Smart Proxy for Crashes

[MJS_888]

My program constantly crashes when I edit my (low resolution) .mp4 files (but does not crash while rendering). I decided to try editing with "Smart Proxy" in the hope that VS will prefer its own (proxy) mp4 files to my mp4 files. So I right-clicked my mp4 file in the library and selected "create smart proxy file..." This produced a dialogue box promising to include the checked file in the Smart Proxy Manager. After clicking OK, the dialogue box went away and nothing happened. When I later checked the Smart Proxy Manager and the Smart Proxy Queue Manager, the file was not listed. [I also tried right-clicking my file on the timeline with the same result.]

In the Settings/Preferences/Performance menu, "enable smart proxy" and "enable hardware decode acceleration" are checked. How do I create a proxy file?

[BrianCee]

Have you also changed the image size at which VideoStudio is to create proxy files - by default it is set to only work on files which have a pixel size higher than your standard low res - if you want it to work on low res videos you must change the size above which VS is to create proxies to be lower than your pixel size by going to "Settings >> Smart Proxy Manager >> Settings"

[MJS_888]

I was reluctant to try changing that size setting because I did not want VS to automatically fill my hard drive with proxy files for all the low resolution video files in my library...or even all that I put in the Timeline. [VS appears to not crash when editing wmv files and possibly other formats, so I do not need proxies for those files.] Also, the User Manual states: "you can force the creation of proxies at any time by right-clicking on a file or multiple files in the Timeline, and choosing Create Smart Proxy File." If this false, what is the intended purpose of the "create smart proxy file" command?

I went ahead with your suggestion. I was pleased the program did not start making proxies for all the files in my library. It also did not make proxies for files that were already in my timeline. However, it did allow me to create proxy files by right clicking files in my library or the timeline.

Before I finished making proxies for the several files in my project, the program crashed again. [I'm not sure whether it crashed after I accessed a proxied file or a non-proxied file on my timeline.] When I re-started the program, the proxy files that I had created no longer appeared in the Smart Proxy File Manager. When I checked the program's SmartProxy folder on my hard drive, however, the proxy files were still there. When I tried creating a SmartProxy for a file for which a proxy file already existed, I wound up with two identical proxy files on my computer (but just one in the Smart Proxy File Manager). Is all this normal? I'm guessing it is not possible to get the program to recognize the proxy files that it previously created.

[MJS_888]

I tried again and created a SmartProxy file for every clip in my project (which only had mp4 files). Due to the possibility that the previously created proxy files disappeared from the "Smart Proxy File Manager" because the program crashed before I saved the project, I saved my project immediately after creating the proxy files.

The program crashed again soon after I resumed editing, suggesting that VS may not like the proxy files it creates any better than my original mp4 files. [The program does not seem to crash when editing .wmv files, but wmv does not appear to be an option for proxy files.] When I restarted the program, I was disappointed to discover that the newly created SmartProxy files again disappeared from the "Smart Proxy File Manager" even though I had saved the project after they were created. [Once again, the proxy files did not disappear from my hard drive.] Does VS lose track of its SmartProxy files every time the program crashes? I'm starting to think this SmartProxy feature is worse than useless!

[lata]

Hi

First what version of Video Studio are you using, apologies if you have mentioned this.

I think the problem may be with your video files rather than Smart Proxy.
Disable Smart Proxy – delete / remove the files from Smart Proxy manager.

What problems are you having with your video files.
If as you say the program crashes then enabling smart proxy is not going to fix that.

Can you give some details regarding your video files.

With the file on the timeline, right click and choose properties, what are they?
You can take a screen shop of that window, create an image and attach to your post.


Saving changes to the program ( Preferences) or Smart Proxy would be lost if the program crashes before you have closed the program first.

Smart Proxy files would be indicated with the clip showing a small icon on the timeline or library view.

[MJS_888]

Hi Trevor, hope you had a nice X-mas!

I'm using the latest updated version of VS Pro X7. The problem I'm having with mp4 files during editing is that the program often crashes when I click the play button in the preview window after I have navigated between clips on the timeline or switched between clip and project mode. The program has never crashed when editing wmv or mpg files. [I have problems with avi files which are different...no crashes. One problem is VS refuses to make smart proxy files for my AVI files.]

The mp4 files that I'm working with now were encoded with "Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate" using identical settings. Here is the screenshot you requested of their properties...

What problems are you having with your video files.
If as you say the program crashes then enabling smart proxy is not going to fix that.

I thought that when smart proxy is enabled, the proxy files are loaded and displayed in the preview window instead of the original files. If VS crashes when it tries to play my original mp4 files, why is it not possible that VS would fare better with proxy files?

Since the proxy files are considerably larger than my original low resolution files, they slow down the program instead of speeding it up. Therefore, I decided to try altering the Smart Proxy Manager settings to create smaller files. I unchecked "auto generate proxy template" and changed the video proxy options to decrease the "frame size" and "video data rate" (but did not change other settings). These changes did produce smaller proxy files. However, these smaller files appear to be in an entirely different format; their file extension is ".mp4" instead of ".upx" Any idea about how these two types of proxy files differ?

[lata]

Hi MJS

Are you able to use the "Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate" and set the frame size to 1280 x 720

A more conventional format that Video Studio may better cope with.

Do the original video files, before using "Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate" work with Video Studio.

As for Christmas, the family had a good time, I came down with a quite aggressive cold virus, Xmas eve. things are improving so should be back to normal shortly…

[MJS_888]

Regarding the frame size, 640 x 360 is one of the "Standard" options offered by VideoStudio when you click the "Custom" tab in the Share workspace, so I think it should be capable of playing 640 x 360 files. I have many low resolution videos that I wish to edit, so I will often be using the "Custom" tab which offers smaller "standard" frame size options. If VS has trouble with my small mp4 files, I doubt it would prefer much larger mp4 files. [And I really don't want to convert my small files into big files before editing them with VS.]

In this particular case, the original video file was not recognized by VS so I converted the desired video segments with Xilisoft. VS recognized my other mp4 files and often crashes when playing them in the Preview Window. I think VS does not crash when playing the files in the Multi-Trim window or video filter windows because those windows process one clip at a time. The program only crashes when I move from one clip in the timeline to another or I switch from Clip mode to Project mode.

Good well soon!