Persistent Video Engine Errors

[Alex H.]

Originally Posted by Frank Kruse

Since you said you "migrated" (with apple migration assistant?) my guess would be an overall corrupted PT installation. I'd try a full clean de- re-installation of PT. Migrating pro tools via migration assistant has never really worked in my experience. Especially since you migrated from an Intel machine to M2. My guess is that all sorts of rubbish came over. Better to start clean with regards to PT.

Already did that, as noted earlier in the thread. And not just an uninstall/reinstall... I did a full OS system reset, and treated the Mac like a brand-new, fresh install on everything. The system worked for a short time after that, but has now decided again not to play ball.

[marianna]

Alex H.

I started a case for you - 04960070 and have asked support to jump on it.

Did you deactivate the license in your iLok Manager prior to doing the migration?

Check your spam and junk folder if you don't get a response soon.

Marianna

[Alex H.]

Originally Posted by marianna

Did you deactivate the license in your iLok Manager prior to doing the migration?

Thanks, Marianna.

No, I did not deactivate the license before (or after) migration. At this point, though, I've done a complete OS system reset, and reinstalled everything (Pro Tools, FCPX, PhotoShop, etc.) from scratch, seemingly to no avail.

[marianna]

Originally Posted by Alex H.

Thanks, Marianna.

No, I did not deactivate the license before (or after) migration. At this point, though, I've done a complete OS system reset, and reinstalled everything (Pro Tools, FCPX, PhotoShop, etc.) from scratch, seemingly to no avail.

Im wondering if this is part of the issue as it did work once when you pulled out the iLok and then put it back in......

I know that when using Migration Assistant on a Mac with iLok licenses, you are suppose to ensure you deauthorize the licenses from the old computer and reauthorize them on the new computer using the iLok License Manager.

Can you deactivate then reactive on the new Mac and see if that makes a diff.?

Marianna

[Alex H.]

Originally Posted by marianna

I know that when using Migration Assistant on a Mac with iLok licenses, you are suppose to ensure you deauthorize the licenses from the old computer and reauthorize them on the new computer using the iLok License Manager.

Can you deactivate then reactive on the new Mac and see if that makes a diff.

Hi, Marianna. Apologies for the delayed response… I was on the road most of the day and away from my studio.

My Pro Tools authorization is tied to the iLok, not to the computer, and has been that way since before I moved to the Mac Studio. So, I’m not sure what I’d need to do here.

I’m not having iLok issues any more. I can open Pro Tools and run sessions, except… that Pro Tools is refusing to utilize video at all. See my most recent posts in this thread. This is a massive challenge, as 90% of what I do in Pro Tools is audio post for video.

[smurfyou]

How many displays do you have and how are you driving them?

I don't use Sonoma so I'm unaware if there are issues there. But as you've seen the "Missing codecs" error does not always mean there's a problem with any codec. Sometime that will throw if there are files of multiple codecs in the session. Sometimes it's just a hissy fit that a PT restart will fix.

I don't remember a case where the video file will show missing and won't relink. That is curious.

[Alex H.]

Originally Posted by smurfyou

How many displays do you have and how are you driving them?

Three. Two on Thunderbolt > HDMI cables, one from the HDMI out.

Originally Posted by smurfyou

I don't use Sonoma so I'm unaware if there are issues there. But as you've seen the "Missing codecs" error does not always mean there's a problem with any codec. Sometime that will throw if there are files of multiple codecs in the session. Sometimes it's just a hissy fit that a PT restart will fix.

I don't remember a case where the video file will show missing and won't relink. That is curious.

Well, PT just completely crapped the bed today and won’t restart. Started getting weird symptoms, like MP3 export not allowed, and then a rash of PACE authorization issues before PT just decided to quit altogether. Launched iLok License Manager to find my iLok greyed out… so, it’s not mounting at all. Looks like my iLok USB was dying and is now dead, so that’s fun.

I’m hoping that’s the root cause of all of this absurdity, but there’s no way to try anything else unitl I get the iLok replaced. It’ll be a few days before I can jump back in.

[Alex H.]

Just to update everyone, I think the issue is now resolved.

Also, I firmly believe that an ailing iLok USB was the culprit all along, though it could have been a couple of issues. Because of the steps I took, and in which order, it’s hard to tell if it was one thing, or both things.

In short, the iLok USB was not being recognized at all by my Mac Studio. I had deleted the AvidVideoEngine folder on the advice of Avid support, but PT would not launch at all at that point. So, I shut down my Mac Studio. I moved the iLok USB to my MacBook Air and launched iLok License Manager to find that the iLok was immediately recognized.

The ilok USB was then returned to the Mac Studio and the computer booted up. I opened iLok License Manager to see that the iLok was recognized. I then launched Pro Tools into a 5.1 session with video, and it opened and ran with zero issues. No codec errors, no PACE authorization issues.

So, there you go. Perhaps the iLok wasn’t seated correctly (despite numerous attempts to pull it and re-insert it). Perhaps there was a pin out of place, or some slight corrosion on a contact, that was slapped back into submission when I tried it on my MacBook.

And, perhaps, the AvidVideoEngine folder needed to be deleted to reset the video engine after all. Hard to tell. But, I’m back up and running, and a bit exhausted from trying to track down this gremlin.

Thanks, all, for the guidance.

[marianna]

Originally Posted by Alex H.

Just to update everyone, I think the issue is now resolved.

Also, I firmly believe that an ailing iLok USB was the culprit all along, though it could have been a couple of issues. Because of the steps I took, and in which order, it’s hard to tell if it was one thing, or both things.

In short, the iLok USB was not being recognized at all by my Mac Studio. I had deleted the AvidVideoEngine folder on the advice of Avid support, but PT would not launch at all at that point. So, I shut down my Mac Studio. I moved the iLok USB to my MacBook Air and launched iLok License Manager to find that the iLok was immediately recognized.

The ilok USB was then returned to the Mac Studio and the computer booted up. I opened iLok License Manager to see that the iLok was recognized. I then launched Pro Tools into a 5.1 session with video, and it opened and ran with zero issues. No codec errors, no PACE authorization issues.

So, there you go. Perhaps the iLok wasn’t seated correctly (despite numerous attempts to pull it and re-insert it). Perhaps there was a pin out of place, or some slight corrosion on a contact, that was slapped back into submission when I tried it on my MacBook.

And, perhaps, the AvidVideoEngine folder needed to be deleted to reset the video engine after all. Hard to tell. But, I’m back up and running, and a bit exhausted from trying to track down this gremlin.

Thanks, all, for the guidance.

Awesome news Alex H. It was a sure head scratcher and im glad you finally found the culprit ( no thanks to me ). Let me know if you have any issues with the new iLok and sessions.

Marianna

[Eric Lambert]

There's something very bittersweet about discovering the issue in a place FAR away from where it was showing its ugly head. It reminds me of a system-wide problem I had a few months ago where seemingly everything I did brought beachballs. I spent two days checking everything. Only to find that one of my audio interfaces had flipped its lid and needed to be restarted. That's all it was. After that *everything* went back to normal. The fact that it was so unrelated to the issues I was seeing made the quest excruciatingly frustrating and I pulled all my hair out, twice, searching for the culprit.

Glad you found yours.