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10-bit Uncompressed unable to play properly
Hello, I am working with 10-bit uncompressed footage (720×486), 24 fps on a Dual 2.5 GHz G5 with 2.5 GB RAM in FCP HD. When I try to play through on the timeline, it stutters, stops and gives me the error message that it is dropping frames. I have set the playback quality to low and safe. Is there some other setting I need to be able to play this footage at real time? I have what is supposed to be the most powerful mac available and I know people can work with HD footage, so what is the problem?
Thanks for your help.
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9 Replies
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Most likely you have a slow hard disk, or one that is fragmented. For 10BitUC I use SCSI RAIDs capable of over 200MB/s. Upgrade you hard drives, and your problems should go away.
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You’ll need at least a four drive array to play back UC 10 bit. A single drive won’t do it…
Mitch Ives
Insight Productions Corp.
mitch@insightproductions.com
http://www.insightproductions.com -
He is only doing UC 10-Bit SD video (720×486). A Firewire 800 drive like the G-RAID will work just fine.
-mark
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If he doesn’t mind sacrificing most of the realtime. I wouldn’t be happy with that.
FWIW, I have associates using the G-Raid’s. Dropped frames still exist with 10 bit UC using that.
Mitch Ives
Insight Productions Corp.
mitch@insightproductions.com
http://www.insightproductions.com -
[Talia Raine] “Is there some other setting I need to be able to play this footage at real time? I have what is supposed to be the most powerful mac available and I know people can work with HD footage, so what is the problem?”
As others have noted, your harddrive(s) are too slow. You need at least a FW800 RAID unit like the G-Tech G-RAID’s or a LaCie Big Disk Extreme. Those will barely get you one stream of 10bit playback.
Better than one, purchase two units and stripe them together. Much more reliable playback of 10bit.
Best option, move to Fibrechannel like the Medea FCR2X (2TB) array with 325mb/sec+ for tons of realtime even with 10bit SD.
Your machine is plenty fast enough. Before you blame the machine, do some research on what you’re trying to accomplish. The machine is only one part of the equation, drives are much more important with uncompressed SD and HD.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.comNow in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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I am doubting the claim that the G-RAID “barely” gives you one UC 10bit stream. That is the drive that AJA recommended to me. As long as you run off a dedicated FW800 PCI board, you should get the 1 stream as advertised. 1 stream is less than 30MB/sec. Unless you have zillion audio tracks going as well, I think you will be fine. The G-RAID is actually 2 drives striped in a hardware array. I’ve had no problems with frames being dropped. Maybe it can happen, but I’ve yet to see FCP pop up the dropped frame warning window (and yes I have it set to).
I am not doubting the benefits of SCSI, if my company had the money, I would have gone that route in a heartbeat. My situation is a lot different than most, we don’t make our bread and butter on editing UC 10bit video. If that is your bread and butter, then I would go SCSI or Xserve RAID w/o hesitation.
Internal SATA drives is a bad idea no matter what format you edit in my opinion.
-mark
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[Mark Beazley] “I am doubting the claim that the G-RAID “barely” gives you one UC 10bit stream. That is the drive that AJA recommended to me. As long as you run off a dedicated FW800 PCI board, you should get the 1 stream as advertised”
Performance off the G-RAID is much better running 8bit than 10bit. I’m actually writing a review right now for both the G-RAID 500 and 800 units. Dropped frames are more prevalent when running 10bit and the RT functionality takes a dramatic hit.
If 10bit is your main focus of editing, SCSI or Fibre are the way to go.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Creative Genius, Biscardi Creative Media
https://www.biscardicreative.comNow in Production, “The Rough Cut,” https://www.theroughcutmovie.com
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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[Mark Beazley] “I am doubting the claim that the G-RAID “barely” gives you one UC 10bit stream. That is the drive that AJA recommended to me. As long as you run off a dedicated FW800 PCI board, you should get the 1 stream as advertised. 1 stream is less than 30MB/sec. Unless you have zillion audio tracks going as well, I think you will be fine. The G-RAID is actually 2 drives striped in a hardware array. I’ve had no problems with frames being dropped. Maybe it can happen, but I’ve yet to see FCP pop up the dropped frame warning window (and yes I have it set to).”
Having seen it, I don’t doubt it, but then maybe we’re doing more with our streams than you typically do (color correction, motion, etc.). Either way, one stream is grossly inadequate for many of us. We get at least four streams on a four drive SATA array. As for dropped frames, you can experience them without getting the warning.
[Mark Beazley] “Internal SATA drives is a bad idea no matter what format you edit in my opinion.”
It works better than you think, but yes, our SATA array is external. FWIW, there are some people who prefer external SATA arrays (8 drives) to the Xserve RAID for HD. I was surprised to see people report issues with the Xserve RAID for HD. I know people who seem happy with it. Hopefully the new firmware patch will solve whatever issues they were having.
Mitch Ives
Insight Productions Corp.
mitch@insightproductions.com
http://www.insightproductions.com -
[walter biscardi] “If 10bit is your main focus of editing, SCSI or Fibre are the way to go.
“Or a SATA array… we’ve been using it exclusively with 10 bit UC SDI streams since day one. They work fabulous… many people are starting to use them with HD.
Mitch Ives
Insight Productions Corp.
mitch@insightproductions.com
http://www.insightproductions.com
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