Problem with Windows XP Pro x64

[Jaromir Pesr]

I have posted the same issue here:
https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/124/867425
I think this is related with amount of system memory. And I hope it is solvable. I have isntall XP 64bit just because of more than 3GB mem support and now it is not making any sense. Anyway ECC RAM are not cheep.
Anybody from BM has a clue?
THX
Jaromir Pesr
i/o post

[Bernhard Rummel]

hi jaromir,

just read your post. i didn

[Jaromir Pesr]

Hi pixel7,
I have wrote to BM two days ago with no single line back yet. I hope you will have more luck. Yes, I am pretty sure that this is some Memory/PCI-X problem. I was trying to find some solution by tweeking BIOS settings but the best what I was able to achieve is this: I have turned off something like “Memory Remap Function” and when 4GB installed I can see now 3GB in Windows and BM is working. But it is not a solution at all. I wanted to run x64 because of new AECS3 multiprocessing fuctionality which is VERY memory demanding and within XP32 it is almost impossible to use (with 2-3GB OS limitation, AE always says “Multiprocessing off”), so I was hoping that x64 with 8 or more gigs will do the thing. So now I am very dissapointed especially when I spent almost $3000 for ECC memory modules and there was not any warning anywhere that specific amount of memory can block BM working…
As I said I hope it can be solved…
Regards
Jaromir
i/o post
Prague

PS: Sorry my poor English, I am trying my best…

[Bernhard Rummel]

hi jaromir,

well that’s exactly the same reason for my x64 experiment.
but i guess that there is no solution for this problem, i think we will stay 32-bit xp with our PCI cards and have to buy new PCI-E for our x64 / HD systems. i know that’s not very enjoyable 🙁

btw: even if you have only 2gb ram (32bit xp) you can force after effects cs3 to render multiprocessed if you reduce the “Maximum RAM Cache Size” in the Memory&Cache preferences.
it depends how many cores you have. i have a Q6600 with 4 cores and it’s working. but this setting will reduce the length of the ram-preview, not really cool…

i will play around with this “ram/pci/thing” in the next days. if i find any solution i will post it.

best
pixel7
+++

[Jaromir Pesr]

Hi pixel7
I have foud interesting that this mem thing affets just BM card. We have 8channel HBA SATA PCI-X 133MHz controller installed as well and it is running great. No problem here. No difference if it sits at 100 or 133MHz slot.
On the contrary I think there is a much more issues with PCIe card, especially when you use some high end PCIe graphic card such as Quadro FX. I was woried by our HW guy that we should not install ANYTHING to second PCIe slot to avoid performance quirkiness. This was why we still using PCI-X Decklinks or AJAs rather than PCIe.
And again, strange is that over the internet there is just you and me fighting this.
Regards
Jaromir

[Bernhard Rummel]

hi jaromir,

hmmm.. sounds really tricky with the DL PCI cards..

because of the pci-e problem: you’re right most motherboards have limitations when installing 2 or 3 cards, but it depends on the board. for example our consumer ASUS P5B has two 16x and one 1x slots. but if the second 16x lane slot has a 4x pci-e card in it, than the 1x slot has no function. very funny!

we’re looking out for a new motherboard for capturing HD material (10 Bit, 1080p uncompressed, 4:4:4) with a PCI-E controller-raid-card, a DL HD and of course a PCI-E graphix. and have some reserve slots for eventual other cards (audio etc.) it should also handle a minimum of 8 GB ram, 16 would be better.

anybody here in this forum who has such a system or a recommandation –> would be great!

regards
pixel7
+++

[Jaromir Pesr]

Hi pixel7
I have got this answer from BM support:
“You are correct in your assessment regarding using more than 2 gigs of ram with the DeckLink HD Pro. When these cards were designed, the market had no need/didn’t exist for 64 bit memory addressing and as such, the hardware was not over engineered to handle this (had we future proofed it, the price for this card would have been much higher). As a result, it is a hardware limitation so it is correct that it will not work with more than 2 gigs of RAM”
This is not good. We have 5 Decklink PCI-X workstations here which I thought were a bit futureproof. 64bit Xeons here for a such a long time and no support for them. Shame.
But I have found following (cumbersome) workaround:
I have installed dualboot system with XP32 and XP64bit. 32 sees just 3GB of RAM (when 8GB are installed) and then Deckling is working fine. While need an extra rendering power from AE, I can now boot to XP64 (without BM hardware visible) and enjoy 8GB in multiprocessing enviroment.
Better then nothing.
Anyway as you do, I really want to see some good running 64bit PCIe HD workstation with high end graphic card, Decklink and HBA controller (or ultrafast fibrechannel card).
There is no motherboard noticed at BM website which seems to be supported. I know those information are a bit obsolet but I am curious. I would like to do not make a mistake like I did last time…
Jaromir

[Dominic Osborne]

as per my post in another thread…

Hi,

We had this problem as well back in June when we built our new machines with 8GB ram.

After some slow discussion with BM tech support, it transpires the situation is quite simple, if annoying.

On XP64 with more than 2GB RAM, the only Deckoinks which will work are apparently all HD models, and only the SD with PCIe (PCI Express) connection – WITH DRIVER VERSION 6.3 or higher.

The older SD cards with PCI ports will not work as the hardware simply will not allow it.

We are upgrading to PCIe versions of their cards.

** although it sounds like here there are probs with the HD cards too!

Dominic Osborne
—————
Director & Head of Visuals
Eight Eyed Sea Bass Ltd
http://www.eesb.tv