VDJ Problem

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Jeff Romard

Jeff Romard

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Sep 4, 2006
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Last night at my bar gig I was rolling through just fine when I noticed the video on the TV's went off. First thought was a loose HDMI but then I noticed the video was frozen. The audio was fine, I could move the mouse and use the keyboard to open task manager but it seemed the rest of the program was frozen.

I set the other laptop up real quick and rebooted this one and it worked ok for about an hour and a half and it happened again

Any ideas?
 
2 bad systems and I would suspect the video distribution.
 
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Did it freeze in the same spot both times?

Was Graphics overheating (Laptop hot, fan sounds like it was on High)?
 
steve149 said:
2 bad systems and I would suspect the video distribution.
Click to expand...

No it was on the same system I only played one song (Audio only) off the backup

Handinon said:
Did it freeze in the same spot both times?

Was Graphics overheating (Laptop hot, fan sounds like it was on High)?
Click to expand...

No it was two different videos and it didn't seem hot
 
I can’t say it’s was a issue with VDJ, you needed to try pulling up video on the second laptop to rule out the distribution system. I’ve an issue with VDJ which was related to a specific file/file type. And that was with my older Vista laptop.
But unplugging & replugging a HDMI would cause a temporary issue with the video on my laptops while VDJ is playing. Usually turning off/on the video/reloading a track or restarting VDJ fixes the issue.
 
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How often and for how long do you typically use the software to run video?
Is your computer receiving automatic updates or did you lock it off in a prior working state?
 
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Proformance said:
How often and for how long do you typically use the software to run video?
Is your computer receiving automatic updates or did you lock it off in a prior working state?
Click to expand...

Typically I use it once a week for 4 hours each time. Once I believe I used it two days in a row. I ran it at home when I first installed it for 6 or 7 hours as a test with no glitches and ran it for a few weeks at the bar with no glitches. I used it again this Friday with no glitches

I don't get automatic updates but I do update manually regularly. I haven't done one in a few weeks but there is one waiting.
 
I don't use DJ software to run video anymore because it turns out it's rather unreliable. VDJ appeared to last longer per session but, it too would crash as you describe. The longer you run the application the more likely it is to freeze. I don't think DJ software producers do a very good job of staying current with the evolution and updates to the operating system. So, if you have a system state that works well it's best to never again update that machine.

OtsAv talked the talk in their early promotion years ago but, ultimately it had serious flaws in it's rendering method that run counter to Microsoft technical recommendations. It can work for up to 40 minutes and then it too freezes just as you experienced. That application for example, is still rendering video based on Win XP standards. Not sure about VDJ - but, a lot of DJ software is still doing overlays using an expressly unsupported method.

I don't do video DJ gigs anymore because the content is too trashy, and even censored it kills the dance floor because people just stop and stare at the screens. Video was way better in the eighties when the reels had an actual narrative. The only thing I use in corporate for consecutive or choreographed video presentation is Playback Pro on a Mac. For less intense cue to cues I'll use VLC.

I've tried running video playlists to empty theaters while I run out for lunch but, no matter the DJ program or the machine I always return to find it froze or crashed in well under an hour. All of these machines meet or greatly exceed the required specifications for both VDJ and OtsAv.
 
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steve149 said:
...I would suspect the video distribution.
Click to expand...

I would agree. Order a powered HDMI splitter/hub. I would also suggest a dedicated laptop for video.
*reducing desktop resolution will help too
 
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Video distribution would not affect the software. The signal would be lost but, the laptop/software would continue to run.

That being said, if there is no active transceiver (switcher, scaler, etc.) then the PC needs to supply the sustained 5V that travels the HDMI cable. (Maximum 33Ft) That could cause a laptop to overheat and freeze the machine. ( I know, I used overheat and freeze in the same sentence.)

DJ software also has no EDID minder, and any disruption to the HD output would require a new set of handshakes. While the PC is prepared to do this the software may not respond in kind and require a reload or reboot.
 
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The other thing to try is running sans controller, if you use one.
It's not unusual for the controller to be the culprit that freezes your computer. There's a lot going on when you add up all the peripherals that might be communicating with your application and OS. Dirty power conditions, or anything that causes a clock era in the communication streams could be the culprit and it's hard to pin down which device might be susceptible to certain random conditions.
 
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Proformance said:
The other thing to try is running sans controller, if you use one.
It's not unusual for the controller to be the culprit that freezes your computer. There's a lot going on when you add up all the peripherals that might be communicating with your application and OS. Dirty power conditions, or anything that causes a clock era in the communication streams could be the culprit and it's hard to pin down which device might be susceptible to certain random conditions.
Click to expand...
External HD issues may/could also be contributory.
 
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What are you using to distributed the video output of the PC?

While the video DA should not affect your software - an HDCP or EDID failure could cause your OS to think the secondary output was disconnected and close that port. VDJ should under those circumstances revert to a local display window and continue running without interruption but, that's an assumption on my part.
 
i have never had VDJ just freeze/crash except on my dual core Vista machine which did it only twice around years ago. But that was because at the time I had a crazy amount of file types. I traced the issue to large VOB files loading. Once everything was converted to the MP4s that never happened again. Otherwise VDJ has been really really stable. I can’t remember exactly when we stopped using the Pioneer DVJ players but its been at least 11 years. I do mainly events with video. And Have run VDJ for 5 to 8 hrs non-stop. As I basically stopped geting audio only files long ago except for remixes. So even if I do a event without screens I am playing mostly music videos Before I use a laptop for performing I spend a couple months trying to crash it. Only thing I’ve found which sometimes can cause a hiccup is plugging or unplugging HDMI cables.
 
Which version are you using?

If VDJ 2000, there are a couple of setting tricks I've been taught:

set video frame to : 30
set videomaxmemory to : 250
set videoforcefullscreen to : 0
set videodelay to : 0.000000

Another major cause of screen freeze is buffering latency due to fragmented media source drives. Time for a defrag?

Here's hoping any of this is helpful.
 
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Cap Capello said:
Which version are you using?

If VDJ 2000, there are a couple of setting tricks I've been taught:

set video frame to : 30
set videomaxmemory to : 250
set videoforcefullscreen to : 0
set videodelay to : 0.000000

Another major cause of screen freeze is buffering latency due to fragmented media source drives. Time for a defrag?

Here's hoping any of this is helpful.
Click to expand...

Thanks Cap I'll try that. I figure I'll have lots of time for testing :)
 
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