Random crashing with XDCAM HD

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Jason,
You have all the FC 6.0.3 symptoms.
The only think to recommend you, as long as no possible update, is to optimize your system. DiskWarrior or TechTools may helps you.
Update as soon as you can. The actual combo MacOX 10.5.4 with QT 7.5 and FC 6.0.4 are working frankly well. The first that works well since the release of Leopard.
Cheers,
Rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Piers Mcdonald]

Hi Jason,

Glad to see we are not the only ones.

Also working on an XDCAM project, also on a Mac Pro.
Also experiencing random crashes, up to ten a day, frequently just when the timeline is redrawing. Fast timeline scrolling is dangerous, but also crashing at just about every other possible time as well, (rendering, exporting, ETT, etc)

This is using FCP 6.0.4. Tried 6.0.3, but it made no difference, tried swapping RAM, tried swapping drives, tried swapping the BM card for an AJA, tried pulling all the PCI cards out and disconnecting from network, tried pretty much everything I could think of in my 10 years of troubleshooting these machines but FCP keeps crashing. (note, the system does not crash, just FCP)

The only thing we’ve done to reduce the crashing is to turn the timeline display settings to ‘name’ only, and not ‘name and thumbnail’.

specs: Mac Pro Octo 2.8, 8GB RAM, 10.5.4, QT 7.5, FCP 6.0.4, BM Intensity (and also AJA LHe)

All the while the G5 which is working on the same project, using the same media over gigabit is working just fine, stable as ever, working on exactly the same project. Running 10.4.11, QT 7.5, FCP 6.0.4.

The same thing is also happening on a Mac Pro working on a different XDCAM project being produced by the same company at a different location.

[Jason Porthouse]

Hmm, at least it’s not just me – frustrating though, innit?

I’d a feeling that it was somehow connnected to redraw – when it first started I had a project that would open to a certain degree and then just quit out at the same point. Trashing the thumbnail cache cured it completely. I think, as you say, its a memory/redraw issue.

I do wish Apple would widen their beta program – this is the sort of thing that makes people consider A**d *shudder*

Jason

_________________________________

Before you criticise a man, walk a mile in his shoes.
Then when you do criticise him, you’ll be a mile away. And have his shoes.

*the artist formally known as Jaymags*

[Rafael Amador]

[Piers McDonald] “specs: Mac Pro Octo 2.8, 8GB RAM, 10.5.4, QT 7.5, FCP 6.0.4, BM Intensity (and also AJA LHe) “
Hi Piers,
You don’t have the two cards installed in the same machine, don’t you?
And you Piers and you Jason, what kind of maintenance you do to your system?
Your problems smells to poor system maintenance. Cleaning directories is a must working with a Mac.
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Piers Mcdonald]

Thanks Rafael,
I knew someone would pick up on that.
No, I definitely do not have both cards in the same system, during testing, the BM card was replaced by the AJA card. The BM drivers were removed first.

And yes, regular directory maintenance is being performed. The problem is occurring on a virgin Mac Pro, with fresh drives. Whereas a 3 year old G5 with a 3 year old directory, is having no problems at all with the same project accessing the same media on the same drives.

I should also add that this is the most random issue I’ve had with FCP in 8 years of daily use. I’ve tried endless variations to try to pin down the problem, but the only constants are XDCAM, Mac Pro and 10.5. Mac Pro won’t use 10.4, so can’t test if that is the problem.
It is not caused by any specific media files, and the crashes cannot be reproduced by repeating actions.

[Rafael Amador]

Was just to suggest something.
The thing is that I’m working with EX-1 footage in a MBP, with Mac OX 10.5.4, QT 7.5 and FC 6.0.4 (similar than yours) and I’m not having problems.
With previous combos I’ve been experiencing similar problems: Hangs when scrolling or when enlarging a window . When listening iTunes I should stop doing any thing with the mouse when the song was changing, otherwise everything frozen. Many things like that and DiskWarrior was of no much help.
Now is not like that. When FC slows down a bit of maintenance put him in the mood again.
Wish you find the solution soon. Too much headaches in the world:-)
cheers,
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Piers Mcdonald]

For some reason I think its a Mac Pro only problem. I thought it might be a PAL/25Hz only problem, but as you are in Lao, I assume you are cutting 25P material.
It wouldn’t be the first time FCP had problems in PAL land that didn’t exist in NTSC land.

I should also add that in the Console, several hundred memory allocation errors are reported just prior to a crash.

Tried running with 2GB, 4GB and 8GB of RAM, also tried only Apple or only aftermarket (Amicroe) RAM, but the problem still persists.

[Jason Porthouse]

Hi Piers & Rafael,

Rafael – my system maintenance is limited to disk utility and good housekeeping at the moment – suffice to say that I’ll be ordering either Disk Warrior or Tech Tools soon. Any opinion as to which is best?

One thing (I am writing this on another mac, quietly, so as not to tempt fate) is that changing the timeline to name only, rather than name and thumbnail, has significantly improved things. Making sure I don’t have too many bins open with icon view seems to help too… fingers crossed.

Thanks for your input

Jason

_________________________________

Before you criticise a man, walk a mile in his shoes.
Then when you do criticise him, you’ll be a mile away. And have his shoes.

*the artist formally known as Jaymags*

[Alan Lacey]

Rafael,

Could you expand on what we should do to keep the system ‘maintained’

Many thanks

Alan

[Richard Boghosian]

Forget Tech Tools, most would heartily endorse Disk Warrior. My biggest and most frequent source of trouble is the preferences for the AJA Kona Le control panel. Located in both the system AND the user pref folders. Trash and a restart are required. Can’t speak for the BM card-no experience there.

Richard Boghosian
Bogh AV Productions

FCP 6.03 Intel 2.8 8 Core Apple X-Raid and Atto SCSI UL5D Kona LHe