Media Encoder hangs rendering a prores proxy under OSX/macOS

[kev.lee.wright]

System:

Version: Media Encoder 2.1.1 (build 12)

OS: macOS High Sierra 10.13.4

HW: MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)

GPU:  AMD Radeon R9 M370X 2048 MB /  Intel Iris Pro 1536 MB

Settings:

source file: 3840x2160 h264 in quicktime container, 25fps, 4:2:0 8-bit colour, approx 1hr long

Target format: Quicktime / 1024x540 AppleProRes 422 (Proxy)

Renderer: Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (OpenCL)

When invoking "create proxies" under premiere, with the above system/settings, Media Encoder stalls and becomes unresponsive roughly 25% of the way through - though it continues to utilise very high amounts of CPU.  Both source and target files are on the local system disc.  The system is set up to NOT sleep when running of mains power.

Given that the estimated transcode time is 4 hours, it's especially painful to lose an hour's time when it dies

[edits86354232]

Following this.  I am having the EXACT same issue.

[wideangleprod]

System:

Version: Media Encoder 2.1.1 (build 12)

OS: macOS Sierra 10.12.6

HW: MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2016)

Radeon Pro 460 4096 MB

Intel HD Graphics 530 1536 MB

Settings:

source file: GH5

Target format: Quicktime / 1920x1080 AppleProRes 422 (Proxy)

Renderer:  (OpenCL)

Luckily, at this time I do not have huge files to transcode to proxies. That being said, Media Encoder just plain crashes some time into the ‘make proxy’ process. This was not happening to me on the last Pr/ME versions. I have taken to doing the proxies in batches, ten or 15 files at a time. I have had crashes during the process and at the end. It completes the last proxy and crashes. Now I get about 1 out of 3 batches without a crash…. not so good.

What I find really clumsy is that if you select a clip that already has  a proxy at a specific resolution it Pr still makes another proxy. So now I have to look at the proxy folder to see whats next if I don’t make a note. Making duplicate proxies is silly you already have one.

Anyway Adobe, please get on it or give us a work around or something.

[kev.lee.wright]

I can further add that Media Encoder also fails when launched directly (not via Premiere) and set to scale down and transcode to AppleProRes 422 (Proxy), and that I now have an open ticket with Adobe for this issue.

Not a true answer, but a workaround, is to use ffmpeg, via the sample command:

ffmpeg -i INPUTFILE -vf scale=1280:720 -codec:a copy -codec:v prores -profile:v 0 OUTPUTFILE

I've wrapped this in a shell script adds a progress indicator and less verbose output, runnable as "proresproxy.sh INPUTFILE"

source for the file is here: https://gist.github.com/kevinwright/24baf2470d4fbd1d12b5cd1118e7d680

[madmark]

I'm having the same issue. I'm on a mac pro 4,1. OS 10.11.6. Latest version of media encoder and premiere.

I can't get it to go past 9:36 of encoding. After that time I get a beachball. No matter what I've tried so far 9:36 and beachball crash.

Source files are UHD from Sony FS7, trying to create 1024x540 ProRes 422 (Proxy) files?????

Can't figure this one out. Have done a bunch of retting permissions, trashing databases, etc.....nothing changes. 9:36-crash!

[wideangleprod]

You probably have long files so this might not help, but I have been doing in them in batches which helps. Also be careful that you don't just start again after a crash. Check your proxy folder. correct any files that have _1_ in them, sometimes it makes duplicates and Pr does not recognize those files. Clean up and do one at a time if you have to...

[kev.lee.wright]

Can anyone who's had this issue all please specify:

• Origin and format of the file
• Hardware and OS version
• GPU
• Which renderer you're using (OpenCL/Metal/Software)

Hopefully this will help Adobe engineers narrow down the exact circumstances where it happens

[madmark]

Source files shot on

2 Sony FS7's UHD @ 23.976 MXF

Computer/Software that DOES work

Mac Pro 5,1

OS 10.11.6

GeForce GTX 980 TI

OpenCL Render

Computer/Software that DOES NOT work

Mac Pro 4,1

OS 10.11.6

GeForce GTX 980 TI

OpenCL Render

Both using latest versions of both Premiere Pro and Media Encoder

[kev.lee.wright]

Oh wow!

So it's not specific to either Radeon or Nvidia, it's been seen to fail on one of two machines that have identical graphics cards, and it seems to happen regardless of the renderer being used.

The common factors are that this is a mac issue (I've not seen it reported against Windows), and that everybody reporting it is fully up to date with both the OS and with CC.

[wideangleprod]

I am wondering if it's a throttling thing. Perhaps some chips get hotter than others and Apple OS throttles the chip, which may interfere with the encode. I am thinking about putting a frozen metal plate under my MBook Pro and see what happens.

[madmark]

Interesting thought, but then why does it stop at the same time every time. I've done 2 encodes in a row. At least theoretically, the computer would be hotter the second time through, and should fail sooner. Yet every time it's 9:36. I suspect it's some sort of software issue I haven't been able to single out yet.

[wideangleprod]

Well, no good answer. I saw your post regarding the time, I was hoping it was not exact. Perhaps it's a frame or sequence of frames in the file that pushes the bandwidth in the encode to an "unacceptable level" of course I am not an engineer.. after years of dealing with this crap I look for a work around, get on with the job and try not to get ulcers from the frustration. I don't know if anyone suggested this, but you could change the encoder in Media Encoder to Metal and if that does not work, use software only. If you get different results that would be at least some be a clue for the Adobe people.

[madmark]

Oh, that's a good thought. I didn't even think of that. I'll give it a try. (although no metal on this OS/hardware setup)

[kev.lee.wright]

Neither metal nor software-only made any difference for me - except that metal ran somewhat slower,

The Adobe engineer on my support case also seemed to believe that this was a problem with the top-level AME app itself, and not with the underlying encoder.  Given that it continues to consume high levels of CPU even after becoming unresponsive, I'm inclined to agree with that assessment,

[wideangleprod]

Thanks Kev.

[madmark]

Well that didn't make much of a difference. Switching to software only got the encode to 10:14 but then beach balled. One other note. If Premiere is open while the encode is happening - when AME crashes it also makes Premiere crash.

[kev.lee.wright]

You can also get it to crash without Premiere involved at all; just try to run a standalone transcode to Prores Proxy with the exact same settings.

Right now, ffmpeg is the only way I can get myself a useable workflow.

[kev.lee.wright]

I've now had my support case for this issue closed as "needs engineering"

Adobe right now have no idea what the problem is, and they've been able to internally process my files without problem.

I've been officially advised to generate proxies via another route as a workaround.  In my case, that's with ffmpeg

For anyone else suffering this problem, please feel free to use the ffmpeg script that I posted above.

[madmark]

I will say that I have 2 computers at my location to try and convert on. One works as expected with no issue (Mac Pro 5,1). The other one (Mac Pro 4,1) is the one that always fails. Both have the same software on the same versions, the only difference is the hardware????

I don't get it.

[Dmitri Graf · Accepted solution]

Hi all,

We are aware of the issue and working on a fix.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but please stay patient.

[kev.lee.wright]

Thanks Dima!

If you've already identified the underlying cause, as a developer myself, I'd be very curious to know what it is.

[pjm460]

Nice,

But what are we supposed to do in the mean time? I have spent the good part of two days watching tutorials about 4K proxy work flows before starting on my first multi camera 4K project and now I'm sitting here unable to move forward. Any suggestions for a work around or an ETA on a fix?

[kev.lee.wright]

@pjm460 In the meantime... use the script I posted with ffmpeg, or are you on Windows?

It shouldn't be too hard to convert to a bat/cmd/ps1 file, but you can also use the linux subsystem to run bash scripts "natively"

How to Create and Run Bash Shell Scripts on Windows 10

[Timeeh78]

Also having the same issues with 4K .mxf files on AME.  Using both Macbook Pro 2015 and Mac Pro (late 2013) - same problem each time.  Tried different target formats including 1024x540 Pro Res (proxy) / 1024x540 GoPro CineForm.  Tried multiple times, always AME hanging after around 10 minutes of encoding without problem.

Did the same thing a month ago without any issues. 

Thanks

[andyw57227550]

Me too, I have the same setup and the same problem. Reverting to Davinci Resolve...