Server freezes and/or timeouts? NEC NP-NC900C-A

[Bill Seipel]

We run a NEC NP-NC900C-A projector.

The server software I am only breifly familiar with. I'm a computer programmer by trade but from trying to run the software over the weekend, I remember two things:

1. It seemed to be "web-based", inasmuch as the software ran a local web server and the application ran on what looks like a locally hosted web app.
2. I saw the world DOLBY in large letters. I think.

Long story short: We had a shareholders meeting and our projectionist couldn't make it, so she gave me a crash course on how to run it. She ingested the DCP and setup a quick 'scene'.

The issue was: I clicked 'Play' and nothing happened. Moved the mouse around and had to re-login. That went fine. Then I had to scroll the list of DCP's until I found it, then re-add it the scene.

THEN when I clicked PLAY, it finally played.

But this has happened before. The software either times out and you have to login again or ... something. I don't know. Is there a way to turn off the timer for the re-logins?


ALSO: Would love suggestions on how to program Blurays. Every "throwback" feature we show, the audience gets to see the bluray menu on the big screen and the projectionist click through the damn thing and it completely removes all the "movie magic" for me.

[Steve Guttag]

There are multiple answers here that I don't have the time to go through, at the moment.

The time out is setable (or it should be). Go to Administration>Control Panel>Account Manager. From there you can set the time out based on the account login.

To show a movie, it has to be selected (opened) in Editor. So, if a show is created, you must FIRST go to EDITOR. Open the show (so it is on the right-hand column) THEN you can click on Playback (upper-right) to move to the playback screen and hit play. Nowhere on the playback screen does it tell you what will or won't play when you hit play...it's a dumb UI design that they seem determined to never fix.

As to using HDMI sources...if you don't want to show the set up on screen, you'll need a preview monitor and a suitable system that will let you cue it up while sending the signal to the server still. This may be as simple as a distribution amplifier or as complex as an HDMI matrix switcher. How your equipment behaves with each other and what you want from your performances will dictate what is appropriate. There is no 1-size fits all.

[Marcel Birgelen]

The timeout is just a security feature, to avoid anybody messing with the show while it's playing. While it may be a good practice to have your booth doors locked from the outside, it's not always the case. Default passwords also are often in use.

Keep in mind that most DCI setups aren't really suitable for real-time presentations, they expect you to program a playlist containing all relevant elements for a show and once the show starts, it should be a hands-off approach. If you want to play short presentations on-command, then an external solution might be better suited.

As for the BluRay presentation, there have been discussions on this forum about it numerous times. One avenue often taken is to create a proper DCP (Digital Cinema Package) from the BluRay. This can be done on almost any somewhat beefy computer with a a BluRay player using tools like MakeMKV and DCP-o-Matic. A DCP version of the movie allows you to program it like you would program a normal feature, instead of messing around with preview screens or ugly menus on screen. The downside is that this requires some preparation, you can't just walk up to the booth with a BluRay and hit play.