Watchout 6.4.1 bugs

[molnarfzoltan]

Hi! 

I’ve been use Watchout software ca. 8 years ago in theatre. 

This is the actual configuration:

Production : Asus ROG Strix Scar II (RTX2060) w. Win10 Enterprise, Watchout 6.4.1

Display computers in network:

1, Watchmax (2 display outputs use) 

2, Watchpax2 (1 display output use)

3, Watchout Display Computer (Asus X99, 16Gb RAM, Samsung 850 SSD, ATI FirePro 7100, win7 prof. )(2 display outputs use)

Gigabit Ethernet network, with 5GHz Zyxel WiFi AP for Production PC. (I usually  use wired network, I use wireless only for project creation.) 

 

In-use Errors in live mode:

- if I add new media file to project, I’ve got error messages and all Display computer in network was restart (images attached)

- copied Corner and Hue&Sat tween doesn’t work on virtual display, if I delete and add new tween was fine

- if I use corner, Hue&Sat, Contrast, RGB tween, and I delete Hue or RGB tween I’ve got error message and lose all oder tween from virtual display

- if I replace media on timeline don’t  see on display computer, only I do offline and online mode (and I’ve got error message, image attached)

- if I re-build show cache after this process restart all display computer on network

 

Described configuration it worked flawlessly with Watchout 5.5.2. 

 

Best regards,

Zoltan 

[Josef Swanberg]

To be fair, Live Update and Virtual Displays did not exist in version 5.5.2, so they couldn't have worked flawlessly then.

That being said, It's quite possible that Live Update has not been tested when performing the intricate operations that you describe, and that this feature is still a bit rough around the edges. Therefore I can not, at this time, recommend having Live Update on continuously while working on the show, and only turning it on when you need to place things correctly on the stage, for example, in relation to real world objects.

[molnarfzoltan]

Dear Josef!

I mean that configuration worked flawlessly with Watchout 5.5.2 software naturally without live update mode...

 

And I need live update for color correction , saturation  and corner tween operation ... 

I have to see what I'm doing.

[Benoit]

Dear Molnarfzoltan,

I don't know for all your errors but when I see the "Runtime error; Unrecognized command: }" it often comes from the network, I guess because some packets where drops.

Maybe you can try without the wireless and see if you have less issue?

Best,

Benoit

[Jason H Thompson]

Let me start with, I love using Live mode and I find it very stable while operating and running shows. 

However, there is a problem when bringing new content into a show file while Online and in Live mode. This has existed for several versions, this is a basic operation of Watchout I’m not sure how this slips past testing.

The work around is that if you go Offline before adding new content to the show file then go Online once it has been added, you avoid all the error messages and Display computers freaking out.  It’s hard to toggle LIVE mode on and off while programming, because it wants to re-cache ever time, so this is the most reasonable way to add content and use Live mode, which is a great feature of this program and it’s a problem if the recommendation is to not use it most of the time.

[Wang]

Hi molnarfzoltan, I confirm that it is a bug in WATCHOUT,  it is in our database now, and we will fix it in the future version.

[Jason H Thompson]

I have a useful Addendum to the Live Update conversation.  I've found that while using version 6.5, if I already have a folder in the media window, I can drag new content into it while in Live Update with no issue.  Unfortunately, it does jump to a black loading screen while the content is updated to the Display and then the content comes back.  In previous versions, this loading screen wouldn't show if the Display software was in "No Logo" mode.

However, if I am working in Live Update and drag a folder into the Media Window with content in it, I'll get errors and the Display computer will drop out, needing to be reset by going Offline and Online again once or twice.

I really miss being able to load new content without the entire room knowing I'm doing an update.  I really hope this feature comes back in the next update.

[sfmcnally]

On 11/3/2019 at 12:08 AM, Jason H Thompson said:

I have a useful Addendum to the Live Update conversation.  I've found that while using version 6.5, if I already have a folder in the media window, I can drag new content into it while in Live Update with no issue.  Unfortunately, it does jump to a black loading screen while the content is updated to the Display and then the content comes back.  In previous versions, this loading screen wouldn't show if the Display software was in "No Logo" mode.

However, if I am working in Live Update and drag a folder into the Media Window with content in it, I'll get errors and the Display computer will drop out, needing to be reset by going Offline and Online again once or twice.

I really miss being able to load new content without the entire room knowing I'm doing an update.  I really hope this feature comes back in the next update.

I would like to second this. Also, this bug is still present in v6.5. This is no good for live theater. Every time I add a piece of content, 10 projectors dump to black with a big logo and everyone in the room turns to look at me. Previously, I could add 100GB of content and it would just freeze on whatever still I parked it on and there would be a single frame of black when it was done pushing content. This was much much better. This new behavior makes my job much more difficult and unpleasant. Please put it back to the way it was for years. Thank you.

 

[RBeddig]

If you really want to hide an upload you should look into using the old "standby layer" feature.

[Jason H Thompson]

Using Standby still dumps the entire stage to black.  We used to be able to update like ninjas and now it's like announcing to the room, "GOING DARK TO UPDATE VIDEO"...  DON'T MIND ME...  Like many users on here I work in Live Entertainment.  We have to work fast and we have to be able to make updates without dropping out completely.  It freaks some producers out, it freaks some directors out. We design complex shows with lots of projectors, and if the room sees video blinking on and off with each small content update it makes it seem like an unstable system.  I manage expectations and this isn't a job killer, but this used to be done in a better way, and in the last couple versions we lost a feature we loved about Watchout.

Simply going to Standby isn't an acceptable solve, it's almost no different than updating with "NoLogo". I'd love to see this feature returned to future updates.

[matkeane]

10 hours ago, Jason H Thompson said:

Using Standby still dumps the entire stage to black.

I usually setup a static backdrop with logos or something so that it's hopefully not as noticeable when I switch to Standby. However, on a recent job using Watchout 6.5.0 and a 6 output rental machine (W9100?), anytime I did an update (CTRL-D) - whether in Online, Live or Standby mode - each output would sequentially switch to black and then back to picture output...  Needless to say that didn't go un-noticed. Standby content was in a composition on the main timeline, but the outputs were fed via Virtual Displays. There was too much else going on that day to try and identify a workaround, so I don't know if this was related to the Watchout version, the project setup, or the hardware.

[sfmcnally]

Rbeddig is saying that if you assign a layer as a standby layer, you can have that be your static look while you push content *if you remember to go into standby before adding content in live update mode or clicking update if in non-live-update mode*. This can be any look you want, but it can only be one look per timeline location. The point that jason and I are making is that we used to be able to park the timeline in whatever scene lighting or directing or choreography or whoever wanted to work on and push content quietly. Now our options are to dump to a default standby look and then push or dump to black/watchout logo when using live update, (which most programmers in live theater use A LOT). It draws lots of attention to us, makes us look stupid, and wastes time with discussions of how this won't happen during the show. It makes Watchout look like buggy unstable software that is always crashing to a logo. I understand that is not what is happening, and I don't care that it happens personally, but directors and lighting designers and video designers HATE this behavior. 

Please fix this.

[ectoplasmosis]

Another voice calling for the return of seamless standby updating behaviour.

The black flash across all screens in version 6.5 is unacceptable during rehearsals.