Happening on desk and laptop: NvidiaCodec ERROR - Max Level Supported is 62 Requested Level : 100

[chris_5712]

Can't figure this out. This happens with every version of AE I've tried from 24.5 up, with a slew of drivers going back to the first version accepted in C4D earlier this year. CC Cleaner and DDU run when testing combos. Exporting a prores 422 file with no sound, from any project simple or complicated with different media. With or without additional plugin or scripts. It's not the cache or preferences, hardware panel render on and off, Multi frame on and off. Aaaaaaand with CUDA disabled.

It will typically finish rendering, but occasionally just craps out. No compatibility issues found, and this is a new build. I will note that i get similar not good chime renders from a days old Lenovo Legion 9i that also has a 5080 series gpu in it.

Intel Ultra 9 285k (no mods)

PNY Geforce 5080

192 GB DDR5

Windows 11

This project is relatively simple, stock footage from adobe (mp4) with only a few gaussian or drop shadows used. Log attached as a file, but for tldr here's the error. On this render it only happened once, but can appear several times:

Ticks = 39125 <21004> <NvidiaCodec> <5> ERROR - Max Level Supported is 62 Requested Level : 100
Ticks = 39125 <21004> <NvidiaEncoderV13> <5> ERROR - Nvidia Encoder does not support encoding in provided Encode settings

[RobShultz]

Are you rendering to your system drive or a secondary drive? If secondary perhaps try rendering to your desk top to see if it works better. 

[chris_5712]

I have a dedicated C, cache, and project drive that are all new M2s on the desktop. The laptop has a similar setup with M2 externals. So it's all segregated but to answer your question, it doesn't matter where it's exported.

The machine is a new build this week, laptop is new and just showed up and was wiped before drivers and adobe. The only similar component between the two is an RTX 5080 and they are both throwing the same thing. What's confusing is any bit of data I can find points to an h264 topic, but I'm exporting prores so an h264 encoding issue shouldn't be an issue. Oh and also nvenc doesn't encode prores, so what is asking the GPU to max out a setting it doesn't make for a format not being used? And I would think it definitely shouldn't be an issue setting AE to software encoding only.

[chris_5712]

What a waste of time. This was not the issue i thought it was, though going down this dumb rabbit hole led me to optimize quite a few other things.

My system has decided that it will change the pitch/kinda shorten the success chime. Combined with some random nvidia and windows settings, I was led to believe that an issue existed where it might not - though along the way there were a few wonky exports and a whole bunch of old scripts and  plugins that got tossed. I still have no idea why the nvidia encoder would be envoked when every hardware setting is disabled, and that error also shows up with a pretty basic mp4 export.

Gemini had this to say:

Here is a breakdown of why a GPU encoding error might appear even when hardware encoding is explicitly disabled:

1. Separation of acceleration vs. encoding

In Adobe applications, GPU usage is divided into different functions:

• Hardware Encoding: This uses a dedicated chip (like NVIDIA's NVENC or Intel's Quick Sync) to perform the final compression of the video file, often for formats like H.264 or HEVC. This is what you disabled.
• Hardware Acceleration (using CUDA or OpenCL): This uses the GPU's main cores to accelerate specific visual effects, compositing, rendering, and other pixel-level calculations. This process is separate from the final video encoding step. 

•  

Even with hardware encoding disabled, After Effects can still use the GPU for hardware acceleration of effects and rendering. The error occurred because a different part of the rendering pipeline, not the final export setting, attempted to use the NVIDIA encoder. 

2. A misfired or vestigial hardware check

The error most likely stems from a part of the Adobe Media Encoder process that performs internal diagnostics and capability checks before rendering begins. 

1. Encoder Discovery: During the initialization phase, AME discovers all potential encoding pathways, including both CPU (software) and GPU (hardware) options.
2. Capability Query: The program might have queried the NVIDIA encoder about its capabilities, and the NVIDIA encoder returned an error because the driver was in a state where it couldn't support the requested level, even if the encoder wasn't ultimately used.
3. Error Logging: The software logged this communication error but, since hardware encoding was off, it ignored the faulty path and moved on to a valid one, such as the Intel VPL encoder, as shown in the next log entry. 

1.  

In this case, the NvidiaCodec error was a warning from the system's "try to find all encoders" phase, not a failure during the actual encoding task itself.

3. Conflicting settings or an application bug

In some scenarios, a software bug or a conflicting project setting could cause the encoder to be probed improperly:

• Version Mismatches: A mismatch between After Effects and Media Encoder versions can sometimes cause unexpected behaviors, leading to miscommunication.
• Corrupted Preferences: Corrupted preferences could cause a conflict where the hardware acceleration settings are read incorrectly, even if they appear disabled in the user interface.
• Effect-Specific Requirements: Some effects or features might have their own embedded hardware acceleration calls that function independently of the main export setting. 

•  

How this relates to your ProRes export

The fact that you were exporting to Apple ProRes 422 further supports this explanation. ProRes is a codec that is typically CPU-encoded and not reliant on a GPU's specialized H.264/HEVC encoding hardware (NVENC). 

The log shows a harmless but confusing failure:

• The system checked its full list of available encoders.
• The check on the NVIDIA H.264 encoder failed due to a hardware limitation (Requested Level : 100).
• The system logged the error but proceeded with the CPU-based ProRes encoding, making the NVIDIA error a non-critical event for your final output.

There is indeed a reason the

 Max Level Supported is 62 Requested Level : 100 error would appear, even if your file settings should have been compatible and hardware encoding was disabled. It points to a deeper issue related to the interaction between the Adobe software, the NVIDIA graphics driver, and the specific hardware encoding capabilities of your GPU. 

Here's a breakdown of the likely causes:

1. Stuck or mismatched settings (most likely)

The most common cause is a software glitch where a conflicting or "stuck" setting is being improperly invoked.

• "Sticky" Performance Setting: The Adobe application's "Performance" setting, particularly for hardware vs. software encoding, can sometimes become "sticky". A bug might cause the application to momentarily attempt to initialize the hardware encoder based on a previous export or default profile, even if the current export is set to software encoding.
• Internal Preset Conflict: Adobe Media Encoder (AME) uses internal presets that govern the encoding process. An internal conflict could be causing AME to query the NVIDIA encoder's capabilities using the wrong parameters (Requested Level: 100), even when the user-facing settings are correct (CBR h264 set to 4.2).
• Version Mismatch: Ensure your versions of After Effects and Media Encoder are the same. A version mismatch can cause communication errors between the two applications and their encoding dependencies. 

•  

2. Driver-level issues

The problem could also originate from the NVIDIA graphics driver itself.

• Outdated or Corrupt Driver: Your current driver might be outdated or corrupt, causing it to report incorrect or corrupted capability information to Adobe's software. Many users resolve similar issues by using a tool like Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to completely remove the old driver before reinstalling the latest NVIDIA Studio Driver.
• Studio vs. Game Driver: The NVIDIA Studio drivers are optimized and tested for creative applications like After Effects. Switching from a "Game Ready" driver to the Studio driver can resolve compatibility issues.
• Other Software Interference: Other software that uses the NVIDIA encoder, such as OBS or NVIDIA ShadowPlay, can sometimes interfere with the Adobe encoding process. 

•  

3. Application-level bugs

This kind of log message can indicate a bug within the Adobe software itself, particularly concerning its GPU integration. 

• Improper Resource Release: There might be a bug where Adobe fails to correctly release a resource or close a connection with the NVIDIA encoder, causing subsequent export attempts to fail or log errors even if hardware encoding is off.
• Caching Problems: Corrupted media cache or preferences can also be a source of problems. Resetting preferences and clearing the media cache is a common troubleshooting step that often resolves these kinds of lingering issues.