Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Barco Recertification

This is topic Barco Recertification in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Phil Ranucci (Member # 3820) on 12-11-2016, 04:08 PM:

Any body else get this from Barco? Is this necessary?
I've never had the Barco NOC refuse to talk to me, even when calling about screens they're not maintaining.

Hello,

Our records indicate that your Certification as a Barco Digital Cinema Certified Expert has expired and needs to be renewed.

Recertification is now available online.

This online recertification course normally costs $500. But for the month of December we are offering this exam at a 50% discount!

Click on the link below, pay online, and take the exam. It’s that simple.

https://goo.gl/0AEWus

You will receive your renewed certification via email within a few short days of having completed and passing the exam.

Certification is good for a period of two years and once you are re-certified you continue the benefits of Certification:

· Immediate and continued support through our Help Desk and Network Operating Center (NOC)

· Validation of your mastery of skills, knowledge, and abilities

· Differentiation from competitors

· Demonstration to consumers that you are a skilled and experienced technical professional

· Recognition and a critical sense of confidence and achievement

· A public audience that is assured of the highest possible satisfaction in visual technology that is displayed in the most timely, efficient, and effective manner

Thank you for your participation in the Barco Product Training Certification Program and we look forward to you continuing to be a Barco Certified Expert.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Warmest regards,

electronic_signature_email_large
Scott Nipper
Director of Training, Americas

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-11-2016, 07:57 PM:

This is one of many reasons I never sold Barco. Stuff like this is ridiculous. You go through the training classes and then they want your money again two years later just to be official. Lets face it. If you work with the stuff you know the equipment. If you don't work with the stuff you probably changed jobs. You don't get this crap from Christie or NEC. Both of them just add more training classes as new equipment comes out.

Mark

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-12-2016, 07:04 AM:

Setting aside the revenue generation thing. I will say that Barco is, far and away, the best at the training classes. If you pass their training, likely you CAN do the work. The others merely seems to record your attendance with no true evaluation of one's skill. Barco not only does the power-point show part but also has real hands on and their tests will determine if you know what you are doing. I'm not saying that there is no value in the others just that it is normally just a power point show with a few projectors for a group to see be disassembled/reassembled. Barco only has two techs per projector so you WILL get your hands on it, in it and adjust it.

I don't have a problem with continuing education (and many industries have that) but I wonder if the recert is a bit of a money grab.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-12-2016, 10:40 AM:

As someone who did the "installation and basic maintenance" course last week, +1 to Steve's comments. There were actually only four of us, so we all had a projector to ourselves. There were two C series and two B series machines in their training room, and we each spent a day on one of each.

I was doing it because it's a prerequisite for their laser course, which I'll be going back to do next year, in order to be able to look after our 30L. A lot of what was covered I knew already through unofficial, on-the-job self training, but a significant amount of it wasn't, and it was still a very useful week. Ironically, the day after I get back, I was able to fix an issue on one of our NECs that had been bugging me for ages (convergence was slightly out), but which I did not know the cause of or cure for.

As Steve mentions, the test is more than a mere formality. I thought it was well designed so that anyone who passes it can be relied upon to carry out an installation reliably, and ask for the right help from the right place if they encounter an issue above and beyond the routine.

I'm not sure about the ongoing recertification. If someone has been working with these machines constantly over the two year period, this seems to me to be pointless: a letter from your boss confirming that you've been working for the past two years in a role that involves regularly installing and maintaining Barco projectors should be all that is needed to renew the certification; but if that's not the case, then a recertification process is probably justified. Two years is long enough for new models to come onto the market, old ones to have dropped out of support, significantly different (at the front end) software to have appeared, etc. etc.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 12-14-2016, 04:55 PM:

I will add my thumbs up to the live training classes. When one pass the advance course you know a lot about the projectors. While I am not big on the written tests the practical puts one through the paces.You have 3 hours to get a dead projector back on screen. It is truly dead too. You also have to do all the setup you did in the beginning course though you only have to do one macro. The beginning course you have to do 4.

I did the online retest sort of. They were having issues in that it charged my credit card but I could not get to the test. Eventually they gave a a downloadable version to take. How useful??? But the live courses in Rancho Cordova very useful.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-15-2016, 04:30 AM:

My only complaint about the advanced test is that it tests you against a saboteur as much as an equipment failure. In the attempt and having one being able to recognize so many points of failure in a single pass, it is definitely not real-world unless people are going out of their way to destroy projectors on their way out of the door.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-15-2016, 08:13 PM:

I'd hope that they'd give you a machine that had been sabotaged in a way that simulates known, in-the-field breakdowns, rather than throw something bizarre that is almost never going to happen. Presumably Barco has lots of data as to what failures have happened to a given model and how they've been fixed (any complex machine has known weak points), and can use that to make the training assessment reasonably realistic.

I thought that the test I did last week (for the basic course) was thoughtfully designed. They built in one or two gotchas that weren't explicitly covered in the hands-on training, but were in the book (in my case, back focus was way out and the Dallas key provided in the tool cart hadn't been registered on the projector), and wanted to see if you could figure out how to deal with them. That is absolutely the sort of situation you could encounter when doing an actual installation.

Same for the written test. It wasn't a memory test, but you were expected to go through the book and drill down for detail. Again, if you're in a theater installing these things, it's not 100% vital that you know the maximum bulb size that you can put in every model in the product line without having to look it up online or in the literature, but it is vital that you know where to find the information, can get it right and double check what you've done.

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 12-16-2016, 09:48 AM:

Leo, did you use electronic convergence on your NEC?

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-16-2016, 03:53 PM:

Yes, and it's a darn sight easier than the mechanical adjustment in the Barco. With the NEC, you can walk right up to the screen with a wifi laptop running NEC Communicator, and it's very easy to get the convergence pixel perfect. On the Barco I was squinting at the screen through a telescope, even with the tiny (15 feet or so) throw in their training facility. A telescope or pair of binoculars in the took kit is an absolute must for anyone who installs or services Barcos.

That is about the only major design aspect where, IMHO, NEC has the edge over Barco.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-16-2016, 05:50 PM:

Oh stop! NEC didn't invent the electronic convergence and it isn't convergence really. It is merely pixel shift. You can do it on ALL THREE DLP companies!!! It is part of the TI software (done in the ICP). However, in a 4K projector, it has been found to not work well and can muck with colors, for some reason.

To do it right, you have to mechanically align the chips. NEC can be a pain to do and the proper tool is advisable. Christie typically requires long tools (that they provide) and moving things out of your way. Barco...convergence by numbers.

As for having binos or a spotting scope. The first tool you should have is the USL Convergence Camera...it is THE way to do it fast.

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 12-17-2016, 01:59 AM:

What Steve said, that feature lives in the ICP, NEC simply brought that into the communicator.

However, there is a bulletin from TI that recommends NOT to use (vertical? Horizontal?) electronic convergence as that will cause computational errors in doing some colour conversion - sorry, I haven't got the bulletin with me.
Now, as Steve said doing convergence on NEC is not easy so that could be the lessen of the two evils, but I thought you should know.
The issue should be highlighted on the latest release note, I'll dig it out later on.

And yes, even thought Barco convergence drifts more than the others', I like the idea that I can adjust that in minutes.

Posted by Jason Raftery (Member # 6291) on 12-17-2016, 02:54 AM:

Horizontal electronic convergence (pixel shift) shouldn't be used with projectors that have 1.2" and 1.38" (4K) DMDs as there's a bug in the ICP color correction that will result in colors that aren't correct along the edges of objects. However, the vertical electronic convergence is supposedly ok to use on these.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 12-17-2016, 08:15 AM:

I think Christies have electronic convergence on the Touchcontroller as well. It could be handy if something went wrong and you need to do a rough convergence quickly without opening the machine.

- Carsten

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-17-2016, 09:09 AM:

Correct, it is on the Christie touch panel as well as NEC Communicator software.

Most people don't use the TI program, so it doesn't surprise me that most people would not realize this is possible on a Barco. It seems like Barco could easily add it to their Communicator, so maybe they will in the future. Personally I've never had a scenario where I needed to use it as quick fix (I just make mechanical adjustments) but its nice to know it is there. For mechanical adjustments though, the Barco is super simple. Once you basically know what you are doing the Christie is pretty easy as well, just not as simplified.

My biggest beef with the Barco certification classes (other than the apparent cash grab) is not with the classes, but that I apparently have some sort of allergy to something in the air up there. Every time I go I get VERY sick and by the last day of the course I am flat out miserable and can barely focus. They need to offer the course at an alternative location every couple of months. I would happily travel to any other place to avoid Rancho Cordova.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-17-2016, 12:23 PM:

Barco do the training courses in Mexico City (in English), too, which is probably where I would have gone if I couldn't have got my shifts covered for the dates of the Sacramento one. Ironically, when I was costing it out, it would probably have been cheaper to do it there, despite being over three times the distance away (flights about the same, hotels significantly less), but there might have been visa and additional travel insurance issues (I don't know what the visa situation is for a British citizen and US permanent resident/green card holder visiting Mexico on business, but I'm guessing that there would likely have been paperwork needed).

+1 to Brad's theory. My stomach felt a bit nauseous at the end of day 2 and I threw up twice during that night. Getting through day 3 was a bit of a struggle, and at the end of it I had to crawl into bed and was out cold from around 6pm to 6am. I was pretty much OK by the start of the final day, but then gave the bug to my wife and son when I got back, and they've both had it this week. And without wanting to sound arrogant, I have a pretty good immune system: it's a standing joke among my family and co-workers that when a bug is doing the rounds, I'm about the only one who manages to avoid it. So there must be something in the air and/or water in Rancho Cordova.

As for the convergence on my NEC, the vertical red was just a hair out (less than a pixel, I'd guess), and the software adjustment appears to have cured it, to my eyes at least. I've only ever used the TI software directly on series 1 machines (and even then, only to update it to 15.1); this was a series 2. As I haven't been trained and don't even have the service instructions for doing a manual convergence check on an NEC, this isn't something I feel comfortable attempting, but unless my eyes are deceiving me, nudging one value +1 in the software fixed the very, very slight fringing that used to really bug me on subtitles in particular. We probably need an NEC-certified tech to do it properly before long, though: it's been around four years since that machine was installed.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-17-2016, 01:32 PM:

While I have not been sick out at Barco...I was there for two weeks straight. It has this nasty stale coffee odor to it (when I was there). My boss also got VERY sick going there, however.

Leo, the electronic convergence can only move in 1 pixel increments (think about it).

On series 1, there are TWO TI programs. One is just the updater and the other is just the controller. For series 2, one program does both and there is the far-right tab that does the updates. Same user/passwords between series 1 and 2 and the same user/passwords work for all three brands of projectors, with respect to the ICP. For the Enigma, same program, different user/passwords between the three projectors (well, 2 are the same and 1 is different).

Anyone working on the DLP projectors should really familiarize themselves with the ICP program. Seriously. It is a VERY handy tool on installation/service. It can save buckets of time since you are controlling the ICP directly to put up test patterns or even make screen files. It can also cut out the nonsense that some of the GUIs force you through. For instance, NEC likes to go full screen on test patterns...just use the ICP program when doing screen files and skip that nonsense. Christie's GUI for screen files also can be annoying where as the ICP program's is actually intuitive, though less glitzy. Barco has the slowest file transfer of them all...but it is near instant in the ICP program.

Ever set up a Dolby 3D? On any DLP projector (with an ICP), the ICP program can be used in-lieu of the server and do it in about 1/4 of the time (if you know what you are doing) including matching eye brightness.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-17-2016, 01:56 PM:

I think Brad also got sick going to Barco school! Seems to me he blamed it on the steak place.

Mark

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-17-2016, 03:38 PM:

Mark, the first class I took there I assumed it was something I ate. By the second class I started to realize it was Rancho Cordova itself!

The last time I was there I asked the trainer flat out if people getting sick there was a common thing, as I was never the only one getting sick in the classes. He said flat out that yes it is common. I believe his theory if I recall was a high pollen count.

I don't know what it was, but it's pretty rare that I get sick. Still it's almost a guarantee as far as I'm concerned that my next trip to Rancho Cordova I'll get sick again. They really need to relocate their training program to someplace where it isn't common for people to get sick.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-17-2016, 03:47 PM:

That's pretty bizarre. I wonder if the employees get sick all the time? I do remember someone mentioning the steak house and how that made them ill. I had a friend that lived nearby in ELdorado Hills and going there never made me sick. That's like 5 miles from Barco....

Mark

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-17-2016, 04:13 PM:

I think once you live somewhere you develop a basic immunity to whatever is in the air (or water).

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-17-2016, 05:11 PM:

The Inland Empire (a corridor stretching about 100 miles east of LA) is said to have some of the worst air quality in the country - a deep valley with lots of traffic and industrial activity in it. After three years living in it, I barely notice the perpetual smog any more, but when people come to visit from out of town they tend to comment on it. A reminder is how filthy the HVAC filter gets on our home system: the instructions that come with the new paper ones suggest changing them every 90 days, but here they're clogged and mucky within a month. And when you drive up the mountain towards Big Bear, it's scary to see the smog settled over San Bernardino once you've driven up to around 5,000 feet. But when you actually live in it, you don't tend to notice it.

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 12-17-2016, 09:13 PM:

I also got sick with two other people at Rancho. I lived in LA in the early 1970's when smog was thick compared to today which did not help my lungs. Traveling to many foreign projects I had enough recurring issues in which I worked out routines and medicines to make it O.K.