Some interesting memory observations and avchd...

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jabloomf1230 wrote on 4/15/2009, 12:31 PM
"Wow, how UNBELIEVABLY annoying... a search in Vista for "m2tsplug.dll" returns nothing, but a search for "m2tsplug" finds the .dll. Gee, thanks Microsoft. You're a pal."

If you have the file suffixes (like "DLL") hidden via Windows Explorer, the search engine works the same way.
jabloomf1230 wrote on 4/15/2009, 12:40 PM
Vegas 8.1 is NOT a true 64-bit app. The executable is 64 bit and some of the dlls are 64-bit, but many, if not most of the media I/O plug-ins (codecs, etc.) are 32 bit, as I explained above. When you need to read or write a file, Vegas 8.1 spawns a 32 bit surrogate program that handles those duties.

Last year, many of us tinkered with the large address aware flag, but no one thought of applying to anything except the main executable (which does nothing, BTW). Blink is the first one who suggested applying the flag to the codecs.
MattR wrote on 4/15/2009, 1:36 PM
> "If you have the file suffixes (like "DLL") hidden via
> Windows Explorer, the search engine works the same way."

"Hide extensions for known file types" is one of the very first settings I turn off in Windows, so that wasn't the issue. But then, folder option handling in Vista is broken ("apply to all windows" doesn't work, for example), so it wouldn't surprise me if search is unaware that I am most definitely showing all file extensions.
Brad C. wrote on 4/16/2009, 8:25 PM
Has anybody just done this without making copies of the files?
blink3times wrote on 4/16/2009, 8:58 PM
Yes, I have. Its' easily reversed if need be... just reopen and uncheck... close and save..... but I wouldn't advise it. It's no big deal to copy and change the extension to .BAK
ritsmer wrote on 4/17/2009, 12:17 AM
Always had to split my AVCHD-projects into less than 8-9 minutes-parts to avoid the all crashes when editing and/or rendering- have just done as Blink proposed - and this limitation has gone.

Just rendered a 16 minutes project in one piece.

This together with FrigidNDE's preview-speed-up http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?MessageID=647837&Replies=15
really makes editing great fun -again.
apit34356 wrote on 4/17/2009, 8:55 AM
Freezing Blink and watered logged Dave have reallly help shake the AVCHD & MT2 bugs out. While some debate software/hardware, the odds are its a dept memory/caching error that associated from 32bit memory management but who cares........ it works!
Terje wrote on 4/17/2009, 3:17 PM
>> Terje said it should not work for 8.1 since this is a 64 bit app.

This is correct, if the 64 bit app loads 32 bit DLLs, those would be affected. I have not tested if Vegas 64 uses 32 bit DLLs.
Terje wrote on 4/17/2009, 3:19 PM
>> When you need to read or write a file, Vegas 8.1 spawns
>> a 32 bit surrogate program that handles those duties

Which makes the fact that Vegas 8.1 doesn't support 32 bit plugins puzzling, and that is putting it mildly. If they could do it with DLLs, doing it with the plugin interface should be quite possible.
Brad C. wrote on 4/18/2009, 11:14 AM
Why is it that when I try to save the changed file (vegas80.exe) it won't let me? It asks if I want to name it something else.

I of course say no, remove the checkmark, and close the program like a coward.....not knowing what I'm doing. I hate being computer illiterate sometimes.
blink3times wrote on 4/18/2009, 3:45 PM
When you click save, it will ask to overwrite the original file. Click YES.
Brad C. wrote on 4/18/2009, 7:28 PM
Blink,

That's what I'm trying to tell you bro...

-make the checkmark for >2gb
-click file
-click save
-overwrite original file?
-yes
-cannot overwrite original file. save with another name?
(that's where I stop)
blink3times wrote on 4/18/2009, 7:58 PM
Do you have vegas opened? It sounds like the file is locked because it's being used by something else.
Brad C. wrote on 4/18/2009, 8:18 PM
No sir.

I haven't tried it yet, but it does ask me one final time "save changes to C:\Program Files\Sony\Vegas Pro 8.0\vegas80.exe?" when I go to exit. I usually just say no. This is of course after trying to manually save it fails.


MattR wrote on 4/19/2009, 12:12 AM
I had the same problem, Brad. I figured it had something to do with Vista security. I ended up saving the altered file to the desktop instead, then copying from the desktop back to the Vegas folder. I still got the "are you sure you want to replace..." type warning, but I could just say yes and that point and it would work.
ushere wrote on 4/19/2009, 2:32 AM
well, i was about to try it out, but found i have 2 copies of sonymvd2pro_xp.dll -

1 is in the main vegas directory along with the vegas.exe

2 in the 'fileIO plugins > m2tsplug' folder.

do i need to do both copies?

leslie

btw. i only have vegas80.exe, NO vegas.exe?
JoeMess wrote on 4/19/2009, 7:26 AM
Jabloom,

Vegas 8.1 is still legitimately a 64 bit application. Apps that are 64 bit that include 32 bit components use a process called thunking so they can translate the address space between 64 bit aware and 32 bit aware applications. It is a disappointment that they had to resort to thunking, as it is a major performance hit in most cases, but I can see scenarios, particularly with 3rd party compression IP, where Sony probably had no choice. A fully native 64 bit Vegas will probably be forthcoming with Apple and Adobe now both supporting native 64bit. I imagine all blackbox technologies are probably out there in native 64 bit format as well. The 32-bit integration is probably a by-product of Vegas 8.1 being bleeding edge when it was released.

Joe
blink3times wrote on 4/19/2009, 7:29 AM
btw. i only have vegas80.exe, NO vegas.exe?

That's the one. Sorry... my fault. I'll go and correct it above
blink3times wrote on 4/19/2009, 7:32 AM
"well, i was about to try it out, but found i have 2 copies of sonymvd2pro_xp.dll -"
I'm not sure that's so important. I just did it because it happend to be in my ioplug folder. The important one is the m2ts dll
Brad C. wrote on 4/19/2009, 3:14 PM
Matt R- "I had the same problem, Brad. I figured it had something to do with Vista security. I ended up saving the altered file to the desktop instead, then copying from the desktop back to the Vegas folder. I still got the "are you sure you want to replace..." type warning, but I could just say yes and that point and it would work."

Thanks man. Worked pretty good. Pain in the butt, but worked.
ushere wrote on 4/19/2009, 4:24 PM
thanks b3t.

will have a play today.....

leslie
Sebaz wrote on 4/25/2009, 9:18 AM
I tested this on 8.1 so I would like to give my input. To the person who couldn't find the dlls using a search, that's because those files are not indexed by Vista by default, so you would have to do an advanced search and check to search files that are not indexed, but it's pointless because it's easier to go to C:\Program Files\Sony\Vegas Pro 8.1\FileIO Plug-Ins\m2tsplug\ and the three files are there.

There was another post saying that once the files were modified in CFF Explorer they could not be saved (overwritten). That's because you have to launch CFF as Administrator, either manually but better yet, just selecting "Run this program as administrator" in the compatibility properties.

As for the files themselves, m2tsplug.dll, mcstdh264dec.dll and sonymvd2pro_xp.dll, selecting the 2gig flag on m2tsplug.dll renders AVCHD unusable. I'm currently editing a project with two cameras, one AVCHD and the other HDV, and upon checking this flag with CFF and opening 8.1 (after a reboot just in case, though it really wasn't necessary) the HDV files are present but the AVCHD files give an error and I only get the audio from them. For some other AVCHD files, I can't even import them, Vegas tells me it's an unsupported format. Also, if you were editing a project, checking the flag will rebuild the peaks in all your HDV files.

I'm curious as to why just telling the dll that handles AVHCD that it can handle more than 2 GB of RAM will just render it useless, but I'm ignorant in those issues, perhaps somebody here can explain that just to satisfy my curiosity.

As for the other two dlls, checking the flag in them really gave me no apparent change, but given that modifying the first file didn't give me a good result, I opted for reverting the other two back to the original state.

The one I thought about adding the 2 GB flag to, since it's the culprit of the file not found error in 8.1, is the FileIOSurrogate.exe located in C:\Program Files\Sony\Vegas Pro 8.1\x86. This is the 32 bit module that 8.1 loads every time it starts and perhaps I'm wrong, but judging by its name it's probably the module that handles file I/O. So far I couldn't tell any difference in speed or stability, but there are no bad effects, except that the dreadful bug is still there, but I'll leave it on for a couple of weeks to see if the bug appears with the same recurrence as when it's unchecked.
srode wrote on 4/26/2009, 6:11 AM
Interesting that after making the changes to 8.0c - the Vegas.exe still doesn't show using more than about 1.4GB of memory although my total system usage is up to about 6GB and it does often allow the CPU to get to 100% utilization although average is more like 80%. I also noticed after making the changes, Vegas didn't ask me if I wanted to overwrite the previous version of the file I had just rendered a few minutes earlier when I cancelled it and started a new one - it used to do that all the time. Anyone else see the same?

Great find though - it works! - Running an AVCHD render that would never get past about frame 1000 now at 18000 and cranking - an 18 minute video with 2 video tracks, 8 audio, cross fades, a couple special effects, color adjustment, and protitles is going to take a bit over 2 hours to complete with 1920x1080 and 32 bit pixel format. So while its working it's doesn't seem to be working any faster, but it's working and that's what counts!.

blink3times wrote on 4/26/2009, 6:43 AM
"I'm curious as to why just telling the dll that handles AVHCD that it can handle more than 2 GB of RAM will just render it useless,"

My guess is that you screwed up somewhere. I just tried it in my 8.1 and am rendering fine as we speak.

Interesting to note; I went to change the flag in Vegas80.exe, and the file io proxy dll (used for 8.1) and they were already set for GREATER than 2gig (set by Sony I guess because it sure wasn't me) but the m2ts dll still needed to be changed.

In the end though, I don't really use 8.1 at all.... can't render 1920x1080 (or you can rather but you have to jump a few more hoops)