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Author Topic: Create/convert to DCP Carl Hetherington Film Handler Posts: 93 From: York, North Yorkshire, England Registered: Jul 2012 posted 01-11-2014 12:49 PM                        quote: Paul Maxon In the new version I can't find the option for certain cropping functions(like 16:9 inside scope). Select the aspect ratio of the image in the "video" tab, then the size of the container in the "DCP" tab. So for 16:9 inside scope, choose 16:9 in "video" and Scope in "DCP".  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-11-2014 12:55 PM                        quote: Paul Maxon If you have multiple computers on the same network, make sure you use the option to have other computers help with the rendering, makes it go sooo much faster. Could somebody put up a detailed description of how to set up a group of computers this way? We recently replaced 3 computers at my day job and I'm thinking I could put the retired machines to work on something like this.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 01-12-2014 10:25 AM                     Basically, you need to install the software on all machines you want to use. Together with the main DCP-o-matic software, a 'smaller' network client version is installed. You can put that into the autostart folder of the machines you want to use. It doesn't eat many resources when not in use, so you can just leave them there. You need to configure the network clients by indicating their IP numbers in the main application running as the master. Basically, you tell them which of your network machines are available under which IP address. One possible issue is that in most networks, machines have no static IP address, but get assigned a new address on every boot or every other week, depending on the router configuration. So you need to make sure the main application get's updated about these changed IP addresses, or, better, set these machines to static IP addresses. Some routers allow you to keep the DHCP/dynamic IP address scheme, but then assign the same IP address again and again to the same machine. Aside from keeping the network client applications running and control the IP addresses, there is no complicated configuration work necessary. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Carl Hetherington Film Handler Posts: 93 From: York, North Yorkshire, England Registered: Jul 2012 posted 01-12-2014 04:54 PM                        It's a bit easier than that on recent versions if your servers and master are on the same subnet. The master will find them auto-magically, so all you should need to do is run the server software on any spare machines and then start a "make DCP".  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 01-13-2014 02:27 PM                     Excellent job, Carl! - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-10-2014 03:08 PM                        Just one more question on this...can I use a switch to wire these computers together? Or do I need to use a router? (It's not necessary to connect these machines to the internet...or is it?) Sorry for being so clueless about network stuff but, it's just not something I ever need to work with generally.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 02-10-2014 03:24 PM                        A cheap router will generally cost you less than a switch. No idea why since a switch does a lot less than a router, but that's the way it is. Probably a sales volume thing. You can easily configure a router to hand IP addresses out to the connected machines, too, so adding another machine to your network becomes as simple as plugging in the cable. Can't do that with a switch. You don't have to hook a router up to the internet or anything external if you don't want to. It's perfectly legitimate to use only the lan plugs and leave the wan plug unused. You then have a switch with a built-in DHCP server.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 02-10-2014 03:40 PM                     If you want to benefit from network rendering, you absolutely need a Gigabit switch. The network is saturated quickly with the image transfers from DCP-o-matic. A 100MBit network is too slow even for a small number of client computers. However, you can find 5port Gigabit Switches for 30US$ or so. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Paul Eckhardt Film Handler Posts: 7 From: Minneapolis, MN, United States of America Registered: Oct 2011 posted 02-21-2014 01:46 PM                     quote: Mike Blakesley Just one more question on this...can I use a switch to wire these computers together? Or do I need to use a router? (It's not necessary to connect these machines to the internet...or is it?) A switch sends packets to the proper destination, a router blasts the same packets to every single port; switches are better. Make sure you have a gigabit ethernet switch - it'll let you transfer at proper speeds. You do not need to be online for the network to function, However, if you have a few computers and a switch, they may not immediately function as a network and could require additional settings tweaked. A router that connects to the internet, or connecting your three computers two a switch which connects to the local internet will make them work automatically... (or just having a router that isn't connected) because the router will set up the network for you. It's complicated, but once it's set up, it's good to go.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 02-21-2014 04:11 PM                     You confuse switch with the (old) concept of a network hub. A router in the true meaning will usually only have one LAN and one WAN port and can not be used to connect LAN machines. However, most routers nowadays have multiple LAN ports (+WIFI usually). Technically, this is a combination of a small switch with a router (and WIFI AP eventually). A switch is sufficient to connect multiple machines to each other techwise. However, network settings need to be made manually. An additional router facilitates this by supporting DHCP services on the LAN, through which most computers per default will obtain proper IP/gateway/network mask/DNS etc. settings so they will be able to communicate with each other without manual settings - cable insertion will usually be sufficient. Long story short - no problem to cascade a fast switch to an existing router - IP addresses will be assigned by the router to all clients, yet the clients will be able to communicate with each other at Gigabit speeds IF a Gigabit switch is used and the networks cards have that capability. 10/100 is not fast enough for DCP-o-matic network rendering. Same is true even for the fastest WIFI. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Mark Strube Master Film Handler Posts: 322 From: Milwaukee, WI, United States Registered: Feb 2007 posted 03-25-2014 08:23 PM                        Any hints on how to go about a batch conversion? I haven't been able to find anything regarding this in the DCP-O-Matic manual. I have a list of files I'd like to convert into separate DCP's, which I need done by Thu night, but the full collection will take all night, and I can't be in the office that long. Thanks for any help!!  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-25-2014 09:37 PM                        When you install DCP-o-Matic it also installs a separate program called DCP-o-matic Batch Converter which I assume will convert multiple files. I've never used it myself.  |  IP: Logged Mark Strube Master Film Handler Posts: 322 From: Milwaukee, WI, United States Registered: Feb 2007 posted 03-26-2014 01:35 AM                        Yes, that's the issue I'm having. I start the batch program, but I don't see any way to "add to batch" instead of immediately making a DCP. I can start a "new" conversion with a new source file while the previous one is already converting, but the program just hangs while analyzing. I sat there for a few minutes while it attempted to analyze the new file (which took a few seconds on the previous file) while already converting the old file, with no results, I ended up canceling it... this is on a fast quad core server, and the software is set up to use only 3 of the 4 cores so that other apps still run at a reasonable speed.  |  IP: Logged Philip Jones Film Handler Posts: 90 From: England Registered: Dec 2011 posted 03-26-2014 03:44 AM                     Set up the new job in DCP-O-Matic, then select 'Save'. Don't click Convert to DCP here. Just select 'New' again and keep saving the jobs. Then open up the DCP-O-Matic Batch Converter (separate programme), select 'Add Film' and select the job you've just saved. You can then queue up as many DCPs as you want to convert. It only does one at a time but is handy for just leaving to get on with it.  |  IP: Logged Mark Strube Master Film Handler Posts: 322 From: Milwaukee, WI, United States Registered: Feb 2007 posted 03-26-2014 05:57 PM                        Thanks for the help, but I think I'm missing something here. When I go to "open" in the batch program (after saving my project in the non-batch program), I select the folder it created. It successfully opens the project. Then I go to "Make DCP" and it starts converting. I can open another project while it's converting, but I can't start that one, or queue it up. "Make DCP" is grayed out. What am I missing?  |  IP: Logged

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