Do server makers ever update their interfaces?

[Mike Blakesley]

I remember once, back when we had our very first GDC server, they issued an update at some point that introduced some major improvements to the user interface.

Now it's 2026 and we're into our third server (SA 1000), now with a "browser-based" interface. It's the same clunky thing that it was when we bought it. I would think for the cost of these, they could make them a little more user friendly. Especially considering the amount they charge to "extend the warranty" every year.

I'd like to see an ability to filter out entries in the file list from the QNAP (or similar) server. For example, it should be able to filter out Atmos/IAB files, or show only the latest iteration of titles, things like that. Or sort the list by flat and scope, or OCAP vs. CCAP, etc. etc. etc.

Where is the GDC suggestion box and do they ever look in it?

[Steve Guttag]

Hey...it took them a long time to get to their current web GUI. The last server company to change their UI was Dolby when they went to 3.5 on the IMS3000. No matter what you do, people will hate the change, even if they don't like what they have (e.g. Windows 11).

The majority of cinemas never look at the server's UI anyway and just do their work on a TMS. Honestly, of the current SMS UIs...GDC's is about as good as any of them. I think my biggest beef is assigning automation cues from the edit screen. They used to be in the left column.

The Software warranty you are paying for are the continual updates to keep it going and to have a person to troubleshoot problems, as they come up. Then again, we sell most of our SR-1000s with a 10-year warranty. It takes the worry out of the investment and the extra 7-years are cheaper than another server.

[Frank Cox]

The SR1000 web interface is too tall for a "regular" laptop screen, so you're always scrolling up and down to get what you want done. "OK", "Close", etc. tend to end up below the screen when you're doing stuff like editing a playlist or deleting obsolete content, and you have to scroll the screen down to find it.

The sidebar list of directories on the ingest screen is too narrow and you aren't allowed to widen it. You can't see what the stuff is unless you click on each directory name, so you end up with ten entries for "MovieX" and have to click on each one of them to find out which one is "5.1" and which one is "iab".

And so forth. I could list a dozen more things that should be fixed in the GDC web interface screen but I don't think any of them are interested in fixing it anyway.

[Mike Blakesley]

Yeah, that's my point. The skinny list column is another thing I wish they'd address.

That thing was obviously designed by someone who never has to use it.

[Leo Enticknap]

When Dolby did their major revamp of the IMS3000 SMS web UI, it caused a lot of friction for end users who were comfortable with the old one. Some even refused to let me update their units to a new UI version until the certificate expiration deadline forced the issue. As Steve points out, the vast majority of screen servers are controlled via a TMS and automation functions rather than their native UI. However, even the revamped Dolby UI, and the Barco ICMP's, are, in my experience, more intuitive for end users than that of the GDC SR-1000.

[Harold Hallikainen]

So... you're not allowed to drag column dividers to make columns the width you want? And you cannot click on a column header to sort on that column, putting all the 5.1s together, all the iabs together, etc.? I think there are javascript libraries to do this...

[Hong Sung Hyeok]

Ordinary users generally dislike UI/UX changes.

People who have used GDC for a very long time (probably SA-2100s) refused to use the SR-1000 webUI.
Yes, that's right. So, at GDC, they brought back the VNC from the Stone Age to the SR-1000.

It might be hard to believe, but there are still many users using VNC on the SR-1000 in 2026.

Once I got used to it, it was somewhat usable, although I am dissatisfied that the DCP name gets cut off and about editing automation cues.
Honestly, I have so much to say about Cinema Server's UI/UX.

ICMP looks simple, but it feels like something is missing a lot.
Doremi somehow inconvenient.
DOLBY somehow inconvenient. WebUI looks like it's elaborately decorated, but there's nothing special about it, giving the uncomfortable feeling of wearing ill-fitting clothes.

[Frank Cox]

So... you're not allowed to drag column dividers to make columns the width you want?

Right.

And you cannot click on a column header to sort on that column, putting all the 5.1s together, all the iabs together, etc.?

Right.

I think there are javascript libraries to do this...

There are. The whole GDC interface is very poorly written, and it runs like a dead dog. I thought that upgrading from my old GDC server would speed things up but this new one actually boots up, runs and shuts down far more slowly than the old one ever did.

[Steve Guttag]

For me, Dolby hit a home-run with Show Manager on the DSS line. However, when they acquired Doremi, it was the Doremi interface that survived. I prefer the SR-1000 UI over the IMS3000 Ui. In a sense, GDC emulated the "classic" Doremi Web UI better than Doremi/Dolby did. It isn't perfect, for sure.

I seem to be able to fumble my way around the ICMP UI well enough...so it is okay, considering it is my least-used one and I have no current clients on the Christie IMBs (the IMB-S2 killed off any interest in that).

But hey, Cinema Con is just a month away...those that are coming out...go to the GDC booth and give them an earful if you want the UI changed. Have a list ready and also be prepared to email it. Without feedback, it is unlikely for anything to change.

Remember, the more YOU use something, the more intuitive it feels as you develop muscle memory that you didn't have when first introduced. It is hard for someone within a company to realize how hard a UI is for a newcomer. The best UI doesn't need explanations. Again, Dolby came the closest to that with Show Manager. The three-circle thing (open) was one of its oddities. But, in terms of training people, it was the fastest...by far.

[Leo Enticknap]

It might be hard to believe, but there are still many users using VNC on the SR-1000 in 2026

On the contrary, I find it very easy to believe, and the older I get, the more resistant to UI changes I become myself. My mindset is that if I invest the time and effort into learning the new one, will it deliver benefits that repay the investment? F*****g about with GUIs for purely aesthetic/vanity reasons is basically wasting your customers' time. The most egregious recent example of this that I've encountered is "New Teamviewer," which makes the device listing an order of magnitude more difficult to navigate, and keeps forcing you back to the new UI even after you jump through the several hoops and reboots needed to revert to the old one.

I'm guessing that the IMS3000 UI revamp was to make the layout consistent with that of the CP850/950's UI, which I'm just about OK with. But it still gave some of my customers a lot of stress.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Like Leo, I think that a lot of those UI revamps are completely unnecessary. Every UI change needs you to re-learn a habit, you throw away muscle memory and other habits that took time to train. So, unless a UI is completely broken by design and a change really adds productivity to the bottom line, I'm really not interested.

I guess about 30 years ago, you still could get me excited about new user interfaces... new graphics possibilities, etc. I remember the release of the last OS X last year, where Apple now was advertising that their "glass elements" refracted like REAL glass... It's been a while I had to laugh so hard and the end-product is just stupid. The refraction effect only makes stuff less intuitive and gets in your way in irritating ways.

Everybody that went from Windows 98 or ME to Windows XP was probably wondering at the shiny new interface... for how long? A week? After that, did you care that your windows now had rounder corners?

Sometimes, I long back to the times of MS DOS... you know, just one window, one thing to focus on instead of 3000 open windows, 500 open browser tabs and every app seeking your attention...

[Mike Blakesley]

I can understand that most people use a TMS and not the direct server interface. That's no excuse for the crappy interface though.

I hate to take up too much of a rep's time at CinemaCon when they have much bigger fish to fry. We aren't even in the market for anything right now. But I do like Steve's idea of quickly handing somebody a list and making a quick comment. Then getting all the business cards I can and sending the list to alll those folks.

Heck they could probably get an "AI" app to make those changes in a couple of minutes.

[Hong Sung Hyeok]

I'm guessing that the IMS3000 UI revamp was to make the layout consistent with that of the CP850/950's UI, which I'm just about OK with. But it still gave some of my customers a lot of stress.

I agree. Dolby probably wanted to standardize the UI/UX of its products.
But what I'm trying to say is, why did they make the default password different? haha.

[Marco Giustini]

Mike, you're joking!

I remember training a projectionist on the DSS who used the mouse the other way round (cable pointing towards the user). You don't want any UI change!

It also reminds me when I was the "geek at the office" (pre-cinema) and I helped a colleague to fix something on their PC - they called me shortly afterwards "it doesn't work!". I went back and discovered that the icon to run the programme was 2 lines below the usual place in the same menu and that was enough to stop them from using their workstation