Dataton WATCHOUT User`s Guide

Version 3
SENSA
TION
C
RE AT I ON
Table of Contents
1
Introduction .............................................. 7
Welcome ......................................................... 7
System Overview .............................................. 8
Software Overview ......................................... 12
2
Installation ............................................. 15
Software ........................................................ 15
Network......................................................... 16
License Keys ................................................... 16
Display Devices .............................................. 17
Projection Screen............................................ 17
Sound............................................................ 18
Live Video Input.............................................. 18
VNC Server Software...................................... 20
Computer Settings........................................... 22
Display Computer Settings............................... 26
3
Media ...................................................... 31
Still Images .................................................... 32
Text ............................................................... 34
Moving Images............................................... 35
Audio ............................................................ 43
Live Video ...................................................... 45
Computer Display ........................................... 45
4
Production .............................................. 47
Stage ............................................................. 47
Media............................................................ 49
Timeline ......................................................... 52
Tween Tracks.................................................. 57
Opacity ......................................................... 60
Volume .......................................................... 60
Scale ............................................................. 60
Rotation ......................................................... 61
Anchor Point .................................................. 61
Position .......................................................... 62
5
Presentation ........................................... 65
Connecting to the Display Computers ............... 65
Running the Presentation ................................. 67
External Control.............................................. 69
6
Windows ................................................ 71
Stage Window ............................................... 73
Timeline Window............................................ 74
Media Window .............................................. 78
Message Window........................................... 81
License Window ............................................. 82
7
Commands ..............................................87
File Menu....................................................... 87
Edit Menu ...................................................... 96
Stage Menu ................................................. 100
Media Menu ................................................ 104
Timeline Menu.............................................. 114
Tween Menu ................................................ 116
8
Displays.................................................117
Display Specifications ................................... 118
9
Cues .......................................................121
Cue Specifications ........................................ 124
Tween Tracks ............................................... 128
Control Cue ................................................. 133
A. System requirements ...........................135
Computer..................................................... 135
Live Video Input............................................ 136
Network ...................................................... 136
B. Computer Issues ................................... 137
Dedicated Computer ..................................... 137
General Performance .................................... 139
Display Performance ..................................... 146
Other Issues ................................................. 149
Cloning a Computer...................................... 150
C. Display Issues ....................................... 151
Display Technologies .................................... 151
Wiring......................................................... 154
General Troubleshooting ............................... 155
Jerky Movements .......................................... 156
Banding ....................................................... 157
Hot-Spots ..................................................... 160
Creeping Shades .......................................... 160
Optical Linearity ........................................... 161
D. Production PC Protocol ........................ 163
List of Commands ......................................... 165
E.
Display Cluster Protocol ...................... 167
Control Options ............................................ 167
Commands and Responses ............................ 170
List of Commands ......................................... 172
Feedback ..................................................... 177
Command ID Tagging................................... 182
Index ..................................................... 183
Dataton WATCHOUT™ software and this manual
© Copyright 2005, DATATON UTVECKLINGS AB
(“Dataton”). All rights reserved.
Dataton and the Dataton logo are registered trademarks
of DATATON UTVECKLINGS AB. WATCHOUT,
TOUCHDOWN, PICKUP, GUIDEMAKER and TRAX are
trademarks of DATATON UTVECKLINGS AB. All other
company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Use of a
term in this publication should not be regarded as
affecting the validity of any trademark.
The information in this manual has been carefully
checked and is believed to be accurate. However,
Dataton assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies
or errors in this manual or the products described. In no
event will Dataton be liable for direct, indirect, special,
incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any
defect or omission in this manual, even if advised of the
possibility of such damages. The technical information
contained herein regarding features and specifications
is subject to change without notice.
Dataton AB
Box 454
S-581 05 LINKÖPING
Sweden
http://www.dataton.com/
Phone: +46-13-10 24 50
Fax: +46-13-13 84 45
E-mail: [email protected]
Technical Support: [email protected]
WATCHOUT Suggestions: [email protected]
Products or manufacturers mentioned do not constitute a
recommendation or endorsement by Dataton.
Printed in Sweden
Document number: 3955/3
1
1
INTRODUCTION
Welcome
Welcome to WATCHOUT™, a fully digital, multi-screen display technology. It
combines the qualities of traditional multi-image with digital imagery, video
and the graphics power of contemporary computer technology. Use it with
projectors for large, seamless images, or hook it up to monitors, video wall
cubes or plasma screens for other creative screen arrangements.
About This Manual
This manual is divided into the following parts:
• An Introduction and Quick Start section, giving you the big picture. Start
here if you’re a new user or just having your first look at WATCHOUT.
• A reference section, describing all windows, menus, commands and other
details. Refer to this section to learn more about specific functions
• A number of appendices with additional information related to particular
areas of the product, such as live video inputs and external control protocols.
◆ HINT: If you’re reading the electronic version of this manual, the table of
contents, index and all cross references can be clicked to jump directly to
the referenced page.
WATCHOUT Version 3
This manual refers to WATCHOUT version 3. The latest version of the software
and its documentation can always be obtained from:
http://www.dataton.com/watchout/
Chapter 1: Introduction
7
This section provides a brief introduction to the parts that make up a
WATCHOUT system, and how they fit together.
System Overview
Main image
area using
overlapped
projectors
Separate
plasma
display
• Safety
• Speed
• Tires!
Display
2
Display
3
Display
4
Display 1
Production
computer
Projectors
Ethernet Network
Production Computer
8
Chapter 1: Introduction
Display
computers
This is the focal point for your WATCHOUT production work. This is where you
collect all the source material, or media, to create your presentation. Using the
WATCHOUT production software (see page 13), you simply drag media into
your presentation, positioning it in the Stage window and along the Timeline.
The production computer talks to the display computers through the network,
transferring media files for you as required, as well as controlling the playback
of the show.
Display Computers
You need one display computer for each display device (projector, monitor,
etc) used in you presentation. Display computers handle all the hard work
associated with rendering still images and video. They also apply edge blends
and play sound files.
The fact that there’s one computer for each display device makes the system
scalable to virtually any size; as more displays are added, you also add more
computing power to drive these displays.
Network
The network ties the parts together, allowing the production computer to
manage all display computers. The network is created by connecting the
computers to a common hub or switch (not shown in the overview illustration).
As you add new media to your presentation, or revise existing media, these
changes are automatically propagated, via the network, to the appropriate
display computers. The network also transfers your display configurations,
timeline programming and other aspects of your presentation to the display
computer. With all this material residing on the display computers, very little
information needs to be sent over the network during playback, avoiding
network congestion.
Display Devices
WATCHOUT can be used with virtually any display device that can be
connected to a computer, such as projectors, LCD and plasma displays. See
“Display Issues” on page 151 for more details.
Chapter 1: Introduction
9
Although you can use just the WATCHOUT production software on its own in
order to get acquainted, you won’t be able to appreciate the full power of
WATCHOUT until you connect some display computers. The illustration to the
left shows a minimal system, consisting of the following components:
Minimal System
Configuration
Display
• A computer running WATCHOUT Production software.
• A computer running WATCHOUT Display software
Hub
Production
computer
• A display device (eg, a monitor or a projector).
Display
computer
• A network, connecting the two computers together via a hub or switch.
In addition, each computer in a system running WATCHOUT must have a
WATCHOUT license key connected (see “License Keys” on page 16).
◆ NOTE: The production software can be used on its own without a license
key. License keys are only required when using the display software.
Alternative Display Layouts
Plasma display
column
10
Chapter 1: Introduction
WATCHOUT is very flexible in terms of how you arrange the displays. The
illustrations below show some more unusual display arrangements.
WATCHOUT allows you to mix and match displays in any orientation.
Vertically oriented, edge
blended projectors
Diamond-shaped
display cluster
Arch built using
multiple LCD displays
Images, Sound and Video
A WATCHOUT presentation uses multiple media, such as still images, video
clips, sound files, etc. WATCHOUT accepts a wide variety of file formats,
including PhotoShop, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, Targa, AVI, QuickTime, MPEG1, MPEG-2, High Definition Video (MPEG-2 and Windows Media), AIFF and
WAV. Transparent and semi-transparent areas (alpha channel) are supported
in both still images and video files (depending on chosen file formats).
For more details on the various kinds of media supported by WATCHOUT, see
“Media” on page 31.
Live Feeds
In addition to pre-produced content, WATCHOUT can also incorporate live
feeds of various kinds:
• Video camera, e.g., for integrating a live image of a speaker into the
presentation.
• Other external feeds, such as a DVD player or a satellite link.
• Computer graphics, e.g., a PowerPoint presentations.
Some live feeds require additional hardware, such as capture cards, in order
to bring the signal into WATCHOUT (see “Live Video” on page 45). In other
cases, the external feed can be brought into the system through the network.
External Control
Dataton TOUCHDOWN, PICKUP.
WATCHOUT can be combined with other systems and technologies to build
entire presentation environments. Use a Dataton TOUCHDOWN as an interactive front-end, controlling any number of WATCHOUT clusters. Use Dataton
PICKUP as a simple remote control and to provide synchronized audio,
including support for multiple languages. Or use an external control system
communicating with WATCHOUT over a computer network or a serial port
(see appendices for details on external control options).
Chapter 1: Introduction
11
Software Overview
This section gives an introduction to the WATCHOUT production software.
Stage Window
The Stage window allows you to organize the displays (screen areas) to reflect
their expected placement. It also provides a preview of the end result, and
allows you to manipulate the placement and movement of images.
Timeline
Media files are dragged from your hard disk into the Timeline window, where
they appear as cues. Each cue features a thumbnail icon of the media. You
determine timing and duration by adjusting the position and length of these
cues. The horizontal layers in the Timeline window represent the order of overlapping images, back-to-front.
Media
As media is added, thumbnails representing the media files also appear in the
Media window. This acts as a central repository for all media used in your
presentation. It provides information about each media file, and allows the file
to be easily accessed for editing or other purposes.
Cues and Tween Tracks
The cues in the Timeline window can be enhanced by applying tween tracks.
Tween tracks control the dynamic behavior of media on stage, such as position, size or transparency.
System Management
As you make changes to the presentation, those changes can be transferred to
all the display computers by a single keystroke. This automatically transfers
any media you have added, or modified, to the relevant display computers
and shows the result on screen. As the media files and cues are cached locally
on each display computer, the show is ready to run at any time by simply
pressing the spacebar.
12
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 1: Introduction
13
14
Chapter 1: Introduction
2
Software
2
INSTALLATION
This chapter tells you how to install the required software components as well
as how to hook up the hardware.
Obtain the “WATCHOUT Installer”, either by downloading it from
http://www.dataton.com/watchout/
or using the CD-ROM included with your WATCHOUT purchase.
Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions. This installs both the
production and display software components, adding them to your Start menu.
◆ NOTE: If you intend to use the computer primarily for WATCHOUT, you
may want to re-format and partition the hard disk and then install only the
operating system, required device drivers and WATCHOUT (see “Dedicated Computer” on page 137).
Installing QuickTime
If you install WATCHOUT from the WATCHOUT CD-ROM, also run the QuickTime Installer included on that CD-ROM.
If you downloaded WATCHOUT from the web, QuickTime is not included. In
this case, unless you already have a suitable version of QuickTime installed,
you need to obtain it from Apple:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/standalone.html
Chapter 2: Installation
15
Network
The production computer and all display computers must be interconnected
using a TCP/IP compatible Ethernet network, which comes standard on most
computers. Although 100 MBit Ethernet is recommended, Gigabit and 10 MBit
can also be used. Wireless networks are generally not recommended.
Stand-alone System
Connect all computers to a hub with the required number of ports. Most hubs
have indicators that identify proper connection.
Production
Computer
Display
Computers
Ethernet hub or switch
For stand-alone operation of a WATCHOUT system, this is usually all you need
to do in terms of hardware hook-up.
License Keys
Each computer in the system requires a WATCHOUT license key, including the
production computer. Plug the key into any free USB (Universal Serial Bus) port
on the computer.
◆ NOTE: You can run the production software off-line without a license key
connected. A key is only needed when you go on-line to communicate with
the display computers.
16
Chapter 2: Installation
Upgrading Licence Keys
When a major revision of WATCHOUT is released (eg, going from version 2.x
to version 3.x), old license keys must be upgraded in order to be used with that
new software version. An upgrade can be purchased and delivered electronically via the Internet. See “Upgrading your Licenses” on page 84 for more
details.
Display Devices
WATCHOUT can be used with most display technologies, including CRT, DLP
and LCD projectors, LCD and CRT monitors, video wall cubes and plasma
screens. Generally speaking, you can use any display device that’s compatible
with the display card in the display computer.
For projection purposes, DLP projectors with a high contrast ratio (2000:1 or
better) is recommended. See “Display Issues” on page 151 for further details
on various kinds of displays, and how to connect them to WATCHOUT.
Projection Screen
As in all multi-screen projection applications, it is important to choose the
screen material with caution. Make sure you buy your screen material from a
screen manufacturer familiar with the requirements of multi-image projection,
or similar applications.
For front projection, avoid using high-gain, or “silver” screens. Such screens
often cause uneven brightness or banding when using multiple projectors and/
or when viewing from non-optimal angles. See “Banding” on page 157.
A related problem when using rear projection screens is the “hot-spot” caused
by the projection lens showing through the projection surface. See “Rear
Projection” on page 158.
Chapter 2: Installation
17
Sound
Sound output jack symbols.
Using Multiple Sound
Channels
Sound can be provided through any of the display computers. Simply connect
the sound output from the computer (usually a 3.5 mm mini-jack) to the amplifier or powered speakers.
If you need to run the computer’s line level audio signal a long distance, you
should use an audio line level transformer. This converts the unbalanced signal
coming from the computer to a balanced signal, thereby reducing the risk of
hum and noise when connected to a professional audio amplifier.
You can have multiple display computers playing at the same time, thereby
providing multiple audio channels. The synchronization between computers is
generally good enough for multi-language support or special effects sound
tracks, but not for true, phase accurate, multi-channel sound reproduction.
Another option is to install a multi-channel sound card in a display computer.
Such sounds cards can handle up to eight phase accurate sound channels. See
“Multi-Channel Audio” on page 43 for more details.
Live Video Input
WATCHOUT can integrate live video feeds using video input devices, such as
capture cards. This may be a camera feed, a satellite link or the image
displayed by another computer (eg, a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation). For
examples on some suitable video input solutions, see “Live Video Input” on
page 136.
Feeding Multiple Display
Computers
The video signal must be fed to each computer where it’s supposed to appear.
For instance, if your system uses five display computers, and you want to show
a live video image straddling two of those five display areas, both those
display computers must be fitted with the same kind of capture card, and the
video signal must be fed to the same input on both cards.
18
Chapter 2: Installation
A video DA (distribution amplifier) may be required to distribute the signal to
multiple inputs. Such devices are available from companies such as Extron and
Kramer Electronics:
http://www.kramer.co.il/
http://www.extron.com/
Software Driver Installation
Most capture cards require specialized software drivers. Although such a
driver is usually delivered with the card on a CD-ROM, it’s often a good idea
to check the manufacturer’s web site for the latest driver version. For a list of
suitable capture cards, see “Live Video Input” on page 136.
Some graphics cards that include capture inputs have additional drivers that
must be installed separately in order to activate the capture function. Please see
the manufacturer’s documentation on the recommended procedure, since the
order in which these drivers are installed is sometimes important.
WATCHOUT Configuration
Configure each WATCHOUT display computer that will show live video as
described under “Add Live Video” on page 109. Optionally, you can also
choose to show live video in the Stage window of the production computer (see
“Video In” on page 95).
Chapter 2: Installation
19
VNC Server Software
In order to use the Remote Computer feature of WATCHOUT to integrate a live
computer display into your presentation (eg, to display Excel or Powerpoint as
part of a speaker-support presentation), you must install VNC server software
on the remote computer. This must be a separate computer – it can not be one
of the computers running WATCHOUT software.
◆ NOTE: This software is not required for basic WATCHOUT functions. You
only need to install this software if you want to use the “Remote Computer”
feature (see “Add Remote Computer” on page 107).
VNC (Virtual Network Computing) server software is available for a wide
variety of operating systems. The instructions below describe its installation
under Windows. VNC is free software, available in several forms, eg:
http://www.realvnc.com/
http://ultravnc.sourceforge.net/
Download the VNC server software from one of the above locations, and
follow its installation instructions. When run under Window XP, you’re advised
to install and run the VNC server software as a Windows Service.
For best performance, use a reasonably fast computer to run the VNC server
software and the application you wish to incorporate into your presentation
(eg, Powerpoint).
Make sure that the remote computer is connected to the WATCHOUT network,
and has a fixed, known IP number in its TCP/IP settings (see page 24). This IP
number and other TCP/IP parameters must match the network to which it is
connected. Also verify that its firewall is disabled, or that the VNC port 5900
is open in the firewall (see “Firewall Settings” on page 25).
20
Chapter 2: Installation
The first time you run the VNC server software, you will be prompted to enter
a password. The VNC server software then appears as an icon in the lower
right corner of the screen while running. Pointing at this icon displays the IP
number of the VNC server. Double-click the icon to change the settings.
VNC Server software settings.
Enter the desired VNC server
password here.
Chapter 2: Installation
21
Computer Settings
22
Chapter 2: Installation
Each computer needs to be configured for TCP/IP networking. Click the Start
button and choose Control Panel. Open the Network Connections control
panel. Make sure there’s a “Local Area Connection” shown in the list. If not,
make sure there’s a Windows XP compatible network card installed in the
computer.
Right-click the “Local Area Connection” and choose “Properties”. Ensure that
“Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” is available and selected.
Chapter 2: Installation
23
Choose “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” and click “Properties…”. Enter the
numbers as shown below.
◆ NOTE: The example shown is
appropriate if you’re building a
stand-alone system. If your
WATCHOUT subnet is connected
to a larger network, you should
consult your network administrator for the correct IP number
and subnet mask.
24
Chapter 2: Installation
Firewall Settings
Back in the previous dialog box (the one shown on page 23), click the
“Advanced” tab and then the “Settings” button under Windows Firewall. and
make sure that the Firewall feature is turned off.
▼ IMPORTANT: A WATCHOUT
system should not be accessible
from the Internet, or other external
network. It you must be able to access the Internet from your
WATCHOUT system, use a separate firewall device to protect your
system from security attacks.
The firewall feature must be turned
off to not interfere with the ability to
connect to and download media
files to the display computers.
Chapter 2: Installation
25
Display Computer
Settings
To achieve best performance and reliability in your WATCHOUT system, you
need to adjust several settings on all your display computers. Most of the
settings below are found by clicking the Start button and choosing Settings >
Control Panel.
Network
Open the Network control panel and configure TCP/IP as described on
preceding pages. Specify a unique IP number for each display computer by
changing the last group of IP address digits.
As an example: in a system consisting of one production computer and three
display computers, you would end up with IP addresses assigned like this:
192.168.0.1
Production
computer
192.168.0.10
192.168.0.11
192.168.0.12
Display
computers
If your WATCHOUT subnet is not stand-alone but connected to a larger
network, you should consult your network administrator for the correct IP
number, subnet mask, and other parameters.
▼ IMPORTANT: Each display computer must be manually assigned a
unique IP address. Unlike the production computer, the display computers
may not use automatic (dynamic) IP number assignment.
26
Chapter 2: Installation
Display Properties
• Open the Display control panel.
• Click the Settings tab.
• Choose the display resolution matching your presentation using the “Screen
area” slider.
• Set “Colors” to “Highest (32 bit)” and click Apply.
• Click the “Advanced...” button and Click the Monitor tab.
• Set “Screen refresh rate” to an even multiple of the “Display Framerate”
specified in the Preferences dialog box of your WATCHOUT presentation
(see page 92), and click Apply.
Chapter 2: Installation
27
If you don’t intend to use video, or if you have mixed PAL and NTSC video,
choose “60 fps” in the WATCHOUT Preferences dialog box, and set the
display’s refresh frequency to 60 Hz.
◆ NOTE: Some video projectors and LCD displays work better at 60 fps than
other refresh rates even when displaying PAL video. If you experience jerky
motion and/or video playback, you may want to try setting both the
WATCHOUT Preferences and your display computers to 60 fps/Hertz.
Some system configurations don’t allow you to change the refresh rate. In this
case, the Refresh rate option will not be shown under the Adapter tab. This
may vary depending on the display card, display card drivers and the display
connected to the system. See “Display Refresh Rate Settings” on page 147 for
more information.
▼ IMPORTANT: While WATCHOUT will attempt to set the display resolution automatically, setting the resolution manually is usually preferable. The
reason is that many display adapters don’t allow WATCHOUT to set the
most optimal display refresh frequency. By setting the display resolution and
refresh frequency manually before starting WATCHOUT, you avoid the risk
of getting a non-optimal (default) refresh frequency as a result of
WATCHOUT setting the resolution.
28
Chapter 2: Installation
Sound Settings
When using a display computer for sound playback, you should ensure that
the sound output level of the computer is set to its maximum value. Open the
“Sound and Audio Devices” control panel, and slide the volume control all the
way to the right.
Chapter 2: Installation
29
30
Chapter 2: Installation
3
3
MEDIA
WATCHOUT is a compositing tool; it does not include any media creation or
editing functions. All media to be used in your presentation must be supplied
and edited using other means.
This chapter provides an overview of the media and file formats supported by
WATCHOUT, as well as examples of popular applications used to create or
edit such media files.
▼ IMPORTANT: Keep a show’s media files in a folder that is located in the
same folder as the WATCHOUT show file, or in a sub-folder. This allows
the software to use relative file access paths, making it easier to move the
show to another disk or computer.
Various kinds of media in the
WATCHOUT Media window.
Chapter 3: Media
31
Still Images
Still images can be used as backgrounds or superimposed on other images.
You can control the degree of transparency, scaling, mirroring and rotation for
all images (stills as well as moving images).
Supported Formats
WATCHOUT reads most popular image formats, including BMP, GIF, JPEG,
Photoshop, PICT, PNG, Targa and TIFF.
Preferably, use an image format native to the application used to create/edit
the images. For example, if you use Photoshop to edit images, save the images
as Photoshop files. Although most image editing applications support saving or
exporting to other file formats, doing so may cause a loss of information. This
can make it difficult to edit the image later.
▼ IMPORTANT: In order to use Photoshop images with WATCHOUT, files
must be saved with “Maximize PSD File Compatibility” enabled. This Photoshop option is found under Preferences, File Handling, File Compatibility.
For photographic images (eg, scanned or shot using a digital camera), JPEG
at a high quality setting often provides the best compromise between image
quality and file size. Keep in mind that JPEG is a lossy compression format.
This means that minor, normally unnoticeable, details in the original image
may be lost in the compression process.
For computer-generated images with large, smooth areas (eg, screenshots),
PNG is a suitable cross-platform format.
Apple’s QuickTime technology is used to read image files into WATCHOUT.
As QuickTime evolves, additional formats may be added. A complete list of
image file formats supported by QuickTime can be found under Apple’s
QuickTime support page: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/resources/
32
Chapter 3: Media
Transparency
Some image formats include transparency information in addition to the image
itself. This transparency information is sometimes referred to as an “alpha
channel”, although some image editing applications use this term for other
functions (eg, editing masks in Adobe Photoshop). Transparency can be used
to create non-square images, holes inside images or semi-transparent areas,
such as drop shadows. Photoshop, PNG, TIFF and Targa file are examples of
file formats that support transparency.
+
Background image.
=
Image with a transparent background and a semi-transparent
shadow.
Result when composited in
WATCHOUT.
▼ CAUTION: Even if an application supports writing to a particular file format, it may not support transparency in that format. Perform tests with images to determine the suitability of particular formats and applications.
WATCHOUT supports most methods used for encoding transparency into
images. Which method to use is usually determined automatically. If not, you
can specify this manually by opening the Specifications dialog box for the
image and choosing the desired encoding (see “Transparency” on page 106).
Chapter 3: Media
33
Text, like other images, must be created using other applications, such as
Adobe Photoshop. In addition to text editing functions, such as multiple fonts,
kerning, etc, Photoshop also supports numerous effects that can be applied to
the text, with the text remaining fully editable.
Text
Creating text using Adobe
Photoshop.
Applying Layer Effects such as glow
and drop shadow.
Assuming Photoshop is installed on the production computer, you can edit the
text by simply double-clicking its thumbnail in the Media window. Save the text
then choose Refresh on WATCHOUT’s Media menu
34
Chapter 3: Media
Anti-aliasing of Text
When overlaying texts on other images, it is important that the application
used to save the text image supports transparency. It must also be able to
render the edges of the text using a variable amount of transparency; often
referred to as anti-aliasing. If that is not done properly, the edges of the text
will appear jagged, or there will be a thin contour or halo around the text.
Moving Images
WATCHOUT can play back moving images saved in a Windows Media
(DirectShow) or QuickTime-compatible format, including MOV, WMV, AVI,
DV and MPEG-1/2. Such a file is often referred to as a movie.
High Definition Video
WATCHOUT supports high definition video (eg, a resolution of 1280 x 720
pixels or more) using either MPEG-2 or the Windows Media 9 format. To play
back Windows Media 9 video, Windows Media Player 9 or later must be
installed on each display computer (a free download from Microsoft).
High definition MPEG-2 or Windows Media video can be encoded by, for
example, the Canopus ProCoder:
http://www.canopus.us/us/products/procoder2/pm_procoder2.asp
Windows Media content can also be encoded using the free Windows Media
Encoder 9:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.aspx
◆ NOTE: Windows Media HD content requires a fast computer (eg, a 3 GHz
Pentium 4). MPEG-2 HD content will play on less powerful computers.
When shooting and encoding high definition content, a progressive (ie, noninterlaced) format is preferable (eg, “30p”).
Chapter 3: Media
35
Computer-generated
Animations
When using computer-generated moving images, you must specify the frame
rate and resolution of the resulting movie during rendering. Generally, when
combining computer generated and pre-recorded video material, the frame
rate is dictated by the live material. Alternatively, if your playback computer is
fast enough, match the rendered frame rate to the WATCHOUT display framerate (see “Display Framerate” on page 92); eg, 60 fps progressive.
It’s often advantageous to use smaller, computer generated, moving images
layered on top of larger still images. By rendering only the parts of an image
that actually move, not only do you lower the burden on the playback machine,
but you also reduce rendering times. Keep in mind that you can make nonsquare movies, or even holes inside movies, by using transparency options in
supporting applications and codecs.
As computer generated movies are by nature resolution independent, it is also
possible to make movies that are much larger than a single display area. Very
large movies may need to be pre-split in order to be used in WATCHOUT (see
“Pre-splitting Large Movies” on page 40), depending on the performance of
the display computers.
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Chapter 3: Media
Assembling Individual Frames
Some applications, most notably 3D animation software, often save the
resulting frames as individual image files. This may also be the case when
scanning images frame by frame from film. Such a sequence of images must
be converted into a QuickTime movie, with the appropriate frame rate, before
it can be incorporated into WATCHOUT. This can be done using, for example,
Adobe After Effects.
The individual images must be saved as files all ending in a frame number. This
number precedes the file name extension: eg, File001.tga, File002.tga,
File003.tga, etc.
Assembling using Adobe After Effects. To assemble a movie from still
images using Adobe After Effects, choose “Import, Footage File” on the File
menu, select the first file in the sequence, and select the “<Format> Sequence”
checkbox. The desired frame rate can be specified in Preferences prior to
importing the images, or can be altered at any time by choosing “Interpret
Footage, Main” on the File menu.
Assembling using Autodesk Cleaner. Using Autodesk Cleaner,
choose “Open Image Sequence” on the File menu and locate the first image in
the sequence. Cleaner will then prompt you for the desired frame rate.
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Using Transparency
Some applications support inclusion of transparency information in the generated movie file. Such transparency can either come from the source material
(eg, a computer generated animation), or be added afterwards (for example,
a feathered, round mask applied to a video clip).
Being able to create arbitrarily shaped movies, or movies with holes in them,
means you can combine moving and still images in many creative ways.
Computer generated movie with
transparent background and semitransparent drop shadow playing
over a background image.
Video Compression
In order to include transparency information in the movie file, you must choose
a QuickTime codec that’s capable of handling “Millions+” of colors. The “+” at
the end stands for the transparency information. This is sometimes called
“Millions+Alpha”. You must also use an application that’s capable of reproducing and/or generating transparency information, such as Adobe After
Effects.
Due to the large amount of raw data in a video stream, storing and playing
back uncompressed video is usually not feasible. Video compression is based
on the concept of codecs. A codec (which stands for compressor/decompressor) is the part of the editing and display technology responsible for
storing and playing back compressed digitized video.
There’s a wide variety of codecs available, each optimized for a particular
kind of source material and playback requirements. WATCHOUT supports
both Apple QuickTime and Microsoft DirectShow codec technologies for playback. Here’s a rundown of some of the more commonly used codecs:
MPEG-1. Medium quality. Generates very small files. Optimized for camera
video. Native frame size is fixed, based on a quarter of the video format’s
frame size. Since this codec doesn’t require a lot of computation power, use it
when you need to play a lot of small video clips at the same time.
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Chapter 3: Media
MPEG-2. High quality. Used on DVD video discs. Optimized for camera
video at normal frame sizes. Also supports high definition formats with some
encoders (see “High Definition Video” on page 35). The WATCHOUT MPEG2 decoder performs de-interlacing automatically when required.
Quicktime Animation. High quality. Very low compression. Optimized
for computer-generated material. Supports transparency when set to
“Millions+” of colors.
QuickTime PNG. High quality (non-destructive). Low compression. Optimized for computer-generated material. Supports transparency when set to
“Millions+” of colors.
DV. High quality. Medium compression. Optimized for video editing. Generated directly by most digital video camcorders. Native frame size is fixed,
based on video format’s frame size. For best performance, use the AVI file
format for DV content to be used with WATCHOUT.
Windows Media 9. High quality. Flexible in terms of frame size (eg, for
making tall and narrow movies), frame rate and interlacing/progressive
options. Very demanding on processor speed when using high resolutions at
full frame rate (eg, high definition video).
Choosing the right codec and codec settings for your source material and playback hardware may require some experimentation.
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Pre-splitting Large Movies
Modern computers are generally capable of playing at least one high definition movies. Some very fast computers may even be able to play several high
definition movies at the same time. Hence, as long as what you need to play
fits within the realm of what your computer is capable of playing, you should
generally choose either the MPEG-2 or the Windows Media high definition
format.
However, for extremely large movies, spanning numerous displays, even
modern computers may not be fast enough to handle the required resolution as
one large movie. This applies in particular to computer generated movies,
which can be made at any resolution and framerate your animation software
is capable of producing. Such very large movies can be played by splitting
them into individual pieces, where each piece includes only the portion of the
frame that will play on each display computer.
While this splitter function is built into WATCHOUT for still images, it is not
handled automatically for moving images. The primary reason for this difference is that the original, large movie would most likely have to be compressed
in order to be stored and distributed to the display computers. To split the
movie, the display computers would have to decompress each frame, split it
and then re-compress the result again for final playback. This would mean that
each movie frame will be compressed twice. The end result would be a loss of
image quality.
In addition to this quality aspect, there are also storage and bandwidth considerations related to distributing and storing the original (large) movie in order
to split it, as well as the processing time involved in compressing it twice. The
latter would be significant for such a large movie, particularly to achieve the
best quality.
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Chapter 3: Media
This can all be avoided by splitting the image using the originating application,
prior to compression. Most applications allow you to crop the output to any
desired rectangle. In some cases, you can even set up batches to generate all
the individual movie files in one go.
A 1200-by-480 movie to be presplit across two overlapping 800 by
600 display areas.
As an example, assume that you have two 800 by 600 pixel displays with a
30% overlap, and want to display a movie of 1200 by 480 pixels, the split
would appear as in the illustration to the left.
◆ NOTE: These figures are only chosen as an example. Most modern
computers would be able to play such a movie as is, without pre-splitting it.
Include the overlap in the split, since the portion of the image in the overlap will
have to play on both displays. Likewise, if the displays aren’t overlapping you
will have to factor in any gap between the edges of the display areas by specifying a corresponding gap when making the split.
Crop right
by 480
pixels.
Crop left
by 480
pixels.
Most applications specify cropping relative to the initial image size. This means
that the bottom and right edges need to be calculated based on the height and
width of the original (large) image.
▼ IMPORTANT: When splitting a large movie into smaller pieces like this,
avoid using a compressed movie as the source. Doing so would introduce
an additional de-compression/re-compression step, resulting in lower quality. Thus, whenever possible, start out with the original material, such as individual, computer-generated, image files.
Save the resulting files into a separate folder. Give each file the name of the
WATCHOUT display on which it will appear. Select “Pre-split for Multiple
Displays” and link the Video Proxy to the folder (see “Add Proxy” on page
104).
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41
This is how you would split a movie using Adobe After Effects:
Crop the resulting movie as
required on each side.
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Chapter 3: Media
Audio
Audio is used in WATCHOUT in a way that’s very similar to moving images.
Simply bring the sound file into WATCHOUT and place its icon on the display
in the Stage window where you want to the sound file to play.
◆ NOTE: Do not place the sound file’s icon so that it straddles multiple
displays, unless you specifically want the same sound file to play from
multiple display computers. Having the sound file play from a computer that
isn’t really used for sound reproduction places an unnecessary processing
load on that computer.
Audio File Formats
WATCHOUT can generally play any sound file that can be played using
Windows Media Player. However, the recommended sound file format is
WAV. There’s usually no reason to use a compressed sound file format, such
as MP3, and the additional decompression step adds unnecessary load. The
size of uncompressed sound files is usually not an issue with the kind of
computers used to play back WATCHOUT presentations.
Multi-Channel Audio
WATCHOUT can play back multi-channel audio using a suitable sound card
(see page 18). Multi-channel sound files are saved as WAV files using the
“Wave Format Extensible” file format. Some applications capable of saving
multi-channel WAV files include Steinberg Nuendo, Digidesign ProTools and
Adobe Audition.
Free tools are also available for creating multi-channel WAV files from a
number of single-channel WAV files. For example the “CDP Multi-Channel
ToolKit”, found here:
http://www.cs.bath.ac.uk/~rwd/mctools.html
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Using Embedded Audio
Some video and movie files contain an audio track in addition to the video. In
this case, the sound will play from the same display computer(s) as the video
does. If you don’t want this, cut the sound track out of the movie and place it in
a file of its own, thereby ending up with two media files: one containing the
video and one the audio. This allows you to place them separately in
WATCHOUT, making the sound play from any computer. You’ll need two
separate cues along the timeline to start them at the same time.
You can use QuickTime Pro or any QuickTime compatible video editing software to split the audio and video tracks of a QuickTime movie into two separate movies. In QuickTime Player, open the composite movie and choose
“Show Movie Properties” on the Window menu. Select the sound track and
click “Extract”. This extracts the sound track into its own movie, which you can
then save as an AIFF or WAV file using the Export command on the File menu.
◆ NOTE: If your video file is not QuickTime compatible, you may not be able
to extract the audio from it. Try opening the file using a video editing application, which may allow you to extract audio into a separate track, which
can then be exported.
In WATCHOUT, add both the video and the sound as separate cues. You can
now position them independently in the Stage window, allowing the sound
track to play through any display computer.
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Chapter 3: Media
Live Video
Live video can be integrated into your presentation. This is particularly useful
in speaker support applications, since it allows you to bring an image of the
speaker onto the screen. It can also be used to play video from tape or other
external video playback devices, or to use video originating from satellite links
or video conference feeds.
Video is brought into WATCHOUT by connecting the video source directly to
each display computer that is to show the live video. This minimizes the delay
in the video signal – important for speaker support applications – while maximizing the quality by avoiding compressing the video signal. See “Live Video
Input” on page 136 for more details.
From a production viewpoint, you can use the live video image like any other
still image or video played from disk. Simply add the live video object to the
Media window and drag it onto the Stage or Timeline from there. See “Add
Live Video” on page 109 for more details.
Computer Display
Similar to how you can display a live video feed in your presentation, you can
also incorporate a live image of what appears on a computer's screen. This
can be used to show Excel graphics, Powerpoint slides, a Web browser, or
similar software applications, as part of your presentation.
The image displayed on the source computer’s screen is sent continuously via
the network to the WATCHOUT display computers, where WATCHOUT
composites it with other media. Eg, you can put a plain Powerpoint presentation on top of a large, high resolution background - thereby enhancing it with
all the high-quality presentation capabilities of WATCHOUT.
The computer to supply the image must have VNC server software installed
and configured. See “VNC Server Software” on page 20 for more details.
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From a production point of view, you use the live computer image just like any
other image. Simply add a Remote Computer object to the Media window and
drag it onto the Stage or Timeline from there. See “Add Remote Computer” on
page 107 for more details.
Using an RGB Capture Card
The Datapath Vision RGB-Pro VGAsignal capture card.
Although the VNC-based solution discussed above provides excellent image
quality at virtually no additional cost, it does require a fast computer for
running the VNC server software. Even so, it may not provide full framerate,
and may impair the performance of the computer somewhat, since it has to
handle both the VNC server and the application being displayed (eg, Powerpoint).
As an alternative, you may instead use an RGB capture card to bring the
computer into WATCHOUT. This solution is essentially identical to the “Live
Video” input, described above. However, it requires a different capture card
that can be connected to the computer instead of a video camera.
An example of an RGB capture card is the Datapath Vision RGB-Pro, available
with one or two inputs from:
http://www.datapath.co.uk/visRGBPRO.htm
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Chapter 3: Media
4
4
PRODUCTION
This chapter goes through the steps required to produce a presentation using
WATCHOUT. It assumes that you have already produced the source media
files, as described in the previous chapter.
Stage
The Stage window allows you to arrange the display areas and provides a
preview of your presentation. Portions of images that appear inside a display
will be shown by that physical display. By arranging displays side by side or
vertically, you can make images span multiple displays.
Adding and Removing
Displays
To add a display to the Stage window, choose “Add Display” on the Stage
menu. This menu item provides a choice of standard display sizes. Once a
display has been added, set its IP address and other settings through its Specifications dialog box (see “Display Specifications” on page 118).
To remove a display, select the display by clicking it with the mouse so it shows
a bold outline, then choose Clear on the Edit menu.
◆ NOTE: If “Online” is selected on the Stage menu, you can not add or
manipulate any displays.
Arranging Displays
Displays may overlap each other. When they do, images that span multiple
displays will be automatically blended at the edges. Alternatively, displays can
be positioned edge-to-edge, or with a small gap between them, for a videowall
look. By positioning the displays in the Stage window according to the actual
arrangement and separation of the monitors or image areas, images that span
Chapter 4: Production
47
multiple display areas will line up properly. You thereby avoid manipulation or
adaptation of the images themselves.
Non-overlapping displays,
eg, plasma screens.
Overlapping displays, using
projectors.
To arrange the displays, simply drag them to their desired positions using the
mouse. Alternatively, you can position them numerically by selecting a display
and choosing Specifications on the Edit menu. Type in the desired position, in
pixels, relative to the upper left corner of the Stage (see “Display
Specifications” on page 118).
◆ NOTES: The Stage window must be selected in order to manipulate the
displays. To select the Stage window, click its title bar. You can not select
the Stage window by clicking inside the window, as this is used to select and
move images when the window is not active. If the “Online” item on the
Stage menu is activated, you can not select, change or delete displays.
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Chapter 4: Production
Media
The term “media” refers to moving and still images as well as sound. These
media types are treated in very similar ways, with only minor differences
where appropriate. See Chapter 3 “Media” for more details.
Adding Media
To add media to your presentation, choose “Add Media File…” on the Media
menu, or simply drag the media file to the desired position in the Timeline or
Stage window. Media can be dragged from the disk or folder where it is
stored, or you can drag existing media items from the Media window.
Media file dragged into timeline…
…appears as a cue in the timeline
as well as being displayed in the
Stage window.
▼ IMPORTANT: Whenever possible, media files should be stored in a folder
located in the same folder as the WATCHOUT show file. This allows
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WATCHOUT to use relative file access paths, making it easier to move the
show to another disk or computer.
Editing a Media File
You can open a media file by double-clicking its thumbnail in the Media
window. To access the media from a cue in the Timeline window, first doubleclick the cue and choose “Locate Media”, then proceed as described above.
Refreshing Media Information
After making changes to media files, choose “Refresh” on the Media menu to
load those changes into WATCHOUT. Then choose “Update” on the Stage
menu to update the stage with these changes as well.
Purging Unused Media
After working with a show for a while, you may have added many media items
that are not included in the final version. These media references persist in the
Media window, regardless whether any cues actually use them. To remove
such unused media from the Media window, choose “Select Unused” on the
Media menu and then “Clear” on the Edit menu.
◆ NOTE: This operation will only remove unused entries from the Media
window. It will not remove any files from your hard disk.
Changing the File Association
of a Media List Item
Sometimes, when editing a media file, you may want to keep both the old and
the new version of the file around, in case you change your mind. In this case,
you end up with two or more similar media files with different names. To
change the link between an item in the Media window and a file, double-click
the file name in the Media window and choose another file. This will affect all
cues that use this media list item.
◆ NOTE: You can only relink it to another file of the same kind. You can not
change from an image file to a sound file, for example.
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Chapter 4: Production
Using Media Proxies
Occasionally, you may want to use media in your presentation but can not
import it simply by dragging. This would happen in the following cases:
• The media file isn’t recognized by the production computer, but you know
it can be handled by the display computers. Perhaps the media requires a
specialized codec in the playback computer, possibly using dedicated
hardware, that’s not available in the production computer.
• The media file is a large movie that has been pre-split into multiple files (see
“Pre-splitting Large Movies” on page 40).
• The media may not yet be available, or may for other reasons need to be
provided or replaced manually on the display computer at a later time.
Use a media proxy to accommodate any of these cases. Once a media proxy
has been added to the media list, it can be used on the timeline just like other
media items. See “Add Proxy” on page 104 for more details.
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Timeline
The Timeline window shows the temporal relation of cues and effects, as well
as the layering of overlapping media. Cues control the display and presentation of media, and use tween tracks to control various aspects of the media.
The amount of time displayed in the Timeline window can be controlled using
the buttons in the lower left corner. Zoom in to increase the precision by which
you can position cues and set their duration, or zoom out to get a better overview. The rightmost button allows you to change the scale gradually. Changing
the time scale has no effect on the behavior of the timeline or its cues.
Zoom buttons, cue area and tween
pane.
Adding Media Cues
Tween tracks are used to animate properties of media cues, such as position
and opacity, over time. The tween tracks of the currently selected cue appear
at the bottom of the timeline window, called the tween pane.
◆ HINT: When tween tracks are visible, you can toggle between the cue and
tween panes using the Tab key.
To add a media cue to the timeline, drag the media onto the timeline and drop
it at the desired layer and time position, as shown on page 49. Cues can be
dragged along the timeline to change their timing relationship. Select multiple
cues by shift-clicking the cues, or by clicking and dragging diagonally, starting
from a point where there are no cues.
◆ IMPORTANT: Do not overlap cues on the same layer. Doing so may
cause images to display incorrectly. When you want images to overlap in
time, always put their cues on separate layers. Overlapping cues are indicated by a red warning line above the cues.
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Chapter 4: Production
Positioning Media on Stage
When media is added to the timeline, it also appears in the upper left corner
of the top/left display in the Stage window. To make the image appear elsewhere, drag the image’s preview in the Stage window to the desired position.
◆ HINT: For precise positioning of selected images, hold down the Control
key and press the Arrow keys to move one pixel at a time. Add the Shift key
to move ten pixel at a time.
Drag the image in the Stage
window.
Stage position of the image.
The position of the image is shown numerically in the Position tween track.
Click the triangle to reveal the numeric position.
If the image isn’t visible in the Stage window, it may be obscured by a large
image appearing in front of it. You can hide the large image by clicking the
yellow sun icon in its layer title area (see “Disabling Layer Preview” on page
76).
▼ IMPORTANT: Make sure that the Timeline window is selected before
moving the image in the Stage window.
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Layering Media
The horizontal layers in the Timeline window allow you to control the stacking
order of images in the Stage window. To move an image towards the front,
drag its cue downwards to a layer with a higher number. To move the cue
without changing its time position, press the Shift key while dragging. Use the
commands on the Timeline menu to add or remove layers.
Click triangle to expand the layer
to see the entire cue.
Drag to move the partition between
the cue pane and the tween pane.
Drag to resize the tween track.
Changing the Media Association of a Cue
You can change the media association of a cue by dragging new media onto
the cue. This changes the media association of that cue only, while retaining all
other relevant properties.
◆ HINT: This can be used to duplicate a complex move or other effect using
different media. First make a copy of the cue to re-use, then replace its
media association as described above.
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Chapter 4: Production
Changing a Cue’s Duration
When adding moving images or sound, the duration of the cue is set to the
duration of the media. When adding still images to the timeline, the duration
of the cue is set to a default value. You can change the duration by selecting
the cue and dragging the vertical bar located at either end of the cue.
◆ NOTE: If the cue has any tween tracks, their tween points will, by default,
remain stationary in relation to the timeline. To make the tween tracks
contract or expand with the cue, press the Alt key while dragging the bar.
For still images, the image will simply remain on the stage for the duration of
the cue. A moving image or sound file can be cut short by decreasing the
duration of the cue. Increasing the duration beyond the actual length of the
media will make a movie stop with its last frame visible. Extending the duration
of a sound file has no effect.
◆ NOTE: Dragging the start of a moving image cue changes the starting time
along the timeline only. It does not affect the in-time of the movie. To change
the in-time, double click the cue and change its “In-Time” value.
Aligning Cues in Time
Use the “Snap to Current Time” command on the Timeline menu to align cues
or tween points in time. First position the current time position (see page 75),
then drag the cue or tween point to the current time position.
◆ NOTE: To use this command, you must first de-select “Click Jumps to Time”
on the Timeline menu (see page 114).
Cue Specifications
In addition to direct manipulation of cues in the Timeline window, you can also
set most parameters numerically using the Cue Specifications dialog box.
Select the cue and choose Specifications on the Edit menu, or simply doubleclick the cue. See “Cue Specifications” on page 124 for more details.
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Using Control Cues
In addition to media cues, you can also add control cues to the timeline by
choosing “Add Control Cue” on the Timeline menu. When reached during
playback, a Control cue set to Pause causes the timeline to stop. This is useful
when cueing a presentation manually.
A Control cue added to the
timeline.
◆ NOTE: If you want a Control cue to coincide with the start of another cue,
then put the Control cue on a separate layer. If you don’t do this, the Control
cue may be hidden behind the other cue. You may want to dedicate a layer
for control cues only.
Control cues provide many other functions for managing the flow of your
presentation. This is often useful for speaker support or other similar situations
where live elements of unpredictable duration are involved. For more details,
see “Looping and Jumping” on page 67 and “Control Cue” on page 133.
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Chapter 4: Production
Tween Tracks
Tween tracks control the behavior of media dynamically throughout the cue.
For instance, you can use an Opacity tween track to make an image fade in
and out, or a Volume tween track to reduce the volume of a sound or movie
file.
Adding and Removing a
Tween track
To add a tween track, first select the cue then chose the desired type of tween
track on the Tween menu. Tween tracks are removed in the same way.
Drag this partition to enlarge the
tween pane.
Tween pane.
The tween tracks of the selected cue appear in the tween pane at the bottom of
the Timeline window. Drag the partition to see more tween tracks. Likewise,
you can adjust the height of a tween track to see more details.
◆ NOTE: The Position tween track can not be removed.
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Adding Points
Adding a tween track to a cue has no effect in itself unless you use it to change
the value governed by the tween track. This is done by adding and adjusting
tween points along the tween track. These tween points provide values acting
as key-frames along the cue’s tween track.
To add a tween point, click anywhere on the curve in the tween track where
there isn’t already a tween point. To edit the value of a tween point, drag it
using the mouse. For better precision, first enlarge the tween track by dragging
the partition between the tween tracks. Select multiple tween points to move
them together. Press the shift key while dragging to constrain the movement of
the tween points.
◆ NOTE: Normally, tween points can’t be dragged past their neighbors. To
relax this constraint, press the Alt key while dragging.
Removing, Cutting and
Pasting Tween Points
Select multiple tween points by Shift-clicking, or by dragging from a position
outside all tween points. The selected tween points can then be edited using
commands on the Edit menu. This makes it easy to move complex tween tracks
from one cue to another, by simply copying and pasting the tween points.
Stretching Tween Tracks
When changing the length of a cue by dragging its end, you have the option
of either leaving its tween points at their current time positions or making them
expand and contract with the cue, as if the cue was a rubber band. Press the
Alt key during the drag to get the rubber band effect.
Corners and Smooth Tween
Points
For simple values, there are two kinds of tween points: corners and smooth
points.
◆ NOTE: Position tween tracks use a different method to create smooth
motion, as described on page 62.
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Chapter 4: Production
A corner is represented by a diamond-shaped tween point. A sequence of
corner points causes the value to change gradually, and linearly, between the
points. Often, this is the desired behavior, particularly when controlling opacity
or volume.
A smooth point is represented by a round tween point, and is added by
Control-clicking. It acts as a pin attached to the curve by a rubber band. When
you move the smooth point away from the curve, the rubber band stretches,
causing the curve to bend.
Add a corner point by clicking the
curve.
Add a smooth tween point by
Control-clicking.
Editing Tween Points
Numerically
To edit a tween point numerically, double-click to open its dialog box. See the
description of each type of tween track under “Tween Tracks” on page 128 for
more details.
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Opacity
Use an opacity tween track to fade objects in and out, or to make objects semitransparent. To cross-fade from one image to another, you only need to fade
the opacity of the front-most image. You don’t need to do anything to the
image behind it, as this will be obscured by the front image.
There is one exception to the above rule. If the image contains transparent or
semi-transparent areas, the back image will show through (see “Transparency”
on page 33). In this case, you may also need to fade out the image below to
perform a smooth cross-fade.
An opacity tween track can be applied to still and moving images. See
“Opacity” on page 129 for more details.
Volume
Use a volume tween track to control the volume of sounds and movies
containing embedded audio. You can play several sounds simultaneously, and
cross fade between them by fading up one while fading out the other. See
“Volume” on page 129 for more details.
Scale
Use a scale tween track to change the size of images. This is particularly useful
for playing video material at full screen size, but can also be used as an effect
for both still and moving images. In addition to dragging the tween point, you
can also adjust the scale by dragging the scaling handle. This appears in the
lower right corner of the image after adding a Scale tween track. Press Shift
while dragging to maintain the aspect ratio of the image.
◆ HINT: By using negative scale values, you can flip or mirror the image.
See “Scale” on page 130 for more details.
Scaling handle.
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Chapter 4: Production
Rotation
Anchor
point.
Use a rotation tween track to control the angle of images, or to make an image
rotate over time. Rotate the image by dragging the rotation handle or the rotation tween point. You can rotate by degrees as well as by number of revolutions (or a combination of the two). See “Rotation” on page 132.
Rotate by dragging
the rotation handle…
…or by dragging a
rotation tween point.
◆ NOTE: The rotation handle may be hidden underneath the anchor point.
If so, either move the anchor point as described below, or drag the tween
point to adjust the angle.
Anchor Point
Images scale and rotate around the anchor point. The anchor point is indicated
by a white crosshair in the Stage window (see illustration above). To change
the anchor point, double-click the cue and change the values under “Anchor
Position within Image”. See “Cue Specifications” on page 124 and “Anchor
Position” on page 127 for more details.
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Position
Use the position tween track to position an image on stage, or to make an
image move along a path. Select one or several images on stage, then drag
them in the Stage window. Alternatively, press an arrow key while holding
down the Control key to move the selected images one pixel at a time. Press the
Shift key as well to move in 10 pixel increments.
◆ NOTE: The Position tween track can not be removed, since all images must
have a position in order to appear. To remove unwanted position tween
points, first select them then choose Clear on the Edit menu.
Editing Position Points
To make an image arrive at a specific stage location at a particular time, first
add a tween point at the desired time, then position the image in the Stage
window as described above.
◆ NOTE: To change the stage position of an already existing tween point,
make sure the timeline is positioned at that point before moving the image.
If not, a new tween point will be added instead. To ensure that the timeline
is positioned at a tween point, first de-select all tween points, then click the
tween point with “Click Jumps to Time” selected on the Timeline menu.
Alternatively, drag one of the handles attached to the motion path in the Stage
window, or double-click the handle or tween point to type in the desired stage
position of the image.
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Moving Along a Path
To make the image move along a path, first add a tween point by clicking at
the desired time position along the tween track, then drag the image to the
desired position in the Stage window. A line indicates the image’s motion path
in the Stage window.
Controlling the Speed of
Motion
Double-click a position tween
point to change its incoming
or outgoing speed. A value of
1 indicates nominal speed,
with smaller values being
slower and greater values
being faster. The speed is
indicated by the white dots
along the motion path, with
dots spaced farther apart indicating faster motion.
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Moving Along a Curved Path
By default, a Position tween point acts as a corner along the motion path. To
move smoothly through a point, double-click the point and select Smooth. You
can control the incoming and outgoing part of the motion independently.
Selecting the Smooth option reveals a yellow direction handle, controlling the
path of motion into or out form that point. Close the dialog box and drag the
yellow handle in the desired direction to create a curve. In the illustration
below, smooth points have been set to move the image along an S-shaped
curve.
Direction handles.
Dragging the direction handle farther away from the point increases the curvature. Add tween points for better control over the path’s shape.
◆ HINT: You can use a Rotation tween track to rotate the object accordingly
as it moves along the motion path, as shown in the example above.
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5
Connecting to the
Display Computers
Error icon indicates a problem
connecting to the display computer.
Quitting the Display Software
5
PRESENTATION
This chapter tells you how to take your WATCHOUT presentation from your
production computer onto the display computers, and run the presentation. It
discusses the various ways in which your presentation can be used and
controlled.
After installing and configuring the production and display computers,
producing the presentation, and starting the display software on each display
computer, you can select “Online” on the Stage menu. This causes the production computer to connect to the display computers and transfer all required
information to them, ready for playback.
Failure to connect to a display computer is indicated by an error icon in the
Stage window. If you get a error icon, quit the WATCHOUT display software
on the offending display computer and double-check the network configuration to ensure that it has been set up properly (see “Network” on page 16 and
“Computer Settings” on page 22). Also confirm that the IP address of the
display computer matches the settings in the Display Specifications dialog box
(see “Display Specifications” on page 118).
Any further problems encountered after connecting to the display computers
will be reported in the Message window in WATCHOUT and/or on the display
computer’s screen.
To quit the display software, press Ctrl-X or Alt-F4 on the display computer.
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65
Downloading Media
Whenever you go online, WATCHOUT will check to make sure that all
required media files have been transferred to the display computers.
WATCHOUT will only transfer the files actually required on the individual
computer. If you modify a media file, WATCHOUT will detect this and transfer
the updated file.
While media files are being transferred to a display computer, a progress bar
will be shown in that display in the Stage window, as well as on the display
computer itself. You may continue working in WATCHOUT while files are
being transferred, but you will not be able to further update or access the
display until the previous update has completed.
◆ HINT: You can abort an update in progress by deselecting “Online” on the
Stage menu. If you do this, any file transfer currently in progress will finish
before stopping.
The “Shows” folder contains a folder
related to each show that has been
transferred to the display computer.
Note that all media files transferred to the display computer will remain there
until removed manually. The media related to a show is stored in a folder with
the name of the show. This is located in a “Shows” folder in the same folder as
the WATCHOUT display software application.
After using a display computer to run a show, you may want to clean up the
Shows folder by putting its contents into the trash and emptying the trash
before using that computer to run another show. This stops old shows from
occupying hard disk space unnecessarily.
◆ NOTE: If you for any reason remove the “Cache” folder, then remember
to remove the “CachedFiles” file as well. This file is used to keep track of
what’s in the “Cache” folder. If you experience problems displaying certain
images, you may try removing the “Cache” folder and the “CachedFiles”
file. WATCHOUT will re-create this file the next time you open the show.
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Updating the Stage
If you make changes to your show while online, transfer them to the display
computers using the “Update” command on the Stage menu. This includes
adding new media or cues.
Running the
Presentation
Once all media has been transferred to the display computers, the
WATCHOUT logo on the display computers will disappear. You are now
ready to run your presentation. To run it, click the play button in the lower left
corner of the Timeline window, or press the spacebar.
You can jump to any point along the timeline by clicking in the time ruler at the
top of the Timeline window (see also “Timeline Settings” on page 115).
Manual Control
For speaker support, or other manually controlled presentations, add Control
cues to the timeline. When run, WATCHOUT performs the instructions
embedded in the cue – eg, pauses or jumps to another position along the timeline (see “Looping and Jumping” on page 67).
You can also use Control cues to instantly go to any location in your presentation. Give the cue the same name as one of the function keys on your
computer’s keyboard (eg, name if “F1”), then press that function key to jump
straight to it. See “Add Control Cue” on page 114.
Looping and Jumping
Use a Control cue to loop any segment of the timeline (see “Add Control Cue”
on page 114 and “Control Cue” on page 133). By combining this with the
QuickFind feature (page 99) and the Stand-By command (page 103), you can
gracefully exit loops or jump to other sections of the presentation. These
features can also be accessed remotely using a TOUCHDOWN control panel.
See the “GUIDEMAKER Handbook” for more details.
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Touch panel or Computer
Control
You can use Dataton TOUCHDOWN or an ordinary computer to remotely
control your WATCHOUT presentation, as well as the presentation environment. See the “GUIDEMAKER Handbook” for details:
http://www.dataton.com/touchdown/
Personalized or Multi-lingual
Audio
For museums, visitor centers, and similar places where personalized or multilingual audio is desired, you can use WATCHOUT together with Dataton
PICKUP. PICKUP plays the audio of the presentation, and acts as a remote
control for starting the presentation.
http://www.dataton.com/pickup/
To integrate PICKUP with your WATCHOUT display clusters, use Dataton
NETWORK TRANSPONDER, which connects to your Ethernet network. In
addition to acting as a IR transponder for PICKUP it also controls your
WATCHOUT presentations. It provides advanced features such as synchronized audio playback. It can also match the language selection between
PICKUP and WATCHOUT by means of controlling the conditional layers in
WATCHOUT (see “Condition” on page 77).
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External Control
For more complex applications, you may want to integrate WATCHOUT with
other control systems. This can be accomplished by means of external control
of your WATCHOUT system through the network.
To control the production computer, connect the external controller to the
Ethernet network and activate the TCP/IP control port in the Preferences dialog
box.
Activates external control through
the network port on the production computer.
Network control is based on the TCP/IP network protocol, and allows
WATCHOUT to be controlled from a TOUCHDOWN touch panel or from
another computer anywhere on your network (see page 163).
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Display Cluster Control
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Instead of controlling the WATCHOUT production software, as discussed
above, you may choose to control a cluster of display computers directly. This
removes the need for a production computer during playback. Please see
“Display Cluster Protocol” on page 167 for details.
6
6
WINDOWS
Stage Window,
showing the display
areas and a preview of
the presentation.
Media Window,
listing all media used
in your presentation.
Timeline Window,
showing the layers, cues
and tween tracks.
Message Window,
showing messages and
errors.
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Manipulating Windows
All WATCHOUT windows reside inside a desktop window, with a menu bar
running along its top. You can resize the desktop window by dragging any of
its outer borders or corners. Minimize or maximize it using the buttons in the
upper right corner. Clicking the close box is equivalent to choosing Quit on the
File menu.
Move a WATCHOUT window by dragging its title bar. Resize a window by
dragging any of its corners or outer borders. Minimize and maximize a
window using the buttons in the upper right corner. Windows can not be
closed – only minimized into small tabs along the bottom of the desktop
window.
Minimize, maximize and close
the WATCHOUT desktop.
Menu bar.
Minimize and maximize.
Drag border or corner to resize.
Minimized windows. Click to
restore.
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Stage Window
On/Off line indicator, corresponding to the “Online”
Stage menu item.
Displays added to the Stage
window.
Selected display.
The Stage window is used to add and arrange the display areas used in the
presentation. It also provides a preview of your presentation as you move
along the timeline, and lets you to position media on stage.
◆ NOTE: To add a display to
the Stage window, choose
Add Display on the Stage
menu. See Chapter 8 for
more details on displays.
Adding Media
Add media to your presentation by dragging it to the desired location in the
Stage window. A corresponding cue will be added to the Timeline window at
the currently selected layer and time position. To remove the media from the
stage window, remove the corresponding cue from the timeline.
Positioning Media on Stage
You can position media on stage by dragging it in the Stage window. To do
so, first select the Timeline window, then drag the image in the Stage window.
Press the Shift key to constrain the move. The position is displayed numerically
in the Position tween track (see “Positioning Media on Stage” on page 53).
Press Control-arrow key to nudge media on stage. Double-click a Position
tween point to edit its values numerically (see “Position” on page 131).
▼ IMPORTANT: To change a position tween point, first click the tween point
to go to its exact time position, then move the image. If you don’t go to the
tween point first, a new tween point may be added instead.
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Timeline Window
The Timeline window holds the cues that make up your presentation. Cues are
arranged along layers, representing the back-to-front stacking order of images
on stage. Increasing layer numbers move the image closer to the front.
Current time position and indicator.
Jump button.
Currently selected layer.
Time ruler.
Collapsed layer.
Layer attributes.
Layer.
Disabled layer preview.
Tween pane.
Time scale buttons.
Play button.
Using the Scroll Wheel
By default, the scroll wheel on the mouse scrolls windows vertically. The scroll
wheel can be combined with the following modifier keys in the Timeline
window:
Shift: Scrolls the timeline horizontally.
Control: Moves the current time position in 0.1 second increments.
Control+Shift: Moves the current time position in 1 second increments.
Adjusting the Time Scale
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Chapter 6: Windows
Click the magnifying glass buttons to zoom in and out by a fixed amount.
Pressing the ‘+’ and ‘–’ keys on the numeric keypad has the same effect. Drag
the button to the right of the magnifying glass buttons to change the scale
gradually.
Setting the Current Time
Position
Click the time ruler to jump to a time position. To set the time numerically,
choose “Timeline Settings” on the Timeline menu. To go to the beginning of a
cue, or to a tween point, click it with “Click Jumps to Time” selected on the
Timeline menu (see “Click Jumps to Time” on page 114).
Time Position Indicator
The current time position is indicated by a vertical, colored line through the
timeline window. Its color indicates the the current jump/snap behavior, as
shown in the illustration on page 115.
The Jump Button
Click the jump button, located to the right of the time ruler, to jump to the
current time position if scrolled out of view, or to jump back to the previous start
time. Pressing the asterisk key on the numeric keypad has the same effect.
Starting and Stopping
Click the play button to start and stop playback. If the stage is online, this also
controls playback on screen. During playback, the Stage window shows a
preview of images, movies and applied effects. Pressing the spacebar is
equivalent to clicking the play button.
Adding Cues
To add a cue, drag media from your hard disk or the Media window to the
Timeline or Stage window. See Chapter 9 for more details on cues.
Selecting the Current Layer
Click a layer’s name to make it the currently selected layer. When pasting an
individual cue, it will be pasted at the current time and layer. Likewise, when
adding media by dragging into the Stage window, a new cue will appear at
the currently selected time and layer.
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Changing Layer Height
Click the collapse triangle to minimize and restore the layer height. Shift click
to collapse/expand all layers.
Adding and Removing Layers
Layers can be added, removed and renamed using the corresponding
commands on the Timeline menu (page 76).
Disabling Layer Preview
To disable the layer preview in the Stage window, click the layer preview
symbol to turn it off. Shift-click to disable/enable all layers. Disabling a layer
allows you to manipulate images in the Stage window that otherwise would
have been covered by other images. Disabling a layer’s preview has no effect
on its playback on screen.
Layer Name and Attributes
To change the name or other attributes of a layer, first select the layer then
choose “Layer Settings” on the Timeline menu.
Layer name.
Images and other media on this
layer are displayed when in Standby mode only.
Perform Normal/In Stand-By
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Disables layer preview in the Stage
window (see also page 76).
For conditional layers, enter a layer
condition number here. Set to zero
for a normal (unconditional) layer.
By selecting “In Stand-By”, images and other media on this layer will perform
only when in Stand-by mode. This allows you to keep, eg, a background
image ready to be displayed at any time, thereby avoiding going to a black
screen when activating the Stand-By mode (see “Stand-By” on page 103).
Normally, the Stage window doesn’t preview media controlled from such
stand-by layers. You can override this using the “Preview Stand-By Layers”
command on the Stage menu (see “Preview Stand-By Layers” on page 102).
▼ IMPORTANT: In order to be available at any time, media on stand-by
layers consume processor and memory resources even while not in standby. Avoid using multiple stand-by layers at the same time or playing video
or other heavy-duty content on stand-by layers. Generally, use only a
single, large background image at a time.
Condition
Media associated with cues on a conditional layer will perform only when that
condition is enabled in the Preferences dialog box (see “Enabled Layer Conditions” on page 94). This can be used to keep, eg, multiple language versions
of a show in the same file, allowing the desired language version to be activated by enabling its associated condition.
Normally, the Stage window previews media on enabled conditional layers
only. You can override this using the “Preview Options” on the Stage menu
(see “No / All / Enabled Conditional Layers” on page 102).
◆ NOTE: The name of a conditional or stand-by layer is shown in italics in
the Timeline window.
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Media Window
The Media window lists all media items that have been added to the presentation. It provides a thumbnail preview of each item, along with a description
of its name, type, file location, size and other information, as appropriate for
each kind of media.
Drag to change column width.
Thumbnail and description of each
media item.
Double-click thumbnail to open
media file in its associated application.
Double-click name to edit the
media specification.
Media can be grouped into
folders.
Adding Media
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Add new media by dragging files from your hard disk into the Media window,
or by choosing “Add Media File…” on the Media menu. Files dragged directly
into the Timeline or Stage windows are automatically added to the Media
window as well. Each media file used in your presentation will only appear
once in the Media window, regardless of how many times it is being used.
Removing Media
Remove individual media items by selecting them and choosing “Clear” on the
Edit menu. Remove all unused media items from the Media window by first
choosing “Select Unused” on the Media menu. It is not possible to remove
media that’s currently in use in the presentation. Removing media list items in
this way does not affect the files stored on your computer’s hard disk.
◆ HINT: Use the Find command in the timeline window to track down media
references by the name of the media item.
File Location
Indicates the location of each media file. If the file is located in or under the
folder in which the presentation itself is saved, the path to the file will be relative to this folder. Otherwise, it will be an absolute path, beginning with a ‘/’character.
▼ IMPORTANT: If possible, store media files in a sub-folder of the folder
containing the presentation file, since this allows the use of relative path
names. Doing so allows you to move the entire presentation to another
folder, disk or computer intact. Using absolute path names may cause problems if the specified location is not available after moving the presentation.
◆ HINT: If you change you mind concerning file locations, you may move the
files to a more appropriate location (eg, to a folder under the folder
containing the show file), and then use the Find/Replace command to
update the locations in the Media window accordingly. See “Find/Replace”
on page 98.
Changing the File Association
You can change the file associated with a particular media list item by doubleclicking the Description field and choosing another file. This will affect all cues
associated with this media list item. You can only replace a media file with
another of the same type (ie, you can not replace an image with a sound).
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Editing the Media File
To open a media file in its associated application, double-click its thumbnail.
This provides convenient access to a media file in order to view or edit it.
◆ NOTE: Your computer must have been set up properly in order to associate
each file type with the appropriate application.
Refreshing Media Information
After editing media files, update the Media list in WATCHOUT accordingly by
choosing “Refresh” on the Media menu. See “Refresh” on page 113 for more
details.
Grouping Media Items into
Folders
Media items can be arranged into groups. Chose “New Folder” on the Media
menu to create a folder then drag the desired media items onto the folder.
Double-click the folder’s name to change it. Click the triangle to show or hide
the content of the folder.
◆ NOTE: Folders in the media window have no relation to folders on your
computer’s hard disk. They are merely a way to organize items in the Media
window. Creating or removing folders from the Media window will not
create or remove any folders on your hard disk.
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In some cases, media files can not simply be dragged into the Media list (see
page 51 for some examples). Instead, you can add a proxy item to the Media
window using the “Add Proxy” command on the Media menu. See “Add
Proxy” on page 104 for more details.
Message Window
The Message window lists the messages sent to you by WATCHOUT. Such
messages may originate from the production software or from the display
computers. Some messages are merely informative while others indicate errors
requiring your attention.
An error message from a media list
item telling you that it can’t find its
associated media file.
An information message reporting
the result of the Refresh command.
◆ NOTE: The Message window appears automatically when the first
message is posted.
Removing Messages
To remove messages, select them (either by shift-clicking or by choosing “Select
All” on the Edit menu) then choose “Clear” on the Edit menu.
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This window is opened using the “License Key Manager” command on the File
menu. It displays a list of your WATCHOUT license keys. This list is stored as a
file in the same folder as your WATCHOUT application on the production
computer.
License Window
Supported WATCHOUT versions.
Acquired update not yet stored into
the license key.
Where this license key was last
encountered.
82
License
A unique license number stored inside each WATCHOUT license key.
Version
The version(s) of WATCHOUT supported by this license key.
Pending
Shows upgrades you have acquired that have not yet been stored in their
license keys. To update the license key, connect the key with the specified
license number and press “Scan License Keys”. When successfully stored in the
key, the version number is transferred from the Pending to the Version column.
Location
The name and address of the display computer to which this key was
connected when last encountered. This field is empty if the key was connected
directly to the production computer.
Scan License Keys
Searches for license keys connected to the production computer and (optionally) any on-line display computers. Those found will be added/updated in the
Chapter 6: Windows
list. If any key found during the scan has a pending upgrade, this will be transferred to the key and the entry will be moved to the Version column.
Scan Online Displays Too
Controls whether license keys connected to any on-line display computers will
be included when looking for or upgrading license keys.
Copy All as Text
Selects all licenses and copies their content to the clipboard as text. This information is needed when ordering upgrades for license keys (see “Upgrading
your Licenses” on page 84). Alternatively, you can copy the information from
specific license keys only by manually selecting those in the list (Control or
Shift-click to select multiple keys) and then choosing Copy on the Edit menu.
Adding and Removing
Licenses
Add new licenses by connecting the license keys either to the production
computer or to any online display computer, then click “Scan License Keys”.
Licenses can be removed from the list by selecting them and choosing Clear on
the edit menu.
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Upgrading your Licenses
When a major new version of WATCHOUT is introduced, old license keys must
be upgraded in order to use that version. This section outlines the procedure
used to upgrade license keys.
◆ NOTE: Only major version changes require license key upgrades. Minor
changes (eg, from version 3.0 to version 3.1) do not require an upgrade.
Obtaining the Information
Start by making sure that all the licenses you want to upgrade are listed in the
License window. If not, follow the procedure outlined on the preceding pages
for adding your licenses to the list.
▼ IMPORTANT: An upgrade applies only to a license key with that specific
license number. Make sure the licenses listed match those to be upgraded.
Once all licenses to upgrade appear in the list, click “Copy All as Text” to copy
the license information to the clipboard. Alternatively, manually select the
licenses to be upgraded, then choose Copy on the Edit menu.
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You can order your license upgrades either from your Dataton reseller or
directly from the Dataton web shop. To order your upgrade through your
Dataton reseller, send an e-mail to the reseller including your ordering information as well as the text copied from the license keys in the previous step.
Contact your Dataton reseller for further details.
To order through the Dataton web shop, go to
http://www.dataton.com/
❹ Follow on-screen instructions.
❸ Click WATCHOUT and scroll
down to WATCHOUT 3 Upgrade.
❷ Apply for login name
or
❷ Enter name and password.
➊ Click LOGIN.
Once your order has been processed, you will receive an e-mail with your
upgrade information. Select all text in that e-mail and paste it into the “License
Key Manager” window. The new license information will appear in the
“Pending” column. Connect the license keys to the computer and click “Scan
License Keys” to transfer the pending information into the license keys. When
successfully stored in the license key, the information is transferred from the
Pending column to the Version column. Upgraded license keys can be used
with both the old and the new version of WATCHOUT.
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7
7
COMMANDS
File Menu
The File menu provides commands related to the entire presentation, such as
Opening old presentations or creating new ones.
New
Creates a new presentation, specifying the name and location of the
WATCHOUT presentation.
Navigate to the desired folder
using this pop-up menu and by
double-clicking folders.
Type the name of the show here,
then click Save.
◆ HINT: To re-use objects such as display arrangements and cues, simply
copy them from the old presentation then paste them in the new one.
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87
Opens an existing WATCHOUT presentation.
Open
Navigate to the containing folder.
Select the desired show then click
Open.
Open Recent
Provides a list of recently opened presentations. Choosing an item from the
sub-menu opens the selected presentation.
Save
Saves the presentation that is currently open.
Save a Copy As
Saves a copy of the presentation that is currently open. This is useful for saving
backup copies without changing the name of the current presentation.
◆ NOTE: Opening and using such a copy without changing it back to its
original name will cause a new set of media to be downloaded to all display
computers under the new name.
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Consolidate To
Moves or copies the entire presentation, including all actively used media files,
to a folder. You can use this command to consolidate all the relevant files in
preparation for burning the presentation onto a CD or DVD.
This command is also useful if you’ve been using media files stored on servers
or removable disks, or if you have a lot of unused media files intermixed with
the files actually used in the presentation that you want to weed out.
A third application of this command is to prepare a package with all files
needed by the “Update Show” WATCHOUT command in GUIDEMAKER (see
the “GUIDEMAKER Handbook” for details).
In addition to collecting the actively used media files, this command also
updates the access paths accordingly in the Media window, and stores this
updated copy of the presentation file in the consolidated folder. When using
Move, the old presentation file is not affected.
When you give this command, you must first choose an empty folder into which
you want to consolidate the presentation. You’re then presented with the dialog
box shown below, allowing you to choose whether to copy or move the media
files.
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89
Copy. Creates a new copy of your presentation, leaving the current media
files and the presentation file as they are. This is the safest option, but may
require a significant amount of time and disk space, since it entails making
new copies of every media file actively used in the presentation.
◆ NOTE: Only media actively used in the presentation is copied. Unused
media items are removed from the Media window in the consolidated
version of the show. Unused media files are left in their old locations, and
are not copied or moved.
Move. Moves all media files that reside on the same volume as the target
folder instead of copying them. This is much faster and requires no additional
disk space for files already located on the target volume. Media files residing
on other disks, partitions or servers will be copied, however. The consolidated
presentation is then opened automatically.
▼ IMPORTANT: Since the Move option moves media files away from the
locations specified in the original presentation, you will no longer be able
to use the old presentation file as media it refers to has been moved. A new
copy of the presentation file is created in the consolidated folder with the
updated media file references.
License Key Manager
Displays your WATCHOUT licenses, and provides the information needed to
upgrade them when new major versions are released (see page 82).
Quit
Quits WATCHOUT after optionally saving any changes.
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Preferences
Allows you to specify some miscellaneous settings of the presentation.
Enter the common part of your
display computer’s IP addresses.
Determines the fade rates for the
Stand-By command.
Enables external control of the
production computer (eg,
TOUCHDOWN remote control).
Display Address Prefix
Sets the frame rate to
be used by your
display computers.
Default anchor position for new image
cues.
The IP addresses assigned to the displays usually only differ in the last few
digits (see illustration on page 24). By entering the common initial part in this
field, you then only have to enter the last few digits into the specifications
dialog box of each individual display (see “Address” on page 118).
▼ IMPORTANT: You must enter the period that separates the last two
groups of digits here. The complete IP address is made by simply concatenating the contents of the “Display Address Prefix” field with the contents
of the display’s Address field.
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91
Display Framerate
Specifies the frame rate used by the display computers. This setting lets
WATCHOUT optimize its behavior to match the frame rate of any video being
used in the presentation, as well as the display devices. Your display computers
should use a matching refresh rate (see page 27 for more information).
Stand-By Rates
Specifies the fade out and fade in rates for the Stand-By command (page 103).
Center Anchor Automatically
If checked, the anchor point will be aligned with the center of the image when
you drag an image to the timeline or stage window. See “Anchor Position” on
page 127.
External Control
Activates external control of the WATCHOUT production software. This allows
you to control your WATCHOUT presentation from TOUCHDOWN or other
computers and control systems. The control protocols has provisions for positioning, starting and stopping the presentation, as well as other miscellaneous
functions. See “Production PC Protocol” on page 163.
This control feature is not to be confused with the display cluster control capability, described in Appendix E “Display Cluster Protocol”. While they both
perform similar functions, one controls the production computer and the other
controls the display computers directly, without the need for any production
computer being present during playback.
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Edge Blend Curve
Drag the round dot to adjust the curve of the edge blend. Although it is possible
to add more points to the curve, this is generally not required. The same curve
is applied to all edges. The left of the curve corresponds to the outer (dark)
edge of the gradient.
▼ IMPORTANT: Before attempting to adjust the edge blend in WATCHOUT,
make sure that the projector is adjusted properly as described beginning on
page 158.
Double-click a point to view and edit its value numerically, or to change its
type. This also allows you to precisely copy the edge blend curve from one
presentation to another.
◆ HINT: For better precision in adjusting the curve, enlarge the window. To
see the result of your changes, click OK then choose Update on the Stage
menu.
No Edge-blend Past Layer
Turns off edge blending for images placed past the specified layer in the timeline. This is indicated by a red divider line below that layer in the Timeline
window.
This is useful in cases where you may want images to appear unaffected by the
edge blend gradient, such as a line-up image used to align projectors to the
screen. In this case, you want to see the entire alignment image, all the way to
its edges, to make sure that the image precisely covers the display area.
Another use for this feature is when playing a video that fits entirely within the
confines of a single display, but which may extend into the edge-blended
zones. While WATCHOUT is capable of handling this correctly (by playing the
video in all intersecting display computers) this may impair performance,
particularly if you want to play other videos simultaneously on adjacent display
areas.
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By placing such a video past the edge blend layer, it won’t be masked by the
edge blend gradient, allowing WATCHOUT to play it on a single display
computer only (assuming it fits entirely within this display).
◆ NOTE: Although the image is unaffected by the edge blend gradient of its
display computer, images shown by overlapping projectors may be superimposed on it. In this case, you must manually add a black box behind the
video, on a layer included in the edge blend but past the image causing the
problem.
Enabled Layer Conditions
Specifies which layer conditions to enable. Each layer in the Timeline window
can be associated with a condition (see “Condition” on page 77), in which
case media on that layer will only appear when the corresponding condition is
enabled. You can specify any combination of conditions.
Layer conditions are particularly useful together with external control of display
clusters, either using Dataton PICKUP (see “Personalized or Multi-lingual
Audio” on page 68) or other external control means (see Appendix E “Display
Cluster Protocol”). For instance, the set of enabled layers in WATCHOUT can
be governed by the language selection in PICKUP; matching texts and other
language-dependent images in the presentation.
◆ NOTE: The Stage window normally previews media from enabled layers
only. This behavior is governed by the “Preview Options” sub-menu on the
Stage menu.
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Video In
Associates video input cards in the production computer with video input
device numbers, subsequently used in “Live Video” media (see “Live Video” on
page 45). This allows you to view live video in the production computer, if
desired. It serves the same purpose in the production computer as the “Video
In” menu does in the display software (see illustration under “Add Live Video”
on page 109).
◆ NOTE: The “Video In” settings in the Preferences dialog box apply only to
the production computer. Each display computer has its own, independent
assignment of video input devices. This allows you to have different configurations of capture cards in the various computers.
If you don’t want to preview live video in the production computer’s Stage
window, choose the “Thumbnail” stage preview mode in the “Live Video”
media item (see “Live Video” on page 45). Doing so still allows you to assign
video input device numbers for use in the display computers, while disregarding any setting for the corresponding video input device number in the
production software. In this case, you can ignore the settings in the “Video In”
section of the Preferences dialog box.
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Edit Menu
The Edit menu contains commands applying to the current window or currently
selected objects (eg, displays, cues).
Undo/Redo
Reverts recent changes you’ve made to the presentation.
Cut
Transfers selected objects to the clipboard, allowing them to be pasted in elsewhere. Use this, for example, to move cues to another position along the
timeline, or to another presentations.
Copy
Copies selected objects to the clipboard, allowing the copies to be pasted in
elsewhere. Use this, for example, to transfer display configurations or cues
between presentations.
◆ NOTE: When transferring cues between presentations in this way, any
media associated with these cues will transfer along with the cues, and will
be automatically added to the Media window in the target presentation.
Paste
Pastes the most recently cut or copied objects into the current window.
Clear
Removes selected objects without altering the contents of the clipboard.
Select All
Selects all objects in the current window.
Select to End
Applies to the Timeline window. Selects all cues from the current time position
and forward.
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Specifications
Opens the Specifications dialog box for the selected object. This is equivalent
to pressing the Enter key or double-clicking the object.
Example specifications dialog
box for a still image.
See “Display Specifications” on page 118 and “Cue Specifications” on
page 124 for more details. For media proxy items, see page 104.
Move
Moves the selected objects by a specified number of pixels. Applies to cues and
displays. When applied to cues, it moves the stage positions of media
controlled by the cues.
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Find/Replace
Finds and optionally replaces specified text. When applied to the Media
window, this allows you to locate media items by specifying the name of the
media file, or any part of its path name. The command operates on the information shown in the “File Location” column of the Media window, indicating
the relative or absolute path to the media file.
You can use the Replace function to update the path to media files after they
have been moved to another disk or folder. For instance, if you start out with
your media files on a shared server during the early stage of production, you
may later want to move all media files into a sub-folder of the folder containing
the presentation file. After transferring the files, use the Find/Replace
command to change the absolute part of the path name (beginning with a ‘/’
character) to a relative (ie, beginning with the name of a folder located in the
same folder as your presentation).
Text to look for.
Check this box to replace the
found text.
Distinguishes “Arne” from “arne”.
Text to replace the found
text with.
Finds/replaces one at a
time or all at once.
Searches currently
selected items only.
As an example, assume that the media files were stored in a folder named
“WATCHOUT/Production1/Media” on a network volume named “E:” during
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production. You have now copied these files into a folder named “Media”
located in the same folder as the WATCHOUT presentation file. You would
then enter the following values into the Find/Replace dialog box to update all
relevant media paths accordingly.
A leading ‘/’ character indicates
an absolute path.
No leading ‘/’ character
indicates a folder relative
to the folder containing
the presentation file.
Check to replace.
Choose “All at Once” to change
all matching items, or “One at a
Time” to review each change
before proceeding.
Finding Cues
The Find command can also be used in the Timeline window. In this case, it
allows you to search for Control cues by name or media cues by the name of
their associated media. The latter is useful in finding cues using a particular
media item. The timeline is first searched in the forward direction from the
current time position. If not found, it is then searched backwards.
Using QuickFind
The QuickFind feature allows you to jump straight to a Control cue by pressing
a single function key on the keyboard. Simply name the cues F1, F2, F3, etc,
and then press the corresponding function key. See “Using Find and QuickFind” on page 134 for more details.
Find/Replace Again
Repeats the most recent Find/Replace command.
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Stage Menu
The Stage menu applies specifically to the contents of the Stage window.
Add Display
Adds a new display of the specified size to the Stage window. After adding a
display, open its specifications dialog box to enter its specifications (see
“Display Specifications” on page 118).
▼ IMPORTANT: Displays can not be added while Online is selected on the
Stage menu.
The secondary menu provides some common display sizes as shortcuts. You
can, however, enter any size in the display’s dialog box as long as it is
supported by the physical display and the interface card in the display
computer.
Preview Scale
Determines the viewing scale of the Stage window. A larger preview gives you
greater precision in positioning displays and images using the mouse.
Background Color
Allows you to set the background color of the Stage window. If your source
material is hard to see on the default (black) background, then change to
another color. This has no effect on the background color of the images shown
by the display computers.
Click Selects Frontmost Image
When this option is selected, clicking an image in the Stage window always
selects the corresponding cue in the Timeline window. While this is the most
natural behavior in many cases, it may get in your way if you want to move an
image that appears partially obscured behind another image. In this case,
uncheck this menu option, select the cue corresponding to the image to be
moved, then drag the image in the Stage window.
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Preview Options
The items on this sub-menu controls the preview in the Stage window. They do
not affect the display computers.
Wireframe. Displays all images as boxes that contain the name of the
media item, rather than showing the image. This is sometimes useful when
trying to position images, or to track down images obscured by other images.
Thumbnails. Uses low resolution tumbnails of images and video for the
stage window preview. While the image quality in this mode is very low, its
performance is high – particularly when dealing with numerous very large
images.
◆ NOTE: As an alternative to selecting global thumbnail preview for images
or video, you can set individual cues to preview as thumbnails by selecting
“Reduced” on the “Stage Preview” pop-up menu in each cue.
Video as Thumbnails. Uses low resolution thumbnails as video preview.
Speeds up editing of presentations with numerous large video clips playing at
the same time.
Best Quality. Renders high quality preview of all cues except those explicitly
set to “Stage Preview: Reduced” (page 126).
Masked by Displays. Similar to “Best Quality”, but masks images to the
areas of the displays. This is more faithful to what’s actually shown by the
display computers, but also makes it harder to edit the presentation, since
images positioned outside the displays disappear.
Outline Dimmed Images. When an image is dimmed using an opacity
tween track, it may become hard to see and manipulate in the Stage window.
Selecting this option causes a thin frame to be displayed around such images,
making them easier to see.
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Preview Stand-By Layers. When activated, the Stage window will show
the same images as the display computers while in stand-by mode (ie, any
images from stand-by layers – see “Perform Normal/In Stand-By” on
page 76). This allows you to edit such images through the Stage window.
However, in most cases, you probably prefer to see the normal images in the
Stage window even while in stand-by mode, in order to preview and possibly
edit those while the display computers show the stand-by images. This can be
accomplished by un-checking the “Preview Stand-By Layers” menu item.
No / All / Enabled Conditional Layers. These three menu items
control to what extent images originating from conditional layers appear in the
Stage window. (See “Condition” on page 77 and “Enabled Layer Conditions”
on page 94 for more information on conditional layers.) Generally, you want
images originating from enabled layers only to appear in the Stage window,
which is accomplished by choosing “Enabled Conditional Layers”. To preview
images from all conditional layers, regardless of whether or not they are
enabled in the Preferences dialog box, select “All Conditional Layers”.
Connects the production computer to the display computers. Once connected,
the display computers will follow you as you jump around on the timeline and
start/stop the presentation.
Online
◆ NOTE: Choosing “Online” also locks all displays in the Stage window. You
must deselect “Online” in order to make any changes in the Stage window.
Failure connecting to a display computer is indicated by a stop sign inside that
display in the Stage window (see “Connecting to the Display Computers” on
page 65). Other errors are reported in the Message window.
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Update
Updates all connected display computers with any changes you’ve made to the
presentation, including transferring new or modified media files to the display
computers.
Stand-By
Causes all display computers to fade to black, or to the image of any Stand-by
layer (see “Perform Normal/In Stand-By” on page 76). Also fades the audio.
Useful if you want to pause the show in a smooth way – possibly to jump to
another position along the timeline. Give the command again to restore
normal image display. While online in Stand-By mode, an indicator is shown
at the top of the stage window.
The fade-out and fade-in times for the Stand-By command can be set in the
Preferences dialog box (page 91).
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Media Menu
The Media menu applies specifically to the contents of the Media window, and
is only available when the Media window is selected.
Add Media File
Opens a dialog box where you can choose a file to be added to the Media
window. Alternatively, simply drag the file into the Media, Stage or Timeline
window.
Add Proxy
Adds a proxy media item of the kind specified. Use a proxy to handle media
that can not be added simply by dragging into the Media window, as
described under “Using Media Proxies” on page 51.
Available options vary based on the kind of proxy being added.
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Pre-split for Multiple Displays
◆ NOTE: Pre-split movies
don’t play in the Stage
window. A placeholder
thumbnail is displayed
instead.
This option applies to video and other moving image media only. Check this if
you have pre-split a large movie, as described under “Pre-splitting Large
Movies” on page 40. In this case, the resulting files must be placed in a folder
specified in the File/Folder field. This folder must contain one file per display
intersecting the movie, each file named after its target display.
As an example, assume you have a large movie called “LargeMovie.mpg” that
intersects two displays named “Display 1” and “Display 2”. You would then
pre-split the movie into two files. Name those files “Display 1” and “Display 2”
and put them in a folder named “LargeMovie.mpg”. Finally, specify that folder
in the File/Folder field of the video proxy.
◆ IMPORTANT: When using MPEG, AVI or Windows Media files, always
append the proper file extension to the name of the folder containing the
pre-split files, as shown in the example above. This is needed to ensure that
the correct video playback mechanism is used. Note, however, that the individual files must be named exactly as the corresponding displays – and
must not have a file name extension appended. By default, Windows may
not display filename extensions. To show file extensions, choose “Folder
Options” on the Tools menu in Windows Explorer, click the View tab, and
uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types”.
File/Folder
The title of this field reads “Folder” if “Pre-split or Multiple Displays” is selected,
otherwise it reads “File”. In this field you specify the file or folder associated
with the media item. You can use the “Choose” button next to the field to
choose an existing file/folder. If you set “File Transfer” to “Manual”, you would
instead type the fictive, relative path to a file that may not exist on the production computer, but will be provided manually to the display computer.
File Transfer
Specifies whether the file will be transferred manually or automatically from the
production computer to the display computers. Normally, you would choose
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“Automatic”. You may choose “Manual” if the file is to be provided later,
directly to the display computer, or if the file is not yet available.
◆ NOTE: If you choose “Automatic”, WATCHOUT will make sure that the
file/folder you specified actually exists prior to closing the dialog box. If you
choose “Manual”, it becomes your responsibility to provide the file, and
WATCHOUT will not verify its existence.
Auto-Refresh on Update
If selected, an updated media file associated with this proxy will be transferred
to the display computers whenever you use the Update Stage command,
without first having to use the Refresh Media command. This is particularly
useful in conjunction with the WATCHOUT Action “Update Show” in GUIDEMAKER, since it allows selected media files to be updated without having to
first update the show itself. (see “GUIDEMAKER Handbook” for details).
▼ IMPORTANT: When using this feature, media files must maintain their
original size. If required, you can plan ahead by making the original larger
than necessary to accommodate future changes.
Duration
Thumbnail
Allows you to choose a thumbnail image to represent the proxy in the Media
window, inside cues and in the Stage window preview. If not specified, a
default icon will be displayed.
Dimension
Specifies the size of the image. Applies to still and moving images.
Transparency
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Enter the duration of the media here. Applies to moving images (video) and
sound only.
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Allows you to specify whether the image contains transparent areas, as well as
the form of transparency used. Normally, WATCHOUT determines this from
the information in the media file, but when using a proxy, you must specify this
manually. Setting this incorrectly may cause the image to display without transparency or not at all. Applies to still and moving images.
The types of transparency supported by WATCHOUT includes:
• None. The image or video has no alpha channel.
• Straight Alpha. The transparency information affects the alpha channel of
the image only.
• Pre-multiplied with White. The transparency affects both the alpha channel
and the pixels in the image so that the pixels in fully transparent areas are
white. This is often used in material produced for printing purposes.
• Pre-multiplied with Black. The transparency affects both the alpha channel
and the pixels in the image so that the pixels in fully transparent areas are
black. This is often used in material produced for video compositing
purposes.
Add Remote Computer
This feature allows you to incorporate a live image of what appears on a
computer's screen into WATCHOUT. This can be used to show Excel graphics,
Powerpoint slides, a Web browser, or similar software applications, as part of
your presentation.
The image displayed on the source computer’s screen is sent continuously via
the network to the WATCHOUT display computers, where WATCHOUT
composites it with other media. Eg, you can put a plain Powerpoint presentation on top of a large, high resolution background, thereby enhancing it with
all the high-quality presentation capabilities of WATCHOUT.
To incorporate such a computer display (referred to as a “remote computer”)
into your presentation, follow these steps:
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• Install, activate and configure VNC server software on the remote computer
(see “VNC Server Software” on page 20).
• Add a Remote Computer media item to the Media list using this command
on the Media menu. Configure it as described below.
• Drag the remote computer object from the Media list onto the Stage, and
program it using cues as any other image element.
A remote computer supports the same capabilities as other images. For
instance, you can program its position, scale and opacity. Since the images
are sent across the network to all display computers, you can show the
computer display across multiple display computers.
Remote Computer Settings
In the Remote Computer dialog box, type the IP number of the remote computer
into the Address field, and the VNC password into the Password field. Set
Dimensions to the size of the display of the VNC server (reducing the resolution
of the Remote Computer may improve performance).
The Screen field is rarely used, and should generally be set to zero. It may be
used with some implementations of VNC server software which support
multiple screens or work-spaces.
Set “Stage Preview” to “Live” if you want to preview the Remote Computer in
the Stage window of the production software. Otherwise, set this to “Thumbnail”. This setting affects the Stage window preview only – not what’s shown by
the display computers.
◆ NOTE: The Remote Computer does not require a WATCHOUT license key.
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Add Live Video
This feature allows you to display live video, such as a camera feed, as part of
your WATCHOUT presentation. The live video feed must be connected to each
display computer that is expected to show it. For instance, if you want to show
live video across two displays, the video signal must be fed to both display
computers (eg, using a Video Distribution Amplifier). See “Live Video Input” on
page 136 and page 18 for more details.
To activate the Live Video feature, follow these steps:
• Start WATCHOUT display software on the display computer.
• Press Ctrl-W to switch to Window mode.
• On the “Video In” menu, make sure that your video input device is associated with the desired device number.
• Connect a video source to the video input.
Associate a video input device
number with your video input(s).
Video inputs available on the
display computer appear here.
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To use Live Video in your presentation, do as follows:
• Add a Live Video media item to the Media list using the command on the
Media menu, configuring it as described below.
• Drag the Live Video object from the Media list onto the Stage, as any other
media object.
Live Video supports the same capabilities as video played from disk, ie, you
can program its position, scale, rotation and opacity.
To show live video across multiple displays, you must connect the video signal
to each of those display computers. Furthermore, this video signal must be
associated with the same input number on each display computer that is to
display it. See “Live Video Input” on page 18 for more details.
Live Video Settings
In the Live Video Media dialog box, set “Input Device” to the device number
selected on the “Video In” menu shown in the illustration on page 109. Set the
“Signal Input” and “Video Standard” as appropriate for your video connection
and source. If your video input interface has multiple inputs for the same kind
of signal, enter the desired input number in the field to the right if the “Signal
Input” pop-up menu.
◆ NOTE: Although WATCHOUT does support FireWire inputs, this kind of
signal is generally not recommended. A FireWire video feed introduces a
significant delay in the video processing, as well as reduces performance
and image quality due to the DV data compression.
Deinterlacing. Video originating from most video cameras uses an interlaced signal, just like a PAL or NTSC TV set. Presenting such a video signal on
a non-interlaced display device, such as a video projector or other display
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device designed to be used with computers, results in visual artifacts often
referred to as “combing” around the edges of moving objects. Use the Deinterlacing pop-up menu, set to “Good Quality” or “Best Quality” to rectify this
problem when required.
▼ IMPORTANT: Do not use this feature unless necessary. Some video material and some cameras that can be set to a “progressive scan” mode do not
need deinterlacing, and using it may reduce the image quality.
Stage Preview. Set to “Live” if you want to preview the Live Video in the
Stage window of the production computer. Otherwise, set this to “Thumbnail”.
This setting affects the Stage window preview only – not what’s shown by the
display computers.
◆ NOTE: In order to preview Live Video in the Stage window of the production computer, this computer must be equipped with appropriate video
capture cards, fed with the video signal to preview. Set the input associations for the production computer in Preferences (see “Video In” on page
95).
Trim Edges. The fringes of a video signal sometimes contain noise. These
four fields allow you to selectively trim each of the edges of the video image to
remove such noise.
Dimensions. For most video standards, the dimensions are fixed by the
standard. However, when selecting “Other” on the “Video Standard” pop-up
menu, you can manually enter the desired dimensions. Use this, for example,
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to enter the size of a computer signal brought into WATCHOUT using a DVI or
VGA capture card (see page 136).
◆ NOTE: The dimensions shown are after any edge trimming. Eg, if the original image is 640 by 480 and you trim 10 pixels at each edge, the resulting
dimensions become 620 by 460.
Using Multiple Video Inputs
WATCHOUT supports up to eight video input devices. The number of video
inputs that can be displayed simultaneously depends on your computer hardware, type of video input device, etc.
Most video input devices have multiple connectors – often for different kinds of
video signals (eg, Composite and S-Video). You specify which one to use in the
Live Video media dialog box. Add more Live Video media objects to access
different inputs on the same device. Generally, you can only display one input
at a time from any given device. Furthermore, it’s generally not possible to
make a clean switch back-to-back from one signal to another on the same
input device. You need to leave a couple of seconds between the end of the cue
displaying one input and the beginning of the cue displaying the other.
New Folder
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Adds a new folder to the Media window, allowing you to group related media
items. Any such group of media in the Media window is independent of the
folders on your hard disk, and serves merely as a means to organize items in
the Media window.
Refresh
Refreshes items in the Media list by reloading their information from the
associated media files. A dialog is displayed allowing you to refresh only
media that has been changed or all media.
Select Unused
Selects all unused items in the Media window, ie, media items not used by any
cue. After reviewing the selection, you can choose Clear on the Edit menu to
remove the unused media items.
◆ NOTE: Doing so cleans up the Media window only. It does not remove the
corresponding media files from your computer.
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Timeline Menu
The Timeline menu applies specifically to the contents of the Timeline window
and is only available when the Timeline window is selected.
Add Control Cue
Adds a Control cue at the current time and selected layer. When reached
during playback, the cue will perform its programmed action. See “Control
Cue” on page 133 for full details.
◆ HINT: When using Control cues, dedicate a layer rather than mixing them
with other cues. This makes them easier to find and prevents them from
getting obscured by other cues.
Adding and Removing Layers
Choose “Add Layer” to append a layer to the timeline, or choose “Insert Layer”
to insert a layer above the currently selected layer. Choose “Delete Layer” to
delete the current layer. A layer containing cues can not be deleted.
Layer Settings
Opens a dialog box that allows you to rename the layer as well as set various
layer attributes. See “Layer Name and Attributes” on page 76 for more details.
Click Jumps to Time
Deselect this option to keep the time position stationary while manipulating
cues and tween points. The state of this mode is reflected by the color of the
current time indicator, as shown below.
Snap to Current Time
Select this option to make the current time indicator in the Timeline window
“magnetic”; attracting nearby cues and tween points as you drag them.
◆ NOTE: The two modes described above are mutually exclusive. In order to
activate “Snap to Current Time” you must first deselect “Click Jumps to
Time”. Likewise, selecting “Click Jumps to Time” implicitly disables the
magnetic behavior of the current time indicator.
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The state of the “Click Jumps to Time” and “Snap to Current Time” modes
described above is also indicated by the color of the current time indicator:
Timeline Settings
Click Jumps to Time.
Snap to Current Time.
Click Jumps to Time inactive.
Attracting a cue or tween point.
Displays the Timeline Settings dialog box.
Jump to specified time position.
Total duration of your presentation. Extended automatically
as more cues are appended.
◆ HINT: Typing a value into the “Time Position” field brings you to that time
precisely. This is often more accurate than trying to click a specific time in
the time ruler.
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Tween Menu
The Tween menu is available when a media cue is selected. It allows you to add
tween tracks to the cue. Likewise, tween tracks can be removed by unchecking
the corresponding item on the Tween menu.
◆ NOTE: The items available on the Tween menu vary depending on the
selected media cue. Eg, Volume tweening is only available for sounds and
movies – not for still images.
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8
8
DISPLAYS
Displays include projectors, monitors, video wall cubes and plasma screens.
You need to install and configure your displays properly, as described on
page 17. Read more about different display technologies on page 151.
Adding Displays
To add a display to the Stage window, choose “Add Display” on the Stage
menu. This menu includes most standard display sizes. The size of the display
can be altered afterwards using the “Display Specifications” dialog box
(page 118).
Selecting Displays
Click a display to select it. Shift-click to select multiple displays. Alternatively,
drag from a point outside all displays to use the selection rectangle. To deselect all displays, click outside all displays in the Stage window.
◆ NOTE: You must activate the Stage window before you can select displays.
To activate the Stage window, click its title bar. Displays can not be manipulated if “Online” on the Stage menu is active.
Positioning Displays
Drag a display to the desired position using the mouse. Press the Shift key
while dragging to constrain the movement to horizontal or vertical only. For
best precision, enter the exact position using the “Display Specifications”
dialog box (page 118).
Removing and Duplicating
Displays
To remove a display, first select it, then choose “Cut” or “Clear” on the Edit
menu. To duplicate it, first choose “Copy” then paste the duplicate back into
the Stage window. When pasting a display, keep in mind that the duplicate
initially occupies the exact same location in the Stage window as the original
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did. You must move the duplicate to another location and change its name and
address before using it.
Display Specifications
To open the Display Specifications dialog box, first select the display in the
Stage window then choose “Specifications” on the Edit menu, or simply
double-click the display.
You must activate the Stage window before you can select displays. To activate
the Stage window, click its title bar. Displays can not be manipulated if
“Online” on the Stage menu is active.
Name. Specifies the name of the display.
▼ IMPORTANT: This name is also used to identify pre-split movie files, as
described under “Pre-splitting Large Movies” on page 40. Thus, if you use
such pre-split movies, you should not change the name of the display after
creating those movies, or you’ll have to rename the movies accordingly.
Address. Specifies the IP address of the display computer that manages this
display. This is typically the numeric address of the display. However, if the
display computer is accessible by name (by means of a Domain Name Server),
you may enter the DNS name in this field instead.
◆ HINT: In most cases, all display computers are on the same subnet, which
means that the first part of their IP address is identical, and only the last
group of digits differ (as shown in the illustration on page 24). In this case,
it’s more convenient to enter the common part of the IP address in Preferences (see “Display Address Prefix” on page 91), and then enter only the
last group of digits in the Display Specifications dialog box. For instance, if
the complete address is “192.168.0.51”, you would put “192.168.0.” into
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the “Display Address Prefix” field in Preferences (note the trailing period),
and then put 51 into the Address field in “Display Specifications”.
Peer and Test Connection. Indicates the on-line status of the associated
display computer. You can use the “Test Connection” button to verify the ability
to connect to that particular display computer. This can be useful when troubleshooting a system.
Color and Change. Allows you to change the color of the display’s outline
in the Status window. Using different colors for overlapping displays makes it
easier to tell them apart.
Size and Stage Position. Determines the dimension and position of the
display. WATCHOUT allows you to specify any display size. However, the
allowable dimensions are ultimately determined by the display device and
display card in each display computer. When using the system, each display
computer will ensure that it’s set to the specified size, displaying a message in
case of any discrepancies.
Rotation. Rotates the display to an arbitrary angle. This allows you to use a
vertical display format, as well as other creative display arrangements as
shown in the illustration under “Alternative Display Layouts” on page 10.
Stage Position of Display Center. This field is similar to the Left and
Top fields in the “Stage Position of Display” field above, but indicates the
center position rather than the top left corner. The center position is often more
useful when the display is rotated to an arbitrary angle.
Chapter 8: Displays
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Chapter 8: Displays
9
Adding Cues
9
CUES
Cues are the active objects of WATCHOUT. They control when media appear
on stage, as well as more dynamic behavior such as positioning and opacity.
Cues exist on layers in the Timeline window. The layers determine the back-tofront stacking order of media on stage.
To add a cue to a layer in the Timeline window, drag a Media window item,
or a media file, to the layer or the Stage window. Media files can be dragged
directly from your hard disk.
▼ IMPORTANT: Whenever possible, keep all media used in a presentation
in a sub-folder of the folder containing the show file. Doing so allows
WATCHOUT to refer to the file using a relative path specification, making
it easier to move the presentation with all its media references intact.
When you drag media into the Stage window, the cue will appear on the
currently selected layer (as indicated by a red line under the layer’s name) and
at the current time position. When dragging into the timeline, the cue appears
at the layer and time you drag it to.
Selecting and Positioning
Cues
Click a cue to select it. Shift-click to select multiple cues. Alternatively, drag
from a point outside all cues to use the selection rectangle. Use “Select All” on
the Edit menu to select all cues on all layers. To de-select all cues, click in the
white space of any layer in the Timeline window.
You can also select a cue by clicking its preview image in the Stage window.
This allows you to determine which cue corresponds to a particular image on
stage.
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To position selected cues, drag them using the mouse. To drag cues to another
layer without altering their time positions, press the Shift key while dragging.
If you want to position a cue numerically, cut it, go to the desired time position
using the Timeline Settings dialog box (page 115), then paste it. Alternatively,
use the cue’s dialog box (see “Cue Specifications” on page 124).
Selecting Cues using the
Arrow Keys
Press the right or left arrow keys on the keyboard to select the next or previous
cue on the currently selected layer. Pressing the Shift key as well selects the next
or previous cue on any layer. Pressing the up and down arrow keys changes
the currently selected layer.
Cutting, Pasting and Deleting
Cues
Use Cut, Copy and Paste on the Edit menu to move or copy cues within a
presentation or to other presentations via the clipboard. When transferring
cues to other presentations in this way, any media associated with those cues
will automatically be added to the target presentation.
To delete cues without altering the content of clipboard, select the cues then
choose “Clear” on the Edit menu.
Changing a Cue’s Media
Position On Stage
Cues contain information on where the media will appear on stage. To change
the stage position, drag the preview image in the Stage window. You can
change the stage position of multiple cues at the same time by first selecting
those cues.
▼ IMPORTANT: If a cue has any Position tween points, click the desired
tween point to go to its time before dragging the image. If the timeline isn’t
positioned exactly at a Position tween point, a new point will be added.
The stage position of the anchor point is shown numerically in the Position
tween track (see “Positioning Media on Stage” on page 53). For precise
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adjustments, press Control-arrow key. Add the Shift key to move in greater
steps.
◆ HINT: You can move the stage position of multiple cues using the Move
command (page 97). This is particularly useful when merging cues from
shows having different display positions.
Changing a Cue’s Duration
To change the duration of selected cues, drag the bar at either end of a cue. If
the cue has tween points, those will by default remain stationary in relation to
the timeline. To stretch the tween points with the cue, press the Alt key while
dragging the end of the cue.
Drag either end to change the
duration of all selected cues.
◆ HINT: Either end of the cue will snap to the current time position if “Snap
to Current Time” is selected (see page 114).
To set the duration precisely, type the desired duration into the cue’s dialog
box (see “Cue Specifications” on page 124).
◆ NOTE: If you extend the duration of a moving image beyond its natural
duration, it will by default fill the remainder using the last frame of the
movie. Alternatively, you can make the movie run repeatedly in a loop by
choosing the “Loop” behavior (see “Loop” on page 126).
Replacing a Cue’s Media
To change the media associated with a cue, drag new media onto the cue. You
can drag either an item from the Media window, or a new media file from your
hard disk.
◆ HINT: If you want to replace all instances of a certain media file, you can
change the file association of the item in the Media window instead, as
described under “Changing the File Association” on page 79. Doing so will
affect all cues associated with that media item.
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123
Cue Specifications
The time when the media will
appear on stage.
Starting offset into sound or movie.
Continue to play even if timeline
stops.
Controls the stage window
preview quality of this cue.
Position of anchor point within
image, relative to image’s top left
corner.
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Chapter 9: Cues
Specifies the settings of the current cue. The options available vary with the
kind of media that is controlled by the cue. To open a cue’s specifications
dialog box, select the cue and choose “Specifications” on the Edit menu, or
simply double-click the cue.
Indicates how long the media
remains visible on stage.
Media will be pre-rolled automatically (uncheck to specify
pre-roll time manually).
Loop sound or movie when cue
is extended past media’s
natural duration.
Locates associated item in the
Media window.
Calculates top-left or center
position for anchor point.
Pre-Roll
Sound and video needs to be pre-loaded and prepared a few seconds ahead
of its appearance. When set to “Automatic”, this time is calculated automatically. This is the appropriate setting in most cases.
However, certain media files (most notably QuickTime movies) may require
extensive computer resources when prepared. This may cause already visible
moving media to suffer. Although this is unavoidable, you may be able to
reduce the impact by moving the moment when the preparation occurs backwards to a more appropriate time.
When specifying the pre-roll time manually, a pre-roll indicator appears in the
timeline window. You can set the pre-roll time by dragging the start of this indicator.
Pre-roll indicator. Drag to change
pre-roll time.
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125
In-Time
Specifies a starting offset into a sound or movie. For example, a certain movie
may have ten seconds of black at the beginning. To skip over those ten
seconds, set the in-time to 10.
Loop
Causes sound or movie media to loop (ie, re-start from its beginning) when
played past its duration. This is particularly useful for short, cyclical animations, where the movie then contains only a single cycle.
◆ NOTE: To see the effect of this behavior, the duration of the cue must be
extended past the media’s natural duration.
Free Running
Causes sound or movie media to continue to play even if the timeline is paused.
This is particularly useful in speaker support or conference situations, where
you may be cueing the timeline manually. While waiting at a pause cue, you
may still want to have some background music or a video clip playing.
◆ HINT: The Free Running and Loop behaviors can be combined to create
continuous playback of sound and/or video of undetermined duration.
Stage Preview
Controls the maximum Stage window preview quality. Set to “Reduced” to
preview the image using its thumbnail. Set to “None” to suppress preview altogether. When set to anything but “Best Quality”, the name of the cue is shown
in italics to indicate this.
◆ NOTE: The Stage window preview quality is ultimately determined by the
“Preview Options” setting on the Stage menu (see “Preview Options” on
page 101). The cue setting specifies the maximum quality by which the cue
will be previewed.
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Chapter 9: Cues
Anchor Position
Determines the position of the image anchor, relative to the upper left corner of
the image. The anchor of a selected cue is displayed as a crossed circle in the
Stage window. When scaling or rotating an image, the anchor specifies the
point that remains stationary. The example below shows the behavior of an
image scaled relative to a centered anchor point.
Scaling and
rotating an image
around its anchor
point.
◆ HINT: A checkbox in the Preferences dialog box determines the initial position of the anchor point for new cues. See “Center Anchor Automatically”
on page 92.
Chapter 9: Cues
127
Tween Tracks
Tween tracks allow you to control the appearance of media on stage over time.
Depending on the type of media associated with the cue, you can add one or
more of the following tween track types:
• Opacity, applies to moving and still images.
• Position, applies to moving and still images.
• Scale, applies to moving and still images.
• Rotation, applies to moving and still images.
• Volume, applies to audio and moving images with embedded audio.
To add or remove a tween track,
first select the cue then choose the
desired type on the Tween menu.
Tween tracks appear in the tween
pane, occupying the lower
portion of the Timeline window.
The following pages describe each kind of tween track. See “Tween Tracks” on
page 57 for more details on how to use tween tracks in general.
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Chapter 9: Cues
Opacity
Controls the opacity (transparency) of an image. To change the opacity, either
drag the tween point vertically in the tween track, or double-click it to change
its value numerically. See “Opacity” on page 60 for more details.
The “Time Position” field specifies the position of the tween point along the
timeline. This must be a time within the time span occupied by the cue.
The “Smooth” checkbox allows you to change a corner point into a smooth
point, and vice versa.
◆ HINT: The opacity curve is also displayed in the cue’s body, allowing you
to see it even when the cue isn’t selected.
Volume
Controls the audio volume of audio media and video containing audio. Its
behavior is identical to that of the Opacity tween point, described above. See
“Volume” on page 60 for more details.
◆ HINT: The volume curve is also displayed in the body of a cue assigned to
an audio media item, allowing you to see the curve even when the cue isn’t
selected.
Chapter 9: Cues
129
Scales an image in relation to its anchor position (see “Anchor Position” on
page 127).
Scale
As an alternative to the Scale
dialog box, simply drag the
scaling handle. Press Shift to
maintain the image’s proportions as you drag.
You can specify either the scale factor (relative to the image’s natural size), or
the desired size of the image on stage. Negative values flip the image.
▼ IMPORTANT: Do not use a Scale tween track to reduce the size of large
images (ie, larger than a single display). Use an image editing application,
such as Adobe Photoshop, instead. Using WATCHOUT’s scaling capability
to reduce large images may impair performance.
To scale the width and height by different values, first uncheck the “Maintain
Proportions” checkbox.
Non-uniform scaling results in a
split scale curve, allowing you to
adjust horizontal and vertical
scaling independently.
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Chapter 9: Cues
Position
Positions an image on stage. To change the position, drag the image or one of
the motion path handles shown in the Stage window when the cue is selected.
To set the position numerically, double-click the Position tween point and type
the desired position of the anchor point into the “Location” field.
◆ HINT: To move the entire motion path, first select all the Position tween
points, then drag the image. Or use the Move command on the Edit menu.
The “Speed” fields control the speed of motion into or out from the point. A
value of 1 results in the normal speed required to move linearly to the next
point. Smaller values make the image go slower and greater values go faster.
The speed is indicated by the white dots along the motion path, as shown
under “Controlling the Speed of Motion” on page 63.
Moving along a Path
The “Smooth” checkboxes allow you to create curved motion paths, as shown
under “Moving Along a Curved Path” on page 64. When selected, a direction
handle appears attached to the point, controlling the direction of motion into
or out from the point.
Smooth Position tween points
create a curved path.
White dots along the motion path
indicate the speed of motion.
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131
Rotates an image around its anchor point (see “Anchor Position” on page
127). You can rotate the image by a specified number of revolutions or
degrees, or a combination of the two. (Eg, to rotate 2.5 times, set Revolutions
to 2 and Degrees to 180.)
Rotation
Alternatively, drag the rotation handle in the Stage window or the Rotation
tween point in the tween pane.
◆ NOTE: The rotation handle may be hidden underneath the anchor point.
If so, either move the anchor point (see “Anchor Position” on page 127), or
drag the Rotation tween point to adjust the angle.
Anchor
point.
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Chapter 9: Cues
Rotate by dragging
the rotation handle…
…or by dragging a
rotation tween point.
Control Cue
The Control cue governs the behavior of the timeline. The cue is performed
when the timeline runs past it. The Control cue can be used to make the timeline
pause, or jump to another position (by time or by name).
You can use the “Jump to” option to create loops – causing a section of the
timeline to be repeated. When jumping, you have the option of automatically
restarting the timeline after the jump. In this case, it is often a good idea to
introduce a delay of a second or so to allow the display computers to catch up
before starting. This is done using the “Jump-to-Run Delay” field.
Cue name. Used to jump to a
named position. Name cues F1
through F12 to use function keys.
Time position or Control cue
name to jump to.
Makes the timeline to pause or run
(possibly after jumping).
Makes timeline jump to a
time position or a named
Control cue.
Jumps backwards only
when jumping to a named
cue.
Introduces a delay between
the jump and re-start,
giving display computers
time to respond.
To exit such a loop, use the QuickFind feature described on the next page,
possibly in conjunction with the Stand-By command (see “Stand-By” on page
103).
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133
Using Find and QuickFind
Named Control cues can be used with the Find command to locate position
along the timeline by name. A QuickFind feature allows you to instantly jump
to one of several positions using the function keys on your computer’s
keyboard. To use this feature, simply name the Control cues “F1”, “F2”, etc, as
in the example on the previous page.
▼ IMPORTANT: The Control cue name field is case sensitive. When using
function key names, type an upper case F.
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Chapter 9: Cues
A
.A
SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS
This appendix lists what you need in order to install WATCHOUT on a PC.
Computer
A WATCHOUT computer has the following minimum system requirements:
• Intel Pentium 4 at 1.5 GHz or equivalent AMD processor.
◆ NOTE: These are minimum
system requirements. Faster
processor, faster memory,
faster hard disk with cache
memory, faster graphics card
with more video memory, etc,
will result in significantly
increased performance in
many applications. Some
functions (eg, live video integration) require additional
hardware.
• USB port.
• Wake on LAN.
• 512 MB of RAM.
• AGP 4X or PCI Express 16X video card slot.
• IDE or SATA hard disk interface, supporting DMA transfers.
• 60 GB hard disk fully utilizing the above hard disk interface.
• 100 MBit Ethernet card supporting “Wake on LAN”.
• A modern ATI or nVidia graphics card with 64 MB of video memory.
• High quality sound card or built-in audio support.
• Windows XP Home Edition.
Mixing different kinds of computers or graphics cards in one display cluster is
generally not recommended.
Chapter A: System requirements
135
Live Video Input
To integrate live video into WATCHOUT, each display computer for displaying
live video must be equipped with a suitable video input, and the appropriate
WDM (Windows Driver Model) capture driver must be installed. Many devices
support multiple Composite and S-Video inputs, while some support more
advanced video signal standards.
Suitable video input solutions include:
• Viewcast Osprey 2xx series. These are PCI-bus cards providing video input
functions only (http://www.viewcast.com/products/osprey.html).
• ATI All-in-wonder (AIW) series. These are graphics cards with an integrated video input, supporting Composite and S-Video signals.
• Datapath Vision RGB-Pro cards provide VGA-style computer inputs (http:/
/www.datapath.co.uk/visRGBPRO.htm).
• Pixelmagic SDI cards provide SDI digital video input (http://www.pixelmagicsystems.com/products/sdi/capture_card.htm). To use the Pixelmagic
card with WATCHOUT, you need to install their “Sweetspot” driver (http:/
/www.pixelmagicsystems.com/support/downloads/software/).
Network
The production and display computers must be connected using a TCP/IP
compatible network.
A typical system has 100 MBit Ethernet network ports on all computers and an
high-quality Ethernet switch with the required number of ports to connect the
computers. It is also possible to use 10 MBit Ethernet, although this will slow
down media file transfers. The network speed does not, however, have any
impact on the runtime timing precision of the system.
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Chapter A: System requirements
B
Dedicated Computer
.B
COMPUTER ISSUES
While the basic configuration of the display computer outlined in Chapter 2
“Installation” is sufficient in many cases, some computers require additional
work to achieve best possible performance. This section provides some general
hints and pointers on how to proceed.
If you intend to use a computer primarily as a WATCHOUT display computer,
it probably makes sense to re-format the hard disk and then install only
Windows, required device drivers and WATCHOUT. This avoids many problems caused by various pieces of software that are often pre-installed on
computers, or that may have accumulated over time.
◆ NOTE: You don’t have to re-format your hard disk in order to use
WATCHOUT. This is an advanced procedure that helps in obtaining the
best possible performance. You can apply all other adjustments described
in this appendix even if you choose not to dedicate the computer to
WATCHOUT.
Formatting the Disk and
Installing Windows
To prepare your computer in this way, first make sure that the hard disk doesn’t
contain any important information. You should perform a backup if you’re
unsure about the content of the hard disk. Then start the computer from the
Windows XP CD-ROM, and follow the on-screen instructions. Early on in the
installation procedure, you will be asked where to install Windows. As part of
this, you will get the opportunity to remove the existing partitions and create
new ones, which you should do.
Appendix B: Computer Issues
137
For best performance, you should create a small (5 GB or so) partition for
Windows, and any other applications you may want to install. This partition
will become the C: drive. Leave the remainder of the disk un-formatted.
Proceed with installing Windows on the newly created, small partition. Once
that’s done, install any required device drivers (eg, for the graphics or sound
card), and perform any additional adjustments mentioned in this appendix.
Installing WATCHOUT
Before installing WATCHOUT, you need to format the remaining space of the
hard disk. Choose Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Computer
Management, then click Disk Management in the list.
Right-click on the Unallocated
space and choose “New Partition”. Proceed with creating a
primary partition of the maximum
size.
▼ IMPORTANT: On the last page of the “New Partition Wizard”, choose
the NTFS file system with an “Allocation Unit Size” of 32K. Generally, it is
OK to also select “Perform a Quick Format”.
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Appendix B: Computer Issues
Specifying a larger than usual allocation size greatly reduces the tendency of
disk fragmentation, at the cost of a small amount of wasted disk space. Given
the fact that most WATCHOUT media files tend to be rather large, this should
not have any practical disadvantages.
Once the formatting is complete, the new partition will appear as the D: disk
drive in the Windows Explorer. Create a WATCHOUT folder on this disk, and
install WATCHOUT to this disk using the Installer, as described on page 15.
When given the opportunity to specify where to install WATCHOUT, chose the
newly created WATCHOUT folder on the D: drive.
General Performance
The performance of a PC is often degraded by numerous small programs and
services running in the background. Such programs consume considerable
system resources, and may serve no purpose on a WATCHOUT display
computer. You can enhance performance by identifying and removing, or
disabling, such programs.
Identifying Background
Programs
To identify any unwanted background applications or services, first close all
open windows then click the Start button and choose Programs > Accessories
> System Tools > System Information. Select “Software Environment, Running
Tasks” in the list to the left. The list to the right displays all currently running
programs (see illustration on page 140). Look specifically for tasks whose path
is anything but “c:\windows\system\...”.
To see which programs that are automatically started, choose “Software
Environment, Startup Programs” in the list to the left.
Appendix B: Computer Issues
139
◆ HINT: The names listed in the Running Tasks and Startup Programs lists are
often cryptic, and may be hard to associate with a particular program. In
this case, looking at the path leading to the program’s file can provide a
valuable hint. In particular, if the program is installed under “c:\Program
Files\...”, you should be able to learn more by looking inside its installation
folder.
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Appendix B: Computer Issues
Removing Background
Programs
Once you have identified any undesired background programs, you should
either remove or disable them. If you know you won’t need a background
program, remove it from the computer.
To remove a program, open the “Add/Remove Programs” control panel,
choose the program, and click “Add/Remove...”. Follow the subsequent
instructions on how to remove or uninstall the program.
If you’re uncertain about removing the program, or if the program doesn’t
appear in the “Add/Remove Programs” control panel, you may instead
choose to disable it. This can sometimes be done with configuration options in
the program itself. Other programs don’t offer this capability, forcing you to
either uninstall the program or disable it using other means.
Background programs often identify themselves by an icon on the taskbar, in
the lower right corner of the screen. Right-click such an icon to open its menu.
Sometimes the menu includes a “Disable”, “Close” or “Do Not Load” item. It
may include “Open”, “Configure” or “Properties” items that allow you to set
various options, including the automatic loading of the program at start-up.
After disabling a program in this way, restart the computer to verify that the
program is no longer active. Some programs only allow you to disable them
temporarily, and will then load again the next time you start the computer.
Appendix B: Computer Issues
141
Another way to locate and disable startup programs is by using the System
Configuration Utility. To open this utility, click the Start button and choose Run.
Enter “msconfig” into the Run dialog box. Click the “Startup” tab. You can turn
off any undesired startup item by unchecking its checkbox.
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Appendix B: Computer Issues
System Services
Most background activities are not run as regular programs, but as System
Services. You can view the installed system services by clicking the Services tab
in the System Configuration Utility (see previous page). This also lists which
services that are considered essential (must not be disabled), as well as the
manufacturer of each service.
Do not disable any services by unchecking them in the Services tab of the
System Configuration Utility. Instead, choose Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Services.
◆ NOTE: If the “Administrative
Tools” are unavailable, right-click
the task bar and choose Properties
to display the “Taskbar and Start
Menu Properties”. Click the “Start
Menu” tab. Click the “Customize”
button and the “Advanced” tab (if
available). In the list, make sure
that “System Administrative Tools”
(or “Display Administrative Tools”
if using the Classic Start menu) is
enabled.
This list provides detailed information on each service. Select a service in the
list for a description. The list contains numerous services, of which most are not
needed on a computer dedicated to running WATCHOUT display software.
Not all services listed are running – only those listed as “Started”. To disable a
service, double-click it and set its “Startup Type” to Disabled.
Appendix B: Computer Issues
143
For more information on what the various services do, and which ones you
may disable (or set to “Manual”), visit this web site:
http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/winxp_services/print.shtml
Defragmenting the Disk
After using WATCHOUT for some time, adding and removing media or other
files, the hard disk may become fragmented. A fragmented hard disk significantly increases the time and effort required to access and display images and
video. Defragmenting the disk restores it to its optimal working condition. To
defragment your disk, choose Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools
> Disk Defragmenter. Select the disk containing your WATCHOUT program
folder in the list at the top of the Disk Defragmenter window, and click Defragment.
◆ NOTE: Formatting the disk with a large allocation unit size, as described
under “Installing WATCHOUT” on page 138, greatly reduces the tendency
of fragmentation, but doesn’t eliminate it.
If your computer has additional disks or partitions, you should defragment
those as well. However, if you’ve partitioned the disk into a Windows and a
WATCHOUT partition, the Windows partition should not need to be defragmented very often, since it really doesn’t change.
If you also want to remove old shows from the disk, do so before you defragment the disk (see page 66).
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Appendix B: Computer Issues
Verify Disk DMA Setting
• Open the System control panel.
• Click the “Hardware” tab, then the “Device Manager” button.
• Open the “IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers” item in the list and double click
“Primary IDE Channel”.
• Click the “Advanced Settings” tab and set “Transfer Mode” as shown.
◆ NOTE: Depending on your
computer’s configuration, type of
disk drives, etc, your settings may
be slightly different from those
shown.
Appendix B: Computer Issues
145
Display Performance
WATCHOUT is based on the latest technology in computers and graphics
cards. For this to work optimally, both the computer and the graphics card
must be properly installed and configured. One of the more useful utilities
available to verify and control the operation of the graphics card is PowerStrip:
Verify that basic functionality such
as AGP and 4x or 8x transfer rate
is supported by your computer and
graphics card.
PowerStrip is shareware, and is available from:
http://www.entechtaiwan.net/
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Appendix B: Computer Issues
Motherboard Chip Set
Updates
If some of these features aren’t available, and you believe your system should
support them, you should contact your computer vendor to see if there’s any
motherboard software update available to activate those features (eg, “Intel
chip set update” or “VIA chip set update”). Sometimes, the application of such
an update may result in a dramatic boost in speed.
Display Refresh Rate Settings
For optimal results, it is important that the display refresh rate of your computer
is set at an even multiple of the frame rate used in WATCHOUT (see “Display
Framerate” on page 92). Certain display card, driver software and display
combinations may restrict the choices available to you in Windows. In some
cases, you may not have any choice at all. This typically happens if the
display/projector connected to the computer tells the display card that it
prefers one particular frequency.
Some utility programs may allow you to set other refresh rates than the ones
provided by the standard Windows Display control panel. One such program
is PowerStrip, shown on the previous page.
5
10
15
1
6
11
Female VGA-style connector.
Another option is to prevent the display/projector from telling the display card
about its capabilities, and thereby limiting the range of allowable settings. This
can be done by disconnecting pin 12 (the DDC signal) in the standard, analog,
15-pin, VGA-style cable, used to connect most displays. Use a VGA male-tofemale extension cable and disconnect or remove pin 12 in either end of the
cable.
▼ CAUTION: Changing the refresh rate or other timing parameters to values
outside the allowable range may cause damage to certain display types
(primarily CRT-based displays). Please check the documentation of the
display for details.
Appendix B: Computer Issues
147
Display Card Drivers
Due to the fast pace of development in the area of computer graphics, the
driver software included with your computer or graphics card may be old by
the time you receive it. Check the computer or graphics card vendor’s web site
for updates:
http://www.ati.com/support/driver.html
http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
Make sure you follow the recommended procedure for installing/upgrading
the display card driver. This is often covered in a ReadMe file, included with
the driver.
Some display cards and/or drivers require, or perform better, with certain
versions of Microsoft’s DirectX system software. WATCHOUT is compatible
with DirectX 7 and later. DirectX is included as a standard part of Window XP.
You can download the latest version of DirectX from:
DirectX
http://www.microsoft.com/directx
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Appendix B: Computer Issues
Other Issues
This section lists some other issues known to cause problems from time to time.
MPEG2 Playback
Some DVD player programs – often included with graphics cards or DVD
drives – may interfere with the ability of WATCHOUT to play back MPEG2
content (including some audio formats). To solve this problem, uninstall the
DVD player application and all its components.
Sound Playback
You need to install the proper software driver for the sound card installed in
your computer. The driver received with your computer, operating system or
sound card is usually sufficient, but you should check the sound card manufacturer’s web site to make sure you have the latest driver version installed –
particularly if you’re experiencing sound playback-related problems.
When installing or updating sound card driver software, avoid installing other
associated software. Additional software is often provided that will run as
background applications. You may have to check for and remove such software after installing/upgrading sound card drivers (see “Removing Background Programs” on page 141).
Defect Drivers
Performance and reliability problems may be caused by defect software
drivers. Such problems can be hard to diagnose. More often than not, it’s
easier to start from scratch by re-formatting the hard disk and re-installing
Windows and required device drivers only (see “Formatting the Disk and
Installing Windows” on page 137).
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149
Cloning a Computer
A WATCHOUT system typically uses multiple, identical playback computers.
Performing the above trouble-shooting and tuning operations on multiple
computers is tedious. An alternative is to get one display computer working
properly, and then clone its hard disk to the others. This, of course, assumes
that they all have the same hardware configuration.
A fast and convenient method for cloning the hard disk is to use True Image,
from Acronis:
http://www.acronis.com/
Using this program, you can clone a hard disk to another computer either
across a network or using a CD-ROM.
▼ IMPORTANT: While the cloning procedure copies everything on the hard
drive, it does not perform any firmware (BIOS) or similar upgrade automatically. You may need to perform any motherboard upgrades manually
after cloning the disk (see “Motherboard Chip Set Updates” on page 147).
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Appendix B: Computer Issues
C
.C
DISPLAY ISSUES
WATCHOUT can be used with most display technologies, including CRT, DLP
and LCD projectors, LCD and CRT monitors, video wall cubes and plasma
screens. Generally, you can use any display device that’s compatible with the
display card in the display computer.
Avoid mixing brands and models of displays on adjacent or overlapping
areas, since they most likely will differ in their image reproduction. As the light
intensity and color temperature of many projectors may degrade over time, try
to use projectors that have been in use roughly the same number of hours.
Display Technologies
The following sections provide an overview of display technologies, with
special emphasis on aspects related to WATCHOUT.
CRT-based Displays
CRT projectors have the unique advantage of being able to reproduce a true
black. This is important in a totally dark environment, such as a planetarium,
when using the smooth edge-blending built into WATCHOUT. Without a true
black level, it is often impossible to avoid gray banding of the screen in the
overlap areas.
CRT monitors and CRT-based video projectors and wall cubes may, however,
need extensive adjustment and calibration by a professional installer in order
to obtain acceptable color matching, convergence and image uniformity. Their
analog nature may also affect long-term stability.
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151
DLP Projectors
DLP (Digital Light Processor) uses a microscopic mirror chip to modulate the
light (see http://www.dlp.com/). This display technology has the advantage
of being 100% digital, resulting in excellent, long-term image stability and reliability – particularly when using a digital computer connection, such as DVI
(see “DVI Connector” on page 155).
An issue with some DLP projectors when used with WATCHOUT is the lack of
true black. The poor black level produced by some DLP projectors often results
in gray banding in overlapping image areas. This is particularly noticeable in
a totally dark room, and, conversely, is less of an issue in installations at, eg,
a shopping mall, a trade-show or similar environment. This problem is magnified when using very bright projectors on a small screen. Avoid using stronger
projectors than necessary for your screen size and ambient lighting conditions.
The contrast ratio has greatly improved over time. Modern DLP projectors,
utilizing second generation “black chip” Texas Instruments DLP technology,
often provide a contrast ratio of 2800:1 or better.
Keep in mind that when using WATCHOUT with projectors, you get the
combined brightness from multiple projectors. Hence, good contrast and color
saturation is often more important than high brightness. Hence, choosing a
“home cinema” projector may be better than an “office grade” projector due
to the better color fidelity and often lower noise level of the former.
To determine the suitability of a particular model of projector, always perform
proper tests under realistic screen size and lighting conditions. Details vary
widely among manufacturers and projector models, and are not always stated
on specification sheets.
A good starting point when looking for a projector may be one of the many
dedicated web sites, such as: http://www.projectorcentral.com/.
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LCD Projectors
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) projectors are in many ways similar to DLP projectors, and share many of the same advantages and disadvantages. Instead of
bouncing the image off a mirror, an LCD projector uses an “LCD slide” to
modulate the light. The more analog nature of this technology means some LCD
projectors may require more adjustment than DLP projectors, and exhibit less
long-term stability.
Many LCD projectors suffer from a poor black level. The problem is often even
more noticeable on LCD projectors than on DLP projectors, and there’s a wider
span of variation due to the large number of LCD chip manufacturers. Always
make realistic tests under the expected screen size and ambient lighting conditions. Use images of the kind you intend to use in the final presentation. Some
test images with white, black, saturated colors, checkerboards and gradients
are often useful too when evaluating projectors (see page 157).
LCD Display Panels
Modern LCD displays typically have very good color matching, brightness and
long-term stability – particularly when using a DVI cable. However, when
using multiple LCD displays to build larger display areas, bear in mind the
sometimes limited viewing angle.
Most LCD displays are designed for optimal image quality when viewed from
the front, with image quality degrading as you move off-center. Often, the
viewing angle is better when moving horizontally than when moving vertically
(as would be the case when placing multiple, landscape-oriented, LCD
displays in a column).
Appendix C: Display Issues
153
Wiring
When connecting the display to the display computer, keep the following in
mind:
• Keep analog (VGA) cables short. If possible, place the display computer
close to the display, powering both from the same outlet.
• If you must extend the cable, make sure you use high-grade extension
cables and distribution amplifiers.
Usually, the display is connected by using an analog 15-pin, VGA-style
connector or a digital DVI connector. Whenever possible, use DVI to connect
the display computer to the projector. This avoids many of the analog-to-digital
conversion problems associated with the analog VGA-style interface. If
required, DVI cables can be extended using products available from Gefen
(http://www.gefen.com/), Extron (http://www.extron.com/) and others.
15-pin Mini D-sub Connector
The 15-pin mini D-sub connector (page 147) is by a common way of interfacing a computer to a display device. Although often referred to as a “VGA
connector”, it is also used to connect higher resolution displays, such as XGA.
Advantages include the ability to easily extend and distribute the signal, using
extension cables and distribution amplifiers (DAs) available from many manufacturers.
Due to the analog nature of the signal, it is also susceptible to hum and noise
as well as signal interpretation and digitalization artefacts. This can result in
pixel jitter and poor or varying color fidelity. Some of this may be reduced by
careful adjustment and tweaking of the display device and/or display card.
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Appendix C: Display Issues
DVI Connector
Digital Visual Interface
connector.
The DVI (Digital Visual Interface; http://www.ddwg.org/) connector is
popular on LCD flat panels as well as DLP video projectors. As the data to be
displayed is digital to begin with, it makes little sense to convert the signal to
analog, pass it through a VGA-style connector, and then convert it back to
digital form again in the display device. The DVI connector solves this by
keeping the signal in the digital domain all the way.
The advantages include a rock-solid image, no pixel jitter and best possible
image and color precision. This is usually provided with little, or no, need for
manual adjustment, resulting in improved image consistency and stability.
The high speed digital signal makes it more difficult to run long cables or to
distribute the signal to multiple display devices. Extension nd distribution solutions based on CAT-5 cables and optical fibers are available from numerous
manufacturers (eg, http://www.gefen.com/).
General Troubleshooting
Just like the display computer, the kind of display or projector used has a major
influence on the end result. This section provides additional guidance on determining the cause and possible remedy of display related problems.
Before You Begin
Connect a regular CRT monitor to the output of your display computer to determine if the problem is introduced by the display technology or by the display
computer. This is a good advice whenever you see unwanted phenomena in
the displayed image – always plug in a CRT monitor. If the problem goes
away, it’s most likely caused by your display or projector, in which case you
should read this appendix. If the problem shows up on the CRT monitor as well,
you should instead focus on the display computer (see “Computer Issues” on
page 137).
Appendix C: Display Issues
155
Jerky Movements
An image moved using a Position track should move smoothly across the
displays. Jerky movement may be caused by either the display computer or the
display device itself. If the problem goes away when you view the output from
the display computer on a CRT display, you’ve determined that the jerkiness is
introduced by the display or projector you’re using.
▼ IMPORTANT: When making these tests, you should preferably use a CRT
monitor. If possible, avoid LCD monitor, plasma screen or projector, since
such devices may introduce artefacts of their own. Also, you may want to
unplug the problematic display and connect the CRT display while the display computer is running. If you restart the display computer, it may sense
that you’ve plugged in another display and change its behavior (eg, its refresh rate), thereby causing the problem you’re troubleshooting to change
or disappear.
The most common reason for such artefacts is lack of synchronization between
the video signal fed to the display and its internal operation. This is sometimes
a problem with digital display technologies, such as LCD and DLP. It is not a
problem with most CRT-based computer display technologies, since they’re
generally locked to the incoming video signal.
Even if your display device supports multiple frequencies, it may work best at
one particular frequency. You may want to try setting both the display card
and WATCHOUT to 60 Hz/FPS even if you’re using video optimized for other
framerates, since this is the optimal display frequency of many projectors and
other display devices.
It is sometimes difficult to determine the optimal frequency of digital display
devices, or whether the display device is at all capable of synchronizing its
internal operation to the framerate of the incoming video signal. Often,
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Appendix C: Display Issues
changing the programming to use other rates for moves and other effects can
make artefacts less obvious. If possible, you may also try connecting the
display computer to the display device using other means, ie, using a digital
DVI cable instead of the analog VGA.
Dropped Video Frames
Just as lack of synchronization in the display device can affect the smoothness
of positioning and other effects created in WATCHOUT, it may have a similar
impact on the video material used in your presentation. This is often particularly noticeable in slow zooms and pans, or in objects moving across.
If using a CRT display makes the video playback look considerably smoother,
you’re most likely experiencing synchronization problems introduced by the
display or projector (see above).
Banding
This section deals with banding in smooth areas, either within a static image or
in the overlap area of projected images.
Gradients
When displaying images with smooth areas and gradients, limited resolution
in the display may cause visible bands to appear. A good way of testing this is
to display a smooth grayscale ramp, as in the example shown to the left. Such
an image can easily be created in applications such as Adobe Illustrator or
Photoshop. You may also want to create test images with vertical or radial
gradients.
If such test images appear smooth on a CRT monitor while exhibiting banding
using your display device, the signal resolution of the display device is insufficient to reproduce all the steps in the gradient. Such problems are typically
associated with low end, office grade projectors. Often, using a digital interface may avoid or solve such problems since it circumvents the analog-to-
Appendix C: Display Issues
157
digital conversion step, which is most likely causing the loss of definition (see
“DVI Connector” on page 155).
Another possible cause for banding – particularly near the edges of images –
is long or faulty VGA cables. Try connecting the display directly to the
computer using a short VGA cable to see if this has any effect. If so, inserting
a VGA distribution amplifier (often called just “DA”) may solve the problem.
Such devices are available from, for example, http://www.extron.com/,
http://www.inlineinc.com/ and http://www.altinex.com/.
Rear Projection
When using rear projection, banding may be caused by the screen material.
This may also occur when using high-gain front projection screens. Such
banding can be identified by the fact that it moves with you as you walk along
the screen.
The only way to avoid or solve such problems is to use a different screen material. Suitable low-gain screens for both front and rear projection are available
from most professional screen manufacturers (eg, “Aeroview 100” from
Stewart Filmscreen Corporation; http://www.stewartfilm.com/).
Edge Blend Areas
Banding and other artefacts may appear in the overlap areas of edge-blended
images. There are essentially three kinds of problems:
Too Dark, Bright or Uneven Overlap. It may be difficult to obtain a
perfectly invisible edge blend for all image types. You may have to locate a
typical or particularly problematic image in your presentation and tweak the
edge blend curve using that image for the best possible result (see “Edge Blend
Curve” on page 93).
Non-linear Gamma Settings. Most LCD and DLP projectors have a
gamma curve setting, often with a number of standard curves to choose from.
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Appendix C: Display Issues
In order to achieve maximum perceived brightness, such projectors often come
preset to some high brightness gamma curve. While such a gamma curve may
provide some additional brightness, its non-linear nature tends to interfere with
the ability to achieve a smooth edge blend. Furthermore, it also results in
washed-out colors and a general lack of contrast. To avoid this problem, chose
a more linear gamma curve, often called “Photographic” or “Video”.
Projecting a gray ramp, or an image with horizontal strips of varying black
level (eg, 11 strips from 0 to 100% white in 10% increments) often reveals
problems associated with a non-linear gamma setting.
Gray Boxes in Dark Images. Due to the poor contrast ratio of some
LCD and DLP based projectors, lighter areas in the overlaps of black, or very
dark images are sometimes inevitable. You can minimize the effect by
reducing the light output of the projectors (if possible), or by increasing the
ambient lighting in the room. Often, however, the best solution is to avoid
black or large dark areas in the presentation altogether.
Thin, Dark or Bright Slivers
A slightly darker or brighter sliver along the edge-blend area is often the result
of under or over-shooting the chip in the projector. Create a test image with a
one or two pixel white edge. Put this image past the edge blend layer in
WATCHOUT, so you can see all its pixels even in the edge blend areas (see
“No Edge-blend Past Layer” on page 93). Adjust the projector so that the
image exactly fills the image area. Move the horizontal position of the image
to the left so the leftmost row of pixels just disappears, then move it back so they
reappear. Now adjust the image width to make the right edge of the image fit
the image area precisely. You may have to repeat the position and width
adjustments a couple of times, since changing one may affect the other.
Appendix C: Display Issues
159
Also ensure that the vertical position of the image shows the top and bottom
row of pixels. There’s usually no adjustment for the image height, but if there
is, you may want to check that also.
Avoid all forms of electronic keystone correction, available in most projectors.
Such a feature deliberately undershoots the image on the chip and will likely
cause dark slivers to appear along the edges of the overlap areas.
Hot-Spots
Hot-spots appear as bright areas near the center of front or rear-projected
images. As you move across the screen, these bright areas tend to move with
you in relation to the projected image. The only way to solve such problems is
to use another screen material. Suitable low-gain screens for both front and
rear projection are available from most professional screen manufacturers (see
“Rear Projection” on page 158).
Creeping Shades
When fading an image, you may sometimes see shades or ridges creeping
across or around smooth image areas. These artefacts are somewhat reminiscent of the Newton rings sometimes seen with slide projectors. They are generally caused by lack of resolution, similar to the description under “Banding” on
page 157.
The best way to diagnose these problems is to use a set of test images with horizontal, vertical and radial gradients. Fade such an image slowly and look for
bands or rings moving across the image. Run the same test with a CRT display.
The solution for this problem is the same as outlined above under “Banding”
on page 157.
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Appendix C: Display Issues
Optical Linearity
Pin-cushion and barrel distortion.
When using multiple overlapping projectors, optical linearity is important.
Deficiencies in optics often show up as barrel or pin-cushion distortion. This
may be particularly troublesome when using short-throw, wide angle lenses
(often desirable for rear-projection).
The only solution is to choose projectors with high-grade optics, and to ensure
that your optics are properly matched for the desired projection distance. If this
is not possible, you may be able to reduce the impact by avoiding sharp
contours in the displayed images near the corners of the overlap areas.
◆ HINT: If you’re using zoom lenses, you may be able to obtain better
linearity by changing the focal length and moving the projector
accordingly.
Appendix C: Display Issues
161
162
Appendix C: Display Issues
D
.D
PRODUCTION PC
PROTOCOL
You can control a WATCHOUT production computer from an external device,
such as Dataton’s TOUCHDOWN touch panel (shown to the left), or any other
device or software capable of communicating using the TCP/IP protocol.
◆ NOTE: While similar in its basic capabilities and commands, this protocol
is different from the one described under “Display Cluster Protocol” on
page 167. This protocol allows you to control the production computer,
while the Display Cluster Protocol controls one or many display clusters,
with no need for any production computer.
The production computer control protocol includes commands allowing you to
• Load a show from a specified file.
• Start, stop, position and run the timeline.
• Access the stand-by mode.
To control WATCHOUT production software in this way, you must choose
“TCP/IP Network” in the Preferences dialog box (see “External Control” on
page 92).
◆ HINT: The TOUCHDOWN GuideMaker application provides a graphical
user interface for sending commands to WATCHOUT. This can be used as
a way to learn more about how to construct and send commands to
WATCHOUT. Please refer to the “GUIDEMAKER Handbook” for details.
Appendix D: Production PC Protocol
163
Command Format
To control WATCHOUT, open TCP/IP port number 3040 of the WATCHOUT
production computer. Each command is then sent as a string, terminated by a
carriage return, line feed or CR/LF pair.
A command consists of a command name, sometimes followed by parameters.
Commands are encoded using the UTF-8 UNICODE character format, which is
downward compatible with ASCII strings.
▼ IMPORTANT: Commands containing non-ASCII characters – such as å,
ä, ü, ç – must be encoded using the UTF-8 format.
String parameters are sent within double quotes. Backslash is used as an
escape character (ie, to encode a double quote in a string, precede it with a
backslash). To send a backslash character, use “\\” inside the string.
Commands are case sensitive. Successfully performed commands are not
acknowledged.
Errors
If an error occurs while processing a command, an error response is returned:
Error <uint> <string> <string>\n
where the first parameter is an internal error code number, the second parameter is a quoted string containing the error message, and the third parameter
is a copy of the offending command, also as a quoted string.
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Appendix D: Production PC Protocol
List of Commands
Command
Parameters
The table below shows the available commands, with some commands
explained in more detail on the following pages.
Description
run
Run timeline from current position.
halt
Stop at the current position.
gotoTime
<uint>
Go to a time position, specified in milliseconds.
gotoControlCue
<string>
Go to a named Control cue (name is case sensitive).
standBy
<bool>
Set the stand-by mode to true or false.
load
<string> [<uint>]
Load a show from specified file, with optional layer conditions.
gotoTime
Jumps to a time position along the timeline, specified in milliseconds:
gotoTime 60000
goes to one minute (60000 / 1000 = 60 seconds).
gotoControlCue
Jumps to a named Control cue. Returns an error if the cue can’t be found. The
name is specified within double quotes, and is case sensitive.
gotoControlCue “anders”
standBy
Enters or exits stand-by mode, where the parameter is true or false (without
quotes).
standBy true
Appendix D: Production PC Protocol
165
load
Loads a show by name. The name is specified as a quoted string containing the
full path to the file. The use of backslash characters in Windows path names
conflict with the use of the backslash as an escape character in this protocol.
Either double the backslash characters, or use forward slashes instead (as
shown in this example):
load “C:/Samples/ExampleShow.watch”
◆ NOTE: In order to make the show control any display computers once
loaded, it must have been saved while online.
If desired, you can add a numeric parameter to override the conditional layer
settings of the show being loaded. For example, to enable condition 1 and 2
only:
load “C:/Samples/ExampleShow.watch” 3
Where the number is a sum of the decimal numbers corresponding to each
desired condition from the table shown on page 153.
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Appendix D: Production PC Protocol
E
Overview
.E
DISPLAY CLUSTER
PROTOCOL
You can control a cluster of WATCHOUT display computers using a local
command file or from a computer or other device capable of communicating
using the TCP/IP protocol.
◆ NOTE: While similar to the production computer protocol described in the
previous appendix, this protocol allows you to control WATCHOUT display
clusters without a production computer being present in the system.
Preparation
Before attempting to control a cluster, ensure that the show has been successfully run from WATCHOUT production software (ie, that all media files have
been transferred, etc). Then quit the WATCHOUT production software.
Control Options
You can control the display cluster either using a file stored on the primary
display computer in the cluster, or using commands sent via the network or
through a serial port.
File-based Control
You can use a file stored on the primary display computer’s hard disk to automatically perform most commands in this protocol when starting the display
software. This can, for example, be used to set up a system that automatically
loads and runs a show every time the computer is switched on.
The command file can be created using a text editor or word processor
capable of saving as plain text. To perform those commands when starting the
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
167
WATCHOUT display software, you provide the name of this command file as
a command line parameter to the display software. If started using a shortcut
(possibly located in the Startup folder), add the name of the command file to
the Target field of the shortcut.
Enter the name of the command
file here. This example assumes
that the file is stored in the folder
where WATCHOUT is installed.
Make sure this is set to the folder
where WATCHOUT is installed.
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Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
The example below shows the content of a command file that displays a
message on the WATCHOUT screen, waits a few seconds, loads a show, waits
for any other computers in the WATCHOUT display cluster to become ready,
and then runs the show.
authenticate 1
setLogoString “The show will begin shortly”
delay 5000
load “MyShow”
wait
run
See each individual command later in this appendix for details.
▼ IMPORTANT: If using non-ASCII characters in the show name (eg; å, ö,
ü, ß), your text editor must be able to save the text using the UTF-8 encoding. If you’re unsure about this, it’s usually easiest to rename the show to
avoid non-ASCII characters.
◆ NOTE: Any errors occurring while executing commands from a such a
command file are displayed in a console window. However, to see this
window, you have to close the main WATCHOUT display window by
pressing Ctrl-W. Keep this in mind if your command file doesn’t work as
expected.
Network Control
To control a WATCHOUT display cluster via the network, connect to TCP/IP
port number 3039 of one of the WATCHOUT display computers. The computer
you initiate communication with becomes the master of the cluster, and will
automatically control the other cluster members, as specified by the presentation loaded using the “load” command.
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
169
Use a Telnet program to check the communication. Open the port specified
above, then type “ping” and press Return. WATCHOUT will respond with a
Ready message, stating its version number and some other details.
Serial Control
To control WATCHOUT display cluster through a serial port, connect the
controlling device to a serial port of one of the WATCHOUT display
computers. The computer you connect to becomes the master of the cluster, and
will automatically control the other cluster members, as specified by the presentation loaded using the “load” command.
No serial port is open by default. Use the serialPort command to open a serial
port. Put this command into a text file, and use the file-based control feature to
perform the serialPort command (see “File-based Control” on page 167).
Commands and
Responses
WATCHOUT uses a simple text format for its commands. Some commands
may return a reply, error message or other kind of response to the controller.
Such responses are also sent as text.
Authentication
Before you can give any significant commands, you must specify the authentication level. To control WATCHOUT, you need authentication level 1:
authenticate 1
WATCHOUT responds with a Ready message. You can now send other
commands.
Command Format
170
Each command is sent as a string, terminated by a carriage return, line feed or
CR/LF pair. A command consists of a command name, sometimes followed by
parameters. Commands are encoded using the UTF-8 UNICODE character
format, which is downward compatible with ASCII strings.
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
▼ IMPORTANT: When sending commands containing non-ASCII characters – such as å, ä, ü, ç – these must be encoded using the UTF-8 format.
Commands are case sensitive.
Responses and Feedback
Most commands perform silently when successful. You can explicitly request
acknowledge from any command as described under “Command ID Tagging”
on page 182.
Parameters
For commands that take parameters, parameters are separated by whitespace only. Optional parameters are shown in square brackets; eg, [<uint>].
The parameter types are described below.
<string>
String parameters are sent within double quotes.
“This is a string”
Backslash is used as an escape character (ie, to encode a double quote in a
string, precede it with a backslash). To send a backslash character, use “\\”
inside the string.
<uint>
An unsigned integer, expressed as a sequence of decimal digits.
123
<int>
A signed decimal integer, expressed as a sequence of decimal digits, optionally preceded by a minus sign.
-123
<bool>
The keyword true or false, with no quotes.
true
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
171
List of Commands
The table below shows the available commands, with some commands
explained in more detail on the following pages.
Command
Description
ping
Do-nothing command that simply causes a Ready feedback message to be
sent. This command doesn’t require any authentication.
authenticate
Perform authentication. Required before other commands can be performed
(see “Authentication” on page 170).
load
Load a show and get ready to run.
run
Start running.
halt
Stop running.
gotoTime
Jump to a time position.
gotoControlCue
Jump to the time position of a named Control cue.
standBy
Enter/exit stand-by mode.
getStatus
Retrieves name and status of the currently running show.
setLogoString
Display some text next to the WATCHOUT logo on screen.
delay
Introduces a delay between commands (command file use only).
wait
Waits for the entire display cluster to become established.
serialPort
Opens a serial port for control protocol use, specifying its parameters.
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Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
load
Load a complete show specification from a local file associated with the show
name specified by the first parameter. Busy feedback may be sent to the host
while loading, informing the host about the progress (see “Busy” on page
178). If errors occur, Error feedback is sent (see “Error” on page 179). Finally,
a Ready feedback message is sent, regardless of whether any error occurred
(see “Ready” on page 177).
load “Phantom”
Parameter
Description
<string>
Name of the show to be loaded.
[<bool>]
Manage cluster loading and feedback. Defaults to true.
[<bool>]
Designate as the master display computer. Defaults to true.
[<uint>]
Conditional layer enable flags, least significant bit is condition 1.
◆ NOTE: You can not specify a folder path to the show. The show must be
present in the “Shows” folder, located in the same folder as the
WATCHOUT display software.
gotoTime
Jump to the specified time position along the timeline.
gotoTime 5000
Parameter
Description
<uint> or <string>
Time position to go to, in milliseconds, or as a string in this format:
“HH:MM:SS.FFF”, where FFF is milliseconds.
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
173
gotoControlCue
Jump to the time of specified Control cue. If the optional “reverse only” boolean
is set to true, it searches for the Control cue only back in time from the current
time position. Otherwise it searches first forward then reverse.
The command does not change the run mode of the timeline. If specified cue is
not found, the timeline’s state will not change, and a runtime error message to
this effect will be returned.
gotoControlCue “William” true
Parameter
Description
<string>
Name of Control cue to look for.
[<bool>]
Search in reverse only if true. If false or not specified, then search both ways.
standBy
Enter/exit stand-by mode. In stand-by, the display and sound is muted, or
media on stand-by layers – if any – is performed (see “Perform Normal/In
Stand-By” on page 76). This mode can be entered/exited smoothly, by specifying a fade rate.
standBy true 1000
Fade out sound and image over one second and enter stand-by mode. If any
stand-by layer is available, its media is performed instead.
Parameter
Description
<bool>
Enter stand-by if true, exit if false.
[<uint>]
Fade rate, in milliseconds. Defaults to zero if not specified.
174
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
getStatus
Get the current status of the WATCHOUT cluster master.
getStatus
Reply “WO2Launch” false 0 true true false 122 true
Responds with a Reply with the following parameters:
Reply Parameter
Description
<string>
Name of the show. Empty string if no show loaded.
<bool>
Busy. True if the master display computer or any of its slaves is busy
<uint>
General health status of the cluster; 0: OK, 1: Suboptimal, 2: Problems, 3:
Dead.
<bool>
Display is open (ie, in its full screen mode).
<bool>
Show is active (ie, ready to run).
<bool>
Programmer is on line.
[<uint>]
Current time position, in milliseconds (only included if show is active).
[<bool>]
Show is playing – false if paused (only included if show is active).
setLogoString
Display the string parameter next to the WATCHOUT logo, when shown on
screen. See example on page 169.
delay
Wait the number of milliseconds specified by the parameter before performing
the next command in the file. See example on page 169.
◆ NOTE: Performed only when used in a command file.
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
175
Wait for the display cluster to become fully established before proceeding with
the next command in the file. Waits at most the number of milliseconds specified by the parameter. See example on page 169.
wait
◆ NOTE: Performed only when used in a command file.
serialPort
Open serial port for cluster control protocol use, setting its communications
parameters.
serialPort true “COM1”
Parameter
Description
<bool>
Open (true) or close (false) the serial port.
<string>
The name of the serial port.
[<uint>]
Protocol selector. Must be 0. Default is 0.
[<uint>]
Data rate, in bits per second. Default is 9600.
[<uint>]
Number of data bits, 7 or 8. Default is 8.
[<uint>]
Number of stop bits, 1 or 2. Default is 1.
[<uint>]
Parity: 0 = none, 1 = odd, 2 = even. Default is none.
◆ HINT: For serial-only control, put the serialPort command into a text file,
and use the file based control feature to perform the commands in this file
(see “File-based Control” on page 167).
176
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
Feedback
The WATCHOUT cluster master send feedback messages to the controller.
Note that the controller must be prepared to receive such messages at any time
– not only as a direct response to particular commands.
Most commands execute silently, unless an error occurs. Use the command ID
tagging feature to force commands to be positively acknowledged, if desired
(see “Command ID Tagging” on page 182). When using command ID
tagging, any feedback message sent as a direct response to a command will
be tagged by that command ID, and will be sent to the sender of that
command.
Any spontaneous feedback message (ie, not directly associated with a particular command) will be sent to the most recently connected or authenticated
controller.
Ready
Sent once when becomes ready after being busy (as indicated by one or more
Busy messages). Also sent as response to the “ping” command.
Ready “2.0” “WATCHPOINT” “Windows” true
Feedback Parameter
Description
<string>
The version of the program.
<string>
The name of the program.
<string>
The name of the computer/OS.
<bool>
License key is up to date.
[<string>]
Address of originator (empty or omitted if originating from the master).
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
177
Sent repeatedly while busy doing lengthy tasks, such as downloading or
caching files.
Busy
Busy “Transferring” “Media/Wilfred.jpg” 76
Note that either or both string parameters may be empty, in which case the
controller should retain the previous values for these parameters and just
update the progress value.
Feedback Parameter
Description
<string>
What is being done (eg, “Transferring”). May be empty string.
<string>
The subject of the above action (eg, a file name). May be empty string.
<uint>
Percentage done so far, 0...100
[<string>]
Address of originator (empty or omitted if originating from the master).
178
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
Sent when any error occurs, either as a direct result of a command, or for any
other reason.
Error
Feedback Parameter
Description
<uint>
Error kind:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Operating system error (eg, Win HRESULT).
QuickTime error (Mac OSErr style).
Rendering API error (eg, DirectX).
Network errors (eg, WinSock).
File server error (ie, file not found in attempted download).
Syntax/parser error (eg, when loading a specification file).
General runtime error – described by string.
Authentication error.
<int> or <string>
Error number or description string. May be zero.
<string>
Excuse or explanation, may be empty string.
[<string>]
Address of originator (empty or omitted if originating from the master).
Operating System Error
Indicates a generic operating system error from the host’s OS. Under
Windows, this is a HRESULT that indicates failure, with the error code included
as the second parameter (possibly decoded into an error message string). The
third parameter may provide additional information.
QuickTime Error
Similar to the Operating System Error, but originating from QuickTime.
Treated separately from the OS errors since the QT errors use MacOS style
error codes even under Windows. This kind of error typically originates from
still image files, or from sound and video files as they are opened or played.
The third parameter generally contains the name of the offending media file.
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
179
Rendering API Error
Error occurred specifically related to rendering. This is similar to other operating system errors, except that you also know that it occurred while rendering.
Sometimes, rendering errors occur due to display card driver issues, video
memory or other hardware resource limitations.
Network Error
Error occurred specifically related to network communication. This is similar to
other operating system errors, except that you also know that it occurred
specifically while using the network. Sometimes, network errors are caused by
network interface hardware or driver issues, the computer’s network configuration, or problems on the network itself (eg, a bad cable/hub or incorrectly
configured router).
File Server Error
Error occurred when attempting to get a file from the media file server. The
error number the same as those listed for the first Reply parameter in the File
Transfer group. The Excuse string is typically the name of the required file.
Syntax/Parser Error
General Runtime Error
180
Indicates an error that occurred when reading structured data (eg, a show
specification file). Error code and excuse vary with the nature of the error.
Other errors, not covered by any of the above cases. Always described further
by a string as the second parameter, as well as further information in the third
parameter (optional).
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
Authentication Error
The second parameter gives further details:
Value
Description
1
You have no authority.
2
Your authority is insufficient for this command.
3
In use by another Programmer.
4
Authentication challenge/response sequence failed.
5
Invalid authentication level.
6
Authentication level not allowed for port.
7
Command not allowed in read-only mode.
The third parameter may provide additional context information. Eg, in the
case of being in use by another controller, it may provide information to identify that controller – such as its address.
Warning
Sent when a non-critical error occurs.
Warning “Low Memory: Primary Video 960 KB“
Feedback Parameter
Description
<string>
The warning message, as a quoted string.
[<string>]
Address of originator (empty or omitted if originating from the master).
Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
181
Information
Sent to convey some general information.
Feedback Parameter
Description
<string>
The information message, as a quoted string.
[<string>]
Address of originator (empty or omitted if originating from the master).
A Reply feedback message is sent as a direct response to a query command
(eg, getStatus, page 175). Use a command ID to positively associate the reply
with the command.
Reply
The format of the reply parameter(s) depends on the command that caused the
reply to be sent.
Quit
Sent when the application is about to quit (either due to a keyboard or other
command). This message has no parameters.
Command ID Tagging
Commands may optionally be preceded by a command ID. This is any
sequence of characters enclosed in square brackets. When used, at least one
explicit reply is always sent for each command. The reply is then also tagged
with the same ID:
[23]ping
[23]Ready “2.0” “WATCHPOINT” “Windows” true
Use this feature if you want positive confirmation of commands, or to explicitly
associate a feedback message with a command.
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Appendix E: Display Cluster Protocol
Index
A
acceleration 63
adding a control cue 114
adding a display 100
adding a media proxy 104
Adobe After Effects 37
alpha channel 33, 38, 106
anchor point 61
anchor point, in images 92
anti-aliasing 35
audio see sound
Autodesk Cleaner 37
AVI 35
B
Background Color command 100
base framerate 91
Best Quality command 101
C
cache folder 66
CachedFiles 66
Clear command 96
cluster control protocol 167
codec 38
command file 167
conditional layers, preview of 102
Consolidate command 89
control cue 114
Copy command 96
CRT projector 151
cue 12, 52, 121
adding 75, 121
control 114
cutting 122
deleting 122
duration 55, 123
media position 122
pasting 122
pause 56
positioning 121
replacing media 54, 123
selecting 121
specifications 55, 124
tween track 57, 128
Cut command 96
D
DA (distribution amplifier) 19
deinterlace
live video 110
Index
183
display 117
adding 47, 73, 100, 117
address 118
address prefix, in preferences 91
arranging 47
CRT 151
duplicating 117
DVI 155
installing 17
LCD 153
name 118
online 102
positioning 117
removing 117
selecting 117
specifications 118
stage position 119
display computer 9
connecting to 65
quitting WATCHOUT 65
distribution amplifier 154
DLP projector 152
DV 35
DV video format 39
DVI connector 155
E
edge-blend, disabling for layers 93
184
Index
edit menu 96
Ethernet 16
external control 69
F
file menu 87
find and replace 98
Find command 134
Find/Replace Again command 99
Find/Replace command 98
folder, in media window 112
framerate 91
free running 126
function keys 134
H
high definition video 35
hub 16
I
in-time 126
IP address 26
J
jump button 75
jumping, in presentation 67
L
layer 54
changing height 76
collapse 74
condition 77
current 75
deleting 114
disabling preview of 76
inserting 114
renaming 114
selecting 75
settings 76, 114
LCD display 153
LCD projector 153
license key 16
live video 109, 110
live video input 18
loop 126
looping 67, 133
M
Masked by Displays command 101
media 12, 49
adding 49, 78
changing file association 50, 79
changing path to files 98
downloading files 66
dragging to stage 73
editing file 50, 80
locating file 79
opening original 80
positioning 73, 122
proxy 51, 80, 104
purging unused 50
refreshing 50, 80, 113
removing 79
selecting unused 113
window 78
menu
edit 96
file 87
media 104
stage 100
timeline 114
tween 116
message 81
removing 81
MOV file format 35
Index
185
movie 35
assembling individual frames 37
audio embedded in 44
computer generated 36
pre-splitting 40, 105
moving along a path 131
MPEG-1 35, 38
MPEG-2 39
N
network 9
connecting 16
control 163, 167
requirements 136
New Folder command 112
O
online 65
Online command 102
opacity 33, 38, 60
opacity tweening 129
Open command 88
Outline Dimmed Images command 101
P
Paste command 96
pause cue 56
play 75
PNG image files 39
186
Index
position
animating 62
editing 62
moving along a path 63, 64
tweening of 131
preferences 91
pre-roll 125
presentation
controlling 69
looping 67
making new 87
manual control of 67
opening 88
saving 88
pre-splitting large movies 40
Preview Options command 101
Preview Scale command 100
Preview Stand-By Layers command 102
production computer 8
control protocol 163
progressive video 35
projection screen 17
projector
CRT 151
DLP 152
LCD 153
protocol 163, 167
proxy 51, 80, 104
Q
QuickFind 134
QuickTime
file formats 32
installing 15
obtaining 15
R
Refresh Media command 80, 113
remote computer 107
rotation tweening 132
S
Save a Copy command 88
Save command 88
scale tweening 130
scaling 60
Select All command 96
Select to End command 96
Select Unused command 113
serial control 69, 92
sound
file formats 43
installing 18
multi-channel 18, 43
producing 43
settings 29
Specifications command 97
speed of motion 63
stage
adding displays 73
adding media 73
background color 100
online 102
outline dimmed images 101
positioning displays 119
positioning media preview 53, 73
preview 100
preview quality 101, 126
updating 67, 103
wireframe preview 101
stage menu 100
stage window 12, 47, 73
still image
formats 32
producing 32
sun icon, in layer header 76
T
TCP/IP network 163, 167
text, using in presentation 34
Thumbnails command 101
time scale, adjusting 74
Index
187
timeline 12, 52
adding cues to 52, 75
jump button 75
layer 54
playing 75
settings 115
starting 75
window 74
timeline menu 114
Timeline Settings command 115
transparency
pre-multiplied, straight 106
transparency see opacity
triangle, in layer header 74
tween menu 116
tween point 58
copying 58
corner 58
editing numerically 59
removing 58
smooth 58
tween track 12, 57, 128
adding points to 58
opacity 60
position 62
rotation 61
scale 60
stretching 58
volume 60
188
Index
U
Undo command 96
Update command 103
USB port 16
V
velocity 63
VGA connector 147, 154
Video as Thumbnails command 101
video distribution amplifier 19
video see movie
VNC 107
volume 60
volume tweening 129
W
WATCHOUT
desktop window 72
installing 15
obtaining 15
screenshot 13
system overview 8
window
manipulating 72
media 78
message 81
minimizing 72
overview 71
stage 73
timeline 74
Windows Media 9 35
Windows XP 22, 145
Wireframes command 101
WMV file format 35
Index
189