Barco Series 4 software update release thread

[Leo Enticknap]

Thought it might be an idea to start one thread that we can add to, that lets us know when new versions are released, issues are discovered with existing ones, etc., rather than a separate thread for each release. To kick off, version 1.9.0 exists, but is not on the Barco website yet. I just installed a projector that shipped with it, manufactured in December 2024:

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I'm guessing that it'll be available for download soon.

1.8.13, with a release date of today, is the version currently available for download.

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[Steve Guttag]

I concur about the single thread to keep track of the updates. It looks like they are having to deal with the ICMP, mostly as well as the SP2K stuff. I suspect that your 1.9.0 is closer to a late-stage beta due to the specialness of your projector...a High Contrast, on a B-Frame that would have normally been on a "C" frame so they had to make all of those pieces work. Unlike Christie, when Barco does high Contrast, it isn't just a lens, it is the entire light path, plus the lens. One loses a lot of light to get up to 5000:1 on the HC projectors. I never put in a "P" projector but know that the "catseye" connector on the signal backplane is for it, since it has an iris for its light path.

[Elia Orselli]

Let's decide what to do: Barco just released 1.8.13

This version includes the ICMP Software 1.4.4.27 and ICP-D software 1.2.1.16 Bug fixes:

• ICMP/ICP-D: Fix some communication issue with satellites boards and DMD’s on SP2K-XX
• ICMP: Fix an API crash when selecting a show
• ICMP: Fix an issue on KDM deletion from system
• ICMP: Fix an issue where creating LUT-SCC using webcommunicator is rejected

[Steve Guttag]

Leo already published that. He also indicated, he has an unpublished 1.9.0 for is particular installation...so that is in the works.

[Elia Orselli]

I've read twice the first post, and always seen only 1.9.0 part... Sorry!

[Leo Enticknap]

1.9.1 is now on the website. 1.9.0 was never released due to bugs. 1.9.1 updates and fixes:

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[Steve Guttag]

Yeah...encryption...things that never cause issues!

[Elia Orselli]

Installed now on a test machine. Maybe it is just my perception, but the laser shutdown time seems longer than before, and during this time the system does not allow the Go to Eco Mode request.

[Steve Guttag]

This one is definitely going into the "if I don't see any benefits to the new features to the machine it is going on, I'll skip it" column. I don't have either of the specific projector categories.

[Steve Guttag]

It would appear that 1.9.3 has been released:

The ICMP version increased but the ICP-D version did not.

Release notes

Included versions

• This version includes the ICMP Software 1.4.4.29 and ICP-D software 1.2.1.16

New feature

• Add notification when ICMP storage space is used at more than 95% and 99%

Bug Fixes:

• Fix an issue where a High temperature warning message on Red laser was triggered too fast on SP2K-C
• Fix an issue where laser runtime was wrongly reported (60x higher than real value)
• Fix an issue where the CLO input field on configuration / light output / mode page was not easily accepting the new entry.
• Fix an issue where a software version mismatch was mentioned on LCB R7681224, R7681851, R76818511 in version 1.9.2
• ICMP: Fixed a possible crash when a TMS reads the loaded show details right after requesting a new show to be loaded into the player

Note

• The new encryption mechanism is bringing some limitation on the way to handle update, backup and restore
• Upgrade: need to install v1.8 first before to upgrade from v1.7 to v1.9
• Downgrade: need to install v1.8 first before to downgrade from v1.9 to v1.7
• Backup package generated in v1.7 can be restored on v1.8 but not on v1.9
• Backup package generated in v1.8 can be restored on V1.9 but not on v1.7
• Backup package generated in v1.9 can be restored on V1.8 but not on v1.7

[Steve Guttag]

Though no mention was made at CinemaCon, I see that Barco has pulled 1.9.x from release and is showing 1.8.13 as the current release version for S4 projectors.

[Elia Orselli]

Two days ago I was asked in a case if I was using 1.9.3 as it was the latest version... Things changes fast
Side question: do you receive automatic emails for Barco SW releases? I've subscribed to them, but I only get documentation updates

[Leo Enticknap]

Starting with the never released 1.9.0 that shipped with a new model of projector (SP4K-13BHC), I encountered a bug whereby the projector would occasionally freeze totally while executing a macro, and would require a hard power cycle (or "German reboot" as a politically incorrect boss of mine many years ago nicknamed the procedure) to unfreeze. Both the web UI and the touch panel on the machine were totally unresponsive, and holding down the power button on the CCB had no effect. Whatever had happened locked up the CCB completely. I reported this to Sacramento: they did the usual log checks and attempts to reproduce the fault at their end to rule out me doing something moronic as the cause, and then referred the issue to Kortrijk.

There was another bug with 1.9.0 whereby an IMS3000 would not marry to the projector. But that was fixed successfully in 1.9.1, and so given that this bug was never in a publicly released version, it's essentially a non-issue.

A few weeks later, 1.9.1 hit the streets. This time, the macro execution bug didn't manifest itself in the same way. The projector didn't become totally unresponsive, but, I would guess, on about one macro execution in five, the projector thought about it for around 30 seconds and then this happened:

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It didn't matter what macro I was trying to execute, and I could see no other obvious and consistent pattern as to when the bug presented and when it didn't. If I tried to execute the macro a second time, it usually, but not always, worked. But obviously, a projector in this state is unusable in an automated environment.

I experienced this with two projectors that I updated to 1.9.1. I rolled them both back to 1.8.13, and had no trouble with them after that, or for that matter, any other projector I look after running 1.8.13 (20-30 I service regularly, and a few more that I've installed, not touched since, but not received any reports of trouble from their owners).

When 1.9.3 came out, I didn't see any mention of a fix for this in the release notes. Therefore, I have not installed it on any of the projectors I look after, but left them on 1.8.13, which appears to be stable and trouble free. I don't intend to do any more Series 4 updating until a fix for this is announced, or a feature or another bug fix in a later version is absolutely necessary for that specific use case.

From my interactions with Barco, I'm convinced that they are working as hard and as fast as they can to resolve this, and would speculate that 1.9.3 has been pulled because they've found that this bug is proving trickier to fix than at first thought. The good news is that in the meantime, 1.8.13 appears to be solid and reliable, in both ICMP and ICP-D configurations.

[Leo Enticknap]

Just had to go on MyBarco to find a part number to order, and discovered that not only is 1.8.13 still the latest published version, but 1.9.1 and 1.9.3 have even been removed from the version history!

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IMHO, that's not sensible. The fact that these two versions were made available for public download, even if only briefly, means that there will be projectors in the field running them, even if not very many. I don't know if the macro execution bug was the only reason these versions were pulled, but Barco must consider that reason to be pretty serious to have done that, given that previous versions with significant bugs are still available (e.g. the four that were fixed in 1.8.13).

What they should have done (again, IMHO) is to include a note on the main download page stating that versions 1.9.1 and 1.9.3 have been withdrawn, and that anybody servicing a projector with them should downgrade to 1.8.13 (or, after the good 1.9.X version is published, upgrade to that). These versions should also be listed in the history, but without a download link, and as "Published 17 Jan 2025, withdrawn 4 Feb 2025" (for example).

[Steve Guttag]

What will likely happen is when 1.9.x gets a good version...in that release notes, the removed versions will be shown for what they contributed.

NEC's approach is probably better...when a version is removed from release, its download link is replaced with just text. So, you know of its existence and what it did but you can no longer obtain it (because there was a significant problem).