m theo

video cards: unknown (can't check because it's stowed away in a theater, though i think the 2nd one is some kind of radeon)

I just came from a tech rehearsal for a show that's going up in two days. The last time the piece was done I connected the computer to the projector via a vga cable (adapted to dvi). This time that wasn't possible; it had to be s-video, as that was the cable that they had just spent hours running. For that reason one of the tech guys popped another video card into the machine, a card which has s-video. The fact that two video cards are being used is the only thing that has changed since the last time the piece done.

Here's the problem: the framerate goes far, far south when I connect a jitter cable up to the jit.window which is being sent to the screen. The other, seemingly related problem is that the all of the video tracking (via softVNS) in the piece seems to be considerably more sluggish that it was before. I'm not sure how much the framerate is dropping compared to when it was just a single video card, going out through dvi (the last performances were a while ago and I simply can't remember the exact framerate), but it's obvious that sending video to the second monitor is causing an immense performance hit, and I'm just now realizing that I've never really looked at this issue in a systematic way.

1) is there any rule of thumb for how much of a hit one should expect (i.e., little, medium or big) when sending video to a 2nd monitor, or is it too machine/patch dependent for general comments to be meaningful?

2) is there any general advice that someone could offer about maximizing performance when sending to a 2nd monitor?

3) would anyone who knows more about these things than i do (which wouldn't be hard) care to comment about the likelihood that using a 2nd video card is causing a significant performance hit (i realize knowing the cards involved would greatly help such speculation)?

I'm going to run a test using dvi tomorrow to see if this is the source of the problem, but any tips on getting the most frames possible when sending to a 2nd monitor would be really great to receive! Though I've done it many, many times, it's always been robust enough that I've never had to optimize hardly anything (beyond optimizing the patch). No advice would be too rudimentary.

many thanks, and in great appreciation for the collective wisdom,

ps - perhaps I wasn't searching smartly, but I didn't find answers in the manual or archives...

also, apologies for cross-posting if I go ahead and post to the softVNS list: any advice I get from anywhere would be extremely helpful at this point...

machine specs:
dual processor G5, 2 Ghz
video cards: unknown (can't check because it's stowed away in a theater, though i think the 2nd one is some kind of radeon)
os X, 10.3.9, most recent max and jitter

Hello all,
I just came from a tech rehearsal for a show that's going up in two days. The last time the piece was done I connected the computer to the projector via a vga cable (adapted to dvi). This time that wasn't possible; it had to be s-video, as that was the cable that they had just spent hours running. For that reason one of the tech guys popped another video card into the machine, a card which has s-video. The fact that two video cards are being used is the only thing that has changed since the last time the piece done. 

I'm going to run a test using dvi tomorrow to see if this is the source of the problem, but any tips on getting the most frames possible when sending to a 2nd monitor would be really great to receive! Though I've done it many, many times, it's always been robust enough that I've never had to optimize hardly anything (beyond optimizing the patch). No advice would be too rudimentary. 

many thanks, and in great appreciation for the collective wisdom,
Michael

also, apologies for cross-posting if I go ahead and post to the softVNS list: any advice I get from anywhere would be extremely helpful at this point...


2nd-monitor-problems-questions

The performance doesn't depend on the amount of monitors but on the type of video card. We work with up to 4 monitors with recent video cards without performance loss.

I can imagine that the new video card with the s-video output is an old model with for example bad OpenGL support. You'll have to insert a better one.

To see which videocards are installed you can use the system profiler (about this mac -> more info).

Tip: always bring your own computer and be very precise in your rider about the connections the theatre must provide. Anything left for the interpretation of the 'tech guys' will be interpreted wrong.

The performance doesn't depend on the amount of monitors but on the type of video card. We work with up to 4 monitors with recent video cards without performance loss. 

Tip: always bring your own computer and be very precise in your rider about the connections the theatre must provide. Anything left for the interpretation of the 'tech guys' will be interpreted wrong.


Of course, I just realized - since I haven't fired up my Dutch cell phone in

6 months, I'll have to wait and put some more minutes on it before I start

passing it around. First thing I do when I land, I guess. They sort of zero

your phone out - although you get the balance of your old pay-as-you-go

The shopping list is already staring - so far, a novel or two and the

on the floor there's a long wooden table/on the table there's an open book/

on the page there's a detailed drawing/and on the drawing is the name I took

Of course, I just realized - since I haven't fired up my Dutch cell phone in
6 months, I'll have to wait and put some more minutes on it before I start
passing it around. First thing I do when I land, I guess. They sort of zero
your phone out - although you get the balance of your old pay-as-you-go
minutes back [or you used to anyway].

The shopping list is already staring - so far, a novel or two and the
Fokke en Sukke "afzien v. 't jaar."
-- 
on the floor there's a long wooden table/on the table there's an open book/
on the page there's a detailed drawing/and on the drawing is the name I took
Gregory Taylor http://www.rtqe.net


Although Fokke and Sukke *shred and rule.*

Although Fokke and Sukke *shred and rule.*
-- 
on the floor there's a long wooden table/on the table there's an open book/
on the page there's a detailed drawing/and on the drawing is the name I took
Gregory Taylor http://www.rtqe.net


I assume this post wasn't meant for the forum? Or maybe not for this thread? It looks like it could be an addendum to a reply to the mail I sent you a few hours ago, although I didn't receive the original reply.

Btw the Fokke en Sukke 'afzien..' series are great. I own one myself, I believe it was 2005.

Quote: Gregory Taylor wrote on Wed, 14 March 2007 16:22

----------------------------------------------------

> Of course, I just realized - since I haven't fired up my Dutch cell phone in

> 6 months, I'll have to wait and put some more minutes on it before I start

> passing it around. First thing I do when I land, I guess. They sort of zero

> your phone out - although you get the balance of your old pay-as-you-go

> The shopping list is already staring - so far, a novel or two and the

> on the floor there's a long wooden table/on the table there's an open book/

> on the page there's a detailed drawing/and on the drawing is the name I took

Quote: Gregory Taylor wrote on Wed, 14 March 2007 16:22
----------------------------------------------------
> Of course, I just realized - since I haven't fired up my Dutch cell phone in
> 6 months, I'll have to wait and put some more minutes on it before I start
> passing it around. First thing I do when I land, I guess. They sort of zero
> your phone out - although you get the balance of your old pay-as-you-go
> minutes back [or you used to anyway].
>
> Another logistical hurdle.
>
> The shopping list is already staring - so far, a novel or two and the
> Fokke en Sukke "afzien v. 't jaar."
> -- 
> on the floor there's a long wooden table/on the table there's an open book/
> on the page there's a detailed drawing/and on the drawing is the name I took
> Gregory Taylor http://www.rtqe.net
>
----------------------------------------------------

2nd monitor problems / questions