Hello...and a Doremi DCP2000 question

[Guy Walker]

Hello everyone. My name is Guy and I'm looking after the projection for a cinema charity here in Scotland. Nice to e-meet everyone. We have an eclectic mix of 35mm (70mm), 16mm, and DCP equipment which we currently deploy for pop up cinema shows. We have just recently purchased our town's rather derelict 1930's Art Deco cinema and are working towards bringing it back. All very exciting.

Anyway...I promise I used 'search' but I didn't find quite what I was after. We've a Doremi DCP2000 and a Barco DP2K 15C. When I last fired it up the Doremi it happily played some unencrypted content, but when I went to play another playlist it displayed a message saying "Couldn't load the ShowPlaylist". And it keeps doing this. This is probably an exceedingly basic question...but help!

Thanks very much indeed.

[Dave Macaulay]

Well... could be a few things.
I don't recall what happens with a security problem. If the projector has a green (or amber or blue) tail light it should be OK, red is saying it won't play content.
On the server side most issues will pop up a red error crawl in cinelister player.
If that's ok...
You don't have any other info? Is there a "red ball" warning on the Doremi GUI? Either on a local display or a VNC display... I don't recall where they show up on the webGUI.
Get a log file analysis first, it may tell what the issue is. The diagnostic report is a confusing bunch of folders and files - unlikely you'll find anything by looking inside it.
Save a diagnostics report to a USB stick (Doremi apps/diagnostics, report button at lower left), unmount the USB stick when asked, and submit it to loganalyzer.dolbycustomer.com ... after a minute you get a report. .
This shows any software updates needed (generally don't worry about that right away but you should have the current versions installed when possible) and lists any serious problems.
If that doesn't indicate the issue to you, at the top of the report click "share" and copy the link to the diags (not to the analysis report) and email that link to cinemasupport@dolby.com with a description of the problem. They're in California so don't expect a reply until business hours there - you can phone and choose offscreen issue if it's going to lose a public show but otherwise the email will get a response. They usually can lead you to a solution.

Try playing a known good unencrypted clip (not a saved playlist).
Usually a playlist with encrypted content that doesn't have a valid KDM will pop up a different warning, not just refuse to load.

You can get an encrypted test clip and its KDM at dolbycustomer.com without having an account, under "Cinema Exhibition".

[Leo Enticknap]

It could just be that you have a show playlist (SPL) that contains composition playlists (CPLs - individual DCPs, in other words) that have been deleted and are no longer in the server.

The security aspect is that the Dolphin media block in the DCP2000 (a card that sits on the motherboard) has a battery that maintains its security certificate in it. If that battery is allowed to go totally flat, the media block will no longer work and cannot be repaired in the field. As Dolby no longer supports that model, this would mean that your DCP2000 is now toast. The battery should be replaced every four years, and there is a procedure that has to be followed for this to be done without the risk of losing the certificate in the process. If you don't know that this isn't yet due, I would suggest getting a tech in to do it as soon as possible.

There will be a card on the Barco with two SDI inputs. This also has a decrypter with a battery in it, but this battery is rechargeable. I would suggest having the projector powered on for at least 10-20 hours a week to be sure of not letting that one discharge (can't remember what the official recommendation is for an Enigma board, this should keep you safe).

Agreed with Dave that running a "detailed report" log package through the Dolby log analyzer would be useful. You can download it in "Diagnostic tool" in the VNC UI, or Diagnostics > system > detailed report in the web UI. If your DCP2000 is still on a very old software version, it might not have the web UI at all.

[Ryan Gallagher]

Also be aware there is an dolby update required to the DCP2000 by Nov 2025 to avoid bricking the unit due to expired certificate signing.
https://kb.dolby.com/CinemaKnowledge...cate-Extension

And separately dolby updates that patch the Y2K24 SMPTE CPL expired certificate signature bug (that affects some back catalog studio titles)
https://www.isdcf.com/certs-expiring/

But I would troubleshoot your non-encrypted playback first, then move on to bringing the DCP2000 current. Excellent tips on the battery topics too.

Confirm you get errors with ALL playlists and CPL non-encrypted content first. Like Leo said, it could just be that SPL playlist that is missing a piece of content now.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

It could just be that you have a show playlist (SPL) that contains composition playlists (CPLs - individual DCPs, in other words) that have been deleted and are no longer in the server.

The security aspect is that the Dolphin media block in the DCP2000 (a card that sits on the motherboard) has a battery that maintains its security certificate in it. If that battery is allowed to go totally flat, the media block will no longer work and cannot be repaired in the field.

I always thought this was somewhat bizarre since GDC was able to do that remotely after a new battery was installed. Of course, the extended warranty has to be up to date. Granted, it can't really be done on the 3000 or the 1000, but they are IMB servers anyway that likely don't allow the same access to the media block their full size servers afforded.

[Guy Walker]

Many thanks everyone for your helpful replies. I've now learnt about log files and the Dolby log analyser! Fantastic. Hmmm...looking at the diagnostics it looks like our CPU fan has failed, and I'm seeing mention of the media block quite a lot(!). Here's the link:

http://loganalyzer.dolbycustomer.com...4da2e29c5787a6

One thought I had was whether this is temperature related? It seems to work ok from first boot up (when cool) and starts having playback problems after five minutes or so (when warm)?

Also just to mention that we had stored the server and projector for a couple of weeks, and this all cropped up when we first booted them back up. The server is connected to a UPS and was connected to power (albeit not booted) for the duration...

Thank you everyone again, much appreciated.

[Ryan Gallagher]

One thought I had was whether this is temperature related? It seems to work ok from first boot up (when cool) and starts having playback problems after five minutes or so (when warm)?

That fan error seems like a very good place to start. I would pull the chassis and power it up with the cover off and visually verify if the CPU fan is in fact dead or not. Or just turn it by hand and you might be able to feel that the bearings have gone bad. Or it could just be clogged with massive dust bunnies. Should be an easy swap if it is no good. Then keep going.

[Leo Enticknap]

The CPU fans in DCP2000s, DCP-2K4s, and ShowVaults do go. I've had to swap out lots of them over the years, and they had genuinely failed. Depending on the design of heatsink, you may need to take it off to replace the fan, so arm youself with a tube of thermal paste and some alcohol prep pads, too. If you can figure out the fan model from the bad one, I'd suggest buying one on Amazon or similar. If Dolby still have them, they will apply a significant markup.

The media block crashes and inability to make a TLS connection to the projector is a serious worry. The RAID drives only have 24K hours or so on them and the SMART parameters are all OK, so it looks like this is not being caused by a drive problem. Unless there is anything on the content RAID that you don't want to lose and don't have on external media, I would suggest reinitializing the RAID and then ingesting and playing a few trailers, to rule the RAID out as the cause. If the Dolphin crashes persist, I fear that you may have a bad media block.

As for the inability of the projector to connect to the media block, I would suggest that you try pinging the projector from the DCP2000's terminal window, and also check the projector for reported errors (Barco Communicator).

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

I see some errors/issues that should be resolved first:

1. The CPU fan as already discussed;
2. Sync Status: "No suitable NTP service configured" No NTP, no secure clock sync.
3. Related issues? Network: "RX Dropped on ETH0 ethrernet port" and Devices "Projector communication error" Replace the cable between projector and server, that should fix the packets and no connection issue.
4. Playback: "Decoder errors due to corrupted 2D content" If possible as Leo suggested reinitialize the RAID and remove all of the content. Start fresh. "Incomplete playback with decoder crashes" Dolphin issue, possibly fatal.

Because it previously worked and now doesn't, that leads me to think of three things as brought up in my above points:

• Server secure clock has drifted
• Bad cable between projector and server stopping communications
• Decoder errors most likely dead cert battery in Dolphin board, that board is now a paperweight or nice wall ornament.

If you get the server connected to an NTP server and change the CAT cable to restore projector communications, odds are you'll get back to being able to play non encrypted content again (BUT that CPU fan MUST be replaced!) I'd try those first to see if any life still exists before dumping money into solution to the Dolphin board problem.

[Leo Enticknap]

I wasn't worrying about the dropped packets too much at this stage, because (i) the CPU is overheating, and (ii) there is a possibility that the RAID could be a bit scrambled (even if the drives are physically OK), both of which could affect processing time/latency for the onboard NICs. My gut feeling would be to fix the other issues first, and then see if there is still a LAN communication problem. If there is, agreed: look at the cable, and possibly the switch as well. Two devices with the same IP address could cause the dropped packets, for example.

If the server has been running without a NTP source to sync with for many years, it's almost certain that the media block's secure clock has drifted way out of budget, and that a reset patch from Dolby will be needed.

I'm hopeful that the Dolphin isn't borked, because there isn't a "The battery is overdue for swapout" error showing. I don't know about Dolphins, but the log analyzer will definitely tell you explicitly if you have a lost cert on a Doremi IMB,or IMSX000. This server is also on the current or nearly current version of all its software/firmware/SM components, leading me to believe that it's been worked on by a tech relatively recently. Hopefully (s)he replaced the Dolphin battery at that point.

But we need to get to the bottom of that TLS error, and for starters we need to know if the projector is reporting a deceased Enigma card (which it will: red tail light and no communication with Enigma error), and/or the router in the CCB has a problem. Either of those two would cause that problem. The CCB router going bad would account for the packet drops, too, and this is a common failure mode of early Series 2 Barco CCBs.

[Dave Macaulay]

The cpu fan should be replaced but is not critical on its own. There is a lot of air movement in the chassis and the cpu doesn't overheat if the cooler is clean. It is best to get a cooler from Dolby, the mounting spider below the board matches it and changing that is a real pita as the motherboard has to come out. If the heatsink is obstructed with dirt, clean it and the cpu will be ok until you get a new cooler. I find a lot of servers with dead cpu fans with the cpu temp just a bit high, probably with no cooler fan for months.
Reseat the Dolphin board and clean the edge connector if you can, deoxit is beneficial. Be very careful handling the board as damage to the FIPS cover will brick it. The reset cable can be left disconnected as it is only for factory setup which is no longer available and it interferes with BIOS updating.
Reseat the RAM sticks and SATA cables as well. Reseat the drive caddies.
You can reinitialize the RAID but if the analysis doesn't flag drive issues it won't help.
The Dolphin battery status is in the analysis, it should be replaced if over 4 years old. This process can easily brick the board so a trained tech should do that. The motherboard battery should be replaced at the same time.
The corrupt CPL should be deleted and reingested. I don't have the analysis ATM but if it shows a UUID you can find it and delete just that one. Reinitalizing the RAID and ingesting what you need is easier if you don't know Linux or understand the file structure.

And: have any software versions up to date.

Reseating the projector boards is useful as well. Assuming you have the tamper reset passcode.

[Leo Enticknap]

And: have any software versions up to date.

From my reading of the versions of this log analysis, he's got 2.5.52 for the software, which is current. It's red flagged the firmware: I don't have the current version numbers for the Dolphin in my head, but for the software to be on 2.5.52, someone must have done a round of updates in the last few months, likely to correct the encrypted playback failure that would have resulted at the end of last year had they not been done.

You can reinitialize the RAID but if the analysis doesn't flag drive issues it won't help.

With the greatest of respect, I'd argue for "unlikely to" as distinct from "it won't." If the server has lost power a few times chaotically (e.g. brownouts or momentary blackouts) while writing to the RAID, there may be indexing errors on the drives as distinct from physically bad sectors, that nuking and reinitializing the RAID would fix.

Reseating the projector boards is useful as well. Assuming you have the tamper reset passcode.

And contact cleaning them in the process. It's a bummer that, being in Scotland, Guy is not easily able to get hold of a can of DeOxit (unless he orders it from the Amazon US site and likely pays the price of the can again for shipping). Agreed totally with the underlying point, which is that the projector is very likely a piece of this puzzle.

[Guy Walker]

From my reading of the versions of this log analysis, he's got 2.5.52 for the software, which is current. It's red flagged the firmware: I don't have the current version numbers for the Dolphin in my head, but for the software to be on 2.5.52, someone must have done a round of updates in the last few months, likely to correct the encrypted playback failure that would have resulted at the end of last year had they not been done.



With the greatest of respect, I'd argue for "unlikely to" as distinct from "it won't." If the server has lost power a few times chaotically (e.g. brownouts or momentary blackouts) while writing to the RAID, there may be indexing errors on the drives as distinct from physically bad sectors, that nuking and reinitializing the RAID would fix.



And contact cleaning them in the process. It's a bummer that, being in Scotland, Guy is not easily able to get hold of a can of DeOxit (unless he orders it from the Amazon US site and likely pays the price of the can again for shipping). Agreed totally with the underlying point, which is that the projector is very likely a piece of this puzzle.

Thank you all - this is very helpful. Believe it or not I do have some Deoxit :-)

[David Ferguson]

Thanks everyone for these replies. For context, I'm helping Guy with this - although my area of knowledge is standard IT (as well as 35mm), so the DCI and encryption stuff is relatively unknown to me.

Some history:

• We got the setup in January 2024. The projector came from a closed chain of cinemas earlier this year, and the Doremi server came from another cinema.
• On the 29th January 2024, we had everything setup, and playing - both unencrypted and encrypted content (we tested with the Dolby encrypted DCP test files). So it was all good then. Since just after then, the Doremi has been plugged in with a UPS, as I know that keeping that battery alive is key. The projector, however, hasn't been. It has been on occasionally, however we're yet to put it into proper use yet.
• In March 2024 we ran into a serious issue where the light engine failed. Reseating it didn't help, so we got that replaced 20th March. We tested with unencrypted content then, but I don't think we tested with encrypted content.
• We did use the projector for occasional testing use, last date we remember was late April. So it has been sitting off, but with mains connected (and Doremi on UPS) for about a month.

Our use for this is as "pop-up" cinema, so it will get used for a weekend, and then probably not for a month. We also don't have an internet connection so haven't configured the projector or Doremi to sync to a NTP server. As mentioned, they also both came from different locations, so the times on them could be a bit out - but we did have it playing encrypted content in January.

I'll be trying a few things tomorrow - reinitializing the RAID, adding a NTP server, and replacing the ethernet cables with some known good ones (although the dropped packet warnings are a little odd to me - the projector and server are connected directly together, with no switch or router, so I wouldn't have expected any dropped packets).

A couple of questions I have:

• Re. the NTP and secure clock sync... after doing a bit of reading, I understand that for security reasons, you can't change the clock of the Doremi more than 6 mins a year. Is the projector the same? How does adding a NTP server help with this, if they are more than 6 mins out? Is that what the reset patch from Dolby would be needed for? And assuming we can get the projector and server in sync, does the NTP server then keep the secure clock in sync?
• What's the easiest way of inspecting the battery status of the battery in the Dolphin, and in the SDI board in the Barco? Is it just "try some encrypted content", or is there a way to view their status somewhere? I'm asking this because, as Guy said, we're currently having issues playing both encrypted and unencrypted content, so I'd ideally like a way to check if, even if we're not able to play anything at the moment.
• Assuming (and hoping!) we get all this resolved, what is the best procedure for making sure that all batteries are charged up in the future? We have the Doremi powered off on a UPS, is that sufficient, or does it need to be powered on to charge the Dolphin battery? And same question for the SDI board in the projector, does that need to just have mains input, or does it need to be powered on? How long and how regularly should they be powered on for?

Thanks everyone for your advice, and also to the couple of people who reached out to us! We'll post updates tomorrow.

[Leo Enticknap]

(although the dropped packet warnings are a little odd to me - the projector and server are connected directly together, with no switch or router, so I wouldn't have expected any dropped packets).

If it's not the cable, I fear that this could be symptomatic of the projector's CCB failing, then. A contact clean and reseat can't hurt.

Re. the NTP and secure clock sync... after doing a bit of reading, I understand that for security reasons, you can't change the clock of the Doremi more than 6 mins a year. Is the projector the same? How does adding a NTP server help with this, if they are more than 6 mins out? Is that what the reset patch from Dolby would be needed for? And assuming we can get the projector and server in sync, does the NTP server then keep the secure clock in sync?

The patch from Dolby will enable the server to reset the media block's secure clock without the six-minute constraint when it syncs to a valid NTP server on the reboot immediately after you upload the patch into it. If it has a valid NTP server to sync to, it will do so at set time intervals (not sure what they are, but I'm guessing at least once a day) and on each reboot. It will then adjust the secure clock as necessary. As long as the secure clock doesn't drift by more than the six-minute DCI "budget" in any single year, you'll never need to worry about keeping the clock correct again. But if it doesn't have a valid NTP server to sync to, the clock will drift.

The projector's ICP also has a secure clock. Again, it's a good idea to give the projector an NTP server to sync to. The consequences of the ICP drifting significantly are not as severe as with the media block's clock, but if a big difference develops between the two, I'm guessing that this could cause handshaking problems. I've only seen this happen when the ICP's clock battery (one time, replaceable, BR2330) has gone completely flat and the ICP has reverted to its factory default date and time: sometime in 1974, if I remember correctly. There is no certificate to lose when replacing the ICP's clock battery: you just pull the old one out and push the new one in. You do have to reset the time afterwards, or else you'll have a red tail light.

What's the easiest way of inspecting the battery status of the battery in the Dolphin, and in the SDI board in the Barco? Is it just "try some encrypted content", or is there a way to view their status somewhere? I'm asking this because, as Guy said, we're currently having issues playing both encrypted and unencrypted content, so I'd ideally like a way to check if, even if we're not able to play anything at the moment.

Both will give you error messages if the batteries have actually gone flat. The projector error will be "No communication with Enigma (or Link Decrypter)," and be accompanied by a red tail light. I can't remember the precise wording on the Doremi, but I don't think the media block will play anything, encrypted or unencrypted, if its battery is flat. Unfortunately, neither will give you a low battery warning ahead of time.

Dolby's recommendation for the Dolphin battery replacement is every four years. Given that your server is powered down so much of the time, I would suggest shortening that to three. It is a disposable, non-rechargeable battery (CR1220), meaning that it doesn't matter if the server is left unpowered for long periods, as long as that battery is replaced on time.

I can't find any official manufacturer recommendation about the Enigma link decrypter. Its battery is rechargeable, and receives a charge while the projector's card cage is powered. I would be inclined to leave the projector powered up continuously for 3-4 days every month, to be on the safe side.