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startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
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2,283
Here is a mentioning (exact time frame) of the Mac Pro 7,1 and its inability to play back those Canon footages:

He has 12 core CPU in his Mac Pro. Maybe 12 core is not able to play it, but 16 can?
 
Last edited:

Matty_TypeR

macrumors 6502a
Oct 1, 2016
641
555
UK
Here is a mentioning (exact time frame) of the Mac Pro 7,1 and its inability to play back those Canon footages:

He has 12 core CPU in his Mac Pro. Maybe 12 core is not able to play it, but 16 can?
To be honest i never tried before you posted the file link to download, but would 4 cores make that much difference. I have played it 3 times now and its smooth, i watched it really closely too. maybe 4 more cores does make a difference. seems strange you get this stuttering though. Sorry i cant be any more help.
 

Matty_TypeR

macrumors 6502a
Oct 1, 2016
641
555
UK
Have you tried playing with Pot Player X from app store, it also plays smooth as silk with that. I just tried it, I use pot player in windows a lot also. Pot player is very good.
 

kvic

macrumors 6502a
Sep 10, 2015
516
460
He has 12 core CPU in his Mac Pro. Maybe 12 core is not able to play it, but 16 can?

Another data point.

It can be played back smoothly in QuickTime on my Virtual Machine running Monterey 12.5

The actual software decoder process runs ~11 threads and <400% cpu utilisation, which is about requiring less than 2 physical cores.

(The underlying physical cores are Zen2 in my case)
 

startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,021
2,283
Have you tried playing with Pot Player X from app store, it also plays smooth as silk with that. I just tried it, I use pot player in windows a lot also. Pot player is very good.
This is from Nvidia: "4:2:2 chroma subsampling is not supported by NVENC hardware (for encoding) or NVDEC hardware (for decoding). As a policy, we cannot comment on future GPU plans in public forums. Please contact your NVIDIA business contact or distributor. There are no available work-arounds for encoding/decoding 4:2:2"
Same is true for AMD so for these platforms all depends on raw CPU power and maybe enhanced decode drivers.

By the way I couldn't play it in Windows either on the same system, but there is a software solution to it, which I did not test yet:

There are some Mac builds too ( i will have to try them).

Another codec for Mac (CPU decoding only)
 
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startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,021
2,283
Another data point.

It can be played back smoothly in QuickTime on my Virtual Machine running Monterey 12.5

The actual software decoder process runs ~11 threads and <400% cpu utilisation, which is about requiring less than 2 physical cores.

(The underlying physical cores are Zen2 in my case)
Similar to your case:
"I tried it before with 4k 10Bit Clog in H265 4.2.2 on my old System and there was no way to work without Proxys. Old System Intel 4790k | GTX980 | 32GB RAM / new System AMD 5950X | RTX3070ti | 64GB RAM. Yes the new System got more "RAW Power" but the RTX3070ti is not supporting the material via hardware acceleration like the GTX980. So i think something is going on (Driver or Premiere PRO). Anyway only the "RAW POWER" will not explain the difference "
 

startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,021
2,283
The actual software decoder process runs ~11 threads and <400% cpu utilisation, which is about requiring less than 2 physical cores.
When I was testing HEVC on my old cMP without hardware acceleration the CPU usage was below 50%, but stuttering occured. When I monitored the process it was exactly where the CPU spikes were. So if there are no spikes it will play smoothly. The spike causes all the problems, so it is a codec issue+ CPU power (without hardware decoding).
 

kvic

macrumors 6502a
Sep 10, 2015
516
460
When I was testing HEVC on my old cMP without hardware acceleration the CPU usage was below 50%, but stuttering occured. When I monitored the process it was exactly where the CPU spikes were. So if there are no spikes it will play smoothly. The spike causes all the problems, so it is a codec issue+ CPU power (without hardware decoding).

Perhaps indeed other than CPU, something else at play here but I don't know what it's.

In my case, the video is played back smoothly. It appears with washed-out or "ungraded" look. I'm no video engineer. I'm guessing it's probably because my display doesn't support 10-bit colour. So the end result is smooth playback but washed-out colour.
 

h9826790

macrumors P6
Apr 3, 2014
16,656
8,587
Hong Kong
When I was testing HEVC on my old cMP without hardware acceleration the CPU usage was below 50%, but stuttering occured. When I monitored the process it was exactly where the CPU spikes were. So if there are no spikes it will play smoothly. The spike causes all the problems, so it is a codec issue+ CPU power (without hardware decoding).
Sounds like only the key frame is too demanding. Therefore, the overall CPU usage isn't that high, but when the computer need to decode the keyframe, it simply doesn't have the raw power to do so. Therefore, choppy videos occur.
 
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startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,021
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Yes and that might explain why a little bit more raw power helps. Maybe the spikes do not cause the CPU to reach 100% and that is why it plays smoothly. One has to monitor CPU during playback.
 

randy85

macrumors regular
Oct 3, 2020
150
136
I have a 12 core 7.1 with Afterburner, W5700X and RX 6800 XT and mostly edit prores, Canon Cinema Raw Lite, Canon 10-bit H265. I'm also using a Pro Display XDR.

Here are my thoughts:

The Afterburner is good to have if you're planning on using more prores in the future, especially if it's 8K or a really heavy flavour like XQ. If not, I'd skip it though as it only does that one job.

My system plays Canon Raw Lite very smoothly, almost like prores. Either it's my extra GPU power or it's the fact I'm using Resolve. I'm totally proxy-free with this format. You may benefit from upgrading the GPU if you use this format.

10 bit H265 on the other hand tanks my system. I have to use proxies for this format. This is something that the Mac Studio will always win hands down. I don't think it'd be smooth even with the 6800XT Duo. It just soils the bed.

R3D will use any extra GPU grunt, so I would make this the thing to upgrade if you're planning on keeping your 7.1.

The conundrum is though, that getting something like a 6800 Duo is the same cost as a new Studio Ultra. You could have 2 Studios and a spare 7.1 as a backup or if you need to hire an extra person. You can then also handle the 10 bit footage without proxies on the Mac Studio.

Perhaps a sensible compromise would be to get a consumer AMD card like the 6800 XT or 6900 XT (along with your MPX module to run your XDR monitor). This would boost your R3D/Canon Raw workflow but without pouring too much money into an older system?
 

PowerMike G5

macrumors 6502a
Oct 22, 2005
556
245
New York, NY
Here is a mentioning (exact time frame) of the Mac Pro 7,1 and its inability to play back those Canon footages:

He has 12 core CPU in his Mac Pro. Maybe 12 core is not able to play it, but 16 can?
Ah, you meant R5 H.265 10-bit 4:2:2. I thought you were referring to the Canon XF-AVC 10-bit 4:2:2 that's in their pro cinema cameras.

I have limited experience with the R5 footage, but can happily test it if I can get some footage.

The Cinema EOS XF-AVC footage works great on the 7,1.
 

PowerMike G5

macrumors 6502a
Oct 22, 2005
556
245
New York, NY
I have a 12 core 7.1 with Afterburner, W5700X and RX 6800 XT and mostly edit prores, Canon Cinema Raw Lite, Canon 10-bit H265. I'm also using a Pro Display XDR.

My system plays Canon Raw Lite very smoothly, almost like prores. Either it's my extra GPU power or it's the fact I'm using Resolve. I'm totally proxy-free with this format. You may benefit from upgrading the GPU if you use this format.

Perhaps a sensible compromise would be to get a consumer AMD card like the 6800 XT or 6900 XT (along with your MPX module to run your XDR monitor). This would boost your R3D/Canon Raw workflow but without pouring too much money into an older system?
Thanks for this. I use Premiere Pro, but I have been thinking about getting an off-the-shelf RX 6900 XT to replace my Pro Vega II MPX with the hopes that it would provide better performance for Canon Raw Lite.
 

startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,021
2,283
The conundrum is though, that getting something like a 6800 Duo is the same cost as a new Studio Ultra.
Plus that may help for anything else, but R5, R6 10bit 422. Maybe stronger CPU can do, but will be no match for Apple silicon.
 

PowerMike G5

macrumors 6502a
Oct 22, 2005
556
245
New York, NY
Plus that may help for anything else, but R5, R6 10bit 422. Maybe stronger CPU can do, but will be no match for Apple silicon.
I do have an R6 and if it helps, the HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 footage from that plays super smooth on my 7,1. It is 1PB compression which technically is harder on the CPU than ALL-I as well. I have the 16-core.
 

startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,021
2,283
I do have an R6 and if it helps, the HEVC 10-bit 4:2:2 footage from that plays super smooth on my 7,1. It is 1PB compression which technically is harder on the CPU than ALL-I as well. I have the 16-core.
There is a boot argument:
cpus=12
Maybe you can try booting with it and try playing the footage again. Once you reset the NVRAM it will clear that boot argument.
 

kvic

macrumors 6502a
Sep 10, 2015
516
460
Okay, I spent some more time. The result is totally shock & awk, and boring.

I'm still scratching my hair for a more meaningful conclusion, and so will just describe general observations. A sophisticated individual with more dedicated time perhaps can continue the investigation.

Turn out there two ways to play the same 4K clip: offline (playback from local SSD) and online (https live streaming).

Can you try this?

The above is offline playback. You download the mp4, and then playback in QuickTime from local SSD.

Can you play this one:

The above is online playback of the same 4k mp4 clip.

Main observations:
  • Offline playback in QuickTime player is mostly decoded through software.
    • minimum 2 modern CPU cores with SMT enabled for smooth playback; no stuttering
  • Online playback in Safari or Chrome decoding utilises GPU's media engine quite a lot more!
    • smooth playback guaranteed even on ancient machines such as 2011 i5 27-inch iMac with High Sierra
    • CPU requirement is minimal; and seems irrelevant for smooth playback
Other observations:
  • Old Safari (such as the last version in High Sierra) and latest Chrome (on High Sierra) both seems to use same APIs to access GPU features.
  • New Safari (such as the version in Monterey 12.5) uses private APIs (?) to access GPU features. Latest Chrome (on Monterey 12.5) seems to use the same APIs as they do for older macOS (such as High Sierra)
  • Https live streaming was invented by Apple but Google Chrome does a much smoother jobs in network caching. On High Sierra, latest Chrome streams much better than the good old Safari. On Monterey, Chrome still does better than Safari. *lol*
I was expecting the result to be something more interesting than these. Waiting for other folks to enlighten us.
 

startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,021
2,283
Okay, I spent some more time. The result is totally shock & awk, and boring.

I'm still scratching my hair for a more meaningful conclusion, and so will just describe general observations. A sophisticated individual with more dedicated time perhaps can continue the investigation.

Turn out there two ways to play the same 4K clip: offline (playback from local SSD) and online (https live streaming).



The above is offline playback. You download the mp4, and then playback in QuickTime from local SSD.



The above is online playback of the same 4k mp4 clip.

Main observations:
  • Offline playback in QuickTime player is mostly decoded through software.
    • minimum 2 modern CPU cores with SMT enabled for smooth playback; no stuttering
  • Online playback in Safari or Chrome decoding utilises GPU's media engine quite a lot more!
    • smooth playback guaranteed even on ancient machines such as 2011 i5 27-inch iMac with High Sierra
    • CPU requirement is minimal; and seems irrelevant for smooth playback
Other observations:
  • Old Safari (such as the last version in High Sierra) and latest Chrome (on High Sierra) both seems to use same APIs to access GPU features.
  • New Safari (such as the version in Monterey 12.5) uses private APIs (?) to access GPU features. Latest Chrome (on Monterey 12.5) seems to use the same APIs as they do for older macOS (such as High Sierra)
  • Https live streaming was invented by Apple but Google Chrome does a much smoother jobs in network caching. On High Sierra, latest Chrome streams much better than the good old Safari. On Monterey, Chrome still does better than Safari. *lol*
I was expecting the result to be something more interesting than these. Waiting for other folks to enlighten us.
Or yes sorry I was talking about offline playback of course. It is a 2.1 GB file to be played in FCP, or VLC or QT, Resolve or Adobe Premiere Pro.
 

kvic

macrumors 6502a
Sep 10, 2015
516
460
Or yes sorry I was talking about offline playback of course. It is a 2.1 GB file to be played in FCP, or VLC or QT, Resolve or Adobe Premiere Pro.

Online is 4K too.

For this 4K clip, bitrate is about 350Mbps. If people do online playback, make sure your Internet download speed is 500Mbps or faster. Otherwise, I suspect you won't have a meaningful test.
 

startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,021
2,283
This is the CPU usage in my MBP11,4 2.2GHZ
1658859340575.png

Not much CPU usage, but totally unplayable.
Video:
ID : 1
Format : HEVC
Format/Info : High Efficiency Video Coding
Format profile : @L5.2@High
Codec ID : hvc1
Codec ID/Info : High Efficiency Video Coding
Duration : 56 s 800 ms
Bit rate : 324 Mb/s
Width : 3 840 pixels
Height : 2 160 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 50.000 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:2
Bit depth : 10 bits
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.781
Stream size : 2.14 GiB (100%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2022-03-30 06:34:57
Tagged date : UTC 2022-03-30 06:34:57
Color range : Full
Matrix coefficients : BT.709

Audio:
ID : 2
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 56 s 789 ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 256 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 46.875 FPS (1024 spf)
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 1.72 MiB (0%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2022-03-30 06:34:57
Tagged date : UTC 2022-03-30 06:34:57
 
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