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Vivitek Projector over IP?

Don DeLongDon DeLong Posts: 43
in AMX Technical Discussion
Having to control a Vivitek projector that got substituted because of a discontinued model. I've found an RS-232 control protocol, but no mention of IP control, and I don't have a good way to run serial to it. It has built in network control for Cre$tron 'Room View' software, and I'm curious if anyone has ever run across any of these and had success in controlling them from AMX over IP? I guess worst case I have to buy an Ethernet-->serial box of some sort, but I'd rather not have the crew have to bring a lift back in to access it. I'm playing with the web control gui on it to see if I can write something to just power the thing on/off via html, but I have no experience controlling things in this manner. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Don

Comments

  • ericmedleyericmedley Posts: 4,177
    If this doesn't work for some reason perhaps you could use a IP to RS232 box and create a little wireless network connection with a cheap WAP. When it's all said and done it might not cost too much to do and even though much slower will still be plenty fast enough for Rs232.
  • TechFreakTechFreak Posts: 39
    Don DeLong wrote: »
    Having to control a Vivitek projector that got substituted because of a discontinued model. I've found an RS-232 control protocol, but no mention of IP control, and I don't have a good way to run serial to it. It has built in network control for Cre$tron 'Room View' software, and I'm curious if anyone has ever run across any of these and had success in controlling them from AMX over IP? I guess worst case I have to buy an Ethernet-->serial box of some sort, but I'd rather not have the crew have to bring a lift back in to access it. I'm playing with the web control gui on it to see if I can write something to just power the thing on/off via html, but I have no experience controlling things in this manner. Any thoughts?

    Thanks,
    Don

    Try using Telnet client (Hyperterminal, etc) on port 23 to send the RS-232 control strings in the control protocol doc. I have seen this type of control capability on other devices. Telnet to the device IP address, then just do the string <CR> to see if it will respond.
  • viningvining Posts: 4,368
    TechFreak wrote: »
    Try using Telnet client (Hyperterminal, etc) on port 23 to send the RS-232 control strings in the control protocol doc. I have seen this type of control capability on other devices. Telnet to the device IP address, then just do the string <CR> to see if it will respond.
    If that doesn't work you could try doing a port scan on that IP to see what ports are open on it. Often devices will allow their standard RS232 protocol to be used via a telnet session but not on the default telnet port. A port scan will reveal what ports it's listening on so if port 23 doesn't work you could try the other ports if any.

    I use "IP Network Scanner" (I think on my iPad) you can scan the network to see what on it and then select a specific IP/device and go > advanced > port scan, to see its listening ports.
  • RichardHamiltonRichardHamilton Posts: 58
    Depending on the model and firmware, you may find that you cannot Turn On the projector with IP, because of the usual problem of when they shutdown, they shutdown the LAN port as well.

    I did some work with them a couple of years ago and I know this was the case with at least one model.

    To help you with IP, I vaguely recall it needed to be enabled within the setup menu, as some sort of RS-232 over IP configuration. It was a couple of layers into the setup menu.
  • Don DeLongDon DeLong Posts: 43
    Thanks for the replies everyone, I already tried port 23 telnet into it, doesn't connect :( I just ran a port scan and it appears only HTTP port 80 is open. It does talk to Cr*stron's 'RoomView' software, but apparently it must use HTTP as well. I'm gonna run wireshark and see what kind of traffic is going on between the software and projector.
  • viningvining Posts: 4,368
    Don DeLong wrote: »
    Thanks for the replies everyone, I already tried port 23 telnet into it, doesn't connect :( I just ran a port scan and it appears only HTTP port 80 is open. It does talk to Cr*stron's 'RoomView' software, but apparently it must use HTTP as well. I'm gonna run wireshark and see what kind of traffic is going on between the software and projector.
    Did you let port scan run its full scan? Usually takes 5+ minutes to scan all 65,535 possible ports.
  • Pep_SDPep_SD Posts: 106
    I evaluated one of these Vivitek about 6 months ago and faced the same problems.
    I was able to use RS232, but once powered off even using RS232, the Power On does not work!
    Also could see apparently only Cre$tron can talk to it via http.

    As I did not want to go to the Wireshark route, I recommended my client to get another brand of projectors - especially after I saw their web site for Tech support was down when I needed to contact them.
  • jweatherjweather Posts: 320
    From experience they don't work all that well even from Crestr0n... one of them I tested would select any input except VGA via the RoomView Connected Display module. Good thing nobody uses VGA anymore...
  • Don DeLongDon DeLong Posts: 43
    Pep_SD wrote: »
    I evaluated one of these Vivitek about 6 months ago and faced the same problems.
    I was able to use RS232, but once powered off even using RS232, the Power On does not work!

    Wow, that is a terrible feature...as I'm going to have to add an IP-232 box to make this work, I really hope they have that sorted out. This is a stage display/confidence monitor short throw setup off the front of a balcony in a large church, and all I really need out of it is power on/off and input selection between VGA and HDMI. I can definitely do it all from the web gui, so if push comes to shove and serial won't power it on, I may have to learn how to do HTTP control. Any advice if I have to go this route?

    Replacing the projector is a last resort as it is a terrible position to reach and it was hard finding anything that would do the job required, as this is replacing a Panasonic that would not fill the screen despite what their lens calculator says.

    Sucks to be bogged down on such a trivial component of a huge job. Got IP control of the 6 Christie Roadster HD14K-J main projectors no problem, and I'm spending way too much time working with a cheap little short throw guy.
  • viningvining Posts: 4,368
    Don DeLong wrote: »
    Wow, that is a terrible feature...as I'm going to have to add an IP-232 box to make this work, I really hope they have that sorted out. This is a stage display/confidence monitor short throw setup off the front of a balcony in a large church, and all I really need out of it is power on/off and input selection between VGA and HDMI. I can definitely do it all from the web gui, so if push comes to shove and serial won't power it on, I may have to learn how to do HTTP control. Any advice if I have to go this route?

    Replacing the projector is a last resort as it is a terrible position to reach and it was hard finding anything that would do the job required, as this is replacing a Panasonic that would not fill the screen despite what their lens calculator says.

    Sucks to be bogged down on such a trivial component of a huge job. Got IP control of the 6 Christie Roadster HD14K-J main projectors no problem, and I'm spending way too much time working with a cheap little short throw guy.
    I would suggest AMX's EXB-MP1 since it sounds like you may need IR to turn it back on once turned off and then you'll want to use 232 to provide 2-way comms once it's back on.

    I don't think you want to set up that lift a 3rd time, right. :)
  • Don DeLongDon DeLong Posts: 43
    After talking to the manufacturer's tech support several times, they finally tried controlling one of them over IP, and said "Wow, looks like this one doesn't do that, it's supposed to....". Finally got it working with a B&B Electronics POE powered serial device server. No problems with power on over serial. It does however lie to you and say it is off when it is really cooling (too many projectors do this IMO) so I have to fake feedback with a timeline for cooldown. Thanks for all the suggestions.
  • joseaniojoseanio Posts: 42
    PJLINK

    Hi Don,

    I think that all of projectors with ethernet port are PJLink compliance, so you can use AMX JBMIA MODULE, and you never more wont need write code to control projectors. Could change the projector brand and only setup the ip and done. You could control several projector brands with the same code.



    http://www.amx.com/inconcert/ct/DevMdlDetails.asp?A=Sh&MdlNo=29338&MdNo=0&DLM=1&lk=522D2EAD-6321-4915-8FBB-258A3AA7&FPMSN=


    http://pjlink.jbmia.or.jp/english/



    Don DeLong wrote: »
    After talking to the manufacturer's tech support several times, they finally tried controlling one of them over IP, and said "Wow, looks like this one doesn't do that, it's supposed to....". Finally got it working with a B&B Electronics POE powered serial device server. No problems with power on over serial. It does however lie to you and say it is off when it is really cooling (too many projectors do this IMO) so I have to fake feedback with a timeline for cooldown. Thanks for all the suggestions.
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