3 requests

Hi,
sorry another post.
1) When a layer is controlled by DMX it is sometimes handy to be able to control the layer directly in catalyst as well(currently if DMX is on layers can only be controlled by DMX) eithier with the mouse or by triggering a preset.

Could we have a preferences option to put layers into HTP/LTP mode please?

This way a designer (and I single out leo here) can use the mouse to try out different things, or presets could be triggered by another controller -midi commands, midi controller, jazz mutant or timecode for example. -I realise that most lighting desks can be triggered by midi or timecode but there are situations when having the above can be useful.

2) It would be handy to have DMX assignable opacity faders on each of the live inputs. if a live camera dies and it jumps around layers during a show there is no nice way of remotely killing the input.

3) It would also be handy to have x y z rotational controls on each of the live inputs, in addition to the colour effects that are already there.

4) I dont know how others feel about this but I think it would be really good if you could route a mix to a VLC udp multicast IP video stream. this way i could set the mix to monitor mix outputs or live inputs and view remotely at a production desk or control position on eithier a mac or pc laptop. -could also be used by designers at the production desk to monitor what is going on too.

-Right thats it.

Sorry Richard

Paul

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kiwi

Could we have a preferences option to put layers into HTP/LTP mode please?

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I loved this feature with Arkaos. In fact, there are quite a few Arkaos features I would love to see in Catalyst.

In this case, having an option to do away with the stacking order would be fantastic so that I could run a cuelist where layer 1 is triggered after layer 2 and shows up over layer 2.

I actually have more thoughts on this too.

Re manual & DMX control....
It would get horribly confusing from a programmer / operator point of view. Its usually sensible to keep all the programming in ONE place. Once you start programming a bit in catalyst, then a bit on the desk - it becomes a big mess.... in short - DMX OR Manual keep the programming in ONE place

With regard to the camera - the intensity is controlled by the layer - all you would have to do is fade down the layer and the 'dead' camera is gone.

Solution I use for live input at the production desk is to DA the source and send it down a loom. - VLC udp multicast IP video stream would be interesting!....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kiwi

...I think it would be really good if you could route a mix to a VLC udp multicast IP video stream

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Keep it simple. A better idea is to simply buy a VGA extender. For about $300 US you can buy a VGA over Cat5e Extender that you place in-line with your output. Then you run a 100m Cat5e cable and you have your remote viewing.

For $600 US you can also get a KVM extender and hook up a mouse and keyboard at the remote station as well. I personally do this so that I can access my Cat racks from FOH.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SourceChild

Keep it simple. A better idea is to simply buy a VGA extender. For about $300 US you can buy a VGA over Cat5e Extender that you place in-line with your output. Then you run a 100m Cat5e cable and you have your remote viewing.

For $600 US you can also get a KVM extender and hook up a mouse and keyboard at the remote station as well. I personally do this so that I can access my Cat racks from FOH.

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Yes, however the VLC option is cheaper and not really any more complex for an end user. also my runs of cat 5 often exceed that of a cat 5 extender and I often dont have enough infrastructure (tie lines) to do this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr_P

Re manual & DMX control....
It would get horribly confusing from a programmer / operator point of view. Its usually sensible to keep all the programming in ONE place. Once you start programming a bit in catalyst, then a bit on the desk - it becomes a big mess.... in short - DMX OR Manual keep the programming in ONE place

With regard to the camera - the intensity is controlled by the layer - all you would have to do is fade down the layer and the 'dead' camera is gone.

Solution I use for live input at the production desk is to DA the source and send it down a loom. - VLC udp multicast IP video stream would be interesting!....

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I agree that it is best to keep programming in one place, however I also think that there should be flexability. There are applications when having control from different sources is very useful -busking a live show for example.

As for the camera, you are correct, you can just fade out the layer providing the camera always appears on the same layer in each cue. For my show it jumps between 3 different layers (on purpose) and sometimes appears on muliple layers. having an opacity control pre layer would enable me to fade this live input out in one place.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SourceChild

I loved this feature with Arkaos. In fact, there are quite a few Arkaos features I would love to see in Catalyst.

In this case, having an option to do away with the stacking order would be fantastic so that I could run a cuelist where layer 1 is triggered after layer 2 and shows up over layer 2.

I actually have more thoughts on this too.

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I wasn't actually suggesting doing away with the stacking order, I was reffering to layer behaviour (highest takes presendence/latest takes presedence) when controlling layers in multiple ways.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kiwi

Yes, however the VLC option is cheaper and not really any more complex for an end user.

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I was referring to the complexity within Catalyst. Some users have utilized the Apple Remote Desktop to view Catalyst machines at remote distances.

The issue is that you would never want to do something like this in a show environment as it creates instability to operation. Also, don't forget that any additional IP traffic can cause limitations and sync problems when trying to sync two or more Catalyst machines together.

Realize that most of my concerns are from two of three year old discussions from the HES message board from V3 on G5s. I don't believe anyone has done any current testing so the issues might not be present anymore.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kiwi

I wasn't actually suggesting doing away with the stacking order, I was referring to layer behaviour (highest takes precedence/latest takes precedence) when controlling layers in multiple ways.

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I think I follow you on this. More often than not, I'll put a stack of four layers on four faders. Having the ability to make the two highest intensity layers override the playback function of the two lower would mean that if I accidentally bump fader 1 above 0% then it won't compromise playback on layer 3 and 4 on machines with slower hard disks. (Intensity trigger mode).

As for LTP, There are several VJ programs that allow you to trigger one video for playback and then the second key press puts another layer always on top. Imagine if you have a motion back and an animated text over black. These are your two layers. The show is live and by the seat of your pants. You throw the motion back into layer 8 and you quickly need the motion text to come up but 8 is the highest in the stack so you put it in layer 7. By LTP, I mean that if I trigger a intensity above zero then the latest would run in the highest order on the stack so that in this case the text would appear over the motion back.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SourceChild

I
The issue is that you would never want to do something like this in a show environment as it creates instability to operation. Also, don't forget that any additional IP traffic can cause limitations and sync problems when trying to sync two or more Catalyst machines together.

Realize that most of my concerns are from two of three year old discussions from the HES message board from V3 on G5s. I don't believe anyone has done any current testing so the issues might not be present anymore.

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I am actually using VLC and catalyst on the same machine for a show i'm doing at the moment, and I haven't had any problems. I'm using VLC to stream content to a PC and 2 pc laptops being used by actors onstage. The catalyst cuelist runs a preset and triggers an applescript to play VLC.

Using a dual core mac pro to do this and seems to work fine. ok I'm only running one layer of standard definition footage and I'm not trying to sync multiple machines together.

I too run a KVM extender to the prod desk, simply to view layer info and because some feature you cant do remotely, screen blends, user colour blends etc. My thought ith VLC was it could be a useful and cheap way of running in a monitor to view live inputs or an output without the need for cat5 extenders or scan converters.
Of course you would have to try this out in terms of performance, if you have alot going on then it might not be suitable, however other people might find it extreemly useful

Hey Paul,

I played with this yesterday a bit. I had quite a few tries before I got it right. I was able to run 4 layers of HD on a Catalyst Mac Pro using an SSD disk and Triple Head 2 Go edge blended. From a remote I could still use VLC to see the image. I did have a few hiccups. I'll let you know more when I know more.

In a theater where the Catalyst Machine never changes, I can see the value in this. I've been using VNC for years on PCs. In a touring or one off show environment however, I would only use this in pre-production but would still be concerned with the amount of time it would take to setup and troubleshoot.