Compressor stopped working for h.264 conversion — any ideas why?

[Rafael Amador]

Have you the Apple Qmaster and the ProAppps updated too?
Rafael

[Jeff Nelson]

You mean uninstall and re-install those at the same time as reinstalling Compressor? Okay, will give that a try, thanks.

[Jeff Nelson]

I rendered a copy of my show and then opened in compressor and set for h.264. It’s a 45 minute show, it took several hours, showing progress, down to where there was just something like 25 minutes of encoding left…and then it failed.

Any other ideas for how to troubleshoot this?

[Rafael Amador]

Jeff,
Try to export a shorter clip. Just one minute or so. If its works well then may be a problem with your HDs (I think).
Normally whenever I got this kind of problems (rendering that do not finish or too slow, applications that do funny things etc) before to start to trash prefferences and reinstall applications I make sure that the system is optimiced. Repair permisions and run Maintenance and DiskWarrior or Techtools.
Good luck.
rafael

[Jeff Nelson]

Hey Rafael:

I was able to export a short clip into h.264, no problem. I made a 720p version of the project and then opened compressor separately to convert that, but each time I’m not getting a “3x crash service down” message when it fails. I watched as it made the 1 minute version and noticed that it seemed that compressor started over doing the job. That is, I watched as it showed which frames it was converting, and it suddenly started over, as though something had interrupted the job and it had to start again. I wonder if (and this may be a separate problem since it’s a separate error than what I’ve gotten when trying to convert right from the FCP timeline) if there is something stopping compressor mid-job, and after 3x being stopped, it fails the job. It seems like something is crashing compressor for some reason. What could do that??

[Jeff Nelson]

By the way, I’m relatively new to mac. I know how to repair permissions, but how/where do I run Maintenance and DiskWarrior or Techtools. This is a program I should get somewhere?

Also, I notice when I was running compressor with the activity monitor open, when I started to encode, Compressord turned red with a message it wasn’t working suddenly. It still showed it using CPUs, but said the program was not responding. ??

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Jeff,
About your h.264:
Don’t worry too much if you see in the Activity Monitor: Compressor not responding, in red letters. This appear if the application hangs for a moment, but do not disappear when the application return to work properly.
It seems that Compressor fails almost in the end, when is time to go for the audio or so. What spre-set are you using in Compressor to make your h.264? What audio? h.264 support multi-pass encoding and I don’t know if this can be causing you the troubles. How are your HDs? You got enough memory available?

About maintaining your system:
Jeff, whenever your computer make something that you do not like (application hangs, or windows make funny things or so), do a Safe Boost> Start your computer while pressing the SHIFT key. Them restart in normal mode.
Maintenance (free from the web) is a small application that runs few routines. If you do not switch-off your computer, the system run those routines by it self at night, once a week or so, so you don’t need to run it.
If you are working with Mac, you need Disk-warrior or Tech-tools to keep your system optimized. The OX is a Unix system made out of thousands (millions!!) of small files that the system need to have well organized to work properly. Every HD has a “directory” to keep track of all these files. With the normal operation of the Mac this list get more and more disorganized, and although the computer works fine, it take more time that the necessary to do his job. Disk-warrior and Tech-tools rebuild those directories and repair few other mistakes that they can find in the files. I run one of those application once every week or two weeks. The people when have problems with FC or Compressor go to trash preferences and re-install very fast but the most of the times are system related problem, not application related problems. I think I didn’t re-install FC in almost two years. You will never regret the 100 U$ you have to pay for any of those applications. They safe my live every few weeks.
Another question about the HDs. If you work with few hard Drives, keep “journaled” only the HD where you got the system installed. The rest let them un-journaled and check the “Ignore ownership on this volume” in the Info window. The journaling is like having an extra directory that helps to keep track of all the files, this is good for the main HD, because got the system inside, but not necessary for the HDs where you got your captures etc.
Anyway Jeff you should have a look to the Ken Stone web site. Hi got all the information on how to keep your Sytem-FC working smooth.
What Is frustrating is to don’t be able to have a look to your computer and your set-ups, but let see if we can work it out.
Cheers,
Rafael

[Jeff Nelson]

Thanks, Rafael. Have been swamped, am looking at this now. I have been able to use MPEG Streamclip to make h.264 versions for the moment. Not sure what “spre-set” means in your post. Yes, I was using multi-pass encoding, I think, in compressor, best quality. I have 5 gigs of memory.

Thanks for the tips on maintaining my system, am going to try your suggestions. First, which one would you recommend — Disk-warrior or Tech-tools?

I will check out Ken Stone’s website as well, thanks for the suggestion.

Not sure what keeping “journaled” only my system drive means, or how/where I would go to check this. There’s a lot I have to learn about my mac here…! Thanks for your time.

Win 2000, DV Storm, Premiere 6, 1 gig mem, 350 gigs hard drive, dual p3 933s.

[Rafael Amador]

Hi jeff,
What I meant was “preset”. You said that the export fails almost in the end. So I thouthg that you may be using a Compressor “preset” like “Web Download QT 7 compatible” or so. Are based in the h.264 and with MPG4 audio. I thought your export could be failing when arribing to process the audio. Sorry I haven’t be very helfull.
Between Diskwarrior and TechtoolsPro? The two of them make basically the same disk optimization but Techtools can make a more complete set of tests, not only to your HDs but also to your RAM, DVD driver etc. With these applications you can optimice all the HDs but the one that is running the System (to rebuilt a disc directory, the disc must be un-mounted). So if you want to optimice your main HD you have to run the application from another HD or a CD.
And here Techtools have a clear advantage. Even if you have only a HD you can optimice the disc without starting from any other HD or CD, Something that is call “e-Disk” or so. So if any time your system wouldn’t open, the “e-Disk” would start your computer and lets you repair your directoties.
You can set your HDs Journaled or Un-journaled when formating them. Also you can enable the journaling with the “Disk utility”. To disable the jounaling I think ycan be done with MaCaroni or Cocktail that are application for disk maintenace (Permissions, cache cleaning etc).
Cheers,
rafael

[Jeff Nelson]

Thanks, Rafael. Yes, I was trying to use a pre-set, web download QT 7, and it gives the Quicktime Error 50 when it dies.

I got Diskwarrior (hadn’t read your recommendation yet), and have run. Doesn’t seem to have impacted the problem. Another problem I’ve been having intermittently in this show I’ve been editing is that when I hit to Render All, it doesn’t always render the dark green areas. It’s hit and miss, when I go make some other edits, then suddenly it does start working again. So very strange…

FCP, Mac Pro, 5 gigs ram, 30″ monitor, Decklink HD