RENDER PROBLEM - AME and Premiere Pro CC causing random horizontal lines on H.264 Renders

Report · Mar 07, 2014

I just got the new mac pro with freshly installed, up to date software, so of course something isn't working right...

When exporting batches of H.264s from Premiere Pro CC using AME, I get random horizontal lines on screen for most videos. (see below image for a clear example of one of these random horizontal bugs. the line below the logo is the issue)

Tried restarting the app a few times, which gave me a clean render here and there, but mostly the issue persists and it's taking me forever to produce clean renders. I notice this problem less when exporting straight from the timeline in Premiere Pro, but alas it still happens.

This random issue is catastrophic for my workflow. Help?!

[Text formatting corrected. Please type your posts directly into the forums, as copy/paste often leaves unwanted code throughout.]

Message was edited by: Jim Simon

Report · Aug 10, 2017

Thank you!

I just tried this out and exported a file leaving OpenGL on, and adjusted the fan speed. The temperature never got over 43C, but the lines STILL appeared. They didn't appear as often, though.

Any other suggestions?

Report · Aug 10, 2017

Unfortunately, we found that once our GPUs (D700) showed the glitches they never worked right again. Once the GPUs are overheated for an extended period they are fried. We had to replace our cards twice.

Report · Aug 10, 2017

That is a bummer considering these were just replaced two weeks ago ... : /

Thanks!

Michelle

Report · Aug 10, 2017

They may have installed faulty cards. I'd call them back for another set of cards. Considering how expensive the MacPro is, you are more than justified in wanting and requesting a functional machine!

Report · Aug 10, 2017

Seriously. Still very interesting that my colleague's Mac Pro does not have this issue and he received his in the same order. And, the footage appears to be fine in FCP X (it's a little late to switch now considering the work we've done on this project and the fact that we have access to Adobe CC).

Report · Aug 10, 2017

We were in the same boat. No issues at all with FCPX but as soon as we switched to Pr (same footage!) the glitches were right there. I could even run Pr and FCPX simultaneously and the FCPX renders were flawless and the Pr renders were full of glitches! It wasn't until we got two functional GPUs and then babied them immediately with a constant 1900RPM fan speed that we got relief from the dreaded glitches.

Report · Aug 10, 2017

I just found out that they exist on footage that is NOT 4k. That is both a bummer, and an important point (I thought it just couldn't handle the footage from those cameras). Bummer.

Report · Nov 15, 2017

Is there any sort of general consensus on this issue? Or a guaranteed work-around to avoid these horizontal lines in exports from Premiere?

Nearly 2 years ago I ordered a Mac Pro w/ AMD graphics cards and it spit out exports with horizontal lines random throughout the video. Apple sent it through a variety of tests and ultimately agreed to replace the whole computer—with another late 2013 Mac Pro that has the exact same issues. Now they are telling me it's a software issue.

Is monitoring the fan speed and machine's temperature really the only way? I feel scammed.

Report · Nov 15, 2017

Hi John,

This is an old thread as you stated. I haven't heard much about your issues

anymore. Either people gave up or they found workarounds. I ended up

getting a new computer as well and it seemed to do the trick. On the new

one I did install a fan monitor and made sure it was working properly. The

other workaround I used is not render out to H264 straight out of PrP. I

would render ProRes files then down convert to H264s. I feel your pain and

wish you luck. By chance is your source footage RED files?

Also can you tell us what version of PrP you are running and if you have

the D500s or D700s installed for graphic cards.

Pete

On Wed, Nov 15, 2017 at 7:58 PM, johnr73866548 <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

Report · Apr 22, 2018

I find this issue - which manifests on more / different CPU's than Just our Mac Pro - F***ING RIDICULOUS FULL STOP and can't believe there is STILL no fix. Shame on both of you Adobe AND Apple. You've left your customers stranded for YEARS. I hope everyone affected abandons you BOTH. I'm out.

Report · Apr 22, 2018

Sorry you had this and couldn't get it going. That would be a showstopper for most of us.

One of the almost more annoying things about it is it only happens to a few users. Hard to replicate, hard to track down.

So yea, at this point using another NLE would make sense. Gotta get the work out.

Neil

Report · Apr 23, 2018

Thank you...as a professional media creator since the mid 90's, the years since 2013 have been the darkest for Apple ever and I doubt the pro market will ever recover or forgive them and rightfully so.

Report · Apr 23, 2018

I'm a bit incredulous that 4 years after I participated to this thread I that see this problem is still happening. I lost several big jobs, impossible to create a proper cinema export, to make a DCP out of it... I wasn't able to be a pro anymore. I lost clients but built a stronger friendship with a friend with an older machine that took over those clients jobs. So after over 20 years being a Mac user, now I realize that it was closer to an addiction... I have now built a great PC, three times faster than the "trashcan", in one year I already upgraded RAM, SSDs and better GPU performance compared to D700 and my Pegasus thunderbolt raids work flawlessly. No regret.

I'm really sorry for all the ones that are experiencing this.

My only advice is to try to not lose your time and the worst thing about this is that it affects your mood. Find a way to stay happy. Mine was to build a machine (and finally understanding better what goes inside it). Ciao!

Report · Apr 23, 2018

I have the privilege (and great fun, actually!) to know several highly skilled colorists ... who also are wondrous teachers, and love doing that nearly as much as grading something gorgeous. They were all Mac-ophiles when we met. And they're all on dual-boot Win10/Linux beasts now.

I was listening to one of them talking with another colorist at NAB, struggling with his Mac Pro and working Resolve with some of the media mixes he's getting, the typical RED Weapon, Arri, Sony, and drone projects. My friend was listening very sympathetically for the long explanation of all the problems this guy was having, and nodding along. Guy finally gets to the end, and says, how do I get this working, as ... well, you're not having these sorts of issues, are you?

Friend says ... I'll give you the name of the place that built my setup.

Guy looks horrified, says ... but ... is it a PC?

Friend ... yup, and a real processing beast it is. Stable, flies through most everything I throw at it.

Guy looks down ... mumbles ... PC ... and walks off. Without asking for the builder.

Friend shook his head, said ... there once went I. But no more.

Yea ... Apple was more stable by enforced limitations on hardware & software both. Now, the forced limitations are showing up as painful limitations at times. Sadly, even to this PC person. Most of us need more options, you know?

And ... Apple is still behaving as the jealous kindergartner over "their" stuff, while spending far more time on devices for the masses than tools for the graphics artists they used to court, and that to me is very, very sad,

Neil

Report · Apr 23, 2018

It'll be really interesting to see what shakes down when Apple abandons Intel chips in favour of its own bespoke processors again. That could have a potentially huge impact on the pro apps as well...

My best guess is that they'll only be sticking the iChips into their consumer-focused gear for the first couple of years, although they could potentially be targeting the re-designed 2019 Mac Pro tower for the big launch (?). It could be an opportunity for them to use it as a halo product...

What are the odds that this ends up being a 'PowerPC ver 2.0' fiasco, with Apple straight-up lying about how fast their custom chips are...?

PowerPC vs. Intel: Has Apple Been Lying to Us? | Low End Mac

Report · Apr 23, 2018

One does learn that it's wiser to trust one's own test results than official data claims. Just ... in general.

Yea, one can speculate .. lol

Neil

Report · May 02, 2018

nMP SOFTWARE ONLY renders STILL creating artifacting!?!?!?!?! Who do I sue? Adobe or Apple or both? I'm DONE. ... SHAME ON BOTH COMPANYS. I'LL NEVER TRUST EITHER the same way again...

Shameful...

[Moderator note: on public forums, do not even simulate "foul" language. Rant yes, curse no.]

Report · Jul 17, 2018

I have been in scan line hell for well over a year now. Had to resort to software only render which is completely unworkable. Apple has agreed to replace the AMD 700 GPU on my Mac Pro but only one. I pray the scan lines will stop and I'll be able to escape software only rendering. I paid $8100 for this?.

I have a few questions please.

1. Does going to a custom built PC solve these problems?

2. Will I be struggling to switch to the PC for PPCC 2018 and Resolve from what I'm used to with the Mac?

All help appreciated.

Thanks,

Peter

Report · Jul 17, 2018

Hopefully the GPU replacement will resolve the issue.

1. A custom build PC may have different problems.

2. You'll probably adapt to Windows just fine. I would miss Target Disk Mode, for one.

But before you make the leap...

With the latest macOS (High Sierra 10.13) and the latest Premiere Pro/Media Encoder, you should be able to take advantage of the CPU based hardware acceleration for H264 and HEVC encoding via QuickSync. It's a pretty impressive speed boost.

Report · Jul 17, 2018

Thanks, Warren, That's good advice. I'll see what happens with the new GPU. In your experience, have the scan lines problems been resolved for others? Thanks, Peter

Report · Jul 17, 2018

Hey Peter,

How did you go about getting Apple to do the replacement now that the time period for that recall/replacement program has ended? I missed out on it but seeing your comment gives me hope that I might still be able to get mine replaced.

Glade

Report · Jul 17, 2018

Glade,

At first, they were going to charge me. I had made a complaint in Nov 2017 while I still had Apple Care. Because my complaint was in the service files, the manager told me yesterday there would be no charge.

However, at first, the tech told me, he has no choice but to charge me.

I went back and asked to talk to the manager and he told me that when they order parts from Apple, the parts can carry a flag indicating whether to repair with warranty or charge out of warranty. I also told the manager this is a known issue with the AMD 700 processors (which he was unaware of).

I made the mistake of taking the genius bar's stand only. If you made a complaint while your cards were in warranty and now they have failed, go directly to the manager.

I'm waiting for the card to come in (they will only replace the one card at this point) and so I don't know if this will fix the problem. I'll update the forum when I get the new card.

Hope that helps,

Cheers,

Peter

Report · Jul 17, 2018

Cheers and thanks for taking the time to reply, Peter! 🙂 Hope the new card gets it working well for you.

I guess I'll probably be stuck paying for the replacement if I decide to go that route, but who knows. Thanks for the tips!

Report · Jul 17, 2018

I know a number of major colorists ... teaching at NAB and around the world ... who were of course huge Mac dudes. Finally gave up waiting for Apple to come out with a newer rig, moved to PC. Everything they did on a Mac, they found the analogue for on a PC ... but frequently with more options. And far more customization capability, upgrades, and all for less money. Well, realistically, they spent the same but bought a lot more gear. More capable for the price.

And it's worked very well for them. So ... switching can work, it's a pain for a couple months, you need to have a good builder (Puget Sound Systems & Safe Harbor Computing along with ADK have staff that help with many of the operating/gear questions especially on the HardWare forum).

In just checking as I may need to move forward soon ... quotes for a 'reasonable' capable machine are between $3500/4G. For a real monster, around $5G/$6G. And up a bit, depending on how many hot pieces you want added on. That last is a pretty serious machine with tons of RAM, GPUs, the whole ballgame.

But after that, it's a personal thing. I have always been PC, 30 years plus now, but miss the days when Apple worked at being the graphics pro friend & supplier. Now, they're into "devices". Ah well.

There are some differences in how things operate ... I'm pretty slow at a Mac, trying to figure out how it's done. But if I worked one for two-three hours, it would make a big difference. Like ... spend 2-3 hours with a control surface like an Element panel and you start getting the thing moving some. A couple weeks of some time every day you're moving pretty slick.

From 'helping' around here over the last five years or so, used to be more issues on the PC side. I think we now have more on the Mac side. Last couple major Mac OS updates have been as hairy as any MS update ... which is a shame. MS has gotten better in general, Mac seems to have slid some.

And those D700's were always problematic on the Macs, overheated apparently. Can't remember whether it's the A or B card that does it, but one does. Replacing may fix it, or maybe only for a few months. Several have had recurrent issues with that.

Neil

Report · Jul 17, 2018

Thanks Neil, I'm waiting for the part to come in. I've put a fan under the trashcan in hopes of reducing heat. I pray this works as we have a big launch happening and a ton of videos to finish. I'll have to wait and see. I really appreciate your input.

Cheers,

Peter