Problems with Video

[xrays911]

We added video to the Halloween show this year. Our show went live on September 23rd and we still have not gotten the bugs worked out.

Reading other posts it was suggested that we create all of our videos with avi format so as to avoid sizing issues. We had done so, but we are still running into troubles with the video (at times) displaying in a small windows mode rather than displaying in full screen mode. The majority of the time it does display full screen, but once every few songs it will not display full screen. This problem happens randomly (does not affect any particular song nor does it happen at a particular point within the show)

Original set-up on the PC that runs our show:

• PC is a desktop which has one video card with two ports. Projector plugged into one port and monitor plugged into the other
• The display was set up to "extend" not clone
• I had the video preferences with LOR set to display the video in full screen mode

I have been working with the LOR Help Desk. They felt that the issue was related to my video card so I switched the show over from my desktop PC to my laptop, but we encountered the same issue. They are now suggesting that I reformat all of my videos into a different format. Since this will take a lot of time to do all 28 I will likely not be able to accomplish this until the weekend if I am lucky.

 

Right now the best I can do is:

• Switched PC display to cloned mode
• Unchecked the box in video preferences for full screen mode so it will not attempt to use full screen mode
• When the show starts every night I grab the corner of the small video screen and stretch it so that it is almost full screen
• This sticks for the entire show, but must be repeated each night when the show starts

If anyone has incorporated video and has overcome these issues we would love to know what you did. Thanks everyone!

[WayneKremer]

xrays911,

 

I have had the same problem for 2 years now.  It is completely random when it happens.  I have all my videos in .mpg format, so you may want to avoid wasting your time re-encoding the videos.  There are a couple of issues with video (this being one of them) and the other of it displaying the small loading sequence window in-between sequences.  We have explained this problem over and over to LOR developers, but they say "that is just the way Windows behaves".  I say...no, that is not true.  I found that if a non-video sequence is played in-between video sequences, the problem magically goes away for the video sequence after the non-video sequence.  I even explained it in detail (to help them) for the developers to look into...and that was met with silence.

[Robert Burton]

So Wayne you had them in mp4?

I wonder if you just had a blank sequence run? Just 5 seconds of BLACK and then it goes to the next sequence with the video? Wayne do you think that would work???

[WayneKremer]

Rob, all my sequences are in .mpg (MPEG 1/2 video).  I did it that way only because this format puts very little strain on the CPU...which I would rather let the sequencing use.

Actually, I do think a blank sequence would work, but then I would have my audience waiting 5 seconds as well.  Maybe it can be 1 second.  Not sure.  Will have to try it out sometime.  Either way, it can and should be fixed.

[xrays911]

Rob, all my sequences are in .mpg (MPEG 1/2 video).  I did it that way only because this format puts very little strain on the CPU...which I would rather let the sequencing use.

Actually, I do think a blank sequence would work, but then I would have my audience waiting 5 seconds as well.  Maybe it can be 1 second.  Not sure.  Will have to try it out sometime.  Either way, it can and should be fixed.

Thanks for your response Wayne. I was wondering how you are working around this issue since it does not appear that there will be a software fix anytime soon. Do you do what I do, which is expand the 1st video of the night every night or do you just deal with some of your videos displaying small? I was seeing the issue once every 4-8 songs so it was quite annoying yet I am wondering what to do on the nights I can't be here when the show starts.

[WayneKremer]

I don't seem to have the problem every 4 to 8 songs.  Instead, it seems to occur randomly, but only about once/twice a night.  Otherwise, I haven't found a work around.

[Marshall Rice]

Wayne,

 

Did you ever find a solution for this problem.  I switched to S3 this year and everything is working great RGB E1.31, but low and behold my videos keep playing in the small window I didn't expect this problem after this long a time.  Any help would be appreciated.

[WayneKremer]

Marshall, I haven't fired up my show for the year, but really hope the problem is minimal.  I'm not sure what could be causing the small windows.  Did you try maximizing the small video window?

[Marshall Rice]

Sometimes clicking it will maximize it, but then it will shrink again on another element, or it locks up. In the past I had an NVidia card which automatically played windows media video out of it s-video port. But with all the RGB elements the old computer wasn't up to it anymore so I upgraded to a  much faster computer. Now everything runs great except the videos. I might have to drop the projections if I cant get this to work.

 

Thanks,

 

Marshall 

[WayneKremer]

Many times your video driver has an option in it that says "Run videos in full screen".  You want to be sure that is checked.