Each section names a symptom, its possible causes and what to do about each. If no
symptom here matches your problem, check the Logs
next.
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The bus has no output | In Configuration → Show → Audio buses, select the bus. Make sure that Patched to lists at least one output. If it shows No output in this venue — this bus makes no sound, select Connect in Patch and connect the bus. A bus with no output is silent. See Set up a bus. |
| The output of the bus has no device | In Configuration → Venue → Patch, select the output. Make sure that it has an Audio Backend and a Device. An output with no device is silent. See Set up a bus. |
| The hot button has no route to a bus | In Edit Hot Button → Media, check Output buses. If it is empty, the audio has no destination. |
| The audio source of the hot button is silent | On the same tab, make sure that Audio source is not Silent (no audio). |
| The master volume is low | In Configuration → Show → Audio buses, check Volume in the General card. |
| The bus is a PFL bus | A bus with Preview and cue (PFL) turned on is for monitoring only, and the Outputs panel does not show it. Turn this switch off in the General card of the bus. |
My bus is silent after an upgrade
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The one-time configuration reset removed the device binding | After this release, you need to select the output of each bus again, once. Create an audio output in Configuration → Venue → Patch. Then connect the bus to it on Patch. See Set up a bus and Release notes. |
A canvas does not show on a display
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The canvas is hidden | Check the Outputs menu in the menu bar, or the eye icon on the canvas tile in the outputs strip. A canvas without a connected screen shows No screen in this venue. Select Venue health in the top bar to see which outputs have a problem; each row opens Settings. |
| No display is assigned | In Configuration → Show → Canvases, select the canvas and check Patched to. If the display is not there, select Open Patch → and connect it. |
| The display is not an output yet | You manage the list of displays. In Configuration → Venue → Patch, select + Add output → Display. Then select the screen. See Add an output. |
| The display shows absent | ArenaDirector does not detect the screen. Check the cable and the power. The display reconnects automatically once ArenaDirector detects it. |
| The canvas is visible, but the display is not connected | The canvas opens in a floating window. Connect the display. The canvas then moves to full screen automatically. |
Two canvases use the same display
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| Both canvases have a leg to the same output | In Configuration → Venue → Patch, check the cables of the output. On the canvas that should not use this output, remove the cable or connect it to a different output. Switching off Connected clears the warning, but the display keeps showing the same canvas. |
I cannot find the NDI settings
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The stream does not exist yet | You create an NDI stream in Configuration → Venue → Patch → + Add output → NDI output. Then you connect a canvas to it on Patch. See Publish a canvas over NDI. |
| No canvas sends to the stream | The stream's row says so. Publish over NDI stays unavailable until a canvas sends to the stream. Connect the canvas that should send to it on Patch. |
Video plays as a black screen
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| No hardware video acceleration | Some older PCs, virtual machines and remote desktop sessions cannot decode video on the GPU. Use a workstation with a modern GPU. See System requirements. |
| The graphics drivers are old | Install a driver update from the GPU manufacturer, or a system update on macOS. Then start ArenaDirector again. |
| There are more canvases than the hardware can drive | Reduce the number of active canvases or the video resolution. Then check whether the picture comes back. |
"Graphics Device Lost" dialog (Windows)
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The GPU driver reset or removed the device (for example, after a driver crash, a driver update or GPU sleep) | All windows and decoders share one GPU device, so once it is lost, nothing comes back by itself. Select Restart in the dialog. |
"The graphics device stopped responding" (Windows, macOS)
The video output stops. The audio continues until you confirm. Click OK to start
ArenaDirector again.
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The show runs on the integrated GPU of a laptop that also has a dedicated GPU | In Configuration → Application → General → Video → Video GPU, select the dedicated GPU. Then start ArenaDirector again. |
| The GPU driver crashed or got an update | Install a driver update from the GPU manufacturer. Then start ArenaDirector again. |
| The problem keeps coming back | In Configuration → Application → General → Video, turn on GPU crash diagnostics. Then start ArenaDirector again. The next report then tells support the cause. See Change app settings. |
"The GPU is near its limit" (Windows)
A video started while the GPU had little capacity left. The video plays, but it can
drop frames or make the graphics device reset.
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| Too many videos or canvases are running at the same time for this GPU | Stop the videos you are not using. Configuration → Application → General → Video → GPU status shows what uses the GPU time. |
| The show runs on the integrated GPU | Select the dedicated GPU in Video GPU. Then start ArenaDirector again. |
A controller key does nothing
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The controller is disabled | In Configuration → Venue → External control, select the controller. Check the Enabled toggle. |
| ArenaDirector does not detect the controller | Check the USB cable. Then, next to Controllers, select + and Rescan. |
| The key has no binding | The layout view shows unassigned keys dimmed. Click the key and assign an action. |
| Your plan does not include hardware controllers | Dedicated controllers are available on Audio and higher plans. Keyboard binding works on all plans. See Plans and limits. |
| The controller shows Disconnected | Check the cable. The controller connects again automatically when it is available. Use Rescan only to add a controller. |
| A Stream Deck shows the Elgato logo and does not respond | Quit the Elgato Stream Deck software, because it keeps the deck open. Then disconnect the deck and connect it again. |
| The controller shows Error (macOS) | In System Settings → Privacy & Security, give ArenaDirector Input Monitoring access. Then connect the controller again. |
| The key has an orange outline | Its assignment cannot run (see Connect a controller). Assign the key again. |
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The folder is not registered or not indexed | In the Library sidebar, add the folder under Folders. Or, for a folder that shows Never checked, open its menu and select Check now. |
| The file type is not supported | See Media formats for the full list of file extensions. |
| The index is not complete | While ArenaDirector is indexing, the background work chip in the status bar shows Indexing N folders…. |
Background processing never starts
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| Something is playing to an output | Playback blocks all background work. Stop playback, then resume from the status indicator. |
| Nobody resumed it | Background processing never starts automatically. Select the status indicator, then select Resume. See Manage background processing. |
| The library database is not available | The indicator shows Library unavailable. Start ArenaDirector again. |
A rotation shows nothing on one section
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The column of the section is empty | Each section has its own column in the rotation editor. Select + Add at the bottom of that column. |
| The section is in a gap | A section that is shorter than the cycle shows black until its next item starts. A section that waits for a coupled item also shows black. See Gaps and the shared cycle. |
| The section was removed from the surface | ArenaDirector keeps its items, but reports them as unplayable. Restore the section or rebuild the list. |
| The target is older than an upgrade, or the surface was re-authored | ArenaDirector creates new section ids each time a surface is re-authored, including the one-time reset on upgrade (see Release notes), so an old zone: target never resolves again. ArenaDirector logs a warning with the canvas name and the section name, but shows no notice on screen yet. Set the rotation, hot button or sequence step to a current section. |
| A hot button or sequence holds the section | This is expected during a takeover. The rotation resumes automatically. See Takeover and resume. |
The boards show the wrong part of the picture
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The fold grid does not match the installer's grid | Copy the cabinet grid (columns × rows) from the setup software of the board exactly. Run the mapping check pattern to confirm it. |
| Serpentine or blank-cell mapping | ArenaDirector does not support these yet. Both fail silently, because the cabinet counts are still correct. See Fold onto a sending card. |
| The screen resolution does not match the surface | Set the screen to the exact native size of the board. If the sizes differ, the picture scales. |
The startup screen stays on one step
When a step takes more than 3 seconds, the startup screen shows a warning triangle and
the time in seconds. ArenaDirector always carries on starting.
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| Connecting controllers… shows the name of a controller | ArenaDirector waits up to 5 seconds for a controller, then starts without it, and the controller connects later. For a Stream Deck, quit the Elgato Stream Deck app, because it holds the device. See Connect a controller. |
| Checking license… stays on the screen | ArenaDirector reads your license from the system keychain. If the system asks for permission, allow it. See ArenaDirector cannot verify my license. |
The startup screen shows "The main window could not open"
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The main window did not load | Select Quit, then start ArenaDirector again. If the problem continues, check the Logs. |
The startup screen shows "The setup window could not open"
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The setup window did not load | Select Quit, then start ArenaDirector again. If the problem continues, check the Logs. |
The lights on the startup screen come on all at once
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| Reduce motion is turned on on your computer | The lights fade up together quickly. To have them come on one row after another, turn off Reduce motion (macOS: System Settings → Accessibility → Display) or turn on Animation effects (Windows: Settings → Accessibility → Visual effects). |
ArenaDirector cannot verify my license
| Possible cause | Action |
|---|
| The venue has no internet connection | This is expected. A grace period starts and the app keeps all of its entitlements. No action is needed. |
| The grace period expired | Reconnect to the internet and start the app. It asks you to sign in again, and your configuration stays as it is. |
| The license is on a different machine | On the old machine, open Configuration → License (Help → License in the menu bar) and select Sign out of this machine…. Then activate the license on this machine. |
| Activation on the new computer says that all seats are in use after Sign out anyway | Sign out anyway does not free the seat. Connect the old computer to the internet, sign in again on it, and select Sign out of this machine… again. If this does not work, contact support. |
I must sign in again after an update
This happens once, on the first start of this version. ArenaDirector now keeps your
licence in a single encrypted file instead of one entry per token. The old entries do
not move to the new file, so you sign in once to replace them. Nothing else changes,
and your configuration stays the same.
| What you see | Reason |
|---|
| A sign-in prompt on the first start after the update | The new store starts empty. Sign in once, and after that the app starts without the prompt. |
| On macOS, one request for your login password | Once is enough. Select Always Allow, and macOS does not ask again. |
| Old ArenaDirector entries in Keychain Access | ArenaDirector leaves them in place, because removing each entry would ask for a password. They expire automatically, and you can delete them by hand at any time. |
If the problem continues
Open Logs, set the filter to WARNING and higher, and
look at the time of the problem. When you report it, send the exact text of those
entries. Support can do the most with that text.