Multiple Video Projectors recognized in random order

[Pruitt]

Hello everyone,

I'm running a show using a new Macbook Pro Max and three projectors (all Optima, but one model different from the other two), all running from Thunderbolt 4 ports to HDMI. As I was setting up today, Qlab froze and I had to restart, and the computer saw the projectors in a different order than I'd had them set up. I then restarted a few times, trying to determine the order that the computer polled the ports, so that I could get them into the proper sequence on each startup, but I I'm not finding it consistent.

The projectors were all on, and stayed plugged in before and during restarts. I'm finding that if they don't sequence in the same order, when I restart, then I have to go into surfaces and switch them around about 50% of the time.

Is this a common problem? Should the machine poll its ports in the same order when it fires up each time? If not, is there a known fix for making it behave consistently when restarts are necessary (my usual routine is to do edits and work, and restart the machine a bit before house opens, so that everything is running fresh )

Cheers from Lufkin, TX where we perform for a bunch of kids tomorrow morning :)

Stephen

[Jason 2025]

I've not often run into this on Intel Macs however my technique for multiple projectors now is to send everything to a single 4k output and  then use a 2x2 video wall processor to split the image into four 1080P outputs for up to four projectors. In QLab I just set up four surfaces mapped to the four corners of the 4k output. Works fantastic and you just have to worry about one physical connection to the computer. Right now I have an installation with an M1 Macbook Air running this and I've tested and had up to 12 video streams running flawlessly so would expect that new M1pro and M1Max Macbooks to be even better. My M1Max is on order :)

Cheers.

J\