Choppy Playback on Resolve 14.3

I have imported an Apple XML 1.7 file.

The playback is not working. It stutters so much that is basically a slow-motion hacked playback.

I have set the caching of the clips to auto (tried "on" but it didn't help)

Playback cache is set to "smart" (tried "user" but no difference)

I have had this problem in the past but resolved it through cache settings.

This time this didn't affect the playback.

I'm on a 2012 MacBook Pro retina with 16 GB or RAM.

Update: there is one scene Resolve 14.3 declines to play and jumps just over it.

NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M is my video card - it is Kepler 3.0 compatible and should work (I get the CUDA error at startup even though I have the latest driver - maybe that's the reason why color editing on Resolve 14.3 doesn't work at all? )

I have cleaned up the original file, deleted all unnecessary audio and video tracks.

I set source caching to on by selecting all clips.

In playback I set cache to users.

Source and render settings is ProRes 422 HQ.

XML 1.7 import from FXP X 10.4.2

None of all this caused the slightest improvement. the playback is choppy as hell. I'm on a 2012 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM so it should at least play back.

What else can I do?

[Peter Chamberlain]

Try setting preferences to use OpenCL for GPU mode?

Try setting preferences to use OpenCL for GPU mode?

Thank you, Peter, I did that.

For the heck of it I set the "use proxies" to quarter resolution - it doesn't do the slightest difference to the choppiness.

I thought the choppiness was because my MacBook Pro retina with 16GB RAm and the Geforce 650M (Kepler 3.0 capable) was the problem, but if it was the system power, turning on all the caches and even using the horrible quarter resolution should have made a big difference.

I didn't change a bit. The chops came the same way - which is why I think there is another reason for the horrible playback.

I love the color adjustment power of DVR so much - better than any other software - but without at least a decent playback how do I want to judge the color mood?

I'm only using the color page.

What is the footage you're trying to playback? Format? Resolution? Frame rate? Project settings?

Recorded with Canon 5D Mark III.

HD 1080i 59.94 frames

The optimized media format is ProRes 422HQ , xml 1.7 export from Final Cut Pro X 10.4.2

I'm working on a MacBook Pro with 16 GB ram and a Nvidia GForce 650M (Kepler 3.0 capable, but currently no Cuda Driver is available for High Sierra, so DVR is set to process through openCL)

Media sits on my SSD hard drive, so there is no slow external hard drive involved.

No one has a tip on how to make playback work?

I can't play back footage on a decent Mac Laptop.

I love DaVinci, but I think the software has grown too fast and now many details are not working. I mean an editing software that cannot do playback... on a decent recent MacBook Pro with 16 GB or RAM.

[Dwaine Maggart]

This is why cross posting is bad...

What SPECIFIC version of High Sierra are you using?

This is a link to the most current High Sierra 10.13.4 driver (build 17E202):

http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverRe ... 3840/en-us

And you need the current CUDA version to go with it, which is here:

http://www.nvidia.com/content/DriverDow ... pe=GeForce

Using CUDA will make the 650 performance much better.

So what type of files ARE the Canon 5D Mark III files? What codec are they using? If they are H.264, they are going to play poorly. Especially at that frame rate.

Don't use ProRes422HQ for your source caching. That's way overkill for the type of video files you have. What happens if you use ProRes422 or even ProRes 422 LT or Proxy?

In fact, don't use source caching at all. Try Optimized media. Once it's done, it just works, and you don't have to wait for caching. Again, use a lower load codec, like ProRes422 LT or Proxy. For viewing on a laptop, those should be more than good. You don't have to RENDER from those files, just use them for the grading/editing process.

This is why cross posting is bad...

What SPECIFIC version of High Sierra are you using?

This is a link to the most current High Sierra 10.13.4 driver (build 17E202):

http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverRe ... 3840/en-us

And you need the current CUDA version to go with it, which is here:

http://www.nvidia.com/content/DriverDow ... pe=GeForce

Using CUDA will make the 650 performance much better.

So what type of files ARE the Canon 5D Mark III files? What codec are they using? If they are H.264, they are going to play poorly. Especially at that frame rate.

Don't use ProRes422HQ for your source caching. That's way overkill for the type of video files you have. What happens if you use ProRes422 or even ProRes 422 LT or Proxy?

In fact, don't use source caching at all. Try Optimized media. Once it's done, it just works, and you don't have to wait for caching. Again, use a lower load codec, like ProRes422 LT or Proxy. For viewing on a laptop, those should be more than good. You don't have to RENDER from those files, just use them for the grading/editing process.

Thank you Dwaine.

I'm on High Sierra 10.13.4

Graphics Drivers are part of the operating system and can only be upgraded by Apple upgrades, so I cannot install it.

There are numerous Youtube articles on the Cuda problem, and they involve heavy editing of library files - which I'm not qualified for. For example:

The latest Nvidia Cuda driver update is from May 17th, and it was a failure as it does not work.

Cache settings: I have tried out setting Cache to ProRes 422 LT. I closed DaVinci REsolve 14.3, and restarted.

There was NOT THE SLIGHTEST DIFFERENCE in the choppy playback compared to the cache in ProRes 422 HQ.

I even set proxy to quarter resolution - still not the slightest improvement. Which is why I think it's not my system.

The short film in question has a lot of retiming, and I think this is what hangs DVR 14.3.

I have another short without retiming (but many cuts) and it doesn't stutter.

So suppose there's a bug in 14.3 that cannot play XML 1.7 from Apple containing retiming.

The files shot were 59.94 1080i - a .mov file (Quicktime)

If it were a problem with my computer there would be at least a little improvement with adding caching, proxies, downgrading the quality of the cached media.

But there is NO DIFFERENCE playing the full file with caching off at full resolution and playing the file at proxy at blurry quarter resolution with all caching turned on.

PS: The media sits directly on my 500GB SSD drive, which is extremely fast - no slow and old external hard drives involved.

[Peter Chamberlain]

I question if the MBP you have can play 60fps interlace at anything higher than SD res.

Try a 24fps timeline with 24 progressive material.. then explore from there if that works

I question if the MBP you have can play 60fps interlace at anything higher than SD res.

Try a 24fps timeline with 24 progressive material.. then explore from there if that works

It plays perfectly in Final Cut Pro X.

Or did you mean that playing 60fps interlaced on DVR 14.3 could ask much more of a system than playing the same footage on FCP X 10.4.2?

[Peter Chamberlain]

They are totally different applications with completely different processes.
Please see if the test i recommend works.

No one has a tip on how to make playback work? I can't play back footage on a decent Mac Laptop.

I think there are lots of things you can do on a laptop, but it wouldn't be my choice for Resolve. My advice is to get a much more powerful computer. If you can't do that, convert the footage prior to Resolve to ProRes 422 HD, and then conform that in Resolve. It can work to a point (even on a laptop), but it's not optimum. Resolve is a demanding program in terms of hardware.

They are totally different applications with completely different processes.
Please see if the test i recommend works.

Thank you.

I will try this out with test footage tomorrow and write my findings.

No one has a tip on how to make playback work? I can't play back footage on a decent Mac Laptop.

I think there are lots of things you can do on a laptop, but it wouldn't be my choice for Resolve. My advice is to get a much more powerful computer. If you can't do that, convert the footage prior to Resolve to ProRes 422 HD, and then conform that in Resolve. It can work to a point (even on a laptop), but it's not optimum. Resolve is a demanding program in terms of hardware.

At the moment I have to do with the MacBook Pro, which is connected to a 27" NEC pa271w multisync.

The footage I imported was ProRes 422 HQ.

I couldn't find ProRes 422 HD - only ProRes 422 without any addition, or ProRes 422 LT.

[Peter Chamberlain]

ok, try 422

ok, try 422

I did a test import on a different project shot in 24p. It played without problems.

So it's the 60i format that doesn't play on my MacBook Pro (except in one scene where there is little movement)

No more 60i - FCP handles it deceptively well, but it's a completely different kind of software.

FCP-X is very fast, but after all, Apple is writing for only one platform and they have full control over hard- and software.
BM is in a completely different situation. Plus, FCP started as an editing solution and gained decent grading capabilities recently. Resolve is still a very capable grading software at it's core.

FCP-X is very fast, but after all, Apple is writing for only one platform and they have full control over hard- and software.
BM is in a completely different situation. Plus, FCP started as an editing solution and gained decent grading capabilities recently. Resolve is still a very capable grading software at it's core.

I'm so puzzled.

Suddenly the playback of the 60i file (in 30i) is smooth.

But now I have no sound.

I was going through Patrick Inhofer's DaVinci Resolve 14 course on LinkedIn Learning (=lynda.com).

I only changed the view settings to broadcast safe and to "display broadcast safe exceptions"

But then my edits didn't register. I found out I'm somehow in highlight mode. So I got my edits back.

And I got the smooth playback of 60i without problems.

But now it's playing without sound in the COLOR page (I checked the sound button, it's not disabled)

I have sound in the EDIT page.

After the startup today the sound is back on the color page.

And so is the choppy playback.

This is so weird.

After the startup today the sound is back on the color page.

And so is the choppy playback.

This is so weird.

Ive been trying to resolve a similar issue, on a windows machine with totally differente footage but it sounds very similar. I havnt been able to find a solution (even after posting here). Did you manage to solve the problem?