Procaster 20.2.83 Beta Problem

[vhctaylors]

I am using XP SP 3, Dell precision 390, Core2Extreme, 4G Mem, +286G free HD, nVidia 260 graphics, Wireless N Ethernet with 10M upload, and speedtest.net says 85ms ping, 43 Download, 20M upload to NY,NY server. I am using a Rocketfish HD Pro in 640x480, 15frames/sec in 4:3 orientation, and am using the 2D mix mode most often.

I am running the 20.2.83 beta platform since the release has a problem with the ctrl-Q (getting rid of the green bars).

My problem is that it crashes after about an hour or two. Since panic filled my eyes and I needed to get it back up ASAP, I did not write down the error.

I also noticed the same thing on my Win 7/64 16G Alienware M17XR3 using the same camera in the same modes when testing, but I thought that it was a fluke.

Thanks for all your hard work. You guys are the greatest!

[ernielive]

vhctaylors,

If you could provide the message displayed when you crash, that would be helpful. Also, if there is a crash report dialogue, please be sure to send that through. Have you experienced this issue when using any other cameras or any other version of Procaster?

[vhctaylors]

I will. BTW, when I am doing test broadcasts, how can I delete them from my queue so there isn't fluff hanging around?

I have a pair of Rocketfish pro HD cameras, and it has crashed with both of them. I have others, but I don't normally use them.

I have never seen it crash with other builds, and I have been using it for months with these two cameras. I typically broadcast 2-3 hours every sunday.

Thanks.

[ernielive]

You can delete content from your library by going into your Studio, and clicking the 'x' next to the storyboards in the 'Manage Library' tab. Similarly, you can delete content from auto-pilot and video on-demand playlists by clicking those respective tabs and deleting the content from the proper columns.

Do you know which version of Procaster was able to run stable with your Rocketfish HD cameras? If so, you could downgrade to that version for the time being.

[vhctaylors]

I usually run Medium & Mobile streams. On the XP machine, am running just fine with 20.2.69 now, with no crashing problems under normal situations. Again, I am running a reasonable computer (see specs above), but when I do something, lets say unadvisable, like changing a powerpoint slide while broadcasting just the camera image (because there was a change in the schedule) it just stops working, and the video I have shot is lost, which causes heartburn. If I leave it alone and let it do its thing, it works great. I run the mp3s from my iPhone when using this computer, and no monkeybusiness, then I am golden.

On the Alienware M17 R3 with 16G mem, dual 256SSHD, nVidia 560M, I am running 20.2.83 without any issues whatsoever. Last weekend, i video linked two remote sites over Skype while broadcasting at the same time, and it worked PERFECTLY, not to mention the iTunes music I was playing.

I am living it large on the M17, and living on a diet on the XP machine. Such is the march of technology.

[vhctaylors]

I upgraded on the XP machine to 20.3.0 from 20.2.69? and it crashed twice, each time after almost exactly an hour of broadcasting. It had the provision to send the error, and I did it both times. I had to swtich back to the M17R3 running the previous version 20.2.83. I am pretty sure it wasn't the camera since I have been using the same camera for a number of months.

I was broadcasting at 10fps in both mobile and medium quality and was also running PowerPoint. The CPU load is typically 35-42% bouncing around. I almost always have it in the 2D mix mode for the early part of the service. After it crashes, if I restart it without a full reboot, it puts it at 30fps for some reason, which puts me over the 80% CPU mark, and it doesn't broadcast well at all. if I restart the computer, it goes back to 10fps and will work for another hour.

If you want to know more about my computer, check the earlier post. It isn't a bad computer, and this is coming from a total computer snob. The Core 2 extreme quad is still better than the i5 series, the nVidia 260 full length video is still fairly current, and the 4G of memory is as much as XPSP3 can address. The network bandwidth is abundant (well over 10M upload, 25M download), and I am using a N wireless running at 130MBaud the entire time (I watched it - full signal). I am very certain that the cameras aren't themselves the issue since they have no problems when I broadcast from the Alienware M17R3 and the older Alienware M17 (first generation). The XP machine is a Dell 390, which isn't exactly an off-beat brand, and it worked for years as a AutoCAD machine prior to its retasking, so its reliability is pretty well documented. The computer is not getting hot either. It runs fine without error for as long as you want to leave it on. If I had to grasp at hardware straws, I would point out that the memory is non-ECC, but that seems highly unlikely to be an issue.

Keep in mind that I am not angry or disappointed since you provide a very high quality service for free, and I am very appreciative for your efforts on my behalf. I just want to help you guys as much as I can.

So, my immediate plan is to get back on 20.2.69 on the XP machine, and create a temp channel for the XP machine to broadcaston while the M17R3 will broadcast on the main channel. Let me know anything I can do for you to help you in your debugging!

Thanks!

Doug

[vhctaylors]

I just ran a test on the XP machine with Procaster 20.2.69 and after 30+ minutes it crashed with a "recording desktop error". I just ran a speedtest with a 44.41MB download and 19.21 to Corvallis Oregon, and a 48.45 down/18.53 up to NY/NY server. As stated before, we are at 38-43% load when running and we are also running PowerPoint and using the RocketFish camera with the Procaster.

The computer was reformatted XPSP3 (as stated in my earlier posts) and office 2007, the RocketFish Live! camera software, the Procaster, the ATT communication manager (when we go offsite - not being used), the Netgear WDNA3100v2 (usb wireless for inhouse wireless), iTunes, and skype was loaded. That is it.

Please let me know if I can run any further tests.

[vhctaylors]

Can you guys shed some light on my problems? I am open to try anything! New OS? I really need some help. Pretty please???

[ernielive]

vhctaylors,

In Procaster's preferences, click the 'Desktop' tab. In here, make sure your Effect Render Method is set for OpenGL, which uses the graphics card in addition to the CPU when in the mix modes. If this is already set for OpenGL, try setting this to Simple instead. Let me know if this helps at all.

[vhctaylors]

Will do. I will let you know on Sunday.