Frames dropping when they shouldn't be

[Jim Curtis]

I'm on Mac CC19 and CC19 (latest builds), and am not getting smooth playback even on fully rendered sequences in ProResHQ with CUDA Rendering enabled.

Dropped Frame indicator almost immediately turns yellow on invoking playback.

Footage, project, Media Cache, and renders are on an ATTO R680 SAS RAID5 that AJA Speed Test reports 2.5 GB/s play speed.  That's plenty fast to be playing ProResHQ.

I've tried the usual routine of refreshing prefs, deleting caches, re-installing the app, and so on.

Here's the weird thing:  If I switch the Renderer to Software Only, the sequences play (in both CC18 and 19) without dropping frames.

I have the fastest available GPU for my MacPro5,1, an Nvidia Titan X with latest drivers installed. 10.13.6 - 128 GB RAM

[Guest]

The Titan X is not recommended for use on Mac by Adobe: https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/system-requirements.html#gpu-acceleration

[Jim Curtis]

There are no Nvidia GPU or CUDA cards on that list. And yet, CUDA is still supported on OSX in Pr CC18 and 19 in the Rendering options, and my system passes the Compatibility test in CC19. Also, that list is for CC19, and I have the same issue on CC18.

[Jim Curtis]

Note the Nvidia cards recommended for CC18. The Titan isn't there, because a third party flashed Windows compatible cards to work with OSX, and it was the GPU with the best performance.

[Jim Curtis]

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/system-requirements/earlier-versions.html

[Guest]

Adobe has only ever certified a few CUDA cards for use on Mac. Nvidia doesn't offer an official driver for Mac for the Titan X.

[Guest]

What version of the CUDA driver do you have? 418.163?

[Jim Curtis]

Yes, CUDA 418.163. And, Nvidia does supply the driver for the Titan, although it might just be the 10.13.6 driver for all their Quadro line. 387.10.10.10.40.130 is the latest version.

[Jim Curtis]

I've been getting remarkably better real-time performance with this card and CUDA enabled in Pr. I'd only noticed this frame dropping recently. It hasn't been happening all along.

I just opened the last project I did and the light is staying green with the CUDA renderer. OK, I might have a corrupted project. I will do the routine on that and report back.

[Guest]

Oh good! Try clearing the Media Cache while you're at it

[Guest]

Nvidia doesn't offer that driver when you select the card on the driver download page so it's not fully official, but let's see if we can get it to work. Try CUDA driver 410.130 which is linked here: https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/kb/gpu-and-gpu-driver-requirements-for-premiere-pro.html

[Jim Curtis]

I tried that CUDA driver, trashed my caches, and re-installed the GPU driver. Tried a new project, imported the old one. No luck. Created a new squence and pasted the old on into the new one. No luck. Created a new project and imported one ProRes422 HQ master, and dropped that into a new sequence, and it's still dropping frames with the CUDA renderer. This is really odd. The previous project I was working on has all kinds of 4K mxf and no frame dropping. This is a real head scratcher. Thanks for trying to help.

[Guest]

Welp. Here's something you might find interesting: https://www.dellemc.com/resources/en-us/asset/white-papers/products/storage/h17334-wp-isilon-adobe-p...

[Kevin-Monahan]

Jim,

I thought that we have determined that your hardware is outdated for your current workflow. Can you try CC2018 until you can get up to the recommended system requirements? You will continue to experience unexpected behavior until you do. 

Thank You,
Kevin Monahan

[Jim Curtis]

Kevin, I don't believe my hardware is outdated for playing ProRes in a timeline without having it drop frames. If you had read my thread, you'd have learned that this issue seems to be related to my current project, and is something I only recently noticed after about two years of working in Pr CC2018. I'm still investigating what has changed recently that might have caused this new behavior. I've given up on Pr CC2019. I only tried opening my project in it in a process of elimination. I have a separate RAID that connects via USB-C via a USB-C PCIe card in my MacPro, and the issue persists, which rules out my primary RAID. It's not a disk io issue. Looks to be related to the GPU, but I've since learned that frames are dropping in Software Only mode, but less frequently. I imported a ProResHQ clip in to Pr CS6, and it plays there without any dropped frames.

[Jim Curtis]

Kevin, the new 2020 doesn't drop frames so far.  Just goes to show the issue was a shortcoming in the Pr application, and that my system is perfectly fine.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Jim,

You mention CC2019 and your CPU is not meeting system requirements for CC2019, nor is your GPU, as I thought we already figured out. You have an adequate system for CC2018, that's why I recommend going with that until you can update your system. I'm sorry if you think that a system not meeting a software's system requirements should work, but that's not a very realistic approach, in my opinion.

I do wish you luck in continuing on this way, but I'd find this situation unteneable if I were in your shoes. 

Best,
Kevin Monahan

[Jim Curtis]

Hi Kevin. I started a new project in CC18, imported a ProResHQ movie, dropped it in to a new Sequence, and played it. The Dropped Frame Indicator turned yellow within a half second. I don't believe that this can be considered acceptable performance or behavior for any NLE.

I did the same thing in Pr CS6, and it played the Sequence with the same ProResHQ clip without dropping frames.

I use iStat Menus, and I can keep an eye on my RAM usage, and CPU and GPU load.  At no time do my CPU meters go above around 70%, nor am I running out of RAM.  My GPU meter occassionally peaks at 100%, but only momentarily.  It's not being consistently over-driven or stressed much.  You say my system is too puny to handle my work, but the facts seem to indicate otherwise.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Good afternoon, Jim!

"I don't believe that this can be considered acceptable performance or behavior for any NLE."
I believe that your GPU is not supported in CC2018 either, or is it?

"I did the same thing in Pr CS6, and it played the Sequence with the same ProResHQ clip without dropping frames."
Perhaps the GPU is supported in CS6? Plus, software becomes more complex over time, so it is difficult to compare things. Same story when I worked at other companies, like another one that began with the letter "A."

"You say my system is too puny to handle my work, but the facts seem to indicate otherwise."
In the support realm, you really must meet or exceed system requirements. Those are the facts that I must abide by. Just trying to make you aware of new system requirements that may require a change in workflow. I am already planning ahead for the upcoming version and my own personal system in my home studio. My 2013 MacBook Pro is going to less useful going forward. Cheers.

Thank You,
Kevin

[Jim Curtis]

I just got an automated inquiry whether this conversation solved my issue. It did not. Since the last message, I got a request from a client to cut down a 1280 x 720 H264 video. I started a new project, and Pr CC18 wouldn't even play a Sequence made from the video without dropping frames. At this point, I suspect it won't even play standard def clips.

I've consulted with the company that mofidied the Titan to see if there's a test to see if it's failing or underperforming, and I've gotten some guidance, but I'm waiting to hear whether he tests I've run suggest an issue there.

[Jim Curtis]

I just downloaded Resolve, and my clips are playing smooth as butter. This proves that a capable, competent NLE should be able to play raw HD footage without dropping frames, even on older hardware.