@dbini

Hello how are you?

I am currently setting up for a 4 x projector show in a building site. 3 x projectors illuminate an hexagonal structure 1 x projector is stand alone. I will be blending the hexagonal with a Stage blend in Isadora with a second Stage for the single projector.

I also have a 2012 trashcan Mac Pro - but I will not be using it. Instead, I will use a MacBook Pro M5 Max which has the capacity for the 4 x video output leaving the built in screen for live control.

For my setup there is a fair amount of cable run and I spent some time figuring out what cabling to use that can deliver over long distances. Recently, in a theatre, we deployed Decimator branded video converters to send video from hdmi through SDI cable lengths to 3x Epson Pro laser projectors in the grid. This worked great with only minor issues with latency being uneven across the three sends. Well, the theatre owned the stash of Decimator devices and SDI cable runs, it worked because my Epson Pro projectors have SDI inputs reducing the need for the signal to be converted back to hdmi at the projector end.

This time I don’t have access to the Decimator/SDI solution. And costing it out for 4x Decimator devices and 4x long SDI cable runs went well above what I can spend currently. So I have invested in 4 x Active Optical hdmi cables and compatible thunderbolt/display port dongles. The cables are still expensive but have the converter electronics housed in the cable ends resulting in a solution that is considerable cheaper than converting to SDI. However, the cables are said to be more fragile and perhaps less robust ‘on the road’. This will be the first time using them. If anyone has experience using the AOC hdmi cables would be interested to hear.

The thing with the 2012 trashcan is compatible dongles (thunderbolt 2?) and the cable lengths required to distribute to your ST laser projectors.

Best wishes

Russell

@dbini said:

splitting a 4K 30fps video into 4x HD

 I believe so.

bumping this thread with an update and a question.

So I ordered 4x Optoma Laser ST projectors (new ones aime at the golf sim market)

I have access to a Seada 4K pro video wall controller to split the image into 4. It doesn't handle edge blending, but has facility to overlap screens, so I will make a blended edge in my output video.
BUT. I just discovered an old MacPro 2012 for sale. running High Sierra. Specs say it can output 6 video streams. So I could potentially do all the mapping and edge blending in Isadora. Do you think it could handle splitting a 4K 30fps video into 4x HD?

@ray said:

but the decklink has the same numbers

 @CitizenJoe Have you experienced this? I don't have one of these cards to test, so I am not sure why the numbering might be this way.

@tomthebom said:

reexporting

 When video files are acting funny, this is the answer 99% of the time.

@woland Thanks, the reexporting with iMovie resolved the issue.

@dusx

Thanks for your help. The problem I've run into is that the decklink outputs and the 4090 and 3070 are numbered the same. The 4090 and 3070 are numbers consecutively but the decklink has the same numbers. So if I assign display 2 to the decklink one of the other cards also has the same number. I just have display 1 thru 8 not 1 thru 16. I'm thinking about running two instances of Izzy one for the decklink and one for the nvidia cards. Btw the nvidia cards work very well with Izzy.

@cacoos

1. JSON Bunder and JSON Parser actors can be used to reduce the number of inputs you need.
2. Depending on how many instances of the User Actor you need, you could also use Broadcaster/Listener and/or Set/Get Global Values actors to get some of the information into your User Actors

@Cacoos wrote:

 I did not encounter this limitation in the previous versions I used.

I just tried in Isadora 3.2.6 and saw that I can't add 256 inputs there either. What version are you referring to? (Just asking because if we can pinpoint the last version where it did work, we can see what changed about this in the next version.)

@cacoos said:

My project requires 253 signal inputs plus one reset input, for a total of 254 inputs in a single User Actor or Macro.

 I would recommend bundling your similar parameters into JSON. I do this all the time for inputs/outputs. It can really make connecting things A LOT easier.

see: Using the JSON Parser and JSON Bundler Actors : TroikaTronix

Subject: 235-port limit in User Actors and Macros — Isadora 4.5.1 freezes when adding more

Hello Isadora Support Team,

I am experiencing an issue when adding a large number of User Input or User Output actors inside a User Actor or Macro in Isadora 4.5.1.

I can add up to 235 inputs or outputs, but attempting to add more causes Isadora to freeze. I did not encounter this limitation in the previous versions I used.

System configuration:

• Isadora 4.5.1
• MacBook Pro with M5 Max
• macOS Tahoe 26.5.2

Steps to reproduce:

1. Create a new, empty project.
2. Create a User Actor or Macro.
3. Add User Input or User Output actors inside it.
4. Attempt to exceed 235 ports — Isadora freezes.

The issue occurs even in an otherwise empty Macro, with no JavaScript actor, OSC processing, or other logic inside. This suggests that the problem is related to creating or managing the ports rather than processing incoming data.

My project requires 253 signal inputs plus one reset input, for a total of 254 inputs in a single User Actor or Macro.

Could you please clarify the following?

• Is the 235-port limit intentional, or is this a bug in version 4.5.1?
• If it is intentional, why was this limitation introduced, and can it be increased?
• Does the limit apply separately to inputs and outputs, or to their combined total?
• Is there a supported way to use 254 inputs in a single User Actor or Macro without freezing?

I can provide a minimal test project and a screen recording demonstrating the issue if needed.

Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards