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Author Topic: Christie/Dolby automation confusion Jon P. Inghram Expert Film Handler Posts: 124 From: Wichita, KS USA Registered: Jan 2007 posted 04-23-2009 07:37 PM                     We've finally switched to digital, but our technicians are having a terrible time figuring out the automation. The servers are Dolby but the projectors and automation are Christie, CP2000ZXs and ACTs respectively. The only automation functions they've managed to get working is controlling the CP650 over ethernet. The projector is hooked up to the server through an ethernet switch, but when I read the manual for the CP2000ZX it doesn't appear that it has an automation interface over ethernet, just RS-232. The ACT is connected to the server via RS-232 which they apparently cannot figure out. I did get the theater lighting and masking cues working myself the other day (I can RTFM) but they've got a bit of a "don't touch anything, you're just a projectionist" attitude so I has to undo my fixes without telling them. Does anyone have any hints I might be able to pass along covertly without wounding their egos?  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 04-23-2009 07:50 PM                     Yes the projectors can receive serial commands via ethernet. I haven't bothered with the ACT since it is such a basic, and therefore restrictive, automation...but since it was designed with d-cinema in mind, it has to be able to send serial strings via ethernet. It could be as simple as they may have forgotten to program the ACT to send the strings to a particular IP, that they may have also forgotten to assign to the projector. Its also possible they didn't program the ACT to "login" to the projector before trying to send the serial string. They are different between projectors.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 04-23-2009 07:57 PM                     If they got the Projector Ethernet settings right...and installed the Dolby server right...when both the Dolby server and the CP2000ZX are connected to the "Auditorium" switch (and after rebooting the server)...the Dolby server should populate the "cues" with every "channel" that is configured in the CP2000ZX. Steve  |  IP: Logged Jon P. Inghram Expert Film Handler Posts: 124 From: Wichita, KS USA Registered: Jan 2007 posted 04-23-2009 08:20 PM                     The projector control cues do show up, but they don't work. The ACTs can send and receive commands over ethernet, but they don't have them hooked up to the auditorium network.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-23-2009 08:45 PM                     Thats an easy one. They have not set the NETWORK LOG ON parameter under the admin tab, then somewhere on a lower tab I believe, network perhaps. If this is not set to the correct setting(three to choose from) then the default is that the server has to be able to log onto the projector each time it has to send a command... and the server can't log on!!! So this control loop has to be left open at all times. Also there are actually two of these to choose from at two different areas of the ZX software. The other one is for the projector log in password and if you shut that off the CDP is always left in an open state and anyone can access the projector settings....(really bad!!!) BTW: There is a script I have for the act that makes it function just like the NA-10 does. It's all that 98% of theaters out there will ever require. If you need it just shoot me an e-mail. P.S., Your guys don't sound too competant to me and I'm pretty sure they are the ones we beat out of a couple of quotes over in Kansas!! If they haven't given you the projector log on password just shoot me an e-mail... wouldn't it be nice to teach them a thing or two in the morning! In the not so distant past at least a couple of competant booth people I associate with have had past IT experience and they taught be a few tricks of the trade that I have been ever grateful for.... Hope this helps, Mark @ CLACO P.S. Steve... Thats my one gripe about the Christie projectors... ALL of the channels show up in the Dolby cue list. There is no way I know of to actually deactivate channels or better yet pages of channels. I think I tried leaving a bunch of them blank once but they won't take in the memory and I had to use N/A instead. I could easily live with one page of channels at all of my locations.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 04-23-2009 09:23 PM                     Mark, not to rain on your parade or anything, but I doubt the guys installing are incompetent. To my understanding, there doesn't exist a good ACT manual, and it as you know it only takes one tiny little thing to be setup wrong and the entire automation won't communicate. This is probably their first install with the ACT. Cut the guys a little slack. Everyone has to learn sometime. If you do have a script to help the ACT people, you should consider submitting it formally so we can share it with the masses.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 04-24-2009 06:46 AM                     Mark, I've had success in just erasing the names of the channels and that kept them from showing up on the cue list. In fact, I normally only have a handful of channels active. Works for me. Steve  |  IP: Logged James B Gardiner Film Handler Posts: 91 From: North Altona, Victoria, Ausrtalia Registered: Feb 2009 posted 04-24-2009 09:00 AM                     On my installs, we came up with a standard set of channel names that we use on all locations. Its all you really need, otherwise it starts getting to custom per screen. But you then custom it up as rerly required (At hour rate extra). But then again we use our own automation systems that has a scripting language. its pretty cool as it can re-use older automation systems already installed or work in conjuration with a film system still in use, while not interfering with it. Its all based on a touch screen computer that automatically configures itself based on the scripting language. Can attach to it from any web browser. Its also very fast. Christie interface stuff is horrible. (And amazingly slow) Does a lot of other stuff, but I am not suppose to talk about it James  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-24-2009 09:10 AM                     I'll try it again Steve. Have a bunch going in the next few weeks. We are pushing them to just put seomthing into the TPC/CDP software that allows one to just shut off entire pages of channels. I wonder if anyone has ever used all those channels!! James, One thing I wouldn't want to do is re-use very much of the old automation we have around here!! Alot of it is absolute crap!!! You guys probably don't have High Tech and Raven Automations down under though... Even some of the well known brand new automations are now highly un-reliable because of the removal of cadmium from the contacts and microswitches. Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 04-24-2009 10:12 AM                     I think there definitely needs to be an equivalent of a Basic and Expanded list. That is...for our "basic" customers...just a handful will do it...Flat/Scope in 2D or 3D and maybe a couple extras for special events. For our non-traditional cinemas...then I do need more than just that, for sure. Steve  |  IP: Logged Jon P. Inghram Expert Film Handler Posts: 124 From: Wichita, KS USA Registered: Jan 2007 posted 04-24-2009 03:28 PM                     They came in this morning and tried some more to get the serial communication working between the server and the ACT. After some gentle coercion ("Hmm, I wonder if you try this instead...") I managed to show them how to get the cues working. I mentioned the script to make it act like a NA-10 and they didn't seem interested, oh well. Also mentioned the setting on the projector to open the ethernet connection and they went "I thought we were forgetting something!" Now we've got automation working, yay! Thanks for the help!  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-25-2009 09:12 AM                     Jon, Glad you got things going! I suspect they don't even know what an NA-10 is or does... Steve... I think a page by page "on-off" would be adaquate to have. I think you could fit just about all current d-Cinema and video standards in about a page and a half of projector channels. Mark  |  IP: Logged James B Gardiner Film Handler Posts: 91 From: North Altona, Victoria, Ausrtalia Registered: Feb 2009 posted 04-29-2009 08:19 AM                     Mark, We support Panamation and are doing CA21/pennywise now. And, yes, we cannot support the TOO old type system. But really, why rip out what works and replace ($$), and also cost the screen an extra do or so to re-wire. ($$) Plus, you can run the old with the new while the staff re-learn. The old Automation just acts like a external serial controlled contact closure device. You need one anyway. James  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 07-04-2014 09:19 PM                 It has been 1892 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-04-2014 09:19 PM                     Here is an oldie... We just took over the service of two different theatres that have the Christie ACT installed. One of them...it was put in in 2009 and is running on firmware 1.x. The server is Dolby. What is puzzling me is on the Dolby server, they are using serial commands of /31 to call serial #1, /32 to call serial #2...and so forth. Looking inside the ACT...where the serial commands should be interpreted (they didn't use libraries on this one) Editor>Scripts the "signal message" is just 1, 2, 3...etc. No "/3" in front of them. Does anyone know why this works? What is the "/3" all about as I see nothing in any documentation stating that it needs a leading character(s). The other site has "modern" software but was using a different servers that have been changed out to be consistent with their other sites (Dolby as well). So things are pretty open/flexible. Was there something about the older software or it is just dumb luck that it works and that the automation is only really concerned about the part that matched (which it shouldn't do).  |  IP: Logged

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