X7 Smart Proxy Problem

[tletter]

The X7 Smart Proxy is not working properly perhaps due to X7 frequently stopping to work and crashing.

The following image shows the X7 Smart Proxy settings (proxy file location is 'E:\Corel_SmartProxy') and Queue Manager listing:

X7 Smart Proxy settings and Queue Manager listing

The following image shows the listing of proxy files that are on disk in 'E:\Corel_SmartProxy':

Listing of Proxy files that are on disk.

As can be seen there are many more proxy files in existence than the Queue Manager lists about eventhough these proxy files were created by X7. Is there a way to have X7 update its list of proxy files or do the proxy files have to be recreated each time X7 crashes?

Thanks.

[lata]

Hi

Did you use Smart Proxy before changing the default folder location.
If yes then they may be left over from earlier.

[tletter]

Did you use Smart Proxy before changing the default folder location.

No the default was changed at time of installation.

What I find puzzling is that a crash of VS appears to screw up the list of proxy files maintained by X7 and there is no ability to have VS update its list of proxy files.

[lata]

Hi

Sorry but I do not know of any way to re-link proxy files.

I would have thought that after creating proxy files if we save the project, then any crashes would not affect those files, unless the VSP has been deleted or damaged.

It’s a bit of a grey area, we know they are created and help in project playback, but how it does that and how the files are linked is another matter.

Maybe a question for Corel Support regarding re-linking proxy files.

Your main concern surly is why the program is crashing, certainly if it’s a frequent occurrence.

[BrianCee]

If you delete all the proxy files on your computer then they will be regenerated - and therefore linked to their respective video clips when you next put them into the timeline - at least that's what happens on my computer.


....

[tletter]

Your main concern surly is why the program is crashing

Well that seems obvious however, the issue is that VS allows you to build an ever larger and more complex VSP without warning you that the VSP cannot be rendered.

It is unrealistic to render the project after each change in the VSP unless you are building a very short video. Hence by the time a render is attempted, it can be very difficult to determine what change to the VSP is causing the problem as VS does not crash at the same spot each time. Furthermore it is not clear that if the rendering crashes at say 99%, is the issue located at the 99% timemark of the total project duration. How are we supposed to debug crashes? The only approach seems to be to keep removing portions of the VSP until the project finally renders successfully, i.e. brute force.

Imagine if MS Word allowed you to create a large document and then simply crashed when you tried to print it and the troubleshooting approach was that you must remove a sentence and then attempt to print the file until finally the sentence causing the print failure is determined. MS Word would be despised, yet this approach appears to be the best that is available to us to troubleshoot VS rendering issues. Where is the log that you can review after a crash that will make clear why VS crashed?

I've found that certain VSPs drive the memory utilization to 100% and then Windows warns that VS must be close afterwhich VS crashes/freezes-up. Hence on my PC, 16GB RAM is not enough for certain VSPs. It certainly appears that VS has an important memory leak.

[Ken Berry]

It certainly appears that VS has an important memory leak.

Not sure about that -- though I acknowledge that it is possible but has not happened in any direct way to me. But one other thing is also clear, and that is that some of the third party plug-ins which come with VS -- and notably one or two of the NewBlue filters -- guzzle a huge amount of system resources and can slow down rendering enormously.

[lata]

Hi tletter

I do sympathise if you are having regular crashes as there will be a reason.
Unfortunately Corel do not provide us with any de-bugging software.
The best we can do is view the Windows Event Viewer where crashes should be saved giving some details.
I have to say that I have not had to use that approach and probably not understand the data provided.
Crashes can also create DMP files, again we are unable to open those, although Corel Support may ask for those files.

So what causes crashes…?
As Ken mentions some filters do use a lot of ram and slow down the editing process, there are a lot of filters, it is very rare I apply more than one, but they are available and we could attach 5 separate filters, I would imaging render would be very slow.

Video file types, well there are lots of video out there, some easy to edit and others causing problems, I don’t think IPhone video was intended to be edited, more for internet playback, personal opinions. They tend to use a variable frame rate that some editors just do not like.
mp4 and mov types have been particular troublesome with new versions being released with the next generation of phone leaves the video editors playing catchup.

Then it could be our computer that is just not upto the job, always has to be considered, maybe the wrong codecs installed? Whatever reason there are a lot of users that do not have crashes.
Maybe they are using a more friendly video format?

So how do we find that fault that causes crashes?
Difficult, manually stripping the project if that is what is required.
We could use the project Playback Range to render a small section, at least saves rendering the lot.
Any yes if it crashes at 98% then generally there will be an issue at that point on the timeline.

I recall Jack having a crash at that point with an error message “Cannot read frame 359” or something like that.
Turns out he had used a sample video opening stage curtains, however he reversed video to close curtains, then I think applied timelapse to slow the clip. Although that did not cause the entire problem, the clip was NTSC at 29.97fps, he was in Pal country using 25fps project.
The error Frame 359 was not an individual frame but 359 frame video, a 12 second WMV sample.

That actual incident did not show till he tried to render, project playback seemed ok, and yes it did take a while to find / fix.

I guess what I am saying there is always a cause, finding it can be difficult, but we are always willing to help.

[canuck]

It is unrealistic to render the project after each change in the VSP unless you are building a very short video. Hence by the time a render is attempted, it can be very difficult to determine what change to the VSP is causing the problem as VS does not crash at the same spot each time. Furthermore it is not clear that if the rendering crashes at say 99%, is the issue located at the 99% timemark of the total project duration. How are we supposed to debug crashes? The only approach seems to be to keep removing portions of the VSP until the project finally renders successfully, i.e. brute force.

Whenever I create a large project I always break it up into smaller projects and wourk on those. It makes it a lot easier to find out where a problem may occur instead of working on the full project. The various segments (whether as vsp projects or rendered video files) can then be easily combined into the final project. To me that is much more realistic then putting "all the eggs in one basket".

[tletter]

[The various segments (whether as vsp projects or rendered video files) can then be easily combined into the final project.

That's not my experience since adding music and narration on top of video clip audio and then using audioducking becomes difficult and time consuming with a combination video. This is because one cannot readily edit the component VSP projects. Hence it's not how I like working but apparently it works for you.

[canuck]

Why can you not "readily edit the component VSP projects"? You of course have to make the segments so that each is a separate entity and no overlap of audio,effects occurs.

I also don't understand why you say "adding music and narration on top of video clip audio and then using audioducking becomes difficult and time consuming with a combination video"

[tletter]

You of course have to make the segments so that each is a separate entity and no overlap of audio,effects occurs.

You appear to be suggesting working with a combination of fully rendered files in yet another VSP. True? If so then you cannot change the audio of the video and overlay tracks nor of the voice or audio tracks of the rendered files but you can change these if you are working with the actual underlying VSPs. It is very time consuming to have to re-render files if you have to adjust the audio in the VSPs.

The real issue is that VS does not render reliably if certain unknown and undocumented conditions exist in a VSP. Hence rendering is a trial and error adventure.