One odd thing I noticed since jumping from 2020.6 to 2020.10 - files that always I rendered out of After Effects with Avid DNxHR codecs now suddenly no longer comes into Media Composer as fast imports. My import and render settings has remained unchanged since I installed 2020.10, and this used to work perfectly in previous versions of MC as fast imports.

Has anything changed in 2020.10 that I missed?

Eg. I export a composition out of After Effects with DNxHR HQ 8-bit selected in the codec settings.

When this file is imported into Media Composer, it asks whether I want to preserve the original format (DNxHR HQ) or use the project format (DNxHR LB).

It doesn't which of the above options I select, my file still comes in as a long/standard render.

Any ideas?

Using Media Composer 2020.10 Win and After Effects 2020 

Is this old fashion import or link and transcode? If the former try the latter instead.

luca.mg:

Is this old fashion import or link and transcode? If the former try the latter instead.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, this indeed when I import the old fashiioned way. Did Avid perhaps take fast import away in 2020.10?

Upside is that when I link to those DNxHR rendered files, I basically have real time playback in Media Composer. I'm on a laptop-based system so performance is usually an issue with other types of linked non-Avid media, so I stopped looking at that as a way of editing. Perhaps I should reconsidder and change my workflow now.

Many thanks

Corne Scheepers:

Did Avid perhaps take fast import away in 2020.10?

That I don't know, but sure linh and transcde has been faster than import the old fashioned way

Corne Scheepers:

Upside is that when I link to those DNxHR rendered files, I basically have real time playback in Media Composer

it should be (almost?) as fast as dealing with AvidMediaFiles

Corne Scheepers:

performance is usually an issue with other types of linked non-Avid media

linked long gop files don't play nice, intraframe codecs natively supported by MC should play well

Corne Scheepers:

Perhaps I should reconsidder and change my workflow now.

we all have to from time to time

Corne Scheepers:

Many thanks

my pleasure!

Since the files are being created as DNxHR, you would probably want to use link+consolidate instead of link+transcode

NYnutz:

Since the files are being created as DNxHR, you would probably want to use link+consolidate instead of link+transcode

I second the motion.

Hey all,

i just noticed that NO import is fast anymore with MC2020.10.
No matter what i do, i always get the "Creating Video ..." dialog - no matter if i use DNxHD, DNxHR,
ProRes or XDCAM files.

I think this is a HUGE Problem! Sure i know about Link/Transcode and i use it frequently,
but its not always the best method to go about! I always loved the import setting "Use the source files's resolution" - It does'nt seem to have any effect anymore - why take away options?

And what about Batch/Import? I just had to do a few changes on a long animation i did a couple of months ago. On import i thought my render-setting were wrong, but then i found out that NO import is fast anymore!
And again the very helpfull Import Option: "Use source compression" does'nt seem to have any effect either.

EITHER Avid changed things about dealing with imports in general - but then i would've loved to know about it before updateing, but no word is mentioned in the documentation.

OR this is an unwanted behavior and therefore a BUG!

That is a DEALBREAKER for me - for now i will have to go back to MC2020.9

Have you tried Link / Consolidate?  That is really the the same thing as the old fast import.

Jef

Fmueller:

i just noticed that NO import is fast anymore with MC2020.10.

Interesting. That's not what I'm seeing with Win 10 1909 and MC20.10.

For 1080p23.976 I used drag and drop to a bin. I always selected to preserve the original format.
MXF OP1a DNxHD HQX - Import says Fast Importing video ...
MOV ProRes HQ - Import says Fast Importing video ...
MXF OP1a XDCam HD 50 - Import says Importing XDCam ... I don't think XDCam ever said Fast Importing in older MC

For 2160p23.976
MXF OP1a DNxHR HQX - Import says Fast Importing

As NYnutz and Jef said, Link and Consolidate should give you the media in the source file format as long as it is Avid native. You will get an error in the Console if the Consolidate fails due to a non-native source. Consolidate created media in the same time as the Fast Imports above for me.

I don't have After Effects. My sources were Avid and ffmpeg encodes. I wonder if 20.10 became fussy with some file encoders?

Hey All,

thanx DonE and jef for your suggestions. Link/Consolidate is a good idea, i will (have to) use it more!

But that was not really my point of concern.

You see, in v20.10 Fast Import does'nt even work when i export a Timeline
as SameAsSource and then re-import it. It still says Creating Files!

But everything works perfectly fine, when i switch back to MC v20.9.

So Avid MUST have made changes about the way Files/Codecs get treated when importing.
First i thought there was a "naming conversion" and all import are simply called "Creating File" now.
But i could not find any word mentioned about that in the provided documentation.

So it stands: Either Avid made changes whithout letting us know
and lets us run into issues. Or this is a BUG! that NEEDS to be adressed.

Fmueller:

You see, in v20.10 Fast Import does'nt even work when i export a Timeline

as SameAsSource and then re-import it. It still says Creating Files!

Just tried a 1080p23.976 Same As Source Export with only DNxHD LB on the timeline. MC20.10 Fast Imports the video. If I export with DNxHD LB and SQ on the timeline it will not Fast Import or Link / Consolidate because it has two different sample descriptions in the mov file. You are probably working in 25p and I feel like the SAS export may work differently than in 23.976p. You may get only the highest res codec in the export.

You probably know this but Import Settings > Color Levels must be set for Do not modify, treat as legal range for Fast Import to work. The Image Size must match the project and the codec must be Avid native but your SAS export should make that.

Hey all,

just to finish this subject off: For me, this issue got resolved!
In Media Composer Version 2021.3 this issue got adressed and
Bug Number: MCCET-3729 mentions the fast import issue.

Thanks to everyone involved helping and fixing!

Fmueller:

Hey all,

just to finish this subject off: For me, this issue got resolved!
In Media Composer Version 2021.3 this issue got adressed and
Bug Number: MCCET-3729 mentions the fast import issue.

Thanks to everyone involved helping and fixing!

I can also confirm that I'm seeing Fast import again in MC 2021.3. I didn't even notice that this was logged as a bug...

Batch-imported DNx HQX this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see Fast Import happening again!

I can add some differentiation:

Fast import should be the same speed as link/consolidate.
Aside from de-interleaving both are only constrained by disk speed.

Consolidating instead of linking always gives you the luxury of automatically indexed MXF media.
If I have the time to consolidate, I'll always do that.
(Fast) import has the advantage, that files can be replaced with updated versions via batch import.
A process that's cumbersome with linking.

Consolidate/Tanscode is our standard now, but several ways to do a thing will get you further than one.