DA20 Bugs in general

Hello Blackmagic,

I've just been looking at the forum entries since the release of version 20. And it's really frightening.

Nobody says anything when a new feature is not yet playing or stable as it should be. BUT! It really can't be right that functions that are already established, tried and tested and stable suddenly fail.

I don't keep statistics, but I'm sure 90% of those who report bugs here use your software for professional purposes. They want to satisfy customers, meet deadlines and earn money.

The Davinci Resolve reference manual has 4061 pages. Does Blackmagic really expect its users to independently check every single function for operability with every update so that they don't suddenly encounter unexpected error messages in a customer project?

You assume that the tools, the work steps, the program functions that you have always used will at least continue to work after an update.

Yes, there are a wide variety of hardware configurations and computer models that software has to deal with today. But a simple configuration of Intel CPU, Nividia card and an NVME hard disk doesn't sound like too much to ask.

Maybe I'm wrong and my expectations are too high. But then all the nice advertising and Hollywood marketing should at least include the following warning:

“Attention, this software will no longer work in whole or in part after an update - at least possibly not on your computer.”

I am not angry, i am still happy with the product you designed and I want that this will be also in the next years.

Therefore, I can only warn against pursuing the strategy in the professional customer segment of packing lots of new fancy tools and “bells and whistles” into a software and throwing the much more important elements of reliability and stability under the bus. And unspokenly assigning the end user the role of tester and bug fixer. This may work in a homegrown video community but not in the professional segment.

I already know a company that supplies TV stations and has issued a “Davinci ban” for its suppliers because things don't work reliably and stably and the broadcaster's quality control department has rejected playouts that have been delivered.

You have a really great product and a traditional name in the industry. And this was not created by a quantity of functions, but because of the unique quality associated with the name.

Thanks.

Professional users, who know what they are doing aside, a lot of the problems are posted by users who don't read the release notes or minimum requirements. Some don't keep their computers up to date driver wise. Windows and Mac updates can cause problems too. Some users don't even bother to learn how to use Resolve properly.
The Reference Manual is just that, a reference. When there are new features added BM publish a separate New Features guide.
I have the Intel/Nvidia/SSD combination. I don't use the Cut page or Fusion. I have used Resolve within the capabilities of my system for the last 8 years including all the betas from version 14 up to 20, both free and Studio and have never experienced crashing. So what am I doing right that others would appear to be not doing?
I am not a professional user, just a hobbyist.

Robert, I can't speak to your info regarding a specific supplier, nor to the level of competence of the people said supplier works with, but for my part I've been delivering globally broadcast masters from Davinci Resolve for many years now and I have never once had a QC issue that was rooted in my use of Resolve itself vs my own operator error.

As for your apparent issue with Resolve 20 specifically... fella, it's only just been released!

As a broadcast professional yourself, you will surely know that new software versions are never rolled out immediately in professional production environments. Indeed, in all of the large scale production environments I've worked in, the systems, regardless of vendor, are regularly multiple versions behind the latest cutting/bleeding edge release. It's not called the bleeding edge for nothing.

Obviously I can't speak to your specific needs and circumstances, but even for my home studio setup I still follow industry best practices with respect to software 'updates' ie Don't install new releases on production machines. Test all critical workflows throughly, every time. (This is nothing to do with being some kind of unpaid beta tester, this is pure common sense). Only update when the software is proven and stable for your workflows. Always have a previous system clone available so that you can revert instantly, without down time, if ever necessary.

Your milage may vary.
Andy

Robert, I can't speak to your info regarding a specific supplier, nor to the level of competence of the people said supplier works with, but for my part I've been delivering globally broadcast masters from Davinci Resolve for many years now and I have never once had a QC issue that was rooted in my use of Resolve itself vs my own operator error.

As for your apparent issue with Resolve 20 specifically... fella, it's only just been released!

As a broadcast professional yourself, you will surely know that new software versions are never rolled out immediately in professional production environments. Indeed, in all of the large scale production environments I've worked in, the systems, regardless of vendor, are regularly multiple versions behind the latest cutting/bleeding edge release. It's not called the bleeding edge for nothing.

Obviously I can't speak to your specific needs and circumstances, but even for my home studio setup I still follow industry best practices with respect to software 'updates' ie Don't install new releases on production machines. Test all critical workflows throughly, every time. (This is nothing to do with being some kind of unpaid beta tester, this is pure common sense). Only update when the software is proven and stable for your workflows. Always have a previous system clone available so that you can revert instantly, without down time, if ever necessary.

Your milage may vary.
Andy

So, you are blaming the user for using a supposedly stable (non beta) version for an error that could be on the manufacturer/developer side? Not the way to do it.

The M.O. you described we do for insurance, for safekeeping and in hopes to avoid problems ourselves but its not "the right way" to do it. He shouldnt be experiencing the prblems he is facing, considering its not a user side fault. Dont blame him for believeing BMDs claims.

Having said that, yeah. Sometimes we do face bugs, its terrible. Luckliy, BMD solves them all usually in a good time frame. Unlucky for me, the only big problem I had in the past took too long for BMD to solve but is gone now.

So, you are blaming the user...?
The M.O. you described we do for insurance, for safekeeping and in hopes to avoid problems ourselves but its not "the right way" to do it. He shouldnt be experiencing the prblems he is facing, considering its not a user side fault. Dont blame him for believeing BMDs claims.

Right or wrong, Ulysses, the SOP I describe is just standard industry practice for broadcast production environments... the same procedure regardless of software vendor, not a Davinci Resolve specific thing.

We can argue the toss over 'blame' if you like, but the impression the poster gives is that he's a broadcast industry professional who has, for whatever reason, jumped in rather early on the "point oh" release of Resolve 20 and has been caught off guard as a result. My post's intention was to provide some guidance on how he might, in future, implement better upgrade workflow practices himself, so as to avoid any of the unexpected surprises that major new version releases can so often confer.

For what its worth, my money is on 20.1.2 being the sweet spot for upgrading mission critical production systems... that'll be the version where some actually more useful but less glamorous functions will have been added (in the first major point release, 20.1) and then the kinks worked out in the following two minor point releases. :)

Posts a diatribe about Resolve not working.

Doesn't include system specs as requested.
Doesn't post logs as requested.
Doesn't even mention a bug.
Doesn't keep statistics but is sure about the 90% statistic.

I haven't seen a bug in 20 since the very first beta. Hasn't crashed once on my system. Sure, some of the new features need work but they're just new, not buggy.

Starting to wonder if posts should be approved by admin before going live because these really devalue this forum.

1. Those who can read have an advantage.

This thread is about "Bugs in general" not about a specific one. For specific bugs I did specific posts.

2. @McMahon We definitely agree on this point. The admins should do a check, before posts can go online to prevent unqualified comments. I'm glad for you that your laptop doesn't have a problem rendering soft dissolves in 20.

I have already configured and built workstations when others were still learning how to write hard disks.
And all these deep tested systems only do one thing when they are finished: they run stably around the clock their whole lifetime, because that's what they have to do. The power station that supplies my computer is more likely to freeze.

If problems suddenly occur on a computer after a software update, then the hardware is not the cause. Even Joe Sixpack would agree with this simple logic.

You are interested in my system specs? I give you my system specs, and now?:

FinalTwek_CombinedStressTest.png (200.46 KiB) Viewed 390 times

[+ 2x2TB NVME 990Pro, 1TB NVME 990Pro | 6,5 GB/s @ 30°C]

Good luck running an I9 14900 in Intel specs (without OC) and reaching nearly 6Ghz at full throttle at only 61 °C.

Man man man...