Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Multi-part Features in Cinedigm

This is topic Multi-part Features in Cinedigm in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=001317

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 12-17-2012, 04:32 AM:

Okay so here's my next hurdle..... [Smile]

I'm trying to set up a 3 part feature with 2 corresponding intermissions in Cinedigm. So I've created a new show template with an appropriate structure (Feature/Intermission/Feature(2nd)/Intermission(2nd)/Feature(3rd)) and the appropriate cues to raise and lower house lights with the expectation that this would allow me to map multiple features to a single title. But, alas, no. I can still only map a single feature to a title.

The fact that I can actually set up a show template like this implies that multi-part features are possible but does anyone know how to do it?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-17-2012, 05:59 AM:

Who is supporting your site? They should be helping you with this. Cinedigm has actually written a document on this.

In any event, you go into Schedule Viewer...double click on your triple feature and then from within that screen you assign the 2nd and 3rd feature.

Consider setting each feature up as a stand alone feature and then manually place the 2nd/3rd feature in Schedule Viewer. With 3.3.2.0 of the TCC...you can "pin" those shows so they won't disappear on you. You will then have more control over the intermission/start times.

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 12-17-2012, 08:13 AM:

Thanks again, Steve, I'd be in the dark if not for you.

Is that document available to me or only tech staff? I've been through the help desk site (which I've subscribed to) but couldn't find a relevant article there. In fact that site seems practically broken. I've been unable to post any queries there at all.

If I may, I'd like to ask another couple of questions....

What does that "pin" function do exactly?

And do I need to repeat this process for every instance of this show or is it possible to copy it throughout the schedule?

Heh, "support". It seems that training is not a high priority at any level of the industry down under. Our support staff seem to be on as steep a learning curve as we are. [Frown]

The amount of digital training I've had over the last few years has been practically zero. Everything I know I've learnt by playing with the equipment, collaborating with others, or reading manuals. It's a sad state of affairs really and with software as unintuitive as Cinedigm it's been particularly hard. It would be a lot easier if there were decent documentation for it - maybe there is and I just don't have the access priveleges for it??

However, that rant aside, at least raising these issues here allows others like me to see the solutions as well.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 12-17-2012, 11:07 AM:

Beware when creating multi-feature playlists that you must keep single playlists under 6 hours in length or playback will stop. DCI specs require that key validation is only good for 6 hours and I have seen the third feature of a triple feature just stop in the middle of the show. [uhoh]

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 12-17-2012, 01:19 PM:

Why wouldn't you make several features then just play them automatically, via the timer/schedule?

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 12-17-2012, 07:07 PM:

^ Well you could do that I suppose but it's more elegant to run it as a multi-part show and it allows for seamless transitions between the show and the intermissions. Given that we have intermission slides running this is the preferable option. Also, if Cinedigm has the capacity to do this then it makes sense to utilise it.

However, I take your point. If every scheduled show has to be compiled separately then the gains aren't very much versus your suggestion. Ideally all parts of the feature would be title-mapped together so that the whole lot would be scheduled according to the POS. I would have thought this would be the most logical method of implementing this feature.

@Adam: I think that's somewhat dependant on the show player software too, isn't it? I think I read somewhere that Doremi is unique in that it won't interrupt a show due to an expired KDM but will play it out before locking the feature down. This has been of some concern to me as we run a lot of media screenings which have tight KDM windows. I'm frequently sweating on the shows kicking off on time. In any case, I have no intention of testing Doremi's policy on this.

Posted by Ian Freer (Member # 1940) on 12-17-2012, 07:39 PM:

Slightly off topic, but I have tested Doremi's (DCP-2000, not IMB ShowVault) with about-to-expire KDM's. During a film festival last year I had many short-window KDM's. One of them happened to expire around 15 minutes after the public session finished, but we had a decent gap until the next film. So 5 minutes before the KDM expiry I started the show again to an empty auditorium, it played happily for at least 5 minutes after KDM close time, at which point I stopped the player, then tried to start again and of course it wouldn't play this time.

I suppose it's not wholey conclusive as I didn't try to run the entire feature, but I was happy enough with proving the idea.
Also, I don't know if newer DCI-compliant software/firmware would allow this either (time to test it again!)

Of course, if you were relying on this for a public screening but you don't have a UPS and there is a power failure, then you'd never get to finish the session... Not a situation I'd like to find myself in..

Cheers,
Ian

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 12-17-2012, 08:34 PM:

I see what you're working at. It's a neat idea.

What if you made FEATURE#1 + INTERMISSION#1 a program by itself and made FEATURE#2 + INTERMISSION#2 another program?

You could schedule the first program to play at the appointed time. Then, because you know how long the first program should take to play, schedule the second program to play two minutes after the first one ends.

The extra two minutes is buffer time, just for safety. Most people probably wouldn't notice 120 seconds of dead air. Many of those who did might even appreciate the extra time to get back from the bathroom or popcorn stand.

Program house lights, cues and non-sync to activate the way you want them in order to give the appearance of a continuous show.

As far as the computers are concerned, you are playing two or more separate shows but, the customer thinks it's one continuous show.

If things work the way I think they do, you should still be able to use POS to set showtimes. Again, POS just thinks you are showing three movies with really close intervals.

If your POS shows progress reports on the movie playing, your box office personnel would then know which segment of the show is playing and what time the next one starts. Done the other way, they would know what time the main program starts and ends but not necessarily the individual segments.

This method might even give you the ability to lengthen the interval between shows if unforeseen circumstances arise. Done as only one program, you could start, stop or pause the whole show but putting it on hold at a certain point might be unwieldy.
Done as separate programs, you could stop the show at the end of the currently-playing segment and restart the next segment when you need to, without having to pause the server and, possibly, finding the point where it left off.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 12-17-2012, 08:49 PM:

It has nothing to do with expiring KDMs (although if a key expires during playback, it will play back for no more than 6 hours beyond the end of the key).

quote:
Security Manager (SM) Functions:

2c. To avoid end of engagement issues, a show time’s playout may extend beyond the end of the KDM's playout time window, if started within the KDM playout time window, by a maximum of six (6) hours.

The player validates all licenses for the SPL at the beginning of playback and six hours later that validation is no longer good, so encrypted playback stops.

quote:
9. Prepare and issue content keys to Media Decryptor (MD) and Forensic Marking (FM) SEs as may require keying per the CPL. Constrain use of keys to:

...

b. Usage validity periods of six (6) hours for remote SPBs (in line with the rule of item 2c above).

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 12-17-2012, 09:28 PM:

^ Fair enough. Something to look out for. [Smile]

@Randy: That's feasible enough though I wonder how management would feel about the POS listing shows that don't really exist (i.e. parts 2 & 3). Programming the parts separately in the POS was always an alternative but it's a bit messy from a FOH point of view. I think the seamless play is still the neatest option if it can be programmed efficiently on the server side.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 12-18-2012, 12:35 AM:

Yeah, selling it to the management types might be the biggest hurdle.