4k limit for Free version also applicable for decoding now?

I know the Free version of DaVinci Resolve has an output limit, so encoding, of 3840x2160 @ 60 Hz @ 4:2:0 8 bit. However, when I just tried to add a file to my media library it showed as Media Offline, however with the audio still working. This was with version v19.1.4, but I had the same result after upgrading to v20.0 just now.

When searching for potential fixes I found many different options to resolve, however none of them worked. It was also mentioned though that you could receive this error if it was an unsupported codec.

I then noticed the same applied to all source files with a resolution higher than 3840x2160 in at least one direction for all my old projects that I had edited with DaVinci Resolve v18.6.6 and earlier versions.

All videos, both the ones that work and the ones that don't have the following in common:

• Container: MP4
• Codec: H.264/AVC
• Frame rate mode: constant
• Frame rate: 25.000 fps
• Chroma subsampling: 4:2:0
• Bit depth: 8 bit

All the files that no longer work do have one thing in common though, which is that their horizontal resolution is higher than 3840 pixels, whereas all the ones that still work have a horizontal resolution that's equal to or lower than 3840 pixels.

So am I correct in assuming that since v19 the resolution limitation of the Free version not only applies to encoding, but also to decoding?

[Dwaine Maggart]

No, you are not correct in that assumption.

Windows or Mac? And what's the specific resolution of a file that's not working?

[Shrinivas Ramani]

Hi

If you're on Windows, please check if your version of windows includes licensed support for codecs such as H.264 and H.265. Not all Windows versions support all flavors of these codecs. Specifically, Windows N, S, IoT, etc are meant for cheaper licensing for lower end systems, and are very likely not to ship with licensed codecs.

If you're on Linux, please note that Linux does not include licensed support for H.264 and H.265, among others. These will not be available for the free version.

With a Studio license, you can leverage Nvidia graphics acceleration for Windows and Linux for supported flavors of H.264 and H.265.

If you're on macOS, please share a copy of the media with us for analysis.

Thanks
Shrinivas

I'm on Windows 11 Pro 24H2. The file resolution is 4704x1986 for all files that are not working. After transcoding the latest one with HandBrake to a resolution of 3840x1622, leaving everything else the same, the file did work though.

And as mentioned, these files also worked perfectly fine with the Free version up until 18.6.6. Only with v19 and later did it stop working.

[Shrinivas Ramani]

A link to a sample clip would be appreciated. Additional information on your system, and the parameters (or screenshot) used to transcode would also help.

Thank you