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Author Topic: Dolby DSP100 Show Player stops suddenly whilst playing trailer Peter Foyster Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: ROLEYSTONE WESTERN AUSTRALIA Registered: Aug 2016 posted 01-19-2018 11:08 PM                     I am still using the DSS/DSP 100, for the most part, successfully. There has been one occasion in the 3 seasons I have been running the cinema, when, last year, a trailer, provided by the Distributor as a download, caused the player to stop. This was verified by the fact that it happened three times at the same spot on the trailer. Removing the trailer sorted it. I have had no more problems until two nights ago. Being unable to obtain a trailer for STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI from the local Deluxe film exchange, I downloaded a HD trailer from “Dave’s Trailer Page”, converted it to a DCP and successfully screened it for the past couple of weeks to promote the movie which I will be screening next weekend. On Thursday I was able to obtain the theatrical trailer, ingested it and commenced testing. About halfway through, the Show Player stopped and a connection error came up. A reboot and a manual stop on the player resumed the connection and I was able to successfully test the rest of the weekend’s shows. Not wanting to take any chances, and with a screening looming the next night, I substituted the trailer that I had made. During the show, the player stopped towards the end of the trailer that had successfully worked for the past couple of weeks. Again, after a reboot and a manual start, the Show continued without further problems. A test of that part of the show after the screening confirmed that it was, indeed, the trailer that caused the issue. Without getting into a discussion as to the obsolete Show Player/ Show Store’s suitability as a doorstop/sea anchor, I am curious as to why, after all this time, two trailers simultaneously caused a problem, and even more curious as to why it involves somewhat related trailers (although not the same versions). Whilst I can accept coincidences, I have the distinct feeling that there is a connection here somewhere. Is it possible that files from one or both trailers somehow interacted with each other or is there a simpler explanation? My next test would be to play each trailer separately, confirming that they both cause the player to stop, delete the trailers from the server and re-ingest the official one, to see if the problem is still there. It would be a relief, however, if a logical explanation could be provided to put my mind at ease.(well not really at ease; just one less thing to worry about!)  |  IP: Logged Stephan Shelley Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 854 From: castro valley, CA, usa Registered: Nov 2014 posted 01-19-2018 11:40 PM                     After it stopped playing did the DSP display anything like connecting or searching for show store. Also look at the disk activity lights on the front of the DSS and see if at the time it stops playing one light is staying green. It is possible you have a bad sector(s) and it is trying to fix the issue. Check the realocated sectors for the drives in system-theatre devices-show store. You can also download the logs and take them to the log analyzer and it will show the smart errors as well.  |  IP: Logged Peter Foyster Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: ROLEYSTONE WESTERN AUSTRALIA Registered: Aug 2016 posted 01-20-2018 12:52 AM                     Thanks Stephan I did check the state of the raid after the first issue and everything checked out. The nature of the problem suggests to me that content is to blame rather than the Show Store or Player being at fault. As I said, I had a similar problem before that occurred only on a particular trailer and it went away after the trailer was removed.  |  IP: Logged Stephan Shelley Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 854 From: castro valley, CA, usa Registered: Nov 2014 posted 01-20-2018 02:43 AM                     Okay but a bad section of a disk could do the same thing. I had a DSS200 that the movie would freeze for about 20 or 30 seconds in the same spot and no reallocated sectors and no smart errors. Only way I caught the problem is I looked down at the disk lights and the bad disk was solid green the entire time the movie was frozen. The other 3 were normal.Replaced the disk and all was well. I have two DSS/DSP 100s in service here at the Grand Lake. They are on our two 3D houses. I like that you can switch between dual projector and single projector from the menu on the DSP. One of the 3D houses is our main and largest house. Both are dual projector 3D. Other than the usual disk drive issues I have had to replace several motherboards.  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 01-20-2018 05:50 AM                     Peter, Unfortunately a "healthy" RAID does not mean that one drive is slowly failing in the background. Despite being a HW RAID, a single drive can and will stop the whole RAID just enough to crash the whole thing. Check the reallocated sector number for each drive - anything more than zero should flag a warning in your head! - and check the SMART data on the logs. Once drives have been removed from the equation you can check the software: which version are you running?  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-20-2018 11:28 AM                        I had a similar problem just before Christmas. No reallocated sectors on any of the drives, and the SMART parameters were all OK on all the drives. A clean reinstall of the software (4.7.8.7) fixed the problem. You'll need to ask Dolby for the clean install (as distinct from upgrade) ISO if you want to try that. Gotcha alert: if you do this, the clean installer does not ask you a "Do you really want to do this?" question. As soon as it starts to boot, it's unstoppable. So if you're not sure of your configuration settings, run the config script and make a note of what they are first, and ensure that you have external copies of all the DCPs and KDMs needed to reingest.  |  IP: Logged Stephan Shelley Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 854 From: castro valley, CA, usa Registered: Nov 2014 posted 01-20-2018 01:24 PM                     In addition to what Leo says all automation cues will be gone and all builtup shows and templates if you use them. You can backup serial automation cues with the serial script.  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 01-20-2018 01:54 PM                     I wouldn't consider a reinstall just yet. That should be the last option.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-20-2018 02:51 PM                        Backing up automation cues can only be done on version 4.9 or later, and the DSS100 can't run it - the final version it will run (without hacking) is 4.7. The one I clean installed was connected to a 200 that was acting as its TMS, so after the config settings were restored, it downloaded everything it needed through the LAN. Good point - if this is a standalone server, all content, SPLs, cues and configuration settings will need to be put back manually.  |  IP: Logged Stephan Shelley Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 854 From: castro valley, CA, usa Registered: Nov 2014 posted 01-20-2018 03:02 PM                     The "serial" script goes way back before 4.7.X You run it like you do the config script or unconfig script. It is a login followed by the usual password. It is just for the serial cues if you use them.  |  IP: Logged Peter Foyster Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: ROLEYSTONE WESTERN AUSTRALIA Registered: Aug 2016 posted 01-20-2018 07:23 PM                     Thanks Guys, With the offending trailer removed the show ran perfectly last night. I would have to check the version but its not all that recent. I have purchased a used Doremi server which will be installed at the end of the season in April so I just need to get through the next couple of months. I would still like to hear anyone's view on whether content can cause these kinds of issues, or at least debunk the theory completely.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 01-20-2018 09:24 PM                        I have had a couple of occasions where a bad spot on a hard drive causes the movie to stutter. Every time the fix has been to send in the log and replace one of the hard drives after the service folks tell me which one is the bad one. If your content is saved on the bad spot, then that's where the problem will occur. Your trailer is probably saved on the bad spot. If you were to delete it, then load that trailer again the problem will likely show up somewhere else.  |  IP: Logged Peter Foyster Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: ROLEYSTONE WESTERN AUSTRALIA Registered: Aug 2016 posted 01-20-2018 09:57 PM                     I guess for the moment I should leave the 2 trailers loaded. I will have to delete the features that I have screened recently to provide space for more. Does loaded content remain in the same place on the drive and new content just overwrite the space marked as deleted when content is removed? If the trailers that caused the stoppage remain then perhaps the problem sectors will not be accessed. It is still a mystery as to why it has taken over 12 months for this issue to reappear and why it should be on 2 Star Wars trailers, loaded at different times.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 01-21-2018 06:00 PM                     Do you have any idea how old these drives are? Maybe it's time to replace them. Where and when such issues occur is completely random. If the reason is actually bad sectors, you can not predict when certain content is placed on these disc areas. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Peter Foyster Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: ROLEYSTONE WESTERN AUSTRALIA Registered: Aug 2016 posted 01-22-2018 04:00 AM                     Well they would be the original drives, except for one which I replaced last year. The new one showed 7 crook sectors from the start but didn't seem to present a problem until recently when the drives were filled to near capacity. I guess I should replace the replacement first and see if that cures the problem. The thing is that it is getting harder to get one of the "Dolby Server qualified" hard drives as many are now obsolete. If I can get through the next couple of months I will be replacing the server so don't want to throw too much money at something that will be dumped anyway. If I did decide to replace all the drives, how long would I need to leave a drive before changing the next one? I assume that by changing one at a time over a longer period it would obviate the need for re-installing the software and losing the existing content. For the moment I will test run each piece of content ingested to make sure it is going to run. If I delete a couple of features to make room for more, would further content be unable to fill that space on the drive or could the offending piece of content theoretically be moved to another location on the drives in the process? I was hoping that by leaving the trailers they would prevent other content from being saved in that location on the drive. I should add that I have been leaving the server on all the time, rather than re-booting every night as was the case previously.I have had to reboot a couple of times in order to get the connection back when it stopped on a piece of content.  |  IP: Logged

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