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Author Topic: NEC Service Pack 4.214 issues... Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 11-10-2014 04:20 PM                     I've seen something like that when the lamp goes on if the dowser is open. Then after several seconds it disappears and black is taking over - or the picture. It could be what the release note says, the DMDs are kept into a grey status when the lamp is on, which you can see when the lamp is turned on. But in my case, just for a few seconds- can't remember how much time though. Mark, did you just try waiting a little? I was wondering what is that brighter/darker pixel issue?  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-10-2014 05:40 PM                        quote: Mark Gulbrandsen I talked to Tim Elwell @ Strong about this and he'd like to know what it says on the LCD screen when the gray screen comes up. Does it say some other format other than what was selected or does it say the format your cue called actually for? Mark - the LCD display showed the cue that was selected. Everything looked absolutely normal except for the picture being a flickery gray rectangle. quote: Steve Guttag my simple rule with NEC is 2-seconds for a douser command and 16-20 seconds for ANYTHING else. Really? I have put cues for just about everything within 3 to 5 seconds of each other without a problem. Maybe I've just been lucky?  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 11-10-2014 06:01 PM                        All my projectors are currently running 4.212 on my NC2000C's. Is there anything in 4.214 which necessitates an update?  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 11-10-2014 06:07 PM                     Oh, definitely, Enigma 1.8. Search the forum. As it fixes even bricked Enigmas, it is probably not absolutely necessary to install it immediately, but I wouldn't wait for too long. At least you should have it around in case... http://www.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=001924#000000 - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-11-2014 04:40 PM                     Thanks for the heads up on the cue Mike! Well, if you are running IMB's instead of dual link HD-SDI then you need not worry at all. However, if you have a legacy module you would want to update it at some point anyway because past Enigma firmware was problematic. You can simply install Enigma Pro 1.8 manually and skip the buggy System Data and Firmware part of 4.214 if you want. Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-24-2014 06:14 AM                     NEC has posted SP 4.215 No mention of the above problem of grey image. It addresses a serial number mismatch problem and a USB problem (if you didn't have a USB stick and tried to save to a USB). On the DATA side: "01.Added the next certified lamps. PDXL-4000-N (PLUSRITE)" I find it interesting on that on the previous update it was supposed to address a problem: "01. Implement Function to avoid DMD Brighter /Darker Pixels Issue TI has suggested the F/E unit generates a gray raster pattern for DMD during light-off state." That was for firmware 4.262 which was part of Service Pack 4.214. So clearly they thought they were fixing a potential problem identified by TI by generating the gray pattern while the lamp is off. My guess is that the pattern isn't cleared when the lamp is turned on. Again, my customers have not had the problem show itself (yet) but clearly it has affected some systems. Have those of you that HAVE had the problem gone through the formal process of reporting a problem to NEC or their distributors? I've found the best way to get problems fixed is to flood the manufacturer with each and every incident and give them logs with it. Being the squeaky wheel can affect change. I had an issue with NEC on some of the early SP 4.x.x where the DMD image shift wasn't working for top masking screens. I went berserk with NEC and issued them logs and each and every time the problem showed itself so they had to live some of the pain too. I was then issued a beta version of the firmware (not a full service pack) and when I reported that it fixed the problem...in pretty short order, a new service pack was issued that had the fix in it. To some degree, we are all beta testers due to our small numbers as compared to computer systems and there will be things that slip through a manufacturer with a test set up that 100,000 screens running 5+ shows a day will find. Even if it only affects 1% of the shows, the number will be significant. Using my rough numbers...a 1% problem will show up in 5000 shows a day around the world (though in any one complex, let alone in a test system, it may take quite some time to show up). If you have a problem...that is clearly software related...start pulling logs and start flooding the manufacturer with the data...if you are having a problem, so are others.  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 12-24-2014 04:34 PM                     Thanks Steve for the useful information. I had mentioned the release note on the other page but in my case it was also going away when the lamp was fully on. I could only see it if the "lamp on dowser" was disabled. Thanks for letting us know of the new Christmas release.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-24-2014 04:47 PM                     Yes, I reported it to both NEC and to Wrong. The issue doesn't appear in the logs. Just shows that the same macro had to be selected again. I had the problem at a number of sites so I took them back to 4.212 but left the new Enigma update in there. That stopped all my complaints. So there definitely WAS an issue of some sort going on. I may try 4.215 in those very same projectors in the near future and see what happens. Merry Christmas to all! Mark  |  IP: Logged Phil Ranucci Expert Film Handler Posts: 236 From: Carpinteria,CA, United States Registered: May 2006 posted 12-24-2014 07:32 PM                     Since we have 2 NEC machines, I've been following this post. When I logged into the Strong site, I didn't see 4.215 in the service pack are, last one is 4.214. I can't seem to find the NEC site that was mentioned as a better source for updates. Got a link? Thanks and Merry Christmas.  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 12-29-2014 05:29 PM                     Found this on NEC support page, does that apply? quote: When the projector is turned on and power on, Gray testpattern may be appeared. Please select a title when the Gray testpattern is appeared. The Gray test patten is solved.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-29-2014 09:38 PM                     That would tend to "fix" the grey pattern that is being selected with the lamps are off...this was introduced in SP 4.214. That sounds like an admission of the potential problem though.  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 12-30-2014 05:19 AM                     Exactly. Not sure if the "the gray test pattern is solved" means that the issue has been fixed with the latest sw release or a Japanese version of "Now you have selected a Title, the gray pattern should have disappeared". Who knows  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-30-2014 09:24 AM                     Where on the support page did you find this? I've looked and haven't located it yet. NEC does tend to label things such that one may not understand what they are getting at on the first glance.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-30-2014 12:37 PM                     Ah, but there still IS a problem! No, the server didn't miss the macro cue because everyone is running ads on a different macro, usually Macro 7. The show starts rolling automatically and the server automation cue selects the macro needed for the show and that was when the gray screen appeared. Then the (projectionist) re-selects the same macro again to get the image on screen. And no, the server didn't miss the macro cue because remember everyone is running ads on a different macro. Mark  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 12-30-2014 12:50 PM                     Steve, I believe it was on the "news" on the main page.  |  IP: Logged

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