Sync difference without Production Computer

[Jeff Miller]

I have a show running on two display computers. There are 9 screens. 5 on one Display Computer, 4 on the other. Watchout 6.3.1. Planar screens and extenders.

The show was set to 60hz framerate. The two computers would play together, but be slightly out of sync. By less than half a second. I discovered if I used the Preferences in Watchout Production and set to 59.94hz, it played in perfect sync. When I take this same show and use Autostart to have one computer drive the show without the Production computer, it goes back out of sync. I tried switching which one is the master, and it is always out of sync. If I put the production computer back in and run from that with 59.94 then the sync is back to perfect.

Can anyone tell me what the difference could be between Production computer running it versus running it without? Any suggestions as to something else to try?

Thanks

-Hi Ho

Jeff

[jfk]

In your display definitions, are you defining the display computers using IP addresses or WATCHOUT computer names?

[Jeff Miller]

ADDENDUM:

I am using the computer names of course. But today I learned a lot more about this issue.

Changing the frequency works because when you then go online it pushes out the modified show to the display computers. Today I was able to run the show from the production computer at both 60hz and 59.94hz in sync. However, if I change the frequency and then go online, but start playing the show too early, apparently one of the display computers is getting the changed frequency and the other isn't and it plays out of sync (even with the production computer).

Now, still, if I have the show at 60hz and I play it from the production computer with good sync, once I make either of the two display computers the master and try to play the show it is out of sync. You can clearly see that one starts playing and the other starts a few seconds later. When this happens, even though the lagging computer jumps up roughly to the current frame, it is always a small bit behind. In my test bed in my office, I never saw this, even when they did not start simultaneously.

I am happy to report that I found some updated drivers for the graphics card and this problem may have been eliminated. I am still frustrated by not understanding why it would run in sync with the production computer keeping time, but not when either display computer keeps the time. I wish I knew more about why this could be different.