Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Automation: accessing current clip info

This is topic Automation: accessing current clip info in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Dave Young (Member # 8390) on 03-21-2015, 12:09 PM:

I'm looking for a chink in the wall I can try to dig into here.
I have a need to get to the DCP (clip) package info running on the projector, and be able to extract it's name and length for use in external automation cases.

I havent yet seen any system macros by any of the providers which will do a "run-time" replacement of this info for use in an automation cue

This makes me wonder if there's a way to get to the information in a different way, perhaps by I/O?

I the only solution caveat is that it can't involve asking Christie/DoReMi/GDC to add DCP info support to their automation cues

EDIT: Found DCI Spec, will dig into it to see if it helps

Posted by Harold Hallikainen (Member # 5405) on 03-21-2015, 01:52 PM:

It would be interesting to know more of what you're trying to do. Could the markers specified in SMPTE 429-7 do what you need? There are, for example, markers for:

FFEC First Frame of End Credits. First displayable frame of content that contains any intensity of the End Credits (a non zero alpha value), which appear at the end of a feature.

LFMC Last displayable frame of content that contains any intensity of moving, rolling or scrolling credits (a non-zero alpha value), which appear at the end of the feature.

And a bunch more... Servers can generate an automation cue based on these markers.

Harold

Posted by Dave Young (Member # 8390) on 03-21-2015, 09:06 PM:

I'm trying to build a system that figures out which trailer is playing so I can better automate some web/based services.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-22-2015, 06:51 AM:

Have you looked at the various APIs? Since the sophisticated TMS systems have no problem displaying what is currently on screen...this information is available on the WEB APIs.

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 03-22-2015, 07:27 AM:

Any ideas on how to use the Dolby API's? I can operate a Doremi via ethernet commands but I still have to grasp how to do so on a Dolby. If anybody could show me the route I'd be grateful! [Smile]

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 03-22-2015, 07:52 AM:

Dave - a colleague built his own foyer information system based on the Doremi API. His software requests 'now playing' info from playlists and creates webpages for his displays, shows the movie posters, etc.

Locally, it displays an overview about all his screens, remaining time, etc.

I had a look at the Doremi API, it doesn't look too complicated. The major issue actually was how to include/readout proper movie titles, because usually neither the playlists nor the CPL names use explicit titles, so you may actually have to use a lookup-table for translation. He uses Google Chromecast to connect the displays, which makes a really low cost cable free solution, basically for unlimited channels.

The biggest issue is actually to get a hand on the APIs, and if you need to do it for all types of servers, good luck with that. Most exiting systems are based on TMS solutions, because they already have all the APIs built-in and fetch that kind of information anyway from all servers for status display.

- Carsten

Posted by Dave Young (Member # 8390) on 03-26-2015, 07:52 AM:

Carsten: that's an amazing idea and very creative use of the monitoring APIs. If he'd be willing, I'd like to chat with him about it.

I can certainly see that without great metadata, CPL names are going to need human evaluation to populate a lookup table.

I do need to eventually support most major brands of servers, so I will begin to reach out and gather up APIs.

Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 03-26-2015, 04:27 PM:

I've a customer who wrote something similar for his own in house purposes. Also some other functionality which can be very useful; I christened it 'digital interlock'.
For example, one can group screens together and send them the same instruction simultaneously. If you're running a live broadcast event in 4 screens this can be very handy.
Or if you want to put all the lights down at closing time.

Posted by Fabio Conti (Member # 8446) on 03-27-2015, 05:14 AM:

Any one know if there is this kind of API for sony srx515 and his server sony xcts10?

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 03-27-2015, 09:00 AM:

It does exists, but you will have a hard time getting the documentation, I suppose.

- Carsten

Posted by Matthias Grausgruber (Member # 6884) on 03-27-2015, 03:44 PM:

I'm also interested in some kind of automated info display. Where can I find information about the doremi API?

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 03-27-2015, 06:53 PM:

Matthias, I can make a contact to the (german) guy who programmed this tool. He is willing to make it available to other users - wether free or for a small fee, I don't know.

- Carsten