Multi-core encoding in Avid

[John Kennedy]

You have discovered the crux of multiprocessor computing…

If you have one process that generates one thread, then it will tax only one processor with that one thread to finish that one process.

You have to have applications that are capable of multithreading in order to tax all the processors, or be able to run multiple threads at the same time and assign the tasks to any of the available idle processors.

As we see newer operating systems
and applications take better advantage of the hardware available, you will see less idle processor time and better performance throughput from multiprocessor machines (and I’m not just talking about being able to write an email while burning a DVD and rendering a Flash movie in the background).

It will take a shift in programming before we all feel the advantage of multiprocessor machines, but once this starts to happen, there will be a palpable difference in performance, rather than the lackluster 25% utilization you are seeing now on a quadcore system.

Here is a link to the avid community where someone was wondering the same thing .. https://community.avid.com/forums/t/63665.aspx

Avid Adreneline – MC 3.1
Avid Nitrous – Symphony
Avid Mojo – MC 3.0.1
Final Cut Pro 6.0.3

[Dino]

Further, exporting to QuickTime is not really an Avid function. It’s just throwing hooks into QuickTime. You will get much better performance using a dedicated encoding application.

Multiprocessing and Multithreading has a long way to go on most apps. My first sit-down with a 3.X Symphony I went straight for the effect which has been historically cripplingly slow, Pan and Zoom. Set up my timeline, loaded in a still, set up a move, hit render, and, molasses. Opened Activity Viewer, one CPU pumping, seven just sitting as still as the progress bar.

We’re not there yet.

[Grayson Sedory]

What program would you recommend for encoding with multiple processors?

[Dino]

I can’t speak to the specific multiprocessor ability of any of these but a dedicated encoding program will give you a better result in less time.

Episode
https://www.telestream.net/episode/overview.htm

or Squeeze
https://www.sorensonmedia.com/video-encoding/

are good things.

[Terence Curren]

You should get Squeeze free with your MC package.

Export a reference movie from MC, this is fast after your timeline is rendered, then take it to Squeeze to encode.

Terence Curren
http://www.alphadogs.tv
http://www.digitalservicestation.com
Burbank,Ca