ArraySync server and client connect, then nothing

[chrissilich]

They find each other, and the screen goes black, then nothing. I followed the tutorial http://www.nasolab.com/arraysync/tutorial.html.

We're ready to buy this seemingly awesome and simple Mac app, and will do so the moment it works.

Chris
Primal Screen

[Turboladdade]

It sounds like you may not be telling ArraySync to play any videos.

When you import your movies into ArraySync server and ArraySync Client, does the program show the still preview (called a poster frame) of your movies? If not, then it hasn't successfully loaded your video.

It should look like this (on both server and client):

Not this:

If its blue that means you haven't loaded anything.

*Most* QuickTime formats are supported, but some are not, especially plug-ins like DivX which do not properly report their track data to QuickTime. If you drag a video into the display and it shows a popup saying no recognized data, try converting it to another more standard QuickTime-friendly format, like H.264.

[chrissilich]

Problem solved.
Yes, I did see previews on both the client and server windows but for some reason, they wouldn't play. The videos are 1080p H.264 MP4s I made in AfterEffects, with flashes of white at the exact same moment, so I can easily test for good sync. Apparently, ArraySync doesn't like this file format, though they're good enough to grab a poster frame from. Swapping in an mpeg-4 mp4 fixed it, though I'm not thrilled about using this older file format.

[Turboladdade]

Can AfterEffects export to QuickTime's native .mov container format? Also, can you share with us the sample mp4 movie you made so I can analyze it further? You should be able to attach it directly to your Info-Mac post. I don't have AfterEffects otherwise I'd make one myself.

EDIT: Also, are you on Windows or Mac OSX?

[chrissilich]

Ok, here's my non-working h.264 file. It's 1.mp4

Now that I have a work around for that problem, I'm facing a new one. I'm now using the other attached file, 1.mov (and it's counterparts, 2, 3, and 4.mov, which are basically the same but with a different number), and playing them all on the same machine, in the ArraySync Server, on it's own. They never sync up. Same is true if there's a server on the network and it's meant to be keeping sync. It seems like ArraySync is trying to sync them, because they get close and then one freezes or skips ahead too far.

I know the 12 core mac pro with two Radeon 5770s is capable of playing them all at once, because I can open them all in Quicktime 7, Quicktime X, VLC, and Perian, and play them side-by-side without dropping frames.

I understand that I'm probably pushing ArraySync to it's limits, but we're doing an installation at one of the bigger museums in Atlanta, and we need perfect video sync, for 20 hours straight. We're definitely going to be paying for the software if we can get it working, and we'll also definitely be blogging out process and giving your great little app some press.

[Turboladdade]

Thank you for your feedback. I'd really like to work more closely with you on this issue. Shoot me an email at dan@nasolab.com and we'll get this working right.