10/27/23 – Weekly Update

First , let us recap from feedback from last week’s update where we had updated the Head to Head to support 30th Anniversary Collection . 

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive .

All feedback was recorded , compliments , criticism , and things will be addressed in the followings priority , for those issues that were found to be legitimate issues . 

There were two reports of slowdown. One said it was perfectly fine , when the other player said it was acting laggy . The second report was confirmed by two players at the same time . An issue has already been identified and resolved and related to a GPU driver conflict . 

1P / 2P Side Swapping was also an issue inherent to the nature of 30th . When the 1P side unplugs , the machine will reassign that position to the 2P side . Thus , switching player sides . A solution is being investigated . This has not yet been resolved , and a hardware solution is being tested at this time . 

Hardware :

The Head to Head USB Disconnects are now Active USB Disconnects to replace the previously Passive USB Disconnects to ensure absolute power and control adaptability . 

The Head to Head now has 1P side and 1P side Player Cameras thanks to a donation from Wess ! ! This was a huge donation ! Thank you !  The Head to Head is also no longer set to MONO AUDIO . 

The Head to Head now has stereo sound with the addition of 1P and 2P side stereo speakers !

3rd Strike’s low audio issue has also been resolved ! 

Fans have also been added , one each for P1 side and P2 side , these are also much quieter and are not picked up by the Head to Head Room Mic . 

Due to compatibility issues with controllers, we have upgraded the PS246 Brook Super Converters to the latest Brook PS2 Wingman . Each System PS246 now accommodates two players each . This includes the same controller support on all the Cabs , the Main Stage and Head to Head .  

These systems are now iLINK compatible with up to 6 devices with the inclusion of an IEEE 1394 Hub !

An EDID recorder has been added to the Head to Head . This is a planned roll out for all machines , however the Head to Head has taken priority as it suffers far more from broadcast switching than other setups . To explain , when changing between the Main Stage and Head to Head for example , you press a button to switch between the two . This is equal to plugging and unplugging an output from one of the video cards , into the capture card at the Broadcast computer. 

This device keeps that output alive , so that the GPU does not know the display has been removed . It remains in a state as if nothing has changed . Without , there is slight staggering , sometimes a quick flash of the screen , and most troubling as tested with some titles , causes audio sync issues . 

These devices solve those problems . Switching between setups to capture video , will become completely seamless . 

This is also an affordable option to an otherwise normally very expensive option , as much older EOL models have been tested and confirmed to be working . 

PS4 controllers and other HIDs with a built in audio interface , will no longer hijack audio on the Head to Head . This was achieved by plugging in a PS4 controller , going into ‘ Advanced Audio Settings ‘ and disabling the ” USB Headset Audio ” device . This has been tested with 5 PS4 controllers , audio is no longer being hijacked . 

Space :

An additional CRT has been added . An oscillating fan has been added to the Downstairs Hall . 

Broadcast Updates :

USB Hub Controllers on a PCI-E USB Card are failing or have failed completely . This device has been replaced. This resolved issues with flickering in cameras. With this new card , there are twice as many controllers , allowing us the use of more devices . This allows for more complex streams . 

Broadcast has changed from 30FPS to 60FPS . This was an under looked option .

Capture was 720p on Main Stage , now 1080p . 

Audio Balance and Quality Improvements have been made.

The overlay has been updated for the Head to Head . See before and after below ,

Before:

After:

Along with this correction of the aspect ratio for the output on the broadcast, the cameras which are 16:9 are now actually showing 16:9 ! ! Take note from the image above !

Also to show from the addition of P1 and P2 side Cameras on the Head to Head , here is the Broadcast view with even further corrected resolution for the cameras , 

The Master Control Display in The Cage has been upgraded to a larger size and updated layout to accommodate everything related to the Broadcast and it’s control. Future updates will include a key-list and keypad for changing scenes easily , on the fly . 

The Head to Head Room Camera has been further pushed back to capture more action of the room !

Additional changes to the Stream are planned to update all other scenes for overall better viewability for those who like to join us for the action !

Araiguma Shop :

We have finally established a relationship with a manufacturer ! Many have expressed interest in supporting through purchasing of merchandise , and just those in general who wanted some quality merch to represent , those near and afar ! 

This has taken a bit of effort to start rolling out as we want things that will last , not the usual print overnight service quality . 

All sales of merchandise , 100% of profit will be put directly into Araiguma Battle ! This will fund all the same things that donations on our various platforms fund , operational costs ( if applicable ) , software purchases , hardware and hardware updates and finally , more runs of merchandise !

Future Location :

As you all know from past updates , before Room 28 ( Our downtown location ) can begin finishing demolition and start buildout , is dependent on completion of the ADA ramp project at the Independent Media Center ! In last weeks update you could see the progress at that time . 

We would like to say the following on moving into this new space , if everything works out , which is sounding like we ‘ re still wanted ! 

Do keep in mind, at our current location , things were not always optimal . Almost every week there have been minor, sometimes major updates.

It will take us time to optimize and find our groove in our future location , just has it has here , and you can expect that same level of growth in addition to all the benefits of not being inside of a house ! 

Also be assured , initial staging in 3D modeling has been gone over with many different variations to find the most optimal arrangement . We fully expect opening day to not be one of chaos , but one of a breath of relief . We have done it . And you can expect the same as you saw at our current location now .

We will always strive to be improving !

Thank you to all of you who continue to join our growing list of volunteers who are willing to assist the Independent Media Center with this project of transforming Room 28 , what was previously used as the ” Maintenance Closet ” into a rentable tenancy , for which we hope to find ourselves with our first out of house location !