Is it possible to force a BrightSign XD230 unit to re-check the network time server?
I have a 4x1 video wall running a two-zone presentation, one video per zone with no events. In order to get the videos looping seamlessly, I have a separate presentation built for each screen, with all four presentations scheduled to start simultaneously. (Unfortunately, BrightWall does not suit my needs in this case, since it supports videos only rather than presentations, and will not loop those videos seamlessly.)
Since I can't use any events in my presentation without creating a pause at the end of each loop, I can't send sync commands to the XD units. Synchronization is entirely dependent on all the units having precisely the same time set.
We started out with our XD units on a wired network. They successfully set their time from the network time server at startup, so their clocks were always perfectly in sync. A month ago, we had wireless modules installed in the units. As of last week, the disparity between their clocks was as much as one full minute.
Running the network diagnostic script provided on this site, we discovered that the wireless modules were taking up to two minutes to connect to the network. I assume that our clock-sync problem arises due to the unit having tried and failed to contact the network time server before the wireless module has connected to the network. My time test project (attached) also included an RSS feed, refreshing every 30 seconds, which would take up to two minutes after the unit booted to begin displaying any downloaded data.
For the time being, I have solved this problem by disabling the wireless modules and reverting to the wired network. This isn't necessarily a viable option for future installations, however, so I would like to find a way to force the XD230 units to re-sync their internal clocks with the network time server.
I would like to be able to include a script inside a project that would force a network time update. I would then be able to schedule that project to run on a daily basis before returning to my loop, thereby ensuring that my looping project remains seamless and properly synced.
TimeTest.zip
