Video Engine in PT 11.1

[Marcel Risberg]

I have quite a lot of trouble with the "Pro Tools QuickTime Server" process becoming unresponsive when working with video. This requires me to quit and restart Pro Tools - frustrating.

As I'm using a ProRes codec in a QuickTime container I was wondering what might happen if I would change that habit: Would the troubling process mentioned above even be started in the first place if I would be to use an MXF container and a DNxHD codec?

The logic and guessing behind my thinking would be that an MXF container does not depend on the QuickTime subsystem but is good with running on the Avid Video Engine alone.

Would love to hear it from someone using the MXF/DNxHD combo …

//Marcel

[tom_lowe]

Originally Posted by Marcel Risberg

I have quite a lot of trouble with the "Pro Tools QuickTime Server" process becoming unresponsive when working with video. This requires me to quit and restart Pro Tools - frustrating.

As I'm using a ProRes codec in a QuickTime container I was wondering what might happen if I would change that habit: Would the troubling process mentioned above even be started in the first place if I would be to use an MXF container and a DNxHD codec?

The logic and guessing behind my thinking would be that an MXF container does not depend on the QuickTime subsystem but is good with running on the Avid Video Engine alone.

Would love to hear it from someone using the MXF/DNxHD combo …

//Marcel

I use DNxHD in MXF wrappers. I've had the "CODEC not available" error once, but that was before I installed my graphics card drivers. Since then absolutely fine, Pro Tools was also getting confused by a session with more than 1 frame size of video, so that also could have been the problem. Certainly no QuickTime related issues. I do run video on a second Mac screen though which may also help.

[CSJordan]

Good news - Blackmagic just released driver 10.1.1, which seems to resolve many of the performance complaints with their cards:

http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support
http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?p=2162093

[Marcel Risberg]

Thanks for your input, Tom. I've been busy lately and have been forced to use PT 10 instead of my new 11 to be able to. This coming week I will try some MXF to see how it plays out. Did you find out if any QuickTime component were loaded when using MXF instead of MOV?

I've installed the new BM driver and am trying it out as I'm typing. Will work with it the coming hours.

[timmo]

Randomly ran into this problem a few weeks ago, Pro Tools would get stuck on the "waiting for video engine to start" progress bar, and continue waiting until cancel is eventually clicked. No specific cause that I could trace, it was working one day, then booting up the next day it was not. Updating to 11.2.0 did not provide a fix either.

Reinstalling PT 11 seemed to fix it for me (at least for now…). Deleted the files listed on Avid's manual uninstall PT 11 page, but did not delete IO settings or plugins. They do leave out a few other folders that I deleted:

/Users/username/Documents/Pro Tools
/Users/username/Library/Preferences/Avid

It seems this bug is sporadic and affects different machines differently, so I hope this will help at least a few people.