Disguise and LED: trace content to the screen

Identify what is missing and what remains visible

Describe the symptom, the point in the show when it appeared and the affected destination. The entire image, one area or a particular clip may be missing. Record what the operator view still showed and what reached the audience; both observations help set up the comparison.

Record the Designer version, server, output and processor, along with the project and file copy in use. If the symptom changes between cues, identify both moments. To trace the rest of the chain, use the black-screen troubleshooting guide.

Compare the content with the signal reaching the processor

Complete this table with the technician responsible for each part. Separate the intended design from what you could actually observe. Mark points that are not yet available instead of filling in their results by assumption.

In the help sections below, compare the manual's names with the installed version. If a menu or interface differs, record that difference before changing anything. The worksheet describes the actual setup; an example from another server does not establish what yours supports.

Disguise Designer: trace the Screen to the output head

If Stage shows the expected content, check the Feed Scene next: its Feed Rectangles define the source Screen, region, transformations and destination on the output head. Identify the output head feeding the processor. Feed Outputs Overview.

During rehearsal, compare the same reference in Stage, Feed and LED. Record where the content changes before altering the map.

VX 4 with VFC HDMI: compare selected and current output formats

On a VX 4 with VFC HDMI, open the port menu and compare Display Mode with Current Output; check Port Status if they differ. VFC ports.

Changing resolution or refresh rate requires Apply Feed Settings. It interrupts the outputs while changes are applied and may take more than ten seconds; arrange a window outside the show. Apply settings.

For the test, record the format before and after at that port and at the processor input. Return to the event content and check the LED.

Disguise: check the codec and rehearse the full cue

If a .mov file does not appear, confirm its codec with the person who prepared it. Designer supports DXV 2, HAP, HAP Alpha, HAP-Q, Animation with keyframes on every frame, NotchLC and ProRes. Formats.

On a clip Designer does recognize, right-click its thumbnail and open Content properties. Record Codec, Resolution, Original FPS and Data rate (MB/s). Properties.

In rehearsal, compare the same cue and load using the original and a converted copy; retain the original. The benchmarks are laboratory maxima.

Test a recognizable reference at each destination

Before the show, agree with operations on a reference that reveals areas, orientation and movement. Prepare a test copy and record where it should appear. If the signal carries audio, identify the intended voice or sound and its destination too.

The panoramic LED file guide suggests a test chart and explains the relationship among pixel matrix, signal and content. Use the agreed reference to trace this path. Then return to the event file and record the section actually reviewed.

Keep a useful comparison when changing a setting

Agree on the setting to compare, who will change it and how to return to the starting state. Save the previous configuration and identify the rehearsal file and cue. Repeat the same reference after the change; if content or connections also changed, record those differences.

If the clip skips, record which task was active and how long it was observed. Compare another sample with the planned show configuration. A short passage that works leaves the untested sections open. The video guide helps relate sources, processor and display.

Leave a record the next operator can follow

Download the Disguise-to-LED output worksheet and complete the file, paths, versions and observations. Preserve the configuration before and after, the scope of the test and the points still open.

If another event source is needed, connect it to the continuity plan. Identify the task it could replace and which elements it shares with the primary path. Share the record with the server and processor operators.

Disguise: what diagnostics to save after a fault

According to the diagnostics manual, Project Diagnostic gathers basic system and project information; System Diagnostic gathers machine information. The former excludes VideoFile and DxTexture, so prepare relevant content separately.

In d3Manager, select the project and open Help → Create project diagnostic. For the machine, use Create system diagnostic. Record the ZIP name and location shown in the command window.

We suggest recording the cue, warning and time in the support worksheet. Rehearse only outside the live show.

Disguise: check the camera on each server

Open Devices → Video Input Patch. The input manual assigns each Video Input Clip per machine. Check the port and format, then enable Local Preview. Stop preview makes the thumbnail black even though video is still being received.

On EX 2C, HDMI capture requires Designer r32.2.4 and OS 25Q3 or later. Check the supported combination for that model before counting inputs.

We suggest checking each camera on each server, then on screen. A shared session alone does not verify the arrival of every signal. Record the results in the capture worksheet.

Disguise: rehearse which source each index selects

The Indirections manual describes this path: Video layer → videoClip editor → new Indirection → List controller → resources. The index selects a resource; reordering the list changes that correspondence.

During rehearsal, label the cameras and check every selection at its destination. Agree with show direction on who supplies each source and who authorizes it to appear. An input thumbnail does not verify the full output path.

Record the list, index and observed source before connecting external controls. If the list is reordered, repeat the test.

Disguise: identify which part of the path the latency figure measures

The VX 4 table specifies three frames for SDI in Ultra-Low Latency. The methodology measures a server capture-and-output circuit, not the event camera-to-LED path.

Calculated example: milliseconds = frames ÷ Hz × 1000. The values below convert that table; they are not measurements of this setup.

Ultra Low removes the output buffer that absorbs render spikes. Compare latency and stability under show load before choosing the mode. For voice and picture, see the sync guide.

EX 2C: count simultaneous signals before connecting

The HDMI capture manual requires Designer r32.2.4 and an OS 25Q3 image suitable for the model, or later. These are its EX 2C combinations:

With both 12G inputs active, the license rejects a 4K HDMI source. Check which inputs are occupied before changing cables.

Rehearse the selected combination with every source connected. Record the signals and outcome in the input worksheet.

EX 2C: check the format before forcing a panoramic EDID

7680 × 1080 is not among the HDMI formats tested in the EX 2C manual. That list does not confirm custom capture, even if the computer offers the setting.

Start with 1920 × 1080p60, which is listed, and record the received resolution, refresh rate, color and bit depth. Then compare the panoramic format in preview and at the destination. Its appearance on the computer desktop does not verify the full path.

At 4K60, the manual warns that YCbCr 4:2:2 may be needed because of bandwidth. Check fine text on screen before accepting it. Also review panoramic presentation preparation.