Ots Labs is proud to announce the immediate availability of the OtsAV 1.90.014 maintenance release.
This release addresses numerous areas, most anticipated being full Windows 8 video overlay support. Although primarily a maintenance release, there's some goodies for Windows XP & 7 users too, so be sure to check it out!
We're also offering an opportunity for the next few days only for upgrades and new licenses at a special rate across the entire OtsAV product family.
http://ots.gs/2Cj
Thanks for your continued support and we look forward to hearing your feedback.
The Team Ots Labs
1.90.014 released on 21 July 2013.
Ots Labs is proud to announce the immediate availability of the OtsAV 1.90.014 maintenance release.
This update is free to all OtsAV DJ, OtsAV Radio and OtsAV TV 1.90-licensed users (including Pro-Classic+ licensed users).
For the next few days, Ots Labs is making available licenses (including upgrades) at a special rate. Please visit the OtsAV buy page to take advantage of this current offer.
(Please note that not all points apply to all license types.)
Full support for video overlay output on Windows 8 (previously OtsAV 1.90 was compatible with Windows 8, except for full-screen video overlay output). OtsAV now runs great on Windows 8 in all respects and we highly recommend it!
Ability to disable video overlay on primary display head by double-clicking the overlay, in addition to the previous method of pressing Escape (very useful on tablets!).
HD 1080p source content can now be played when the OtsAV internal video pipeline resolution is in SD mode - no need to bump it up to ED or higher just to play these videos.
Watermark and Titling video asset images can now be supplied as PNG files instead of Targa (.TGA) and may contain no alpha channel (transparency information) if full opacity is desired. PNG is now the preferred format (and will be found first if you have both a TGA and PNG present for a given asset class) as it is more widely supported and transparency is handled/interpreted with less ambiguity by third-party image processing tools.
Maximum number of images the Slideshow feature can simultaneously handle has been increased from around 16 thousand to 64,0000.
Slideshow now supports images with transparency (they are composed to background rather than alpha channel being ignored, as previously).
More direct access to categories in the Media Library tab. The Categories menu (drop-down button to the left of OMQL field) has been re-arranged to make accessing Categories faster. Additionally, you can press Ctrl+Q at any time the main OtsAV window has focus to directly access this menu, and then simply press the first letter of your desired category to select it (or cycle through them, if there are multiple beginning with that letter).
New "item roll-over" functionality for all lists, allowing access to pertinent information simply by hovering the mouse over the title or artist column of any item. This feature (which may be optionally disabled) is designed to be smooth and slick such that it does not get in your way nor require any additional mouse clicks, yet provides a wealth of info that was previously only available in the Album/Item Info dialog. If you use the Media Library item or album comment feature, you will especially love this.
Ability to position the rack area (decks, turntables, mixer and waveform display) at the bottom of the OtsAV main window rather than the top, which may suit some workflows better.
Higher contrast "dark on light" colour scheme option for tabs/lists area, which is more suitable for well-lit environments.
Ability to suppress display of the Karaoke tab in the tabs/lists area (for those users who are not concerned with Karaoke). Note: this does not disable the Karaoke list or any Karaoke functionality, but makes it less prominent (you can still right-click on an active tab to access a drop-down menu which will include all available lists for your product type).
Several fixes pertaining to non-English characters and searching/displaying items in the Media Library. Specifically, with the previous 1.90 version some users were unable to obtain positive search hits against their library when using certain non-English characters. Please note that depending on how your system is configured, you still may need to enter the correct case (upper/lower) of a given character in order for a hit to register (this is never necessary in OtsAV with English-alphabet characters).
The video ticker will now display many characters that were previously unavailable (not in the Western European code page). This functionality depends on your system being correctly configured and it should be noted that East Asian character sets are still not supported at this stage.
Other minor fixes/improvements.
Okay first impression with the Trial version.....NICE!!! Yes, now when you have a long title, you can hover over and see it all!! As well those of us who prefer the decks on the bottom, well now you can. I must say I DO like that there is now an option for Dark on Light now...very handy for outdoor events. Still playing with 1.90.014 but, thus far some of the key points I mentioned in the initial 1.90 release have been nicely addressed although I still miss the direct CD play option that 1.85 has.
Checked out some of the features, very impressive. Especially like the mouse over for the long files names & extended information.
I do have an issue however and that is whenever I place the mouse over the main menu (the rotating logo) then OTS crashes. Sometimes I get to see the menu selection but it always crashed with a few seconds of placing the mouse (or clicking on) the main menu. I do have a lot of development stuff on my machine which may be a factor as I can't see OTS releasing a product with such a fault.
The fault is "OTS AVDJ has stopped working". I guess I should have loaded a trial first as I may have to back out with a gig on Friday.
Debugging info attached.
Reinstalled etc - same result
Removed all OTS programs & reinstalled - same result
I use Win7 64 bit and would be interested if anyone else has this issue?
Downloaded and installed the new trial version but same problem, crashes when menu is moused over/selected.
For me I'm going back to the older version.
I'm now back at Esperance 1.9 with no problems. It will be interesting to see how others manage the upgrade.
Could be a Win 7 compatibility issue.
When I have more time I will contact OTS, resolve the issue and upgrade.
How do you go back to your old version ?
I had previously downloaded the original Esperance file and retained it so all I had to do was to run that install file.
The codes etc all worked OK so it was easy.
Just installed 1.90.014 ... CRASH! ... "OtsAV DJ has stopped working"
I'm also getting this whenever I hover the mouse over the central horizontal bar that contains the ticking clock and icons for Start/Stop/Pause/AutoDJ etc etc. Which makes it totally unusable.
Unlike JAylmer, when I hover/click over the rotating Ots logo or view/select menu items, mine doesn't crash. :confused:
I'm using Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit.
About to revert to previous version. :angry1:
I have win7 on two computers no problem with latest update everything working well except got 220 code but no big deal, I have yet to install it on win8 but will do that later.
I'm using Win7 ultimate 64 and works fine also the broadcaster version on a win7 professional machine.
I am also having the same problems as John Aylmer. When I hover over the menu tab, Ots crashes. I also had an issues where I was totally locked out and had no alternative but reinstall 1.90.000 2012/07/31.
Does anyone know the issue ???
:angry1:
Win 7 I have been playing around to try and recreate the problems some are having, but everything working.
I like the way in ML albums are highlighted in a different colour.
I also have a Toshiba Notebook and win 7 home premium and all is fine there too. Very strange :unsure:
I'll be testing this tonight on Windows 7 x64. May I suggest those having crash problems contact Ots directly to report this. They'll be happy to listen/advise/help. Use this webpage and select technical support. http://www.otslabs.com/email/
Thanks Kev, I've now reported this directly to Ots.
+1
I also get the crash when doing various mouseovers. I only installed the latest Ots on my home PC (Win 7 Pro 32-bit SP1) so it's no biggie. Yet.
Think I will wait until the crashes have been sorted out.
Yippee, welcome back decks at the bottom, boy have I missed you
i would of liked to see some work been done after 1 year of nothing we get what......
looping /karaoke unfinished more controllers things that dj's.....
Geez, too many crashes, unlike OTS!! I am waiting till this gets fixed then :angry1:
As posted by myself on the Facebook Group...OtsAV Users Support Group
"I have not downloaded the licensed version as yet, and only the demo, and no crashes on my Windows Vista Home Premium 64 Bit machine. Just booted up the Trial version this AM and no crashes thus far."
"Well this is not my main DJ computer, but, it is one that can give me a good indication. I would still have to test the Trial on my main DJ system and see how it runs there before I would proceed to upgrade (I still have 1.85.076 on my DJ computers)."
At this stage we can probably assume the new version will be stable with Win 8.
With Win 7 it works with some right now but they might fail tomorrow as we don't yet understand the fault condition, perhaps a Windows update?
So for me I want to move to Win 8 so I am not so concerned about this issue.
Quote from: JAylmer on July 22, 2013, 05:47:27 PM
So for me I want to move to Win 8 so I am not so concerned about this issue.
THIS SHOULD BE AN ISSUE AND IS, should be able to run PERFECT on 7, to hell with 8 right now!!!
Well I downloaded the Trial to my main DJ computer. This system is Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit, ACER 17" Laptop with 8GB RAM, 2.3Ghz, Intel Core i5.
I installed the Trial into a new folder, and imported my music and started playing. I have Video Subsystem enabled, basically everything is enabled, moved the decks to the bottom (ahhhhhh yesssss) and I have been hovering over the Playlist, Library, Prepare and the Menu icon with no problems. No crashes, and I am trying everything that is what people have mentioned they were doing when they had their crash, and it is running stable.
I am liking and if it can stay stable for me, I will be using it this weekend.
Quote from: Capital DJ Services on July 22, 2013, 06:39:18 PM
Well I downloaded the Trial to my main DJ computer. This system is Windows 7 Home Premium, ACER 17" Laptop with 8GB RAM, 2.3Ghz, Intel Core i5.
I installed the Trial into a new folder, and imported my music and started playing. I have Video Subsystem enabled, basically everything is enabled, moved the decks to the bottom (ahhhhhh yesssss) and I have been hovering over the Playlist, Library, Prepare and the Menu icon with no problems. No crashes, and I am trying everything that is what people have mentioned they were doing when they had their crash, and it is running stable.
I am liking and if it can stay stable for me, I will be using it this weekend.
Thats good to hear Glen, but still worried about these crashes, I am doing a win 7 update now.
I had it working for 6 hours now on my win7 ultimate homebuild computer i3 intel 3,3gig and 8gig memory hovering now and then ever so often and works steady as it goes. M-audio soundcard :thumbsup:
I haven't installed the licensed version yet, Just the demo of TV on an XP machine, and with the option to launch Ots after install is the only time I had it crash. It's been running stable for the 10-15 executions I've done so far. I'll install the licensed version tonight on my Win 7 x64 pro tonight.
I tested the demo version on my Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit (Intel Atom D525)
Audio only.
No crashes
BTW: Why are there no announcements from the Ots crew on this forum anymore?
Well, I installed the latest version and it was running well for about 15 minutes and then it froze and became unresponsive (but the music kept playing). I had to close it from the Task Manager. In 13 years of using OTS this is the first time I've seen this happen. I was hovering over the song data when this occurred. I'm running Windows 7 64 Bit.
Attached is a screen shot of the "crash".
TJ Malvesti
I really preferred 1.85.074 due to having the catagories and being able to resize the columns on my small 4:3 screen. I just find the last update before this too complicated - and STILL no new radio features. How long have we been waiting for voice tracking? I wish they would use the song intro timing feature in ots studio, its been there for years!
I've just installed 1.90.014 TV full version on my Windows 7 64 laptop and tried it. No crashes yet but I have had one "This program has stopped working" message (although it carried on fine). This was when opening an Ots album on my laptop's internal drive using the Windows Explorer "Play With OtsAV" right-click option (I've not got the external drive connected).
A couple of install issues - Installing 1.90.014 over 1.90.000 lost my Media Library sort settings, moved my decks to the bottom and changed the colour scheme to the bright one. Nothing I couldn't fix quite easily but unexpected.
I've quit and restarted it several times since reading Jeff's post and only got an error once (on the second run).
Ots needs to fix this 'Bug" or whatever it is before I install it on my Win 7 laptop, I would like to know what has been said about the crashes so far from Ots on this issue, "how many have reported it????"
Ed: Thus far there has been no responses to any posts on the Facebook official OtsAV Group or any other place from OtsAV. I am sure they will respond, but they may be looking after emails first.
Have you tried installing the Trial version on your system for testing? Usually from what I have read, those who run the trial with no problems also have no problems with the licensed version.
My Trial has been running on Windows 7 now for 5 hours with not a problem. Almost ready to test the licensed version soon.
Quote from: Capital DJ Services on July 22, 2013, 11:24:16 PM
Ed: Thus far there has been no responses to any posts on the Facebook official OtsAV Group or any other place from OtsAV. I am sure they will respond, but they may be looking after emails first.
Have you tried installing the Trial version on your system for testing? Usually from what I have read, those who run the trial with no problems also have no problems with the licensed version.
My Trial has been running on Windows 7 now for 5 hours with not a problem. Almost ready to test the licensed version soon.
Reluctantly, I installed the demo, audio only, and so far works fine, but hated the pop up info on mouse over IMO, so i disabled it.....I like the lighter choice but thats about it
I like the info pop up. Especially the comments part - I'll start using that feature now.
I'm pleased that the search for accented characters issue has been fixed - it shows that Ots Labs are listening and acting on customer issues. It didn't affect me personally but we had a thread on the subject.
I've just figured out (or rather found the answer on google) how to get a synaptic touch pad to work the scroll bars in Esperance - it's the last thing that has been annoying me since the new user interface. I'll start a thread on that since it's unrelated to this release.
Version 1.90.014 on Windows 7 Professional SP1 64 bit here, no problems so far, all menus work as they should, ran audio and video without a single glitch.
Quote from: Ed on July 22, 2013, 10:49:44 PM
Ots needs to fix this 'Bug" or whatever it is before I install it on my Win 7 laptop, I would like to know what has been said about the crashes so far from Ots on this issue, "how many have reported it????"
The difference between a compatible Win 7 and failing machine are not understood currently. A Win 7 machine that seems to work OK with the latest OTS update may in fact fail after the next Win update, or Nortons virus checker gets installed or who know what.
That is why Ed has a good point. Can you afford to find out your AVDJ is suddenly not functioning five minutes before a gig?
As for OTS competence, I don't have any problems with that. OTS do not supply in a SOE environment which means they can't prepare themselves for what they don't know about.
It may well be a third party component that has failed, something out of their control.
All that is important here is how OTS manage this incident and not the fact that the incident happened.
If I had Win 7 and the OTS update worked I might take the risk to use it in production but I would disconnect the network and make sure it worked, well before each gig.
Here's hoping for a quick resolution.
WHilst I would agree with JAylmer in principal, because Ots Corp have no control over the job mix or environment some of us operate in, the fact that is has occurred numerous times on different machines within the first 12 hours of its release would tend to indicate their long-held claim to "bullet-proof" software has been relinquished. They should do what others do, and release a beta version so that it CAN be trialled in a large number of different environments.
I, for one, won't be going near it until I see consistent reports of stable operation.
We've been emailing the following official information to customers who have experienced an issue on their machine:
----------------------------------------
A small number of OtsAV customers - a total of four since 1.90.000 was released, and several more with the 1.90.014 release - have reported an issue whereby moving the mouse over on-screen controls (the menu button was usually mentioned, though not always) could occasionally cause the program to close unexpectedly.
Ots Labs engineers, our beta testers and QA have NEVER been able to reproduce the issue, and with only those four initial reports until 1.90.014 (and these customers ultimately had solved the issue by using different hardware or systems) we really have been at a loss over this issue.
The release of 1.90.014 appears to have slightly increased the number of affected systems. We've had eight reports since it went out. Still a very small number in context, but obviously an issue exists.
We've worked around the clock to get to the bottom of this. We can't 100% rule anything in or out, because as stated we've been unable to reproduce the issue on ANY of our systems. That said, we have found an extremely obscure bug that COULD be (and most likely IS) the cause. We've put out a new version, 1.90.015, which has been available on our systems as of July 22nd.
Although the issue by all accounts affects only a handful of people, it potentially CAN affect all versions prior to 1.90.015. Versions released before the 1.90 series (ie. 1.85.x and earlier) obviously contain even more issues that have been subsequently resolved, so we don't recommend earlier versions unless you have very special needs. As an example, support.microsoft.com/kb/979288 outlines a Microsoft bug, also mouse moving-related, that has affected many Windows software titles, including Office and Photoshop, and a work-around for this OS bug was first provided in OtsAV in version 1.90.000.
In summary, although most versions of OtsAV function flawlessly for the vast majority of our customers and we are certainly renown for our rock-solid stability, there will always be edge cases, OS bugs, hardware and/or driver issues, and of course obscure bugs of our own. Our team works diligently to keep the standard of our products to the absolute highest level humanly possible, and whether an issue is the result of an external factor or of our own making, we will always strive to deliver you solid, dependable results to the best of our collective abilities.
Thank you for your support.
OtsAV 1.90.015 can be downloaded here: http://www.otsav.com/download-latest/
----------------------------------------
We would encourage anyone who had an issue in this thread to install the 1.90.015 version.
All the best,
Ots_Steve
P.S. Thanks for posting this announcement thread Glen Millar (you beat me to it and no point having two). :)
Well as I don't use Ots as my main playout software I too decided to upgrade in light of the crashes as it wouldn't directly affect me but would put more info out there so others can make an informed decision to upgrade or not.
Anyway I also get a crash when trying to access the menu via the rotating Ots logo, the menu doesn't appear just get the message - OTS AVDJ has stopped working.
I'm currently using a Mid 2011 Apple iMac with an Intel i7 and Nvidia hardware, bootcamp is running windows 7 64-bit.
I never had any issues with v1.90, but since upgrading OTS consistently quits which I go anywhere near the rotating logo to access the menu.
There is no other software on the machine other than VDJ7 and Mixvibes, Windows 7 is fully upto date with current drivers, OTS was previosly have to co-exist with VDJ7 and Mixvibes So I can't see that being this issue.
However a report has been sent to Ots to investigate.
Hi Nicolee,
Looks like you just missed my post above. Have a read and then you should download the very latest 1.90.015.
Ots_Steve
SORTED!
I was one of the small number of users that reported 1.90.014 crashing, and having tried 1.90.015 I'm happy to report that the problem seems to have been resolved on my machine. Still testing before I use it tonight (I like living on the edge!).
Thanks Ots_Steve (& all the other guys) for dealing with this so quickly, and for such a comprehensive explanation of the issue.
Testing OTS AVDJ 1.90.015 for five minutes and no problems at all. The previous issue was apparent after a few seconds of provocation and its not there now.
The file mouse over metadata is a huge benefit to me also.
Life is good again, thanks Steve for the quick turnaround.
Been testing 1.90.015 for about an hour with no problems, looks like this simple fix cured the issue.
i'll keep testing just in case something else pops up.......
Same here, installed the latest version and works perfect!
I would like to thank Ots Steve for his explanation of this dilemma and will continue to use Ots like usual.
For milky, Install it and stop the worries you have, this ver is stable as it gets!!!! :thumbsup:
Thanks for the update and quick turn about Steve!
Awesome as usual for me.
Hey Steve
You're welcome regarding the announcement.
I have also posted you update on the OtsAV Users Support Group on Facebook.
And seriously, this update will very likely have me "finally" moving from v1.85.076 to Esperance. :)
(been testing 1.90.014 for 24 hours with no problems)
I have it running for a few hours now....the. .15 version, working great.
As others have mentioned, the pop up info block is great
Quicker access to categories is great too....along with the ctl+q
I use my categories a lot, along with sorting songs by plays, so the most popular songs of that category are always at the top
Well I did it. After testing OtsAV DJ v1.90.014 for over 24 hours with no problems, I have upgraded my main DJ computer from v1.85.076 to v1.90.015.
I just fired it up and will see how all goes, but, I am very confident I will have no issues and I had none with v1.90.014.
It took me a bit, but I am now officially a user of Esperance!!
Now to do the tests on my other 2 units (1 is identical to my main DJ system and the other is a AMD Athlon system) all running Windows 7.
Very nice Glen, I really like the choice to have the lighter colors back, black text again! The neon stuff gets to my eyes, I'm getting old you know, almost 59.
My install went flawless, all settings stayed the same but did not like the little pop ups with mouse.....I like things simple and if i need to inquire about a file I will go to it manually in studio. Still trying to figure out what else the new release will do "audio" wise...NOT into any video!
We need the OTSAV "Senior Version" :wowza:
It looks like 015 solved the problem for me, too. Good job, Ots folks.
Quote from: shdixon on July 24, 2013, 11:06:54 AM
We need the OTSAV "Senior Version" :wowza:
LOL, milky did you see this???
Hey, watch it - I ain't that far behind you guys! :laugh:
DL'd .05 yesterday - been running flawlessly as you would expect. Thanks to the Ots crew for showing us once again why they are they're the standard in app stability!! :thumbsup:
I was having troubles with the 1.90.015 update crashing. Did a dance Friday night with 1.90.015 and no issues at all.
Woops that should have read: I was having troubles with the 1.90.014 update crashing.
good to hear .015 isn't causing you the problems .014 was!
1.90.015 seems to have fixed the toolbar issue I had on my old laptop too.
I'm going to try using a 32" HD flat screen TV as a monitor.
Well I used v1.90.015 for my wedding on Saturday night. I had "bench tested" the software for roughly 72 hours before the event with no problems, and I was confident that I would have no problems on Saturday night as well.
Now, I am a Canadian DJ, and where I am, our weddings will last usually at least 8 hours (including cocktails and dinner), and if I am doing a Ceremony & Reception, it can last 12 hours and I use OtsAV for it all.
Well, I am pleased to say I got a hour of O.T. and OtsAV performed flawlessly. That is a 9 hour show run for OtsAV without a problem at all.
After using OtsAV 1.90.015, the only complaint I had was the buttons where the looping/eject buttons are, are mighty small and if in a rush and one does not pay attention, one could hit the wrong button (I always have Live Protection engaged) or if, like I do alot with Bouquet/Garter, need to quickly eject a song, it takes a extra second or 2 to ensure one clicks the eject button. Other than that (the really small buttons), it's all good.
BOTH decks, hopefully 3 decks soon need to show larger controls "buttons", and I feel some of what is on the decks could be eliminated, but then again I do not beat mix or run video, just music!
Another suggestion as well, I like lighter color scheme choice, but WHY do the decks and everything else have to be light on very dark...should be all the same, make it all look simple and uniform without all the special dark backgrounds and curtains. Personally I would like to see a version completely plain jane" all just black and white with a little gray for the decks.
Quote from: Capital DJ Services on July 29, 2013, 04:28:42 PM
After using OtsAV 1.90.015, the only complaint I had was the buttons where the looping/eject buttons are, are mighty small and if in a rush and one does not pay attention, one could hit the wrong button (I always have Live Protection engaged) or if, like I do alot with Bouquet/Garter, need to quickly eject a song, it takes a extra second or 2 to ensure one clicks the eject button. Other than that (the really small buttons), it's all good.
Glen, glad it all worked for you.
Question......why the need to quickly eject a song? Why not just drop a new song over it?
While I use the eject button on occasion, I've never come across a time when I needed to quickly eject a song
If you already know the songs you'll use, why not put them all in the Prepare list and insert a <Stop & Re-cue> directive between them? Then you have the option of dumping the song immediately or doing a Cut.
For most things, I use the keyboard. That way, there's less chance of a slip-up.
I did two DJ gigs this weekend and 1.90.15 worked flawlessly on my Windows 7 64-bit laptop.
Also, I was delighted that version 1.90.14 brought back an optional color scheme that made the OtsAV screen easier to see in bright conditions (like outdoor jobs on sunny days). Because of this I took advantage of the recent sale and upgraded my secondary laptop. Besides, it's a lot easier to use OtsAV on multiple systems if all are running the same version!
I always use the Live Protection feature of OtsAV which prevents the dropping of a song onto a playing deck.
Why directives would not work is when doing the Bouquet toss, I stop/fade out the song and have to quickly drop in the song(s) for the Garter toss, so I am only playing maybe at most 40 to 60 seconds of the Bouquet toss song, and eject it while getting the boys up for the bouquet, but, I am usually interactive (moving about and giving direction) so I may have only a second to eject the Bouquet song before I press play for the Garter song.
what songs do you use for the Bouquet toss, Garter toss
djandy it depends on what my clients have asked for, but, they are never the same from wedding to wedding. I have often used obscure songs as well which my clients requested.
My bouquet & garter routines are not just simple 1,2,3 toss but come with props and surprises and are sometimes worthy of YouTube, but I never video them as I am too busy running around.
just been noisy LOL
Glen, if I'm not mistaken, you can drag a track to a playing deck with live protection on as long as you hold the shift key... But I'll have to verify this to be certain. perhaps someone else will before I can get back to my system....
Quote from: Jumpin' Jeff on July 30, 2013, 06:58:37 PM
Glen, if I'm not mistaken, you can drag a track to a playing deck with live protection on as long as you hold the shift key... But I'll have to verify this to be certain. perhaps someone else will before I can get back to my system....
Very good example here of why a 3rd deck would help!!!!!
Sorry it took so long. Just tried to drop a new track on a playing deck with Live protection set, and holding shift does allow the override as i had thought.
Ed, I can only see a third deck being the advantange in speed of loading specific tracks personally. If the outgoing track is still playing when you swap it with the incoming track started... It would definately put some crunch time urgency on making it happen with the desired effect. The way Ots is designed to only overlay a total of 6 seconds with 2 tracks, the 3rd or 4th decks would very likely need to be launched manually anyhow, and may actually get launched accidently if it wasn't directed properly. Not sure exactly how it would work honestly, but I would think manually would be preferred.
The third deck allows you to do transitions that aren't possible with two. Particularly with automated playout. The salient example is where you play a station ID or stinger over top a musical cross mix. 3 things are actually playing at the same time. It's something you hear all the time on the radio. A fourth deck wouldn't get applied here really, as those transitions don't really last long enough for more than one short item to play over them. But that third deck can give you a lot more transition possibilities.
There are other types of situations where an extra deck and triggers etc. could be helpful. Times where you're playing a musical bed under more than one voice over in a row, and then want it end it at an arbitrary place due to variable length content. Think in terms of local event announcements. While that music bed is playing, you can find yourself wanting 3 decks at once so you can transition little stingers between each voice track. And then having a final item end the music bed and carry on with the rest of the hour.
I could outline some other situations, but really it's about a third deck allowing you do to more sophisticated transitions where 3 things are actually playing at the same time. And it's really in the context of automation. If you have some kind of soundboard/panel software, you can manually trigger stuff to play over top the music mix.
My point is that these extra decks will require manual launching, or triggered from a secondary thread is my guess. I'm not sure how other softwares do this, and I may be completely unaware of how this could actually be accomplished...
I can outline how it works for one other software solution. (not gunna name names! :) )
Most of the time, it's the two decks as usual. When a very short item is seen in the program, it gets loaded into the third deck to play. How each deck is trigger is according some sensible rules, but basically, it's possible to have the more complicated overlap I mentioned. There are options to have a track marked as a voice over item, and to force it to the third deck even if it's a longer. Something else that can happen is ducking the other players down in volume while this third deck plays.
Here's a scenario that is probably easy to imagine. A song introduction. These can be done automatically, as though a DJ is there announcing a track. (fakes being live fairly well, shhh). With a third deck, you can have the song mix exactly as you would have it now in the two decks, but also have a voice over track play that is a song introducing. This can play right over top the song overlap, without pushing the two tracks apart.
It's pretty hard to clearly describe how that works with just a few words in a paragraph. And I probably oversimplified the above a little too much. For how a mobile DJ thinks, it might be best to think of it enabling what sounds like a live person cutting in with a mic like they were live, right over top the music mix. The smarts to do this automatically isn't hugely sophisticated.
Gotcha! Thanks for the explanation.