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Is there a maximum video clip size?

Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 9:52 am
by pixelpirate
Have seen in the tech spec that Modul8 renders video at the native file size, and renders to the output resolution, but I wonder is there a maximum file size that can be handled?

I've a client that wants to project a 3 minute clip of 6613 x 1080 pixels across 3 x 1920 x 1080 windows, the extra pixels are for continuity between the screens. I'm running a MacPro 8-core with 16GB RAM, 4 x 1TB drives (1 dedicated to video clips) and 4 x dual DVI 512MB VRAM graphic cards, and have had no problems running a 1920 x 1080 clip stretched across the three windows, but now need to run an unstretched video.

Any issues I might run into?

Thank you very much.

Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:16 pm
by ilan
Generally it is whatever your hardware can handle.

If the clip is just running in a loop and you are not manipulating it in any way then there should be no problems. Very large files will automatically default the memory settings of the clip to 'direct to disk.' This means that the transfer rate of the hard disk is very important.

We generally recommend Photo-JPEG compression at 75% and this holds true in this case as well. Other users have recommended rendering the movie at half size and then scaling it up within modul8. If the projection is viewed at a distance the artifacts from this will probably more then acceptable for the trade off in performance.

As always... extensive testing is definitely in order.

Hope this helps.

Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 12:37 am
by RickRobiN
Right now I am testing a 5 screen set up.(16x9> 5x 1024x576= 5120x576 )
For now with this results



full res> not smooth, stuttering
(from a internal softraid0 for the video on a mac pro 2008 with the codes Jpg 75 /H264 / AIC )

3413x384> everything runs fine...

I think the max resolution is around 4000 with my set up. Pleasy reply if someone else gets higer resolutions on a macpro..

I can play two 3413 layers in modul8 > one from an internal raid 0 and one from an extranal firewire 800 raid 0, (which it's pretty cool! )


Pixelpirate, I should go half res with the AIc codec, or try a sdd disk(?)

cheers RR

Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 8:05 am
by pixelpirate
Rick - thanks for the update. I've been busy too.

I've had a short compressed clip of 6613 x 1080 video running smoothly, using the H264 codec, but an uncompressed version stuttered. Have asked to have the clip re-rendered using Photo-jpg codec and 75% compression, and am just installing an 80GB Intel SSD in place of the HDD. It has a 250MB/s sustained read speed. Trouble was only 2.5" SSDs are available here, so took a while to find the right adapter bracket to fit 3.5" bay, it's in the post now.

Re-rendered clips should be arriving later this week. Looks like testing at the weekend.

It's good to push the hardware and software, but stability is important here.

Will post again....

Richard

Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 4:04 pm
by RickRobiN
6613 x 1080 video running smoothly, using the H264 codec

Can I ask which settings you used ?
Thanks

RR

Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 12:38 pm
by pixelpirate
Hi Rick,

The mac spec is written above, basically one x 512MB DVI video card (nVidia GEForce GT120) for each screen, and one dedicated 1-TB SATA drive for the video clips. 16GB RAM for the Mac too.

File is spread across three screen, with pillars in between them, so set-up the same way in the advanced output window.

From the info window:
Clip 1 - 6630 x 1080 29.97 fps Apple ProRes 422 Codec - worked smoothly
Clip 2 - 6630 x 1080 29.97 fps Animation Codec - stuttered

Is this what you want, or deeper info?

Shall be trying the SSD and photo-jpg/ 75% compressed versions later in the week. I know the clips were not made in ilan's recommended way, but that was the first sample to be made.

Updates later. Hope this helps.

Richard

Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 6:43 pm
by RickRobiN
Thanks!

For now Prores is also not smooth full res on my system.

Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 11:17 am
by pixelpirate
Rick - was in my local apple store (Ginza) yesterday, talking with the staff there.

One recommendation from them if doing a 3 screen + control screen set-up was to use two dual dvi-i grfx cards in the 16x slots, and run two screens off a single card, rather than one screen from each of 4 cards in different slots, as slots 3 and 4 are only 4x slots. Data throughput would be better.

Don't know if ilan and the M8 staff agree, but they felt that the better throughput of data would offset having less vram to work with.

Richard

Finished

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:27 am
by pixelpirate
Finished the project - used a 1/4 sized video and the GPUs to scale them up, no trouble at all, no latency. Did it that way as the back-up Mac Pro was an early model with lower spec. A pair of Behringer Midi controllers on both Main (8-core) and Back Up (Quad Core) Mac Pros, while 4 mac minis and 2 Powerbooks provide the outputs when screens were being fed individually.

Client very happy with the show...

...thanks to all for help and advice.

Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 12:49 am
by RickRobiN
Great you found a solution.
Got some videoshots from that project?
cheers RR

Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:20 am
by pixelpirate
Hi Rick,

Sorry no video, but have a couple of stills that someone took. Will see if I can work out how to post images here.

Also have the Video schematic which may be useful to other members, showing main and backup mac pros with modul8, the 6 presentation macs and HD cameras, along with main and b/up projectors.

Richard

Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:20 am
by philmz
Hello,

we just return from Italia with a new setup :

New Macpro 6 cores 3,33GHz, 16GB RAM,
240GB Mercury Extreme Pro SSD for footages
4xNVidia 120 GT 512 MB (Apple)
2 monitor output @ 1080p25 to 2 LG 21,5"
6 output @ 720p25 to 6 ACER P5390W (HDMI, DLP, 4000 Lu, 1280x800 native rez)
1 canon 5D Mark II feeding HDMI input of 1 AJA IoHD @ 1080p25
clips compression : photo JPEG 75% @ 720p25 stocked on SSD
multiple output setup : 6 16:9 1280x720 clips side by side

result is very smooth with 6 different clips on each output ;-), I still have latency when launching clips via midi keyboard.
A scene with 6 layers and 6 different clips starts in less than a second, synchro till the end (10 mn longs)