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Author Topic: GDC Cue fails to fire Dave Young Film Handler Posts: 19 From: New Bedford, ma Registered: Jul 2014 posted 04-04-2015 07:18 AM                        This is a "have you seen this" kind of question. At a location, I'd set up a new device and cue on each GDC system. In a test playlist, the cues fire 100% of the time. In a production playlist, the cues are failing to fire almost 100% of the time. I've been attaching them to video clips. I've been attaching the cues in production instead of to an MOS. That's pretty much the only difference. This is one of those rare illogical cases of "works while I'm there" and that doesn't sit will with me AT ALL. Any thoughts?  |  IP: Logged Nguyen Jack Film Handler Posts: 93 From: Singapore Registered: Mar 2013 posted 04-04-2015 10:29 AM                     What is the new device ?  |  IP: Logged Harold Hallikainen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 906 From: Denver, CO, USA Registered: Aug 2009 posted 04-04-2015 10:58 AM                        Time for WireShark? I do know that GDC sets up a TCP connection to a device and leaves it open. Sometimes the first cue of a day can be missed because the command is sent right after the connection is set up. On this "miss 100% of cues," I wonder if you're hitting some limit as to how many sockets can be open at once. Summarizing, I don't really know what the problem is, but if I were debugging it, I'd use WireShark. Good luck! Harold  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 04-04-2015 01:59 PM                     Try this with GDC...double fire all cues. that is, fire the same cue twice in a row...there is no penalty for that. Harold is correct that GDC opens a port and LEAVES it open and often the very first cue that opens the port is a sacrificial cue that opens the port...double-firing cues will take care of that. I normally space my cues apart with a wait...depending on the device, I might space a cue out by a second. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I prefer a dedicated automation...missed cues are VERY rare for us (pretty much nonexistent). Now, on any server, we normally recommend that all cues reside on a "house" CPL like a blank or policy strip...the exception being the "CREDITS" cue since that HAS to be in the feature. In this way, they can set up templates and just adjust Ads, Trailers and Feature without having to recue everything...just the Credits.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 04-04-2015 03:44 PM                        It may just be that you're not sending the right name to the GDC. If you're sending cues from an external source, you need to make sure the name is exactly the same as on the GDC. If your playlist is sending "Flat", but the GDC has "MPEG_FLAT" for the flat format, the GDC won't know what to do with the "Flat" cue.  |  IP: Logged Dave Young Film Handler Posts: 19 From: New Bedford, ma Registered: Jul 2014 posted 04-04-2015 09:19 PM                        I'll try the double fire. I can execute the cue manually in the control panel and it works. I also added the cue to a house CPL (MOS). I added some logging to my listening device and see lots of connections but not any socket closes!  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-05-2015 10:23 PM                     If these are the first cues of the day then this is a known issue with certain outboard pieces of ancillary gear. In short, power up all ancillary gear firsthand and then the server so they can handshake. Also be sure your firmware is at the latest build for your model server. I have close to 240 GDC servers I look after and cue problems are so far down the list as to be non existent. Mark  |  IP: Logged Dave Young Film Handler Posts: 19 From: New Bedford, ma Registered: Jul 2014 posted 04-05-2015 10:36 PM                        Quick update. I dug through my logs and saw socket connection at exactly the right times. I had been seeing them come in from a single IP so suspected a single rogue server but it was a false positive. I modified the logging to track open sockets and saw that each attempt was leaving a socket open. I had a chance to scoot over to the theater and modify the device to add a CRLF. On the next cue attempt, things worked perfectly. So tomorrow I will modify the others to just add a CRLF On the device and I suspect that will fix the "problem". If it doesn't, I'll double-fire the cue in each action needed. I'm very glad the puzzle is sorting itself out. Hate illogical clues!  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 04-06-2015 05:57 AM                     Again, the GDC automation feature DOES leave the socket open...always...there is no choice in it. It would have been nice if it was a choice. On some older devices like the JSD80 or CP650...there is just the one port to open so if the server (or any device) grabs ahold of it...you are locked out from any other device. The CR/LF thing could help some things though it won't help leaving the socket open. Though if you precede your cue with a CR/LF you can help since the CR/LF will open the socket. I've found that When the Dolby server fires its first serial cue after wake-up that cue can be missed (at least to an eCNA automation)...but if there is a CR/LF preceding the cue (just put an /0D/0A in the cue that is firing), then that does the handshake and doesn't compromise the cue at all.  |  IP: Logged Harold Hallikainen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 906 From: Denver, CO, USA Registered: Aug 2009 posted 04-06-2015 07:53 AM                        Does most stuff require CRLF, or just CR? Everything I designed just uses CR as a terminator. And, I believe the escape sequence should use a back slash (ie \0D on Dolby for CR). Harold  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 04-06-2015 10:29 AM                     Yes...it should have been a black slash (\). It all depends on the device if they want an LF after the CR. In fact, I've seen all sorts of stuff use both a leading character as well as termination characters. Some, like Extron, don't use any delimiters...if the right sequence of characters show up...it does the command!  |  IP: Logged Dave Young Film Handler Posts: 19 From: New Bedford, ma Registered: Jul 2014 posted 04-06-2015 01:59 PM                        I've tried just adding a CRLF and it's spotty at best. Next I'll try adding the code to the beginning of the string and see how that goes  |  IP: Logged Dave Young Film Handler Posts: 19 From: New Bedford, ma Registered: Jul 2014 posted 04-06-2015 10:00 PM                        Guess which key is missing from the GDC touchscreen keyboard? Added an additional action with some dummy chars as in "init" and so far it seems to be working. Will run all day tomorrow and see.  |  IP: Logged Harold Hallikainen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 906 From: Denver, CO, USA Registered: Aug 2009 posted 04-06-2015 10:38 PM                        On the missing keys on the GDC touchscreen, luckily you can plug in a USB keyboard to get them. Harold  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-07-2015 01:37 PM                     Yea, you ALWAYS want a keyboard on a GDC server or any other for that matter. The touch screen is really for building up shows and operating the server.  |  IP: Logged

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