Had some early freezes

pmikep wrote on 3/29/2020, 1:13 AM

When I started working on my first project using MEP 2020 Plus, I was having constant freezes in the program while trying to move Objects. (Would hang with the cursor showing the finger-thumb grab icon.) And this was for a relatively simple project, only about 8 minutes long. At only 1080p. (Although wit a few nested animated titles.))

Since then, I've settled on using proxy files and the "Reduce resolution for improved performance" option. (Although, wow, those proxy files take a long time to build. And they're HUGE. It appears that MEP is creating uncompressed AVI like proxies.)

Also, I disabled the "Overload Optimization" setting.

No crashes since.

This is with no Blue Lightning bolt symbol in the Display Monitor. (Although I am using a window that's only about 800x600. And on the monitor driven by the UHD exclusively.)

Am still trying to figure out what "Load Images in background" does. Although it just hit me that the box to the left is titled "Video Playback," whereas the box surrounding this option is titled "Image Playback." So is this slide show/.jpg/.png specific then?

Comments

CubeAce wrote on 3/29/2020, 3:35 AM

@pmikep

The manual is not much help is it?

I don't know either but it could easily mean what you suspect or it could be for viewing smoothness and exporting.

I think it may be the latter as un-ticking both gives me smoother playback but no real difference on exports but my projects are on one M.2 drive and my C: drive is SSD exporting to WD black SATA and the hits on performance of those components seem negligible.

I wouldn't take my observations as gospel though.

johnebaker wrote on 3/29/2020, 5:37 AM

@pmikep

. . . . This is with no Blue Lightning bolt symbol in the Display Monitor. . . . .

At the bottom right of the Preview monitor there is a lightning icon - if it is grey then it is not turned on, then it changes to blue - you need it on.

These are the effect options when you click the ellipsis ( ... )

As you can see it reduces the framerate and resolution of the Preview playback - this gives a smoother playback.

HTH

John EB

Scenestealer wrote on 3/29/2020, 7:42 PM

Hi @pmikep @pmikep @johnebaker

I've settled on using proxy files and the "Reduce resolution for improved performance" option.

I don't know if you saw my comment in a recent post but I am using that option in preference to the Blue Lightning because it reduces system resource usage by the same degree and does not soften the image in the preview monitor.

The only reason I would use the Blue button now is in order to lower the frame rate if I had 50P material in the timeline as this will not reduce the frame rate below 25 (or 30) fps.

Am still trying to figure out what "Load Images in background" does.

AFAIK this is to preload Hi Res Jpeg images into the cache ie "in the background" prior to playback being initiated. It should improve playback response if ticked although I see @CubeAce has experienced the opposite....

From the manual: Load image material in background: Activate this option in order to load inserted image material already before playback in background.

those proxy files take a long time to build. And they're HUGE. It appears that MEP is creating uncompressed AVI like proxies.)

The proxies MEP creates with the default 'Proxy and Preview Rendering settings' are MXV files which use Magix proprietary lowly compressed intraframe codec which are quite large but nothing like uncompressed. There are other choices in the proxy settings window that produce an HD proxy and DVD SD pro that can be used in the final render but there is no detail about their relative quality. VPX has more specific settings so you "can roll your own" proxies.

Peter

pmikep wrote on 3/29/2020, 8:25 PM

@Scenestealer

Yes, I did see you post, and that's why I opted for "Reduce res for improved performance" and No Blue Lightning bolt. Since I only do 30 fps, and since my Display Window is set for a smallish 800x600 view (I'm telling a story, not making art), and since my Display Window is on the monitor being fed by the UHD, I doubt that my resources are being taxed there. (And, in fact, playback is smooth.) And since I'm sometimes using Animated Titles, I don't want to be dropping frames. (Altho if Reduce Frame Rate doesn't kick in until about 30 fps, then it doesn't do anything in my case.)