Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Any way to have NEC projector tail lights displayed in a remote location

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Digital Cinema Forum » Any way to have NEC projector tail lights displayed in a remote location (Page 2)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Author

Topic: Any way to have NEC projector tail lights displayed in a remote location

Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 01-24-2013 05:48 AM

The Raspberry Pi can be quite useful for this sort of thing. It's dirt cheap, combined it with a DVI monitor that has a USB port (to power the Pi) and you have a very cheap little solution.

You have to get a wee bit clever as there's no off the self software for it, especially for this sort of application. However they aren't tough things to program for, and you might even learn something [Wink]

| IP: Logged

Mike Connell
Film Handler

Posts: 4
From: Coventry, Warwickshire, UK
Registered: Jan 2013

posted 01-24-2013 06:10 AM

Funnily enough, I thought about a little Pi project could sort this - maybe even using something as simple as Scratch or Python and the USB education board add on (which monitors open or closed circuits) or a PiFace breakout board. Would be a fun project to do and reasonably easy! Heck, you could sling a small webcam onto the Pi and have a simple auditorium monitor running on the same system.

| IP: Logged

Dennis Benjamin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1445
From: Denton, MD
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 01-24-2013 10:09 AM

Technology promotes laziness.

| IP: Logged

Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006

posted 01-24-2013 12:55 PM

quote: Chris Daigle
because no one is in the booth, it goes un-noticed

.... and that's the problem with the entire motion picture
exhibition industry today.

| IP: Logged

Dave Macaulay
Film God

Posts: 2321
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-24-2013 02:00 PM

I suppose you could work up some way to relay the projector indicator to the lobby/office... but there are so many other things that could go wrong. Like the sound system doesn't switch to film sound, the server freezes up or wasn't set to run scheduled shows, or any number of things.
Also, any modifications to the projection equipment may be prohibited if you are in a VPF program.
There were a few posts suggesting using the GPIO for this. Good plan, but I would want both server and projector GPIO. I think you could have the projector GPIO set up to tell you "lamp on" and "dowser open", and the server should be able to tell you it's in "play" mode. All three of those "on" should indicate a show is running. This would be a big job to figure out, put together, and wire up. And you would still want a staff member do a theatre check at least at the start of the feature to check sound level, focus, etc.

| IP: Logged

Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004

posted 01-24-2013 02:28 PM

quote: Mike Connell
I've been considering this over night (silly things like this bother me [Big Grin] ) and it seems the simplest method would be to make a quick circuit which runs off the indicator bulb to a relay which then operates both an indicator light in the projection room and one in the remote location. If you're lucky enough to have Cat5 cabling in the premises, you could use this to hook through the remote location.

I am making a massive assumption that the NEC projector has a simply accessible bulb and holder of course - not knowing the hardware specifically I don't honestly know...

Mike, the simplest solution is the one I had posted..get off your lazy ass and walk the booth during show starts. [Roll Eyes]

You assume wrong..the projector uses LED and not a "bulb and holder" oh, and by the way trying to tap into those lamps would not only void the projector's warranty but I'm betting you also have to access the secure compartments of the projector to get to them...which would open up another can of worms.

quote: Monte Fullmer
True, I've noticed a trend of booth checks on the downhill roll since digital presentations arrived - like the arrival of a "magic box that does everything" eliminating an important location duty with the attributes of complacency and comfortability being the replacement.

That attitude was bad enough during the film era and now.... [Eek!]

quote: Dennis Benjamin
Technology promotes laziness.

As is evident from this thread. [Big Grin]

quote: Jim Cassedy

quote: Chris Daigle
because no one is in the booth, it goes un-noticed
.... and that's the problem with the entire motion picture
exhibition industry today.

Exactly.

| IP: Logged

Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 01-24-2013 03:21 PM

Interesting:

Red Solid - projector off
Red Flashing - bulb change needed
Green Solid - projector on

No light codes to show playing issues.

Take a tail-light off and run extension wire spliced from the wires that goes to the tail light, run the wire downstairs and mount that tail light were the eye can see it.

| IP: Logged

Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004

posted 01-24-2013 05:18 PM

quote: Monte L Fullmer
......Take a tail-light off and run extension wire spliced from the wires that goes to the tail light, run the wire downstairs and mount that tail light were the eye can see it.

Ummm, no. Bad idea:

quote: me
.... oh, and by the way trying to tap into those lamps would not only void the projector's warranty but I'm betting you also have to access the secure compartments of the projector to get to them...which would open up another can of worms.

| IP: Logged

Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 01-24-2013 06:13 PM

Orange Solid is projector off (presuming there were no errors when it shut down). The RED flashing on lamp warning has been an issue since most are now conditioned that when a DCinema device has a RED indicator...shows are not going to run. They could have used the Orange-flashing or green-then-orange indicator for lamp out of hours.

The problem with just seeing the dowser open/lamp on/player running is that it all has to be "causal" as an indicator system has to know what order those events occurred and that once all are set, that if they cease to be true before some event that indicates that it is okay for them to turn off, the annunciator system is going to be more annoying than helpful.

Again, a suitable automation can be made and I have no doubt that existing ones can (and some may already do it...like the Film-Tech DCS)...one can have the system check that the lamp is lit, douser open, sound is on...etc...it is a matter of how much does one want to pay for such a thing and how many will pay for it to be made/marketed...etc.

| IP: Logged

Mike Connell
Film Handler

Posts: 4
From: Coventry, Warwickshire, UK
Registered: Jan 2013

posted 01-25-2013 03:18 AM

quote: Tony
Mike, the simplest solution is the one I had posted..get off your lazy ass and walk the booth during show starts.

You assume wrong..the projector uses LED and not a "bulb and holder" oh, and by the way trying to tap into those lamps would not only void the projector's warranty but I'm betting you also have to access the secure compartments of the projector to get to them...which would open up another can of worms.

Hey Tony - I completely agree with you, but for those of us planning boothless projectors, a secondary indication which runs down to the FOH is never going to do any harm, is it? And you're absolutely right - if it's LEDs then it wouldn't be worth hacking in to it - just pop some photosensitive switches by the bulbs, adjust sensitivity accordingly and use that to trigger the relays/indicators.

| IP: Logged

Chris Daigle
Film Handler

Posts: 24
From: Gardner, MA USA
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 01-25-2013 11:59 AM

Thanks to everyone who responded. This thread seemed to go from a question on if something was technically feasible to an indictment on managment style, laziness and the problems with the exhibition business! Unfortunately having someone in the booth at all times is never coming back to this industry but I'm sure that I, like most small independent theater operators feel that providing great customer service and flawless presentations is our number one priority. Many of us are obsessed with knowing what is going on in the theater at all times and my only concern here was if there was a way to have the projector indicators also display in a remote location for the times during the day that no one was in the booth and a problem cropped up. I have two different booths at the same location, so unfortunately can't be everywhere every minute of the day and this was an idea to have another "set of eyes" on the equipment. We've been digital for 2 1/2 years now and have only had a handful of shows that crapped out on us mid-show that had an audible & light alarm from the projector so this solution was meant to only help us with a few issues per year. A remote monitor would have helped, not to prevent the problem, but for us to address it quicker. As Mike correctly pointed out, what harm is there in having a secondary indicator at a remote location (unless you foolishly stop doing whats right and start relying solely on the technology). Based on the posts of very knowledgeable people here, the answer seems to be that it is not easily feasible at this time. There are some possibilities but nothing that seems to be worth the effort or that can be done quickly and without hacking into the projector and potentially causing some other issues. Thanks again for all the constructive feedback.

| IP: Logged

James Crowley
Film Handler

Posts: 29
From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK
Registered: Nov 2012

posted 01-27-2013 03:44 PM

What if you went GPIO out into the raspberry pi as mentioned earlier then used SNMP from the pi to the theatre office PCs running an SNMP agent. Now I have no experience yet on pi's so i am no expert any programming needed.
The LED indicator lights are all internal and I am pretty sure that any connections will give a tamper fail on the machine.
Being a former projectionist I am all in favour of proper checks but I think that's now all in the past as some new builds are having the booths removed all together.

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.