Transitions killing performance and random crashes

EfGe wrote on 5/17/2023, 5:26 AM

It's not something new for me, but it is something which I can't find a solution.

First.

I do wonder if there is an option I am missing or something easy like that.

Basically no matter what transition I use from the available ones in the tabs, the transition doesn't look properly till I export the movie. I can't see the thing working while I am editing the video. Not only that but for the "few seconds" around the transition the video playback is extremely choppy and basically you can maybe see a couple of frames per second at best.

It makes it impossible to properly edit any video with transitions. The use of other special effects isn't better either, but the transitions is the most important for me as it is the simplest and most used of them all.

Second

The software will crash at what feel like random times. Doing simple cuts, playing the video, during exports. I get a send report message and whenever I do that I get a download file which appears to be the same build I have. No explanation, no reasoning.

Vegas Movie Studio 17 Platinum, (in the about section is says build 223).

Windows 10 Pro (constantly updated)

i7 5960X, Nvidia GTX 1660 Super, 64GB DDR4 RAM, OS and Editing software located on different NVME PCIE drives with plenty of space left (anything from 70 to 200GB space left on each, depending on the date).

Comments

j-v wrote on 5/17/2023, 5:42 AM

Can you give a screenshot of Options/Preferences/Video ?
Which driverversion is used for the NvidiaGTX 1660?

EfGe wrote on 5/17/2023, 6:01 AM

Can you give a screenshot of Options/Preferences/Video ?
Which driverversion is used for the NvidiaGTX 1660?

526.98 (from November IIRC). But the issue goes further back than that, many different GPU driver versions.

Here is the screenshot

EricLNZ wrote on 5/17/2023, 6:06 AM

A few other questions.

What is your source material? and screenshots please of Deprecated Features and File I/O tabs in Preferences.

EfGe wrote on 5/17/2023, 6:14 AM

A few other questions.

What is your source material? and screenshots please of Deprecated Features and File I/O tabs in Preferences.

Source is mostly video captured from OBS or smartphone (usually Xperia range of phones). If that's what you are asking.

Former user wrote on 5/17/2023, 6:26 AM

@EfGe Hi, there's an App called MediaInfo, download it, it's free & a fast download with no added adverts or any of that rubbish. https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

After downloading, right click on the media file in your Windows folder, open MediaInfo, choose Text from the options at the top, Copy & paste the information in a new comment on here 👍

Like this

PS, to get transitions to play properly I double click the transition so it's selected in blue , then I Dynamic RAM Preview, can you do that in VMS17?

EfGe wrote on 5/17/2023, 6:42 AM

@EfGe Hi, there's an App called MediaInfo, download it, it's free & a fast download with no added adverts or any of that rubbish. https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

After downloading, right click on the media file in your Windows folder, open MediaInfo, choose Text from the options at the top, Copy & paste the information in a new comment on here 👍

Like this

PS, to get transitions to play properly I double click the transition so it's selected in blue , then I Dynamic RAM Preview, can you do that in VMS17?

I am pretty sure the media files are irrelevant as nothing changes no matter what the source. Also the problem is only during the special efffect or transition. If I have none of them the videos play fine.

I haven't tried the thing you mentioned yet, I will check it. I hope it works though it would be really weird thing to have to do all the time.

EricLNZ wrote on 5/17/2023, 6:52 AM

@EfGe Presumably you've tried unticking "Enable legacy HEVC decoding" in the File I/O tab?

EfGe wrote on 5/17/2023, 7:02 AM

@EfGe Presumably you've tried unticking "Enable legacy HEVC decoding" in the File I/O tab?

I don't remember. I can't check it now, but I am going to later today and let you know.

Dexcon wrote on 5/17/2023, 7:15 AM

Source is mostly video captured from ... smartphone

Smartphone video is usually recorded in a Variable Frame Rate (VFR), a format that Vegas Pro (and thus Movie Studio) has difficulty with for many. Running a MediaInfo report will quickly tell you if your phone video is VFR or Constant Frame Rate (CFR). If VFR, the usual recommendation to improve timeline performance is to first transcode VFR to CFR via a transcode app such as HandBrake.

Also, if your phone video is in the HEVC format, HEVC causes some problems in many NLEs because it is more highly compressed than other formats like MP4. The following YT video might help explain why:

Some have reported difficulties in playing HEVC video in Vegas Pro 19 / 20 using modern spec'd computers. Please take into account that your nearly 9 years old 5th gen CPU was released at the time that HEVC was in its infancy. Again, transcoding to MP4 may improve timeline performance.

Former user wrote on 5/17/2023, 7:17 AM

I am pretty sure the media files are irrelevant as nothing changes no matter what the source. Also the problem is only during the special efffect or transition. If I have none of them the videos play fine.

I haven't tried the thing you mentioned yet, I will check it. I hope it works though it would be really weird thing to have to do all the time.

@EfGe No worries, I only shared that MediaInfo because others had asked 'What is your source material?' & MediaInfo is a good app for showing that info, hope you work it out 👍

EfGe wrote on 5/17/2023, 7:19 AM

Source is mostly video captured from ... smartphone

Smartphone video is usually recorded in a Variable Frame Rate (VFR), a format that Vegas Pro (and thus Movie Studio) has difficulty with for many. Running a MediaInfo report will quickly tell you if your phone video is VFR or Constant Frame Rate (CFR). If VFR, the usual recommendation to improve timeline performance is to first transcode VFR to CFR via a transcode app such as HandBrake.

Also, if your phone video is in the HEVC format, HEVC causes some problems in many NLEs because it is more highly compressed than other formats like MP4. The following YT video might help explain why:

Some have reported difficulties in playing HEVC video in Vegas Pro 19 / 20 using modern spec'd computers. Please take into account that your nearly 9 years old 5th gen CPU was released at the time that HEVC was in its infancy. Again, transcoding to MP4 may improve timeline performance.

I understand that. But as I said the problem is not just with one source of videos. Not all of them are HEVC either. I will try the idea given by Eric above when I can later today and post an update here if it fixes it.

Dexcon wrote on 5/17/2023, 7:28 AM

But as I said the problem is not just with one source of videos. Not all of them are HEVC either

Another test to try in that case if EricLNZ's suggestion doesn't resolve the problem. Try starting another project with the non-HEVC//OBS/phone video included on the timeline to see if the transition problem still exists. If that works okay, then progressively add the other video to see when the transition problem arises - that should identify the problem media.

Former user wrote on 5/17/2023, 7:50 AM

@EfGe Hi, on my PC I sometimes have to do the Dynamic Ram when I add a transition when using UHD 3840x2160 media (constant or variable), it depends on the transition some i find are more taxing than others, it's wound me up in the past that i have to do that, (ProRes works almost flawlessly without) but after using other software I see they all need some kind of 'caching' of the timeline, Resolve has Smart option in the Playback tab which works automatically (red/blue line at top of timeline) & Adobe AE also has an auto cache, some of the caching systems work better than others, for eg the Adobe one works both ways from the timeline cursor,

Adobe green line at the top showing cache.

Loop playing does sort of cache the timeline but I would like Vegas to improve this, maybe make Dynamic RAM/caching to be an automatic option...,

My PC pecs in my signature, you can do the same by going to your icon at the top of the page - Profile & fill in My Signature 👍