Randall L Rike:

"...  There's no better way to evaluate things than using a virtual machine ..."

Unless it just doesn't work.

"... I can't play it back. Only every now and then a new clip image is displayed in the editor. And whenever I pause the clip, an exception is raised "Unable to stop SprngBuf's FillThread ..."

"... Now I get another exception: "DesktopSFConsumer::PlayStreamingFrame premature end of stream ..."

I'm just sayin'.

my point exactly. you keep getting problems and you keep asking..I've told you that virtual machine just wont cut it. Don't you know the limitations of virtualizing? this is why you get errors. If the best way is to get errors all the time then why are you asking why you are having errors when the simple answer is because virtualization is holding you back. That is the solution. I do not get it. If you know virtualization isn't good, then why are you asking questions why it doesn't work? Its common sense really.

johnlucas88:

...asking why you are having errors when the simple answer is because virtualization is holding you back.

Amen to that.

 

Could you all please calm yourself on the virtual machine issue? Thanks...

 

I have looked at AMC's hardware requirements. It reads: NVIDIA Quadro FX family** (FX 560 or higher)

As I wrote before:

1...  I don't have a fancy graphics card installed at my machine. It's just an Intel G45/G43 Express Chipset graphics card. So my host OS won't meet AMC's hardware requirements any more than the virtual machine does. However, both, host and virtual machine, play AVCHD, Bluray and any other video material flawlessly.

2...  The virtual machine's graphics card driver emulates a standard SVGA graphics card. So anything that will run on such driver will run in the virtual machine. There is no discussion about that.

3...  I am not interested in hardware demanding software. I expect AMC to take fall-back provisions like low quality rendering in order to adhere to less equipped environments for editing. AMC apparently doesn't do that. And you didn't come up with an appropriate answer to my question, either.

Thus, I have decided to abandon my evaluation at this point.

▄

"... Could you all please calm yourself on the virtual machine issue? ..."

We are calm.  We know it won't work.

"... both, host and virtual machine, play AVCHD, Bluray and any other video material flawlessly ..."

That's irrelevant.  Avid needs to play it.

"... So anything that will run on such driver will run in the virtual machine ..."

Also irrelevant, as Avid won't run on that.

" ... I expect AMC to take fall-back provisions like low quality rendering in order to adhere to less equipped environments for editing. AMC apparently doesn't do that ..."

Correct.  Personally, I believe that most people spending $2,500 for editing software recognize it probably has fairly strict system requirements.

"... I have decided to abandon my evaluation at this point ..."

We all agree with you on that.

Randall L Rike:

Personally, I believe that most people spending $2,500 for editing software recognize it probably has fairly strict system requirements.

I regard strict system requirements a typical non-profit public domain software feature. Professional software should adapt to any current hardware situation it runs on.

Windows 7 provides the Performance Rating control applet just for this purpose. Professional video editing software can use it to decide whether to use hardware or software rendering.

I'd have expected AMC to apply software rendering plus background rendering with adaptive resolution when there's no applicable top-notch GPU available on a system.

"... Professional software should adapt to any current hardware situation it runs on ..."

Wishful thinking, but not at all realistic.

You said previously you were abandoning your evaluation.  I suggest we do the same with this thread.

WhiteKnight:

Professional software should adapt to any current hardware situation it runs on.

Because you say so?  Neither is the case in real life.

Media Composer is designed to be a dedicated NLE in a turnkey environment.  It's not designed to be a general purpose application that runs on a general-purpose computer.  To that end, while Avid design within Microsoft's published constraints they can only test a very limited number PC builds,  This what they do, and then publish the systems on which they tested.

To my mind that is a very professional approach.  It means that the software that Avid sell is guaranteed to run in the expected manner on such a PC.  It doesn't mean that it won't run on other configurations, just that it may not run as expected.

WhiteKnight:

I regard strict system requirements a typical non-profit public domain software feature.

By public domain software I assume that you mean open source and/or GPL software.  By its very nature this is tested by users on a wide range of hardware and often a wide range of OS's as well.  They then often contribute to further software development.  For this reason such software usually runs on a very wide range of platforms and bugs are usually detected and fixed very promptly by its users/developers.

WhiteKnight:

I'd have expected AMC to apply software rendering ...

It does.

WhiteKnight:

... plus background rendering with adaptive resolution when there's no applicable top-notch GPU available on a system.

I don't want adaptive resolution, I want the resolution that I specify.  That's what a professional editor requires.

Background rendering might be nice, but not if it impacts on other aspects of MC's performance.  I prefer Avid's real-time rendering and multi-stream performance.

However, as Randall says, since you've decided not to test the software continuing this thread is pointless.

yes, u should abandon. calm myself on the virtual machine issue? your telling us to calm down? your the one who wont calm down because you have all these issues and we're just trying to help and ur dodging all our answers. (Hardware demanding software? wow? I have never heard of a PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE PACKAGE needing to be hardware demanding...where have I been??? they mustve edited avatar on them windows xp's from emachines or something right?? avid was used to edit it too..you know i wonder...) lets get real here, your looking up the wrong software package because this is for the proffessional industry and it can also be for the beginners if you use the time to actually get a qualified computer. look here, we're all here because we make money off video edting with this, we invest. Apparently, this is not the situation for you. I suggest you take a look at CONSUMER GRADE NLE's because obviously your not ready for the REAL WORLD and the high end software. There is no doubt you need to have a fast machine to edit with high end sotware like Avid, your barking up the wrong tree. If your not interested in hardware demanding software, the CONSUMER GRADE is where its at, and even some of those may need fast machines. I also dont get (and i laugh at this) is that your topic is saying "Hw can I edit movie clips in AMC at low performance machine?" Ahem..."LOW PERFORMANCE" have you checked the requirements? above you do say you do but regardless it doesnt matter to you, thats a problem. they give requirements for a reason here. "It's just an Intel G45/G43 Express Chipset graphics card. So my host OS won't meet AMC's hardware requirements any more than the virtual machine does" You basically answered the question yourself, something like an intel gma is very low ended for use with a product like this. Please, next time just accept our answers because IT IS THE VIRTUAL MACHINE killing the performance, and you even state your on a "LOW PERFORMANCE" machine. Problems occur, and its pretty much COMMON SENSE to why there are so many problems. And I am jsut saying, if you are editing professionally, please INVEST and actually get a machine that is qualified, or atleast a machine that is fast. I know there are some who edit on not SO MUCH below  requirements, but its close to it, or with AMD cpu's and they have atleast got it to run without problems. So please take my advice will you. Cheers.   -JOHN LUCAS

jwrl:

Media Composer is designed to be a dedicated NLE in a turnkey environment.  It's not designed to be a general purpose application that runs on a general-purpose computer.

I see. Good to know then.

jwrl:

To my mind that is a very professional approach.  It means that the software that Avid sell is guaranteed to run in the expected manner on such a PC.  It doesn't mean that it won't run on other configurations, just that it may not run as expected.

Which it apparently doesn't.

jwrl:

WhiteKnight:

I'd have expected AMC to apply software rendering ...

It does.

So, if it does, how is it enabled then?

jwrl:

WhiteKnight:

... plus background rendering with adaptive resolution when there's no applicable top-notch GPU available on a system.

I don't want adaptive resolution, I want the resolution that I specify.  That's what a professional editor requires.

I agree with you.. You're not evaluating, though. But I am. And I won't buy a graphics card just to evaluate the usability (not performance) of AMC. At the moment (and later on) I am not interested in immediate high resolution in the timeline playback. I expect background threads to quickly provide low-res temporary versions of effects applied, while a background thread renders the high-res versions in the background, providing that high-res version after time. Just like with interlaced GIF or JPEG images.

If software rendering was enabled, it was possible then to playback these edited parts even within a virtual machine. That I'd have expected.

jwrl:

Background rendering might be nice, but not if it impacts on other aspects of MC's performance.  I prefer Avid's real-time rendering and multi-stream performance.

Me too, but not in the course of an evaluation phase. Why buy improved graphics hardware when the demand does not arise yet? So no particular graphics hardware requirements should constraining the fundamental use of AMC.

 

 

@johnlucas88:

In contrast to you I'm neither ranting nor barking; I'm evaluating and investigating.

If what you're writing is true, then CONSUMER GRADE software would provide more functionality for less money. Wrong world then, wasn't it?

you see, you anwered your own question. yes it would provide more functionality with YOU. there are some I know who never understand Avid, or some other NLE for that matter.