Arabesk 4 locking up

[videojim]

Arabesk 4 has been showing the "rendering film" screen with the progress bar showing no progress for the last 30 minutes. I can't cancel the action, get out of Arabesk 4, or anything. What do I do? disconnect and restart? Don't want to damage the system, just restart the burn process, and burn a disk. Ideas? Anybody else having this problem?

[BobNaughton]

Jim:

Yeah, almost everybody has had that problem once in awhile. If you cant shut the system off any of the usual ways and the trackball isnt doing anything, there really is no choice but to pull the AC cord out of your unit and then power up again. It shouldn't do any lasting damage, at least it hasn't to me. It is not recomended by Macrosystem to just pull the plug, but when its your only option its academic.

I would take a look at your storyboard again before you try a re-burn. Make sure you have no red areas showing in your audio samples in the mix screen. Its either that or a corrupt scene or transition. There is a very recent post on the board here. Someone, I forget who, had that same problem and fixed it by utilizing the NOP procedure that Tim Kennelly came up with.

[TimKennelly]

Usually a prolonged holding of the power button will cause a forced power down so you don't need to pull the plug.

I do not remember when I last had to actually pull the plug on my Solitaire or S4000Pro.

I thought the latest version of the software was supposed to "fix" this issue, "kind of" so if it freezes it works right the next attempt.

However, if it does not the NOP with audio process is a pretty "never fail" fix.

I know, I know, what is the NOP with audio process.

I have posted it tons of times, but most do not read or save it until the first time they personally run into the process.

So here it is again:

Find your longest original, single scene in the Scene bin and highlight it.

This is normally an original raw input scene, but not a section that includes the direct problem footage Scene.
You want to use a segment of source video that did NOT give you any problems.
IE: A segment you know does NOT have corrupted frames in it.

Go to Special, use Scene->Sample, Ok.

Switch to the Audio Mix menu, highlight (left click on) an empty audio channel, Add, Scroll to the newly created longest audio sample, Ok.

Slide the large Volume slider all the way to the left to Mute this track.

If this audio sample is not as large as your entire Storyboard use Add again, Mute that segment as well.

Do this until you have filled this track the entire length of your Storyboard with all these segments Muted.

Switch back to the main Edit Menu, Go to the beginning of the Storyboard.

Got to IP Effects menu, scroll to NOP, Add.
Left click on the duration window, Range, Ok, Make sure the Band button is in Trim, not Position mode, then choose OUT, scroll the bar all the way to the right(this should now be the duration of the entire Storyboard), left click to come out of the duration bar, Ok.

Left click the Scene button, Range, OUT, scroll the bar all the way to the right(this should now be the duration of the entire Storyboard), left click to come out of the duration bar, Ok.

It will now render the entire Storyboard and create a Scene of it.

This will take some time,but consideraby less than the out to tape and back in method and has been found to be more effective.

When the Scene in created switch to an empty Project.

Go into the Edit menu, Special, Clipboard, Scene from project->Clipboard, select the Project that the newly created Scene is in.

This should bring up that Project's Scene bin at the newly created Scene, select Ok, Clipboard->Project, scroll to the newly created Scene (if you have other stuff in Clipboard), Ok, Ok.

Now you should have the newly created Scene in the Project.

If you want Chapters go into Split and split the Scene at the desired Chapter points, selecting Use for all.

Then put all those Chapter Scenes onto the Storyboard in order.

Switch to Arabesk, Film and remove the problem Project.

Then Add Film selecting the Project where you have the newly created and Split Scene/Storyboard and proceed as normal.

This is far harder to describe than do.

Let me know how it goes.
PS - I believe Control Image could be successfully substituted for NOP if you had a Storyboard that you wanted to tweak in it's entirety, aka: change the brightness, contrast and/or saturation of the entire project.
This alternative does not take any longer (or less) than using NOP, but just remember it will effect the entire Storyboard and not just a few Scenes if done in this procedure to fix a failing Storyboard.
You could alternatively use this procedure on a specific Scene if you know which Scene is causing your problems

[IanPearson]

Quote by Tim “I have posted it tons of times, but most do not read or save it until the first time they personally run into the process.”

Tim I have told you a million times, please do not exaggerate

Ian

[videojim]

When you are stuck in burn mode in Arabesk, NOP is not an option, as the screen is frozen and totally nonresponsive. I eventually pulled the plug, and re-started. It complained that it needed to shut down and restart correctly, so I did that, and it started behaving correctly again. Did the burn, no problem. Thanks anyway. I just wanted to see what other people were going to say about pulling the plug as a last resort. This was not the first time something has locked up, but it is very, thankfully, rare.

[TimKennelly]

Obviously you cannot use NOP in the middle of a freeze.

Not sure why you would even say something like that

Like I mentioned, the "fix" the writers put in is supposed to fix it once it freezes so it works the second time and apparently that worked.

I don't believe you had to pull the plug though as I have found the extended power button hold has worked for me so I have not had to pull the plug in over two years.

The system will always give you that stupid scolding for any forced power down.

It really should say "Sorry for my screwing up again, my bad" seeing as ninety-nine point nine percent of the time it is the system's fault that a forced power down happens.

[videojim]

Tim, these are germans we're talking about. I don't see them getting that humble. Did not know about the extended time push on the button. Will remember that one. That's why they have this forum. Love it!

[TimKennelly]

No, I agree, it will always be our fault.

[videojim]

Ok, it wouldn't completely shot down from being told to onscreen, so I held the button in -for 20 seconds- and it finally got the hint.

[RonaldPawlak]

That's the only way I can shut down my S-4K Pro by holding the power button down for a lenght of time. Even when I use the mouse and hit the on screen off button, the screen goes dark and sits there, the blue light on the unit stays on. Then the unit will turn itself on again. So I just hit the power button.