Common Issues

This section covers high-frequency problems seen during setup and rehearsal.

Producer Will Not Start

  • GPU driver error on launch. Update to the latest GPU driver, then start WATCHOUT again.
  • Confirm the node meets the hardware requirements and the GPU is recognized in Windows.

Producer Opens but Show Actions Fail

Show actions fail when the nodes assigned the Director or Asset Manager role are not reachable on the network. Most often those nodes are powered off.

  • Confirm the Director and Asset Manager nodes are powered on and online in the Nodes window.
  • For a node that is known but offline, use Wake Up (Wake on LAN) in the Nodes window to power it on.
  • Check network reachability if the nodes are on but still not visible. See Network Issues.
  • Confirm the intended window has focus.
  • Check selection context (timeline, cue, layer, properties).
  • Re-try command from menu to verify availability state.

Startup Reliability Tips

  • Avoid running unrelated heavy software on playback nodes.
  • Use EDID emulation where possible. Otherwise, power on the displays before starting the node.
  • Reboot and validate nodes before show day if system state is uncertain.

Windows Hardware Errors (WHEA)

The Node Info panel in the Nodes window shows a Windows Hardware Errors count for each node. This is the number of WHEA events Windows has logged on that node since it started.

A non-zero count means Windows — not WATCHOUT — detected a hardware fault on that node, such as a CPU, memory, or PCIe error. WATCHOUT only reports the count. It cannot tell you what failed. This is outside WATCHOUT's scope.

  • Open Event Viewer on the affected node (Windows Logs > System) and look for events from Microsoft-Windows-WHEA-Logger.
  • The event detail names the component and error type. Use it to decide whether the hardware needs service.
  • Recurring WHEA errors point to a hardware or driver problem. Resolve it at the operating system or hardware level.

WATCHOUT 6 Import Fails with "Missing JSON_Data"

A WATCHOUT 6 import stops with an error like "Missing JSON_Data in .watch file: specified file not found in archive". The .watch file does not contain the show data the importer reads.

This happens when the show was saved with a WATCHOUT 6 version older than 6.6. Only WATCHOUT 6.6 and later write the data the importer needs.

  • Open the show in WATCHOUT 6.6 or later and save it again. Then import the re-saved .watch file.
  • Confirm the file is a genuine WATCHOUT 6 .watch show and is not damaged or incomplete.

See Importing from WATCHOUT 6 for the full import workflow and requirements.

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