3 requests

[SourceChild]

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

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.

[kiwi]

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.

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.

[SourceChild]

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

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.

[kiwi]

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.

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

[SourceChild]

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.