WO sometimes hangs after starting computer

[Alexey]

Hi, everyone

have some odd problem with a show. It is a fix installation in a museum. There are two WUXGA projectors and one FullHD LCD-monitor which are connected to one display computer. The WO show is organized as a number of aux tasks, which are launched trough an external controller, when someone pushes a respective button in the exposition. Therefore we don't have a production computer in the installation.The first aux task is a general background movie, which runs automatically after launching computer and WO and is supposed to be stopped while some other task is running.

The problem is that after the first launching WO it is impossible to switch any tasks. You must wait for several minutes before you can run the task of your choice. If you push the button too early there are two options. Either the background task hangs and then the whole show crashes or it handgs but the choosen task eventually runs after 15~20 sec.

Interesting that if we run everething trough the production computer there is no problems at all. All tasks are switched smoothly and run correctly. Also everything is fine if you manage to start some task after about 5 minutes since launching WO.

May be someone can bring up some hints how to sort it out? It seems that a computer is capable for the show, because in some conditions it works fine. The same is about codecs. May be there are better ways to organize switching tasks in the show? May be it is required to give certain gap between starting a computer and launching WO?  I would be very grateful for any suggestions.

[RBeddig]

Very difficult to answer without knowing:

 

• which version of WATCHOUT are you using?
• how does your project file look like?
• what are you using to control WATCHOUT?
• which strings are you sending from your control unit?

It is rather easy to control a WATCHOUT cluster through an external control system and it should not introduce any delays. I assume that the control software sends   authenticate 1   when establishing the connection!? Does the controller keep the connection open or does it close the connection starting the first show? The best way would be to keep the connection open. If not the controller needs to send   authenticate 1 again when it reconnects to the WATCHOUT cluster.

[Alexey]

Very difficult to answer without knowing:

 

• which version of WATCHOUT are you using?
• how does your project file look like?
• what are you using to control WATCHOUT?
• which strings are you sending from your control unit?

It is rather easy to control a WATCHOUT cluster through an external control system and it should not introduce any delays. I assume that the control software sends   authenticate 1   when establishing the connection!? Does the controller keep the connection open or does it close the connection starting the first show? The best way would be to keep the connection open. If not the controller needs to send   authenticate 1 again when it reconnects to the WATCHOUT cluster.

 

WO 6.1.5

There are 4 tasks in our project. The task called INTRO starts automatically and plays looped video. Each of the other tasks stops INTRO, plays its own content then runs INTRO again. The Main Timeline also isn't empty and contains a virtual screen. A screenshot of the project's window should be find here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6GY675J_VVWYTg0REpXbG9iRDQ/view?usp=sharing

We use Alcorn McBride show controller which internally utilizes our Watchout cluster protocol implementation, so everything is under our full control. http://alcorn.com/products/v4-pro/

We only send commands to start one of the aux timelines. All the other actions like stopping unnecessary timelines are completed inside the playing timeline.

Of course, we keep connection open all the time. Moreover, we receive regular (5s) status updates instantiated by 'getStatus 1' command.

[RBeddig]

The first aux task is a general background movie, which runs automatically after launching computer and WO and is supposed to be stopped while some other task is running.

 

 

Are you using a script file to load the show at the beginning and run the INTRO timeline?

 

How do the strings look like you send from your Alcorn controller?

 

I've just tried to simulate your issue but don't see any issues.

 

Have you tried to send the control commands through a Telnet program instead of the Alcorn controller? This gives you valuable feedback when trouble shooting your system.

 

If you do not succeed you can send me the show file without your media off-forum.

[Fisejs]

I would try to control the display computer with telnet or WO Remote. If the projection will act the same way, than its most probably something with the projection computer.

[Alexey]

Are you using a script file to load the show at the beginning and run the INTRO timeline?

How do the strings look like you send from your Alcorn controller?

Actually no, we don't use the script here, we load the show as well as the INTRO timeline sending commands from the controller. Of course, the command to load INTRO is sended only after the controller checks the show has been loaded.

At the moment I can't give an exaple of the strings, it wasn't my part of the job, but I sure It is a standard WO protocol. We used the same in many other projects.

 

 

Have you tried to send the control commands through a Telnet program instead of the Alcorn controller? This gives you valuable feedback when trouble shooting your system.

Yes, we did. The protocol has worked fine. We haven't got any error messages.

 

...than its most probably something with the projection computer.

 

Yes, I also think something unusual happens when the computer starts. This process might have prevented WO to work properly at the beginning. I just have thought someone could meet this problem before.