Bugs with NO FIX? Beta version of Proclaim? Stable version WHEN?

I've used Logos Bible software (excellent) for over a decade, and recently we began using Proclaim, even though I was aware of the multiplicity of bugs which were supposed to be fixed. We've held off purchasing ProPresenter for that reason---the promise of a stable, "bug-free" version of Proclaim.

I called Logos today hoping to talk with someone in Tech Support, who could tell us why the audio in videos vacillates between working and not-working during a service, even when tested beforehand. Clearly, this is not acceptable to anyone, and can be quite disruptive in a SS or church service setting. I also asked if a stable, bug-free version was expected any time soon.

I was quite disappointed in the response I got. The girl, though polite, would not let me talk to anyone in Tech support, and I was told to post the issue on this forum ("this is the way we do it"). Obviously, looking at a computer screen and non-conversant about much of anything related to Proclaim, she "proclaimed" (excuse the pun) that there was NO record of anyone else having any problem with audio when playing videos. I find this quite hard to believe, seeing as this "beta" version of Proclaim is plagued with all sorts of problems. Just scroll through this forum to find verification of that.

If there is a Logos "techie" responding to technical problems posted in this forum, could you please tell me what the problem might be? Clearly, it is at the Logos' end (i.e. the "cloud"/server) because the videos are good and broadband access is uninhibited (we have 4G wifi access). Comments or help from anyone is also welcomed.

At this point, it seems PowerPoint would work better, without glitches, since you can play videos and do everything Proclaim purports to do (except the cloud accessibility).

Thanks in advance for any help! Frustrated, but still rejoicing in all things! -David

P.S. We're running Proclaim on new Macs, though I also have Win 7 on my Mac via a Bootcamp partition ... if the PC version is more bug-free.

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Hunter Clagett

We have had some report of stuttering audio on the Mac platform. We are looking into it.

There have been some issues related to this in the past, but they have been fixed as they came up.

Proclaim is still very early in its development cycle, which means there will be some issues as we go forward.

I take is then that you're experiencing problems playing audio from videos embedded in Proclaim. Do the videos have any sort of stuttering when played directly from the hard drive?

It would also be great to get your log files. Reproduce the error and then copy your logs to this thread per the instructions here: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/39446.aspx

Thanks,

Todd Foster

I'm sorry Proclaim isn't working perfectly for you yet: that certainly is our goal!

Proclaim is still a pretty new product and continues to evolve rapidly. Even our (excellent!) customer service/tech support staff are still learning it. The forums are indeed the best place to find support for issues you might be facing: the developers read and respond directly to users here.

Re: video:

Most of our users seem to be satisfied with video uploads at present, including those containing audio. As Hunter mentions, we had some issues in the past, but each time we have resolved them. If the audio portions of your videos are not playing consistently well, that suggests there's something different about your configuration which we have not been able to test yet. We would very much like to figure out what's going on and to resolve it for you and for future customers with a similar configuration. However we need your help in order to do so.

As Hunter points out, the best, first thing to do is to reproduce the problem, then gather your logs and post them in this thread so we can take a peek "under the covers." The second thing would be to verify you can view the file in question without problems on your Mac using Quicktime or your video player of choice. The third thing to try would be to check the "Local file only" option and see how it runs then.

Finally, would you be at liberty to point us to a copy of the file that is giving you trouble so that we can try uploading it ourselves? Are there any special steps you take in order to reproduce the problem? Are you placing the video into a Video Service Item? You suggest that you test before hand: does the video play through correctly during the test? What are you doing differently during the test vs in the live service?

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for helping us chase down some of the wrinkles remaining in Proclaim.

--Todd

Pastor David Kirschke

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/363957#Comment_363957

Hey, Todd!

Thanks so much for your prompt reply! I understand the forum is where you review things ... I guess there's no phone support, eh? That's OK.

I would be glad to get you the information and run a test. I can give an answer to a couple of your questions now:

"Second thing": Yes, we've played it on Quicktime and audio is fine. Another thing I didn't mention is that when playing from the cloud (your server), the audio starts in sync with the video and through the course of a 50 min video (190 MB) the audio lags behind (not in sync) by the end. These are videos we're showing in Sunday School. It is in sync from beginning to end when played on the computer as a "local file." I will try running it (your "third thing") as a "local file only" and see how it performs.

Yes, I can provide a copy of a typical video file (MP4 or MOV) by uploading it to our website at www.lifeway.org. Yes, both I and the media coordinator test the file from "the cloud" on both mine and his computer, and the sound is fine. During the church service, we usually only have a "countdown," and maybe another 3-min video illustration before the message (from sermonspice.com or bluefishtv.com). The audio will work fine for the 4-min "countdown" video (preceding the service), and maybe a 2-min for the offering, then totally vanish for the 3-min sermon illustrative video before the message (after the offering). And that is without changing anything (audio connections, etc.). So, nothing is done differently when it doesn't work from when it worked earlier in the service. So you can see ... quite perplexing as well as frustrating.

BTW, none of us are novices, and we work a lot w/ videos (converting from iTunes, etc.) I've been working on computers since before Windows came out (back in the DOS days), and just changed to Mac (much superior-performing for media) about 3 years ago after being a die-hard PC advocate for almost 20 years.

I noticed Hunter Clagett posted a procedure entitled, "How to file a bug report for Proclaim" so I will use that as a guide.

Thanks again for your help! -David

Pastor David Kirschke

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/363949#Comment_363949

Thanks, Hunter, for your quick reply too. You can note my answers to Todd below. I mentioned I will follow the guide you posted on reporting bugs, and try to get you guys all the info you need to find a solution.

BTW ... no, there's no stuttering or any problem when playing directly from the hard drive. This Sunday we're going to change the broadband access/feed from the hotel internet (where we presently hold services) to my Sprint wifi "Overdrive," which supplies 4G speed. We'll see if that could make a difference at all.

It seems like this would be a common problem (unless no one else is using videos) when running directly from the server, in contrast to being downloaded into a "cache" which which would then play as a local file. Maybe that's something you all could work on developing in the future.

Anyway ... thanks again for helping me on this. I do like the whole idea Proclaim runs on, allowing various person's input through the cloud, as opposed to a program like ProPresenter. Hopefully, you guys can work out all the bugs. Take care ... Later ... Dave

P.S. I mentioned to Todd that I will upload one of our videos (which I converted from an iTunes M4V, using M4V Converter Plus) that we're using in our SS study of the "History of Christianity" & "God in America" from the History Channel ... to our website at www.lifeway.org. I'll let you know when it's posted.