WATCHOUT 6.1.5

[Miro]

WATCHOUT 6.1.5 has been released and you can download it here: http://www.dataton.com/downloads/watchout

 

Release notes:

 

Dataton WATCHOUT® version 6.1.5

This version introduces support for the new WATCHPAX 4 media player.

 

Improvements

• Overall improved hardware-accelerated video playback performance on WATCHPAX devices.
• Added support for hardware-accelerated MPEG-2 video decoding on WATCHPAX devices.
• Updated the list of available resolutions to choose from when creating a 2D Display/Projector.
• The live video dialog has been simplified and improved.
• Improved USB video capture support and performance. For example, UHD 4K video capture over USB is now possible.
• Added option to use single audio renderer.
  • Maintains inter-channel synchronization (no phase shifting).
  • Bypasses WATCHOUT’s internal mixer and maps channels directly to the default audio playback device. The ability to route channels and set volume per channel is disabled.
• MP3 and AAC files can be played in WATCHOUT.
• The lower limit of the width/distance ratio of a 3D mapping projector is decreased to 0.25, to support short-throw projectors.
• Added synchronized start, play and pause for http video.

Bug fixes

• Fixed a bug that could appear when double clicking a WAV media.
• Fixed a bug in handling of dropped frames for hardware accelerated video.
• Fixed a bug that could cause stuttering when using a generic input to affect a media cue on a display computer.
• Fixed a bug that prevented 8-bit wav files to play (time code files).

Known issues

• Hardware-accelerated video decoding will be disabled for looping media.
• Seeking can produce image artifacts for hardware-accelerated H.264 video.
• Hardware-accelerated video is rendered one frame late.

[TomT]

No support for Windows 10 on Display-Computers?

[Miro]

WATCHOUT runs on Windows10 anniversary update but there are some bugs in the graphics drivers from AMD and Nvidia which we are not in control of.

 

Changing the resolution and refresh rate from WATCHOUT doesn't work for some drivers and the workaround is to simply set these settings in the GPU control panel or in Windows desktop settings. Nvidia GPU:s cause flicker/noise in the image when running on multiple displays.

 

AMD have a bug in Windows 7 where 4x 4K outputs are not working and we haven't tested this in Windows 10 yet but we suspect that the issue is there too.

 

Both Nvidia and AMD are working to solve these issues but it's outside of our control. Other features related to Microsoft drivers works actually better in Windows 10 like USB video capture and USB audio. Also keep in mind that there are a lot of processes in Windows 10 using the GPU and this interference can cause dropped frames. The best thing is simply to never start explorer when starting Windows (because explorer.exe spawns a lot of other processes which uses valuable resources and can interfere with WATCHOUT). There is no need to run the desktop and taskbar when running a display server.

 

For the Windows 10 certification we are waiting for the Windows 10 creators update since it's a significant update. Microsoft are usually known to fix one bug and introduce a new one. First version of Windows 10 worked fine with WATCHOUT and then in a update Microsoft broke the multi-monitor directx9 functionality. They resolved this issue in the anniversary update but introduced new graphical issues. Microsoft seems to focus everything on directx12 and don't really test the compatibility with older graphics APIs like directx9 and 11 (10 is no longer supported). From our point of view we can't really upgrade to directx 12 because it's unsupported in Windows 7 & 8.

[Ricky d]

i have checked  live video dialog

 

So now if my input source is Hdmi, sdi or composition there is no option select that

 

Is it going to take automatically that source

[Miro]

Ricky, On most modern capture devices it shouldn't be necessary because each input normally maps to individual directshow devices. However if you have a capture device where multiple physical connectors (HDMI, SDI, etc.) turns up as a single directshow device then you can hint which connector type to select using the drop-down menu in the advanced tab.

 

In older WATCHOUT versions this drop-down was mostly confusing because it was just a hint which in most cases never were used. In 6.1.5 we added a default option to this drop-down which let's the capture device decide which input to use. Since most users don't need to care about this drop-down menu we therefore moved it to the advanced tab to simplify the user interface.

[Gera P]

The best thing is simply to never start explorer when starting Windows (because explorer.exe spawns a lot of other processes which uses valuable resources and can interfere with WATCHOUT). There is no need to run the desktop and taskbar when running a display server.

 

What is the best way to prevent explorer.exe from starting upon Win 10 booting?

[Thomas Leong]

What is the best way to prevent explorer.exe from starting upon Win 10 booting?

 

I have not tried the following with Win 10, but tried, tested and reversed in Win 7. Doubt if there are any differences in procedure between the two.

 

You have to edit the Shell key in your Registry. If you are not familiar with Registry editing, and before you do this, strongly suggest you make a backup copy of your existing Registry.

 

1. Run regedit

2. Navigate to Computer\HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

3. Double-click on the Shell Key

4. Change explorer.exe to the path where Watchpoint is. Example: d:\Watchout 6\Watchpoint

5. Exit regedit, and reboot.

6. Windows will load, but explorer will not. Watchpoint loads after Windows.

You may get 'licence key not found'...not to worry and be patient. Takes a few extra seconds for USB and network driver to load before you see the normal Watchout logo and Display x, and IP address. If you have other parameters controlling Watchpoint loading, make a shortcut in the Watchout 6 folder with the parameters included in your Watchpoint shortcut, and in the Shell edit above, do not use 'Watchpoint.exe'. Just 'Watchpoint' will do.

7. Should you want to access Explorer after the above edit OR change back to what you had before:

- Ctrl+Shift+Esc will bring up the Task Manager

- in File > run New Task > type in explorer.exe OR regedit and change the Shell back to explorer.exe

- Close regedit

- Log-out and log back in, or reboot PC. Explorer will now load.

 

Thomas

[Alex Ramos]

I've been using instantshell for years.

Didn't try with 10 yet, let me know if it works.

 

 

www.gameex.com/download/instantsheller.zip

[viktorm]

Hi, Can I install Watchout 6 on my laptop, and how long is a trial period? I need ONLY for a Dataton ACADEMY training.

Here is a system requirements for my laptop:

 

Windows 10 Pro x64

 

Intel i3 - 5005U processor

 

4 GB Memory

 

Intel HD Graphics

 

500 GB HDD

 

If Windows 10 is not available for Watchout 6 and not sure for use, I can install Windows 7 on the same laptop.

 

Thanks.

[jfk]

Hi, Can I install Watchout 6 on my laptop, ...

 

 

Yes, if it meets minimum requirements and has no conflicts in its configuraiton.

 

... and how long is a trial period?

 

demo mode will run forever.

 

...  I need ONLY for a Dataton ACADEMY training.

Here is a system requirements for my laptop:

Windows 10 Pro x64

Intel i3 - 5005U processor

4 GB Memory

Intel HD Graphics

500 GB HDD

If Windows 10 is not available for Watchout 6 and not sure for use, I can install Windows 7 on the same laptop.

 

Thanks.

 

 

There is nothing there that will disqualify it from WATCHOUT Production software use.

You will probably need to detune the preview with movies as thumbnails.