Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Dolby DSS200 software version 4.8.6 trouble

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Posted by Matthew Heuer (Member # 9199) on 10-15-2016, 02:03 PM:

I have been having issues with our dss200s running version 4.8.6. Randomly they will experience the "timeline issue" where the show will indicate running but the timeline will not advance and the show will not play. Rebooting is the only thing that works in most cases, however twice now the issue has been unrecoverable, and the cat 862 had to be sent back to dolby. prior to sending the cat 862 back i tried clean installs of cat862 and the os. then tried re-installs to earlier versions....either the timeline issue remained or the whitescreen issue arose if i went back far enough. Dolby support has been telling me they know about this bug and have been working on it, but it has been some time and no one there knows when a fix might come. My question would be would it be safe to downgrade to 4.8.4 or some other version safely. Perhaps if i downgrade before the issue arises it may work and be more stable or does anyone know how to recover these units another way as software re-installs do not seem to do it.
We use Christie Solaria series projectors with the dss200s.
thanks!

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 10-15-2016, 02:15 PM:

You can downgrade to 4.8.4. Have done it. Have a similar problem as well. 4.8.9 just came out. Was told way back when that this is suppose to address that issue but I could not find anything in the release notes to indicate it. I have an email to Dolby support about it. Will update when I get a response.

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 10-15-2016, 05:41 PM:

the next version is always going to fix all the issues! [Big Grin]

Nice to hear about 4.9 - it would be nice to hear from Dolby too. It would help.

Posted by Matthew Heuer (Member # 9199) on 10-15-2016, 07:36 PM:

Stephan, when you downgraded to 4.8.4 were you still having problems on those servers after the downgrade or were they okay and you are having problems with other servers.
thanks

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 10-15-2016, 08:00 PM:

I actually downgraded from 4.8.6 to 4.8.2. No more issues with freezing when going into play but the freezing on security log download came back and just recently issues with playback freezing and then starting up. Might have to due with audit log issue.

Still waiting to hear about 4.8.9. The site I am talking about is a bit unusual in that it is a miniplex configuration but setup for the Christie NOC. One issue might be that control is normally on the theatre network but in this case it is on the auditorium network. The auditorium switches are then tied together with a management switch which is then connected to Christie's proxy server and router.

Posted by Matthew Heuer (Member # 9199) on 10-15-2016, 10:15 PM:

Ah yes the freezing on security download issue, been there too, was trying to get away from that by upgrading to 4.8.6. Rats..maybe I'll just tough it out a little longer and see if that fix comes along. We are on the christie NOC setup too, and I've often wondered if that created any subtle conflicts as it differs from dolby's normal network scheme. Seems like things are better if the complex is cleaned out often like once a week all old clips are deleted along with built shows, purge orphan files and reboot all machines including the dsl100. Seems like things are worse after a lot of content is transferred through the network. So maybe there is something to it. I can deal with a few reboots here and there but after 2 bricked cat862s recently I feel like I have 21 ticking time bombs on my hand.

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 10-16-2016, 05:32 AM:

with "freezing" you mean the picture freezes while downloading? That happens on the 745 too but usually there is no picture at the end of the show so I guess it's not a priority for Dolby. You can also close the dowser before the end of the show.

I am not aware of a great deal of issues with 4.8.8-4, why not trying the latest (till yesterday) version? It's not perfect, don't get me wrong, but what is stopping you from upgrading?

Anyway when downgrading you should clear up the showmanager database (it will also wipe something else I cannot remember now (GPIO's and/or serial cues and/or shows) but then it should work.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-16-2016, 10:22 AM:

While I have not personally experienced the show freeze on 4.8 on the CAT862, I've heard enough about it to know it definitely exists. I'd say that if you are susceptible to it, to roll back to 4.8.4 as that is a "safe" version of 4.8.

I have exactly two CAT862s that have fallen victim to the "white screen" issue. That fix (and worked) came in 4.8.5. So, if you have that issue, the only way is up.

I'd suggest giving 4.8.9.12 a try. If you have a CAT745 or are using a 3rd party TMS system, definitely move to 4.8.9.12. There were two issues I've come across when 3rd Party TMSes are involved...the audit logs can fill up on the CAT862 and the 3rd party TMS may not properly remove old shows. For instance, if you have the Cinedigm/Hollywood software's TCC, I can definitely say you have a LOT of partially deleted shows in there. 4.8.9 will purge anything older than 6-months of either the Audit logs from the CAT862 or the partially deleted shows (either problem could cause erratic behavior)

4.8.9 has been reasonably stable (as stable as any 4.8 version) for me. It still doesn't have the "Disconnected" fix in it, or not a complete fix but it does bring about other improvements including a faster boot up and better handling of SMPTE packages (included encrypted subtitles).

Note, you only need a CAT862 KDM if you are upgrading from 4.8.5 or earlier. 4.8.6 - 4.8.9 use the same CAT862 software so no additional KDMs are needed to upgrade between those versions.

As to what Marco said, if you "unconfig" and select option 2, you will lose your serial cues and GPIO. Generally, I only unconfig option 2 if Show Manager has become corrupt (stuck on the splash screen, for instance). Once 4.9 hits the streets, one will be able to save their serial and GPIO cues in an editable XML file so this won't be such a big deal but it sure is a pain now.

Posted by Matthew Heuer (Member # 9199) on 10-16-2016, 01:26 PM:

Thanks for the input. Considering the CAT862 version is the same in 4.8.9 (and that jives with my last conversation with dolby last week that the "timeline" issue has not been fixed yet) I think my best option for now is to try and roll back to 4.8.4 assuming the cat862 is at fault. I'll double check with dolby on Monday.

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 10-16-2016, 04:42 PM:

One day I will make some time and count all the software versions that Dolby have released over the years! [Smile]

Posted by Mattias Mattsson (Member # 4308) on 10-16-2016, 05:46 PM:

quote: Steve Guttag
Once 4.9 hits the streets, one will be able to save their serial and GPIO cues in an editable XML file so this won't be such a big deal but it sure is a pain now.

Sure it is a bit painful but you actually can extract the GPIO xml also in earlier versions by running the getAllParameters.sh script:

showstore-1:~/scripts$ ./getAllParameters.sh localhost | grep -A30 gpio
showstore.settings.automation.gpioConfigurationTwo - <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<GPIOConfiguration>
<OutputPin pin="2" polarity="HIGH">
<LatchOutput enableName="GPO2ON" disableName="GPO2OFF"/>
</OutputPin>
<OutputPin pin="3" polarity="HIGH">
<LatchOutput enableName="GPO3ON" disableName="GPO3OFF"/>
</OutputPin>
<OutputPin pin="4" polarity="HIGH">
<LatchOutput enableName="GPO4ON" disableName="GPO4OFF"/>
</OutputPin>
<OutputPin pin="5" polarity="HIGH">
<LatchOutput enableName="GPO5ON" disableName="GPO5OFF"/>
</OutputPin>
<OutputPin pin="6" polarity="HIGH">
<LatchOutput enableName="GPO6ON" disableName="GPO6OFF"/>
</OutputPin>
<OutputPin pin="7" polarity="HIGH">
<PulseOutput name="GPO7" width="1000"/>
</OutputPin>
<OutputPin pin="8" polarity="HIGH">
<PulseOutput name="GPO8" width="1000"/>
</OutputPin>
<OutputPin pin="9" polarity="HIGH">
<PulseOutput name="GPO9" width="1000"/>
</OutputPin>
<OutputPin pin="10" polarity="HIGH">
<PulseOutput name="GPO10" width="1000"/>
</OutputPin>
</GPIOConfiguration>

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-16-2016, 05:49 PM:

No need to count...just look at the release notes...they list the GA (first release) and the Patch releases for each major version.

I have heard that if you roll back to 4.8.4 and clear the problem of the show freeze that you can then go back to a higher version and be without incident but use your own best judgement.

Mattias. Yeah...the only reason to have to do that is if YOU didn't set up the GPIO that is in there. If it is factory, then cut/paste from any release note...modify as needed and just load it back in (it will over-right whatever is there). I have a "No GPIO" one that I load on so all of the GPIO stuff doesn't show up on the "cues".

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-16-2016, 05:54 PM:

quote:
One day I will make some time and count all the software versions that Dolby have released over the years!

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 10-17-2016, 06:39 AM:

quote: Steve Guttag
No need to count...just look at the release notes...they list the GA (first release) and the Patch releases for each major version.

Still, it will take some time to process all the release notes!

I have installed 4.8.9 today, so far so good.
I've never had issues with Dolby 3D and light balancing though, what is 4.8.9 supposed to fix?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-17-2016, 10:45 AM:

I had not had the light balancing issue either (that I'm aware of).

If you have 3rd party TMSes then you likely have a lot of partially deleted shows and potentially a CAT862 whose audit logs are filling up. Both are addressed by flushing anything over 6-months old.

The server boots up notably faster (shaved over 30-seconds from the boot-up time). It now can decrypt SMPTE subtitles (you'll see affected content when it is selected, if you are looking at it).

It is all in the release notes.

And Mark, what is your point? How about GDC that on version 8 alone took over a 180 tries to get it stable [Eek!]

The fact that Dolby or GDC or whomever keep working on their product isn't necessarily a bad thing (it can be when they add bugs). At the moment, there are probably more GDC software releases per server than Dolby but that makes them neither better or worse.

Remember too, the playing field keeps changing as new standards and formats come out. When there is a moving target, you are going to have to keep playing with it or do what Dolby did with the DSS100/DSP100...draw a line and say, that is it we are not developing it anymore and it is stuck in the era in which it was made. The DSS100/DSP100 top out at System 4.7 and even THEN there have been a few patch releases after they drew the line to ensure compatibility.

Take the Doremi line of product...no new software in a long time...and it is FAR from perfect. You get stability there but you also have to live with the shortcomings too.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-17-2016, 11:15 AM:

quote: Steve Guttag
How about GDC that on version 8 alone took over a 180 tries to get it stable

I actually only had any notable issues with a couple of versions of 8.01 over all the Build releases and by the time they got into Build 140 region it was actually pretty stable.

The big difference is that GDC had the incentive and worked on it all very very fast, all those versions came to be in less than about two years time.

Dolby no longer really has any incentive to work on theirs because now anything they do on it is a monetary loss ($$$).

The only issue that remains with GDC today is the audio routing issues. But at least their server does have an audio router and for the once in a blue moon it does act up its not really even an issue.

Mark

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 10-17-2016, 02:24 PM:

Eh? It was issue for me when it bit me the other day. Now I'm really paranoid about the audio every time I start a show....

If I never see that happen again, great!

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 10-17-2016, 03:23 PM:

Steve,

Sorry, I meant what is 4.8.9 supposed to fix in terms of light balancing. I read the release note. As you say I have never had issues with light balancing on a DSS server.

About the server booting up notably faster, 30 seconds out of 5 minutes is not really a huge improvement in my opinion! But who knows, maybe version 4.9 will yield a further 2 or 3 seconds [Wink]

Don't get me wrong, I like Dolby servers. But today I was thinking that they have been developing a software which runs on a limited variety of hardware, does a very defined number of tasks on a fixed operating system. I am not a developer but after umpteen versions I have a feeling that the software should be far more stable and performing by now.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-18-2016, 07:17 AM:

No mark...prior to build 186, version 8 was unstable.

Marco, I definitely hear you on that one. But do consider this...through system 4.7, they had to ensure compatibility with three different server models with notable hardware changes through them and during production. The DCP packages were a moving target during that time as well and even the hardware they are to interact with (projectors) are also a moving target. You then mix in feature enhancements and you are going to get relatively slow progress. There is also no denying that in the public company atmosphere, the speed at which things move seem to be that of molasses. Smaller companies that have a more limited mission are going to be more nimble than the larger ones.

If there is one thing that hurt the DSS line the most was how slow they were to adapt and implement changes. Dolby has always had "the world changes for us, not the other way around" mentality and that didn't play in the DCinema world where nobody is beholden to anybody's technology (though DLP is up there and now that lasers are coming in, LCoS could perform in the bright projector market). Why else did the DSS line not want to talk with anyone's automation but the NA10 (an overpriced relay box that had some stability issues), at first? Why else does a DSS line server only talk to a Dolby cinema processor and thumbs its nose in your face with "Disconnected" if you use anyone else's? I'm surprised that some sound processor companies didn't have a "CP650 compatibility mode" for their serial/ethernet strings. Talk about a simple option to make your product work more seamlessly with one of the few server manufacturers.

I wonder if the Doremi product will eventually suffer from this. Naturally, I hope that the Doremi products get the DSS UI (I really dislike the Doremi UI in either "classic" or Web forms).

As for 30 seconds from 5 minutes (closer to 6:30) is a 10% improvement and every second counts when you are rebooting due to some issue.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-18-2016, 08:09 AM:

quote:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2016/10/christian-terrorists-arrested-in-plot-to-bomb-muslims/

I had very few problems Steve....

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-18-2016, 08:32 AM:

Yes, but you are well known to have very few problems with GDC (or NEC) and when you admit to them that they are so minor to be of no consequence...despite what most everyone else's experiences are.

And what is that quote about?

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 10-18-2016, 01:49 PM:

quote: Steve Guttag
And what is that quote about?

I was wondering the same!

quote: Steve Guttag
I hope that the Doremi products get the DSS UI (I really dislike the Doremi UI in either "classic" or Web forms).

I have been assured that the ShowManager project is dead. I was expecting some kind of merging between DSS and Doremi's but clearly Dolby had different plans!

Posted by Matthew Heuer (Member # 9199) on 10-18-2016, 08:18 PM:

Just an update, I did confirm with dolby that 4.8.9 does not fix the timeline issue. Upon asking my options they did not recommend going down to 4.8.4 for fear of the white screen issue. They did mention the newer software after (4.8.4) was designed to try and circumvent a hardware issue and it seemed to work at first but now they are seeing these other issues cropping up. They assure me they are working on it but unsure of when the next update will be. In the meanwhile I did recover one server that was stuck by unconfig all, full install os, cat862 all components. I started it out as an island connected only to the projector and everything was fine and timeline clicked off nice and smooth. Tested a trailer a few times, all smooth. Next I connected the theatre network to it and transferred a clip through the network. Upon testing the clip it started and ran okay however the timline instead of clicking over smooth was a bit erratic, the time would stall for a half second or so then jump twice as fast to catch up. I let dolby know my observations. We are on the Christie network scheme where all management and control is through auditorium switch and the "theatre" network is just for content transfers. Any thoughts?

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 10-19-2016, 03:02 AM:

probably unrelated but do you have DSS100's on your network as well?

Posted by Matthew Heuer (Member # 9199) on 10-19-2016, 07:00 AM:

No DSS100s on the network. One DSL100 acting as the tms.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 10-19-2016, 07:01 PM:

Matthew, did you ever install 4.8.4 in the past? Some benefit from installing it and then going to the current version but not all. I got word also that 4.8.9 did not fix that issue. Have not had it with 4.8.4 and I don't think the downloading security log freezing either that we had with 4.8.2. 4.8.4 also takes care of the audit log issue. Usually white screen is rare. At least to my experience compared with the show playback freezing going into play.

And Mark lets not forget the ongoing audio channel mapping issues with GDC ver 8.01 build X. It is ongoing and you mention in another thread your folks have experienced it and GDC support knows about it but has done little to fix so far.

Posted by Matthew Heuer (Member # 9199) on 10-19-2016, 08:08 PM:

Yes I did have that (4.8.4) installed before, so I still have KDMs for it. I am keeping downgrading to 4.8.4 as an option.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-20-2016, 01:22 AM:

The white screen issue is specific to certain CAT862s and that is why it is rare. Either you have the problem or you don't.

In GDC's defense, they have issued updates with the attempt to fix the routing issue. The complaints have gone down...just not been eliminated. When you get something down to a very rare occurrence, it can be very difficult to track down.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 11-02-2016, 06:34 PM:

I would recommend you go to 4.8.4. The theatre that I service has been plagued with these issues. We went back to 4.8.2 and the freezing on downloading security logs came back and there is the audit log issue. Went to 4.8.4 and security log download issue and the freezing going into play is gone. Still have the TMS client disconnecting from the TMS server. That might not be such an issue with a DSL. I have only had the white screen issue happen once or twice ever. Way way less than the freezing on play. That happened several times a day.

Posted by Leslie Hartmier (Member # 7053) on 11-03-2016, 04:50 PM:

I confess that I am not remotely as well versed in the Dolby machines, but one thing we also found at our locations with the Dolby hardware was that sometimes, the staff would set the Delayed Start function on the Dolby, which would load and check the show for being valid to run, but it still had to be started manually. My, but that caused no end of headaches until we figured out that was what they were doing.

Is that something that might have happened for you?

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 11-03-2016, 04:55 PM:

No that is not it and I have to take back what I said. Less than an hour after my last post I was notified that they had 3 shows that went into play but nothing happened. said it was playing but time stayed at zero. This on 4.8.4. Same thing on 4.8.5 and 4.8.6. 4.8.2 does not do it but there are other issues.

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 11-03-2016, 05:01 PM:

Is this specific with some cat862's? I've never seen/heard this myself.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 11-03-2016, 05:55 PM:

Also, not just 862s, but a specific 862 plus projector input board combination?

I have three DSS200s, all running 4.8.6.

Projector 1 = cat745 & Barco DP4K-32B
Projector 2 = cat862 & NEC NC800S (previously used with an iS8-2K, also without problems)
Projector 3 = cat745 & NEC NC3240S

All three DSS200s were updated to 4.8.6 when Dolby issued it, and I haven't had this problem (or any other significant problems) with any of them.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 11-03-2016, 06:48 PM:

It might have to do with being on a NOC the control is set to Auditorium rather than the theatre network.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 11-23-2016, 07:43 PM:

Matthew, Dolby is in beta testing of System 4.8.10.1 to address the problem. I am going to install in the theatres I am having issues with the show going into play but time stays at 0:00:00 beginning of next week. I will report back. You will need to contact Dolby tech support if you want to be part of the beta test on this. They will be looking for feedback.

Posted by Matthew Heuer (Member # 9199) on 11-23-2016, 08:52 PM:

Yes, I just spoke with Dolby today and they said the same, that beta testing was happening now. Hopefully they got it this time. I will be looking forward to it. Let me know how it goes if you start testing yourself. I would not mind beta testing at my local site where it is easier for me to keep an eye on it if they present it to me.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 11-23-2016, 10:34 PM:

Ask them if you could help test it for them.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-13-2016, 09:37 AM:

Just had my first incident with this particular problem. It was an old DSS200 circa 2010. The server was on 4.8.9.12 and mid-day, the timeline stopped advancing. Rolling the server back to 4.8.4.10 returned the server back to the living (for now).

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 12-14-2016, 05:37 PM:

The problem location I have been working on 4.8.4.10 would still have that problem and the freezing on downloading security logs as well. The latter is resolved in 4.8.5.

Also have been testing 4.8.10.1 at this location. Last Saturday they had the show going to play but frozen at 0:00:00. So the beta is not a fix for that but overall things are much better behaved.So far no reports of the SMSs disconnecting from the miniplex TMS or the TMS disconnecting from itself.

Posted by Matthew Heuer (Member # 9199) on 12-18-2016, 08:27 PM:

Update:
Couple weeks ago I installed the "fix version" 4.8.10.1 on a spare dss200 that was stuck on the time line issue on version 4.8.6. After the install it was unstuck and I ran several trailers without incident. I was happy because bringing a broken one back to life I thought was a good sign. I was going to install it on all the complex machines this week, however one of the in service servers froze on same issue so I swapped in the spare with the new beta software. Much to my dismay the spare failed to start -same issue. Upon contacting dolby they did confirm that the new version did not fix the issue as the previous post mentioned. I downgraded to 4.8.4.10 and luckily did not get white screen and it played okay. Looks like back to the drawing board for dolby.

Posted by Magnus Eriksson (Member # 6085) on 12-19-2016, 05:55 AM:

Maybe a little off topic but since we are discussing Dolby beta versions.
I have 4.9.0 (84) beta running on a few DSS200/220 since March this year. They run OK but I haven't heard anything new for several months.
Anyone else running this or other 4.9.x.x test versions?
/M.E.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-19-2016, 06:20 AM:

I don't generally discuss beta versions, except maybe in the very general terms. I think you'll find that 4.9.x development was slowed until the issues in 4.8 were solved (e.g. Disconnected and the stuck at time 0:00:00) since those fixes would need to be put into any 4.9.x versions.

Posted by Magnus Eriksson (Member # 6085) on 12-19-2016, 06:42 AM:

OK. Since none of my units suffer from the issues mentioned here I'll just sit still and wait for 4.8 to catch up with 4.9 [Big Grin]

/M.E.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-19-2016, 09:13 AM:

I guarantee you that your units suffer from "Disconnected". Try rebooting them and you'll see. It was my single greatest issue with the server. 4.8.9.12 seems to have solved that problem though.

Posted by Magnus Eriksson (Member # 6085) on 12-19-2016, 10:22 AM:

They get a cold reboot once a week (ish), normally they wake up as they should. The one closest to me (just a few blocks away from where I live) is however expanded with 4 x 4TB drives. It takes a good time to get it up and running anyway. Like an old crappy Volvo a cold winter morning [Big Grin]

Right now I'm at a 3-plex with "normal" DSS200:s running 4.8.8 (4) and they shut everything down for the night. One or two are always stuck in DISCONNECTED when they fire the theatre up.
Going for 4.8.9 (12) as I write this...
/M.E.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 12-21-2016, 07:39 PM:

Matthew, make sure you let Dolby know you are still having the issues and send log files. Same thing with me. A good week and a half and now the problems are back.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 05-18-2017, 01:29 AM:

An update, after a while on 4.8.10.1 the problem has gone away. It has been several months without the freezing at the beginning of the show.

Dolby has a new release out that addresses this problem and the disconnect issue as well 4.8.10.4. Also Dolby contacted me and said some cat 862s may have a hardware issue that can cause the show to freeze at 0:00:00 and those would need to be sent in for repair.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-18-2017, 04:36 AM:

Note, 4.8.10.4 also addresses all known issues with SMPTE encrypted closed captions.