Pluigns cause Video Pro X4 to struggle!

Tenacious wrote on 2/19/2013, 8:21 AM

There doesn't seem to be any other topics regarding plugin problems so here it goes....

I don't seem to be having much luck with Video Pro x 4 no matter what I do.

Firstly my spec......

Windows 7 64bit OS

Intel i5 3.4Ghz processor

8GB RAM

2TB Hard Drive

500GB Hard Drive

I am editing a SD low res video that's been captured from VHS. If the footage is simpy cut and edited there is no problem. If I add simple edits such as colour/brightness etc then ok. But the moment I start to use plugins such as newblue and Red bullet quick looks (which came with the program) it starts to struggle. The edited frames will freeze and be choppy, and when approaching the up and coming fade ...the footage stops playing even though the timeline is still going?? On occasions I will also get an error notification telling me the program needs to close. it's as if the program is overloaded and just cannot handle it.

I've checked my anit-virus and have a very simple AVG prgram that doesn't interfere.

IThere are no other programs running. I've checked the processes and apart from a couple of background processes that aren't demanding any CPU it is just pro X?

I can't understand how this can be struggling to do what it is designed to do? I am starting to wonder whether my version is corrupted for some reason, as I have had nothing but issues with it and I can't remember having as many issues way back when using Movie Edit Pro 2005.

Any help to solve this would be appreciated

Thank you.

Comments

emmrecs wrote on 2/19/2013, 10:09 AM

Hi.

I have a rather lower spec machine than yours (Win 7, 32 bit, 4GB RAM, Intel Q9650 Quad Core processor), using both VPX4 and/or the new VPX5, on comparatively "easy" jobs like yours, I see nothing of the stutters and errors you see. I rather think you may be right and that the VPX installation is "faulty".

So, I would suggest a total uninstall, using the (free or paid for) Revo Uninstaller in its Advanced or Deep Scan mode to carefully remove everything to do with VPX4, restart the computer and reinstall. From past experience, when VPX (any version) starts to throw serious wobblies, only a complete uninstall and reinstall sorts it out! If you prefer not to use Revo, there is a MAGIX downloadable uninstaller which will do the same job; the advantage of Revo is it is NOT specific to one application or manufacturer as the MAGIX tool obviously is.

HTH

Jeff

Tenacious wrote on 2/19/2013, 3:52 PM

Thanks for your response Jeff.

Well I tried downloading the trial version of Video Pro X5, as this would be a clean install, to see if this made any difference, but it made no difference.

I ran my task manager at the same time as running Video Pro X footage, and my CPU only touches 38% max, and my memory 31% max. Yet, the footage in the prgram is ridiculous and non watchable.

I serously need a solution here because I really don't understand why this can happen now?

Thanks for any help

emmrecs wrote on 2/20/2013, 4:17 AM

Thanks for your response Jeff.

Well I tried downloading the trial version of Video Pro X5, as this would be a clean install, to see if this made any difference, but it made no difference.

I ran my task manager at the same time as running Video Pro X footage, and my CPU only touches 38% max, and my memory 31% max. Yet, the footage in the prgram is ridiculous and non watchable.

I serously need a solution here because I really don't understand why this can happen now?

Thanks for any help

Hmm.. Difficult!

Two things I would suggest to try: First, are your programs on the same hard drive as your Windows installation? For a long while now I have always kept programs on a separate drive to the OS. NLE video editors of any manufacturer are very demanding of an uninterrupted flow of data, particularly of video data. (On my own machine I have the OS on one drive, the program on a second and the video data (files) on a third.) Is there any way you could do something similar in order to remove the chances of a "data bottleneck"? (Installing the program somewhere other than the default C:\ will require you to select Custom Install and tell it which drive you wish to use.)

Second, if you raise a support ticket with MAGIX they will almost certainly ask you to download and run their "SysCheck" utility. It does take some time to complete a battery of tests of your machine, whose results you then send back to MAGIX. In my experience this has been invaluable, allowing them to remotely suggest reasons for any problems and possible solutions.

There is clearly something running on your machine that is "interrupting" VPX. (Common suggestions are AntiVirus or other security programs; even "Windows Sounds" can cause problems e.g. by changing the sample rate of your soundcard without your knowledge.) "SysCheck" is at least partially designed to spot such "interrupting" programs, I think.

HTH

Tenacious wrote on 2/20/2013, 8:56 AM

Hi Jeff,

Yeah think I might try that as the OS, VPX, and files are all on the one hard drive. The drive is massive with loads of space so thought it would be ok, but I take your point as its more to do with what's going on with the OS etc I do have 2 other drives so will spend a bit of time seperating things and then test it out again.

I'll post the result either tonight or tomorrow night.

Thanks very much.

Martin

Tenacious wrote on 2/21/2013, 8:15 AM

Hi Jeff,

I haven't had much luck so far. For some reason if I install the VPX program on one hard drive and then attempt to operate it from the main on with the OS it doesn't work, and error messages come up about not being able to load something.

I have, however, seperated all the files and folders onto another drive but still using the program on the OS drive. There is no change.

Incidentally, I have found with all this that if I run another program like Cyberlink power director and overlay lots of effects to see how this runs.....there is no problem and it runs smoothly. This baffles me even more that the problem appears as though its not my system, but the Magix program as it can't seem to handle it. But surely this cannot be, VPX is an expensive but of kit.

I am now pulling my hair out.

emmrecs wrote on 2/21/2013, 8:44 AM

Hi again.

I'm really running out of ideas now!! You say you installed VPX on "one hard drive and then attempt to operate it from the main one...". I confess I don't understand what you mean. To "operate it" you should merely have to choose to start it, wherever it is installed. (If, like me, you start theprogram from a desktop icon, it might be worth checking the shortcut is pointing to the correct file/folder.)

Also when you installed VPX on, say, your D:\ drive did you try and put ALL its installation/data files on that drive? If so, I may have misled you about how this seems to work for me. My apologies.

I have all my main programs installed on my D:\ drive (including VPX 4 and 5) but certain associated data files (transitions, music tracks, effects etc.) seem to want to default install to C:\Program Data (this is under Windows 7). I've never tried to force those parts of the app to install on D:\. (Video files are all stored on an external USB2 drive.) I wonder whether your message about "not being able to load something" is possibly caused by having those data files somewhere other than C:\?

In the "worst case scenario", is there any way you could post somewhere a short section of your original footage for me (or others) to download and test it in VPX, just to see whether we experience the same problem?

Also, did you raise a support ticket with MAGIX and so get hold of and run their SysCheck utility which, as I said, is very useful for finding "hidden problems" on users' machines? I know you said Cyberlink played the footage without problem, so it is clearly possible on your machine. However, something is causing your problem and SysCheck may well offer some guidance.

Jeff

pawgan wrote on 4/12/2013, 6:06 AM

HI...not sure if you resolved your issues but i too have noticed that adding any effects from Newblue or Red Bullet has a serious negative performance effect on any project...and my PC is a power house....What i have found out is that Newblue effects are all processed on the CPU within Magix software and not on the GPU as in the likes of some other NLE programs...This will have a massive effect on performance as the Newblue stuff is pretty intense...I had an I5 cpu and upgraded to an I7 which did help but even so whenever i use Newblue or Red Bullet effects i get serious stop starts etc during playback... Also takes a long time to render out but again if its all being cpu driven thats to be expected. Just a shame Newblue could not offer full GPU support within magix software as that would make a massive difference to our experience..