecs/preferences between PC1-PC3 or PC2-PC3. 5. If you also have Watchout v6 keys, try it. happy hunting! Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt_adam Posted October 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2016 seems to have been triggered by that specific piece of media. i started another new show, dropped in some files from the training footage on the key from the Vegas training a few years back and everything was hunky-dory. I'll let it loop overnight and play around with your suggested trouble shooting some more in the morning. Thanks again Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Fahl Posted October 14, 2016 Report Share Posted October 14, 2016 The "connection lost" message can be somewhat misleading, in that it seems to imply network-related problems. What it really means is that the communication between the production and display computer stopped unexpectedly. This may be due to someone unplugging the network cable, unplugging the power to the display computer, or the display software crashed or hung for some reason. All these conditions may result in connection loss. Loss of power is obvious. A crash is often clear cut too (e.g., a blue screen or Windows error message). But if the display software has stopped responding, it will take a while for it to recover (which you'll see as the display software suddenly being restarted). If you have a keyboard connected to the display PC, you can try hitting Ctrl-W to return it to Window mode. If nothing happens, it's most likely hung. The display software may hang because of some serious trouble with a media file, or some other operation that causes the program to perform extremely slow or semi-crash (lock up). Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Leong Posted October 14, 2016 Report Share Posted October 14, 2016 Ha! Sounds like another item to add to my trouble-shooting list for 'connection lost'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiesemann Posted October 14, 2016 Report Share Posted October 14, 2016 Wouldn't the logfile on the display-machine tell something more detailed about why the connection was lost? cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Fahl Posted October 15, 2016 Report Share Posted October 15, 2016 Yes, one of the log files may provide more information. Which one depends on which program ran into trouble and how. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt_adam Posted March 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2017 Where can I find said log files? Having this problem again, though it's following the w600 card as I move it through spare computers. Haven't touched my two good systems yet but swapping cards between them will be the next step. As I go online and files are transferring, the troubled system will crash it's display program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Fahl Posted March 2, 2017 Report Share Posted March 2, 2017 Normally, they're in the "log" folder in WATCHOUT's program folder. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBeddig Posted March 3, 2017 Report Share Posted March 3, 2017 Just a hint from my side.... We recently surveyed a customer's installation where a "lost connection" issue happened once a week. The issue was that a the server was not fully tweaked and one application on the server looked for an update once a week. Having said this, the error message can really mean a lot of things. It could be a network issue but more often it relates to lost EDID information (you will then also see some "unexpected display reconfigurations" in the log file), wrong tweaking,.... Rainer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.