Fairlight Video Preview disappearing!

Hello!
I'd be extremely appreciable if someone could take some time or so to fix a very annoying Fairlight bug regarding the Video Preview, described as follows:

On all projects I use dual monitors, so I detach the Fairlight video preview to expand it on the second monitor and leave it on top of the unfilled area of the Mixer. However, since version 15.2.2 for WINDOWS 10, the floating video preview window disappears at the FIRST CLICK OUT of it, leaving us without much choice but to occupy a considerable space of the timeline area (in which, until then, the video preview did not disappear) or use it small and attached to the Meters area.

This unlisted video shows the bug.

It's been over a year. Currently, we are already on 16.1beta3 and since beta2 this bug has EVOLVED , because there is no longer the choice to use it on the TL area. The detached video preview now ALSO disappears of the main monitor.

Many e-mail contacts were made with support, and I've been informed the bug has always been addressed to devs. Hope this post finds it's way to get the issue solved.

Regards.

Hello. Just updated the program to 16.1 Studio.
On previous post I only described the bug got worse.
Now i can show it.

regards

It's not just the video preview window it's also all Eq, dynamics, effects inserts, infact anything that has a pop-up window.

I am seriously shocked that they haven't got round to fixing this problem as it makes dual screen mode useless for sound working in fairlight.

Thank God! I'm not alone!
Daz, thanks for adding more details!

About a month ago, support informed me i was the only user complaining about this bug (now big).

So, now, we are two!

Hi.
I have the same bug now, but I only have one screen. Before DR 16.1 there was no problem with that video preview. I have no problems with other windows, just with the video preview in its own window. In order to recover the video preview I have to select any other page and return to Fairlight, but if I open any other window (plugin, pan, EQ, etc) the video preview disappears.
Thanks in advance.

(As everybody can see, my PC is really old - ten and a half years - but it works surprisingly well for what I need)

Thank God! I'm not alone!
Daz, thanks for adding more details!

About a month ago, support informed me i was the only user complaining about this bug (now big).

So, now, we are two!

No not only you, I have posted about this since version 15 and videos to show it too. I will find the posts and add the links.

I posted about this first on Apr 18, 2018

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=72620

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=75285

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=96318

As you can see if they are reading this forum support should know about this problem already as it's been on going for so long now but not many people are replying to my posts so I guess it gets dropped down the forum quickly and lost.

Not updated Davinci for a month as I am away and only have my laptop so can not try out the latest version.

This last and the previous upgrade read-me improvement lists included a last dot exactly as follows: "Support for displaying and persisting individual audio effect windows on top of other windows".

I made a test with a Chorus effect. No hiding bug on the main monitor, but YES on the second. So, the read-me note seems partially correct. The Viewer hides from BOTH monitors.

I'd also be interesting to invert Viewer's attached position on the Meters. So, when going Dual Monitors, it'd be at top left, much less isolated. This, of course, doesn't replace detachment tool, but on some quicker projects many of us wouldn't care as much of detaching it.

Such slowness seems that either devs are pushed to prioritize innovations due to market race and/or there aren't as much people as needed to improve AND correct Resolve.

I made a test with a Chorus effect. No hiding bug on the main monitor, but YES on the second. So, the read-me note seems partially correct. The Viewer hides from BOTH monitors.

For me the effects have always stayed on top on the main monitor this was also the case with the viewer too it was only the 2nd monitor that tall would disappear as soon as the became out of focus /no selected. Still not tried the latest version yet.

On windows versions there is no doubt the Viewer hides from everywhere; effects mainly from second screen. Fact is that no pop up window should go behind the main program window.

I just cannot comment regarding mac and linux versions.

I just cannot comment regarding mac and linux versions.

Not experiencing this issue on macOS.

I just cannot comment regarding mac and linux versions.

Not experiencing this issue on macOS.

Are you also using two desktop monitors with Davinci on both of them?

Are you also using two desktop monitors with Davinci on both of them?

Resolve runs exclusively in Dual Screen mode.

Are you also using two desktop monitors with Davinci on both of them?

Resolve runs exclusively in Dual Screen mode.

Reynauld, sorry, this makes no sense.....
So, iMac or macbook users without a second monitor cannot run Resolve?

Are you also using two desktop monitors with Davinci on both of them?

Resolve runs exclusively in Dual Screen mode.

Reynauld, sorry, this makes no sense.....
So, iMac or macbook users without a second monitor cannot run Resolve?

I think Reynauld was speaking about his own system running this way.

I think Reynaud was speaking about his own system running this way.

Correct.

I think Reynaud was speaking about his own system running this way.

Correct.

OK thanks. However, I checked emails exchanged with support about a month ago and they were "seeing the same behavior as you are." Support uses Mac, as far as I know and from my last call earlier than those emails. I'll send him this this thread to clarify.
Maybe Mac got the issue solved lately.....

Hi.
I have the same bug now, but I only have one screen. Before DR 16.1 there was no problem with that video preview. I have no problems with other windows, just with the video preview in its own window. In order to recover the video preview I have to select any other page and return to Fairlight, but if I open any other window (plugin, pan, EQ, etc) the video preview disappears.
Thanks in advance.

(As everybody can see, my PC is really old - ten and a half years - but it works surprisingly well for what I need)

Hi.
The bug with the floating video preview window in Fairlight page is still there! In my PC with just one display the undocked video preview in Fairlight page disappears when I click on a insert window, pan, EQ, etc...

Ditto on Windows 10 Home.

Just upgraded to 16.1.1 Studio

Problem persists. No changes.

I always assumed this was a general problem in Windows OS as I have the same problem in other software as well. The viewer window does not disappear, but is covered up by the main window and there is no way to retrieve it and keep it in the foreground. Windows OS is ironically awfully bad at the management of windows.
But whatever the problem is, it would be nice if it could be solved.

I always assumed this was a general problem in Windows OS as I have the same problem in other software as well. The viewer window does not disappear, but is covered up by the main window and there is no way to retrieve it and keep it in the foreground. Windows OS is ironically awfully bad at the management of windows.
But whatever the problem is, it would be nice if it could be solved.

Other DAWs use an " always on top" option in floating windows that can solve this problem.

I always assumed this was a general problem in Windows OS as I have the same problem in other software as well. The viewer window does not disappear, but is covered up by the main window and there is no way to retrieve it and keep it in the foreground. Windows OS is ironically awfully bad at the management of windows.
But whatever the problem is, it would be nice if it could be solved.

Disappearing or hiding, whatever.... one word says it all. Win have its issues, but Resolve team has to deal with them and overcome them. No one should blame Windows. Also, this bug wasn't even there before version 15.2.2. Fact is it is since then, and the team have to solve it if they want the pack to be as premium as they sell it. Period.

I have Studio and, sincerely, if it was a subscription payment sys, I'd already have cancelled it (me and a few I know). Those prices in USD get very bumped up at conversion.

Nothing was solved in today's update 16.1.2 studio version for Windows.

I'm already moving back to Premiere on some projects, at least until this gets fixed or I get all workflow adapted to Adobe next year.

Nothing was solved in today's update 16.1.2 studio version for Windows.

I'm already moving back to Premiere on some projects, at least until this gets fixed or I get all workflow adapted to Adobe next year.

Very disappointing news

BUMP!
Same here Viewer Window actually just disappears. It was not hiding behind a window, it went completely "missing".
Let's hope this gets fixed soon.

It also seems that the Viewer Window is "attached" to the "Meters" button, turn off Meters and the Viewer Window also disappears.
Conclusion: no Viewer without Meters on the main screen.

I have a similar issue but I am only using one monitor. The Viewer within Fairlight does not stay on top making it completely useless to have windowed. Does this happen to everyone running Windows?

Yes, happens here too along with the Scopes window. This is the same behavior as multiple pages open in Windows. When you select one it comes to the front.
The same happens with floating windows in Pro Tools as well. A solution is a second monitor so you have Resolve on one and display the floating windows on to the other. The same goes for the Scopes floating window in the Edit page.

Putting on my programmer hat for a moment:

This sort of behaviour is a well known bug in Windows. For my software where I need to have an always on top window I use a public domain function that another programmer wrote called ForceForgroundWindow that does some API calls to work around the bug.

I haven't had a reported problem with floating windows ever since I started using it.

The language I use is Delphi, so not directly applicable to Resolve, but it wouldn't be hard for the Resolve developers to look at ForceForgroundWindow for the idea.

Code: Select all

function ForceForegroundWindow(hwnd: THandle): Boolean;
const
  SPI_GETFOREGROUNDLOCKTIMEOUT = $2000;
  SPI_SETFOREGROUNDLOCKTIMEOUT = $2001;
var
  ForegroundThreadID: DWORD;
  ThisThreadID: DWORD;
  timeout: DWORD;
begin
  if IsIconic(hwnd) then ShowWindow(hwnd, SW_RESTORE);

  if GetForegroundWindow = hwnd then Result := True
  else
  begin
    // Windows 98/2000 doesn't want to foreground a window when some other
    // window has keyboard focus

    if ((Win32Platform = VER_PLATFORM_WIN32_NT) and (Win32MajorVersion > 4)) or
      ((Win32Platform = VER_PLATFORM_WIN32_WINDOWS) and
      ((Win32MajorVersion > 4) or ((Win32MajorVersion = 4) and
      (Win32MinorVersion > 0)))) then
    begin
      // Code from Karl E. Peterson, www.mvps.org/vb/sample.htm
      // Converted to Delphi by Ray Lischner
      // Published in The Delphi Magazine 55, page 16

      Result := False;
      ForegroundThreadID := GetWindowThreadProcessID(GetForegroundWindow, nil);
      ThisThreadID := GetWindowThreadPRocessId(hwnd, nil);
      if AttachThreadInput(ThisThreadID, ForegroundThreadID, True) then
      begin
        BringWindowToTop(hwnd); // IE 5.5 related hack
        SetForegroundWindow(hwnd);
        AttachThreadInput(ThisThreadID, ForegroundThreadID, False);
        Result := (GetForegroundWindow = hwnd);
      end;
      if not Result then
      begin
        // Code by Daniel P. Stasinski
        SystemParametersInfo(SPI_GETFOREGROUNDLOCKTIMEOUT, 0, @timeout, 0);
        SystemParametersInfo(SPI_SETFOREGROUNDLOCKTIMEOUT, 0, TObject(0),
          SPIF_SENDCHANGE);
        BringWindowToTop(hwnd); // IE 5.5 related hack
        SetForegroundWindow(hWnd);
        SystemParametersInfo(SPI_SETFOREGROUNDLOCKTIMEOUT, 0, TObject(timeout), SPIF_SENDCHANGE);
      end;
    end
    else
    begin
      BringWindowToTop(hwnd); // IE 5.5 related hack
      SetForegroundWindow(hwnd);
    end;

    Result := (GetForegroundWindow = hwnd);
  end;
end; { ForceForegroundWindow }


Scopes seems to work for me. 16.2.1 Floating viewer... nope.

And we are on 2020.
COVID-19 has cover upon us.
DR16.2 has release.

Same Fairlight issue with viewer...

And we are on 2020.
COVID-19 has cover upon us.
DR16.2 has release.

Same Fairlight issue with viewer...

This makes the program practically unusable...

And we are on 2020.
COVID-19 has cover upon us.
DR16.2 has release.

Same Fairlight issue with viewer...

This makes the program practically unusable...

The same seems to happen with Edit Marker window.

A workround is to use a second monitor. With Resolve still in single monitor mode you can drag the floating window to the second monitor and enlarge it to fill the screen.
You can do this with the floating Scopes window as well.

A workround is to use a second monitor. With Resolve still in single monitor mode you can drag the floating window to the second monitor and enlarge it to fill the screen.
You can do this with the floating Scopes window as well.

There are times when you want or need to edit on a notebook, and can't carry around a second monitor.

The thing is that BM is just not interested in the Windows version of the program. The high dpi issue is also a decade old, and has never been addressed.

Having had a play around I have observed the following.
The Edit Marker window disappearing when you hit play, whether good or bad, looks to be by design.
In the Media, Cut, Edit, Color, and Deliver pages the Scopes floating window stays on the screen whatever action you do.
In the Fairlight page plug-ins stay on the screen whatever action you do.

So the problem seems to be limited to the floating Viewer window.
If you only have a single screen as with a laptop, rather than trying to use the floating Viewer window, try increasing the size of the fixed one.

I'm working through the Fairlight tutorial again. It is published for version 16. In several spots it tells you to pop the viewer out and stick it on the timeline. Not sure how they got it to work unless it's just a holdover from the early v15 releases.

Going through the training videos on a Win10 Dual Monitor setup I noticed the Viewer Floating window doesn't always stay on top, searched, and found this thread.

I found a workaround if anyone else wants to use it, but it would be best for BlackMagic to fix the code.

Downloaded the portable no install tool called: AlwaysOnTop Switch

*New user and it won't let me post URL which is dumb considering all the steps required to create an account*

Found it on Softwarepedia

Open the Floating viewing Window
Launch AlwaysOnTop
Click the switch button
Select on the Floating viewer window, and hit S key
Verify its staying on top
Close AlwaysOnTop application

If you only have a single screen as with a laptop, rather than trying to use the floating Viewer window, try increasing the size of the fixed one.

This is clearly not a solution, the whole point of the floating viewer is to have a big viewer despite not wasting space with unwanted meters, mostly on single / small screen laptops.



This behavior is not even a bug, not in Windows 10 or in DaVinci Resolve. It's just an omission, imho, which should be solved asap. If every other floating window in resolve and Fairlight (i.e. Equalizer) can stay "always on top", can't see why the floating viewer shouldn't, if not because somebody forgot to script it.

Studio 17.1 on Windows 10 here

This is still happening and is a pointless design

[Peter Chamberlain]

Can u check on 17.2.2 as i recall we improved some cases here?

It no longer disappears in 17.2.2.