9.0e Render Crashes

mj davey wrote on 9/7/2010, 1:50 AM
Hello All

Preamble: I have 9.0e 64x running on Win 7 Ult Dell XPS Quad Core with 8Gb RAM, 1TB Raid and NVidia 98K 2x24" monitors.

I have a 1h45m production of a concert I gave - using three handycams - 2 full HD, 1x SONY HDR-SR1E AVCHD. I've managed to do all the [manual] sync edits etc and the result (in Vegas) looks quite good (for a numpty newbie!).

However, the render process has yet to complete at all (I have managed to get in done once in 2 halves). I have tried network render (I have 3 pcs) and in smaller chunks, and complete. But not once has it worked.

Yes, it can talk 5-10 *hours* to work (the declared expected time), but it never actually gets very far - 3,4,5% before keeling over and playing dead.

I read a review recently that suggested conversion of AVCHD to [say] MPEG2 might be a benefit, but this is just a processing/memory issue (surely) so shouldn't be the cause of it crashing.

I don't use Vegas enough (although I've had it since v8) to know if this is consistent behaviour - or something new in 9.0e. I didn't actually use c & d (although did the upgrades). It's not my day-job!

Any comments would be great. Yes, I could rebuild the project (eek) and/or try smaller projects to test it, but time is my issue (haev already given a lot of time to this) and I need to get the DVD out.

Comments

ushere wrote on 9/7/2010, 2:02 AM
obviously you've tried rendering in 'short' segments, say 10>15 minute?

does it keep hanging at the same spot? maybe bad media.

have you got fx's on the tracks? especially the avchd.

i would never mix avchd with anything (fine editing it on it's own), so i usually transcode to .mxf



mj davey wrote on 9/7/2010, 4:17 AM
@ushere: Thanks for your response.

Indeed I have managed to get a recent version of the project rendered in two parts (conveniently first and second half of the concert so I have been able to at least develop the DVDA project). I have rendered small snippets - up to 2/3 mins and that's ok. I am not sure it is the AVCHD *per se* although I am suspicious of the codec. I will be trying out converting to MPEG2 (or similar) - I will also try your suggestion of .mxf

The project is very simple. Crossfades, media overlays (text) but nothing else (it is after just a record of my orchestra performing recently).

As to failing in the same place... I don't think so. To render the whole project (on my 2.8GHz QuadCore) is supposed 5h30+ so I am not hanging around watching it! I set it off at night or before I go to work (for convenience) tho I have tried at many other times. It would appear to be a random point. I have also tried to get it done via network rendering but the crashes confound that approach too (and the network renderer appears unable to 'clean itself up' after that).

[I am not a pro-editor so I am very much the 'newbie' at this! Although I am a broadcast engineer by 'trade'...]
ushere wrote on 9/7/2010, 4:34 AM
i think we all know how frustrating these things can be....

i've found 9e extremely stable with both hdv and avchd independently - the only time i mixed them (actually the first and last time) was an edit of a panel discussion, one camera wide shot (hdv) the second avchd cu's. all went according to plan on tl, but the render hung at various places (not bad media). all material was cc'd and had basic text overlays here and there.

after a few attempts i transcoded to .mxf (couldn't detect any loss at all) and all went smoothly through various renders (dvd, mp4 for net, m2t for archive)
mj davey wrote on 9/7/2010, 4:52 AM
@Ushere: sounds like that's what I need to work on. Many thanks for your thoughts... I'll let you know 8-)
PerroneFord wrote on 9/7/2010, 5:33 PM
"after a few attempts i transcoded to .mxf (couldn't detect any loss at all)"

How did you attempt to "detect" it? Because my conversions to MXF were easily showing 20% loss. Mostly on fine detail but also on color.
ushere wrote on 9/7/2010, 8:36 PM
well, the standard subjective view tests on lcd / crt.

and, the first time around, i grabbed a couple of frames from both and looked at them in ps.

there might have been 'some' minimal loss (zoomed in in ps) - but certainly not 20%, and by the time the material was released, net / dvd, i doubt anyone would see anything untoward.

unless you're producing for theatre release, or maybe b-ray, i find .mxf more than adequate for my purposes....