Hi,

I've been having a problem using Media Composer and there doesn't seem to be a solution online and some people I've asked don't seem to know what's causing the problem either.

It's simply the case of there being no video playback when hitting play. Hitting space, L or using the cursor makes the symbol go green but nothing happens. I'm able to scrub through the timeline perfectly fine or even go frame by frame. Sometimes hitting play and pause over and over eventually forces it to play. However, as you can imagine this is very frustrating and makes trying to edit seem impossible. My friend who has the same system and versions also has the exact same issue. So surely if I'm able to easily replicate the issue then more people must have had a similar problem and there could potentially be a solution.

I've tried a lot of different methods to fix the problem. Here is a list of methods I've tried that I can remember:

- Creating a new user profile

- Reinstalling the software

- Trying an older version

- Deleting the database for the video files

- Creating a new project and using different video files

- Transcoding files different ways

- Disabled high quality scaling

- Increasing video memory

- Increasing file cache size

- Disconnecting 2nd display

It's a very weird issue that's stopping me from using the software. So if there are any other methods I could try please let me know.

Am I to assume this is a new install and you haven't had Media Composer running on this system previously?

That's correct.

Hi Rowan, I'm following up the support case I made on your behalf ;)

I tried all sorts of things on your system and couldn't get it working. Including turning GPU acceleration off and playing around with render on the fly etc.

The initial response from support was that your I5 processor isn't qualified, but my ryzen 7 isn't qualified either and has been working fine for years. Although... I've never used your configuration on a MAC system though.. so not sure. Still can't imagine that to be the issue. Will ask them to investigate further. 

If anyone has any ideas please chime in. 

This type of problem is normally related to display driver issues. When the clip is parked or scrubbed or frame stepped a still image is displayed on the screen. However in playback the display operates in a different way and its the failure of this that prevents the playback image to show. On a PC I'd be looking at the graphics card. Its onboard memory or the shared memory settings. The display driver version and settings. But less familiar with the Mac side.

I've had this happen a few times recently with v2021.12 on my Monterey Mac. Although it seems like it's Video that's the problem, it actually appears to be Audio related. If you disable the Audio tracks in the timeline, does it then play? 

If so, try holding the Alt key as you start the software.  Keep hanging on as it runs, and eventually it'll come up with a dialogue asking which 'audio card' you want to use. Choose 'Mac OS' or some such. Then all should be well.

After a lot of testing I've found a fix for this issue. Disabling Phonetic Indexing has completely fixed the playback issue. Enabling Phonetic Indexing causes the playback issue to come back. I thought lowering video memory helped, but changing that setting didn't make a difference. 

Potentially a bug, because I assume this feature should work fine. Avid MC works perfectly fine now with my specs, even after I was told my hardware isn't "qualified".

Rowan Copeland:

After a lot of testing I've found a fix for this issue. Disabling Phonetic Indexing has completely fixed the playback issue. 

In Avid® Media Composer® v2021.12:

"Turn off Phonetic Indexing. Access this option by pressing Ctrl + F to open the Find Window.
Click the Settings button (gear icon) in the Find window and click Stop Indexing."

I'm having the exact issue with no playback when I press the spacebar/play buttons. I've tried disabling Phonetic Indexing but that doesn't seem to solve the issue. Very rarely, it will play and then revert back to no playback whatsoever.

My MediaComposer is 2012.12.2.

I was on macOS Monterey 12.4 when the issue started happening. I have since downgraded to Big Sur 11.6.7 to troubleshoot but the issue still exists. I am on an Intel Mac Mini (2018), 3.2 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7, 64GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630.

I have also noticed that with MC open, if I jump into Google Chrome to play something on Youtube, it loads and loads and never plays. 

Hi, Do you have an I/O box connected to your system at all?

Hi, I do not. I have been able to edit without it in the past, but I have tried so many ways to troubleshoot at this point, that if it's an I/O box I need to avoid this problem, I'll get one. Any recs on what I should get? The outputs I need are just two video monitors and stereo speakers.

Well if MC won't play without a I/O box - It wouldn't play with one either. 

Have you tried resetting your Avid user settings?

Also, could you go into settings > site > media cache and see what your video memory settings look like?

Good to know. Yes I've rebuilt my Avid profile from scratch.

My media cache settings are:

Video Memory: 32GB (out of 64 max)
File Cache: 32GB (out of 64 max)
I have toggled the Enable Playback Video Frame Cache and the Enable FX Editing Video Frame Cache both on and off - did not observe any changes.
Thumbnail and source browser caches are set to local destination, while I am cutting off of two external hard drives with DNxSQ.