Rendering just stopped at 83%.

[Norris Combs]

I'm rendering a 18-minute video to upload to Vimeo.
Source is 1920 x 1080i, frame rate 30.
Vimeo suggested 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080. My PC is not that powerful, so I picked 1280 x 720.
Template is Sony AVC.
Bit rate: 5,000,000

For some reason, it stopped at 83%. I redid the process a few times afterwards, still same result. So I looked at the time line, where 83% is, there is an additional audio track (which lasts about 30 seconds), the rest of the project only has 1 audio track. I deleted that 2nd audio track, started the render, same result, process stopped at 83%. The PC didn't freeze, render just stopped. Thinking that maybe the PC needed more time, I left it at 83% overnight, next morning, no further advancement.

My PC is old: Windows XP, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40 ghz, 3.25 GB RAM, 1 internal hard drive 750 GB, 2 externals, also 750 GB each. I have done this kind of rendering before, and it worked. I just don't know why it has problems this time.

Thanks,

[Gerald Webb]

Maybe try rendering to Lagarith 1080 first before downsizing and compressing,
and/or
render the scene/event at 83% to a new track first, again, to an intermediate, not your delivery codec.
If it still gives you grief, do all the old chestnuts,
Ram preview to 200Mb only
Use one core of your CPU
Break up into Regions of 1 min, then batch render x 18 ( to an intermediate of course).
hmmmm seems there are a lot of ways around it, I guess i've felt your frustration a few too many times :)

[Jeff Harper]

I think it's the Sony AVC template. Go with Mainconcept and your trouble will be over, I think. The Sony AVC takes much too long anyway, and Mainconcept is higher quality anyway. Wow, 18 minutes is going to be huge. I'd consider breaking it up into two parts, if not three, if I could. Good luck.

[Norris Combs]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

I think it's the Sony AVC template. Go with Mainconcept and your trouble will be over, I think. The Sony AVC takes much too long anyway, and Mainconcept is higher quality anyway. Wow, 18 minutes is going to be huge. I'd consider breaking it up into two parts, if not three, if I could. Good luck.

I'll try to divide it up to 2 parts and see how that goes.

I also did render with the Mainconcept template, and the quality was horrible, not much better than VHS. The whole 18 minutes was only 885 MB in size, no wonder the quality was bad.

[Jeff Harper]

Mainconcept is widely known to be better than Sony AVC, but you have to use an adequately higher bitrate. You did not set it up correctly or you chose the wrong template, etc. It's all I use for the web, but then I'm not doing 18 minute videos either.

[Rob Wood]

Originally Posted by Norris Combs

... I have done this kind of rendering before, and it worked. I just don't know why it has problems this time.

did you change your RAM preview amount recently? i've had a number of problems rendering to certain formats whenever my RAM preview amount is over 2048 MEG.

you may wanna check/see if that helps. kinda random answer but when you wrote "i've done this before and it worked", it jogged my memory of problems i've had. probably not the solution but figured i'd mention it.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Norris

If it helps,I had a clip once that stopped rendering at around 90% and regardless of the format it just would not do the last little bit.

Is your clip just one single piece of video?? Mine had a few overlays and I eventually found, after using the process of elimination that I had a tiny cutaway at 90% that was the cause of the problem... I deleted that off the timeline and hey presto the clip rendered perfectly!!

Chris

[Leslie Wand]

agree entirely with chris - check what's on your tl - especially towards the end....

[Norris Combs]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Mainconcept is widely known to be better than Sony AVC, but you have to use an adequately higher bitrate. You did not set it up correctly or you chose the wrong template, etc. It's all I use for the web, but then I'm not doing 18 minute videos either.

Jeff,

You're correct. I re-rendered with the following specs:

MainConcept AVC/AAC (*.mp4).
Template: Custom
1280 x 720 (Vimeo recommends this)
Next time I'll go 1920 x 1080 and see if my PC can do it.
Variable Bit Rate, Max = 4,000,000, Min = 2,000,000
Profile: Main
Frame Rate: 29.997 NTSC
Field Order: None

Audio: 44,100 Hz, and 320,000 bps

The final file size is 256 MB for a 15-minute video.
Now uploading to Vimeo.

Thanks everyone for your help!!!