Media rendering still very very slow
Dear Developers,
after purchasing Media Pro lately I am really disappointed about the very slow
image rendering. Nothing changed since version 1.0.1. Having open Expression Media 2 (EM2)
and Phase One Media Pro 1.2 (MP) at the same time with copies of the same Pic-Library EM2 opens all media
with NO time shift whereas Phase One Media Pro takes 5-10 second to render the images
properly (for the first time). This is the only reason not to use MP. It is not usable this way and I changed all possible
settings. Nothing worked. And I am not the only one experiencing this. So my question is: why
is it rendering so slow compared to EM2? It is not a hardware problem (otherwise EM2 in my case
would have had the same troubles) or system problem.
So please dear developers try to solve the problem, it has been around this forum quite a while
and if you solve it you´ll gain a lot more satisfied customers and we will stay with your otherwise solid and attractive software...
FYI: I am using a Macbook 2,1/ late 2006, 3 GB RAM, 500 GB HD, 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Mac OSX 10.7.3 Lion
Regards
Nikodemus
after purchasing Media Pro lately I am really disappointed about the very slow
image rendering. Nothing changed since version 1.0.1. Having open Expression Media 2 (EM2)
and Phase One Media Pro 1.2 (MP) at the same time with copies of the same Pic-Library EM2 opens all media
with NO time shift whereas Phase One Media Pro takes 5-10 second to render the images
properly (for the first time). This is the only reason not to use MP. It is not usable this way and I changed all possible
settings. Nothing worked. And I am not the only one experiencing this. So my question is: why
is it rendering so slow compared to EM2? It is not a hardware problem (otherwise EM2 in my case
would have had the same troubles) or system problem.
So please dear developers try to solve the problem, it has been around this forum quite a while
and if you solve it you´ll gain a lot more satisfied customers and we will stay with your otherwise solid and attractive software...
FYI: I am using a Macbook 2,1/ late 2006, 3 GB RAM, 500 GB HD, 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Mac OSX 10.7.3 Lion
Regards
Nikodemus
0
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Dear Nikodemus,
If you would like to communicate with Phase One directly, please create a support case.
This is a User to User forum.0 -
So my question is: why
is it rendering so slow compared to EM2?
The answer to this question is interesting for all of us, users of MP and EM...
Roelof0 -
Sadly, until this issue is resolved, I'm not using MP. The rendering speed is intolerable. It isn't my system that's at fault either because EM and especially Lightroom are fine. 0 -
[quote="Drew" wrote:
Dear Nikodemus,
If you would like to communicate with Phase One directly, please create a support case.
This is a User to User forum.
I actually think it would be wise for you to take this as an open discussion with the users. I have the same problem and don't look at it as a support case. What would you do - try and fix it for the ones who create a support case?
I used to use Iview MediaPro, stayed on as it became Expression Media and later just Media Pro. Have been using it on several platforms, but the past three years on Mac. I like the software but really hope that one day it will be speeding up like the rest of the catalog softwares out there. I have uninstalled it from both of my computers but regulary check to see if a new improved version has been released. MP did/does handle a few thing better than other software so I hope it one day will be "fixed".0 -
[quote="iau" wrote:
I actually think it would be wise for you to take this as an open discussion with the users. I have the same problem and don't look at it as a support case. What would you do - try and fix it for the ones who create a support case?
I would be happy to open a discussion with the user, with you or with anyone else. However, it must be done through the proper channels. The support system is setup specifically for this purpose and for speaking directly with Phase One. The User to User forum is not such a channel. If you have a solution or suggestion for another user, here is where it belongs. If a user has a concern that they would like Phase One's help to address, the support system is where they should go.
This is for several reasons but mainly so we can gather accurate and reliable statistics about reported issues and users concerns/suggestions both to improve the software and for the Developers to research. Collecting these statistics from the forum is simply not possible and can be very inaccurate.
Again, if you have a concern and would like Phase One to assist with a solution, please create a support case.0 -
[quote="Drew" wrote:
[quote="iau" wrote:
I actually think it would be wise for you to take this as an open discussion with the users. I have the same problem and don't look at it as a support case. What would you do - try and fix it for the ones who create a support case?
... The support system is setup specifically for this purpose and for speaking directly with Phase One. The User to User forum is not such a channel. If you have a solution or suggestion for another user, here is where it belongs. If a user has a concern that they would like Phase One's help to address, the support system is where they should go.
This is for several reasons but mainly so we can gather accurate and reliable statistics about reported issues and users concerns/suggestions both to improve the software and for the Developers to research. Collecting these statistics from the forum is simply not possible and can be very inaccurate.
....
Drew,
I respectfully have to disagree.
As background, I have managed in a high tech company which produced & sold sophisticated software that supported high tech equipment. I understand customer communication and support.
Your support system is set up, and works well, for single user type problems. My camera xx produces a file which has a yy problem when I zz on my abc computer system running 123 OS. Someone can often look into this and solve it. Such a system will never give you good statistics such as all (many) users with multiple kinds of cameras on multiple OS pcs have a similar generic problem - like processing speed.
I agree that there should be a user to user forum. However, it also should be read by PO support and product management. What better place than to hear from some of your customers.
Since PO has only 2 types of forums, you will hear about the global problems on the one most commonly used - the user to user forum. Will this be highly accurate about the detailed scope of the problem - probably not, as only the vocal complain. The rest sometimes simply walk away. But it gives you a place to start that, imo and experience, is better than the one or two or three filed support cases that say "my Canon Camera D60 files are processed very slowly on a Win 7 64 Pro system".
BTW, if you had a real user-PO forum to handle generic discussion that included things like desired new features as well as global problems, then the user to user forum could actually become something of value rather than one filled with generic problems and complaints.
Jim0 -
Jim,
You are welcome to your opinions on the matter and I appreciate the feedback.
Nikodemus,
If you would like assistance, please create a support case and I would be happy to assist you. You're then free to share what we discuss in the support system with others on the forum, should it be applicable to a general audience.0 -
Drew,
There are a few points that I think Phase One are missing.
The first is that multiple users are having "rendering" issues. You are right to suggest that there can be a number of reasons behind this - image type, hardware, operating system, other software etc. I have no problem with you directing users to raise support incidents so that they can be investigated. I have raised a number of support incidents for other issues over that last year or so and these have been responded to quickly and courteously, so can vouch that this process does work.
The issue however is that if this problem is still being raised and solution(s) are available then it would indicate that you are either unable or unwilling to teach your users how to use the application effectively. I've had another look at the user guide for this software and see that it has recently been "updated" - see below for specific comments on this document. The information in there for the rendering options states what these options are but has nothing to indicate what they actually do, how you might benefit from the different options, what the differences might be for Mac or Windows users etc. The content is just not detailed enough. This is something that a detailed "sticky" post from you in this forum could quickly resolve, and could reduce your support costs by allowing users to have a go at resolving their issues themselves. Note that this is the sort of issue that someone trialling this software would quickly give up on - losing you a sale. You'll never collect statistics for that.
My next point is that as this forum is hosted by you it will always be more than just a "user to user" area, and you are rather naive to think otherwise. Indeed in the "Public Guide Lines and Rules" post at the top of this forum it is stated within point 10 that "This is a support, user to user help and resource area". Therefore you shouldn't really complain when users treat it exactly as you suggest.
Finally MediaPro has a lot of "loyal" users. I've been using this software for around 8 years and have seen it change owner, name and appearance a couple of times. Maybe we were spoilt by the iView support team, who were both re-active and pro-active on their forum. Then Microsoft took over the application. Their support model was different but they retained a level of interaction with the users on their forum, primarily thanks to the efforts of Anita Oakley. Then Phase One took over the application. Your business and support models are different again. However the user base you also "acquired" had, by now, a level expectation that, through a minimal presence on this forum, you have failed to meet. Don't dismiss the power of this forum and its users. This forum is a shop window for your company, both for you to look out of and for us to look in on, and therefore has a lot of "potential" value for you. In my opinion you are not exploiting this value as much as you could. Indeed you are neglecting it.
Now to the latest version of the user guide. First of all it's a joke to call it a user guide. By definition a user guide should, well, guide a user. What you have now is, at a stretch, just a "manual", with no index or flow to it. It is a collection of articles in alphabetical order from A to X. I won't comment on the quality of the content, although for the rendering section mentioned above it is weak. What I will comment on is the quality of the presentation. Did anyone actually review it before it was published? I ask this because each page seems to be in a different size font? Some are too small to read even at 100%, while others are huge by comparison. There are large chunks of text that are not visible - go to the Custom HTML Galleries part and "Select All" and you will see that large swathes of text are "invisible". There are some sections that are duplicated e.g. the PDF Maker part is repeated, and in different size fonts. If I was trialling this software for the first time then this document should be important to my understanding the software within the trial period. I think this document would put a novice completely off using the software. It is another shop window for your company that you are failing to take advantage of. If you have a copy of the original iView user guide then look at it and compare it to your current effort. If you can't see where you're going wrong then heaven help us!
Regards,
Ian0 -
I am a brand new user of MediaPro (MP) and Capture1 (C1). With the first trial of MP I gave up due to regular crashes when importing JPGs and a few video files on two Win-PCs. After testing a lot of other tools including new Lightroom v4, I was not fully convinced and tested MP again (I do not know really why!). This 2nd time I was quite happy with the interface and just did the "risk" of purchase (triggered mainly by price reduction). After this there came the really big frustration with crashes, slow rendering and missing previews for most standard media files (BMP, GIF, JPG, ...). I was very very near to give up totally with MP.
But the lucky and totally unexpected turnaround and nearly complete satisfaction did come with installation of FastPictureViewerCodecs (15 USD) and getting rid of C1 rendering engine by using WIC. This very fast and stable rendering with FPV was primarily for JPG (!) and all kind of video files. FPV is targeted mainly for RAW files, but the key advantage for me is with all other files. The workflow between MP and C1 is a little bit less effective, because previews of DNGs modified in C1 are no longer visible in MP. But I can live with this limitation. Sorry, if this is off-topic, because the original post is from a Mac-User. I do not know if similar effects of FPV/WIC vs. C1 rendering are effective on Macs. Is this the case?
I agree with a lot of statements about lack of MP potential to convince new customers. The online help, the manual, the additional tips for initial configuration and the PhaseOne websites are not good. I did the trip through this "dessert" and suceeded. A lot of my friends who urgently needs such DAM would be very pleased with MP. But I cannot imagine, that they can make testing and decision on there own without my personal advice. For me it looks like currently only word-of-mouth propaganda for MP can do the job to convince a big group of customers with low PC experience and low frustration level. A lot of such customers (> 40 age) have the money and time to deal with photos and have a strong "need" for MP without being aware of. This is a big market opportunity and why should MP let such customers keep looking for other tools or even no DAM tools at all?
Regards from PhaseZero (P0)0 -
I hope I'm not stepping on anyones toes posting here...Media Pro has given me many hours of frustration because how slow it is.
Thanks to Mark Weidman and Peter Krogh's comments on the Dam book forum I have found out the main bug slowing it down for me is the Organize panel. Switching to info panel or showing neither of them improved my quality of life no end!
We now have 3 users able to access our media on a network drive quite happily. Searches are now taking around 15 to 20 seconds from a catalogue which is 890mb in size, containing an index of 50,000 images. This is compared to the very painful 60-90 seconds with random additional time with the dreaded egg timer before we found closing the Organize Panel improved performance.
Again appologies if this is in the wrong placebut I thought may help at least one or two people who like me were unaware of it.
Robin0 -
Robin, thanks for the info, very interesting. I was not aware of this.
However, i'm using a DAM to organize my stuff...
I'm in Organize Panel 90% of the time.
Roelof0 -
[quote="NN634486737554342624UL" wrote:
....
Thanks to Mark Weidman and Peter Krogh's comments on the Dam book forum I have found out the main bug slowing it down for me is the Organize panel. Switching to info panel or showing neither of them improved my quality of life no end!
......I thought may help at least one or two people who like me were unaware of it.
Robin
This is great info. I am sure that there are more than a few of us that can benefit from this.
Was this increase in speed noticeable when you did a rebuild?
I'll have to try, as it is easy to open and close the organize panel.
Jim0 -
Hi Jim,
When I rebuilt the catalogue there was no improvement in speed.I have rebuilt the cataloge many times but have never had the improvement in speed that was seen just by closing the info pane.
I suspect, although this is my own unscientific guess,that media pro is trying to reconenct all those file paths when the organise window is open.
I'm sorry I know its not a solution to those who need and use the organise panel but at least I can use it to search images now.
Robin0 -
I filed a support case on slowness of preview rendering, and was told the solution is change the media rendering option to store full size previews in the catalog, and then rebuild the catalog. Perhaps this would work, but I didn't even bother to try this--can you imagine the size of a 20,000-photo catalog containing full size previews?
This application has the slowest rendering of any application I have. What should take 1 sec or less often takes more than 5, and sometimes takes up to 10. Does anyone know why Media Pro's rendering performance went down the tubes since Phase One took it over? Is the application doing something better or different than it used to, that I should be taking advantage of, so I can be happy my workflow is dramatically degraded?0 -
Drew - as someone that would love to purchase MediaPro, I came to the forums to see what people are saying about it.
Seems like you and PhaseOne would like to hide the fact that people are having issues - like the rendering of images.
So I would like to suggest that you either shut down the forums completely so potential buyers can't see what users are saying OR the smarter thing would be to tell people that "PhaseOne is aware of the issue and we are working on a fix".
As for me, I will move on and find something that does work from a company that does not try and hide.0 -
Thank you for your feedback. It seems a suggested solution was provided in your support case. If that suggestion was not to your liking then I apologize but it seems to be the only solution to your concern. 0 -
Here is something people can try...
first the warnings:
- you will lose all your preferences that you have set up and maybe other settings I dont know about, because I am only trying out MP at the moment
- i suggest you backup your registry first and I dont take responsibility for any mistakes you may make manipulating the registry
My "fix"...
- shut down media pro
- using regedit, delete the following key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Phase One\Media Pro
- restart media pro
This reverted to default preferences and to a reasonably quick (sub 1sec / image) rendering. I then discovered that when I changed rendering method to capture one, it slowed down to a crawl again (5s/image and would also hang). Changing the rendering method back to WIC didnt always speed it up again, thus the deletion of the prefs files
Hope this helps0
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