Starlight Mini does not work on any of my devices and is causing serious issues to my Windows systems

Topaz Video Bugs and Issues
1

Subject: Urgent Support Request – Starlight Mini / New Starlight Not Working on Any Device

Dear Topaz,

I am writing to report that there is no way to get any version of your Starlight Mini (and New Starlight) to work on any of my desktop or laptop devices.

In every case, once I begin processing several PAL-format video files (720 x 576 pixels), the process irreversibly crashes, producing an error that cancels all the work done.

I am using five different Windows devices, all with high-end performance and suitable specifications, but the issue persists.

Here’s what I have tried so far:

  1. I have fully and properly installed and uninstalled various versions of Topaz Video AI on each device (starting from the official version 7.0.1 onward, including BETA versions), all the way to the latest “New Topaz Video” release, which crashes continuously when using the Starlight function and doesn’t even generate an error log. Additionally, it has problems resizing PAL files into inappropriate formats.
  2. I have modified the “Max GPU memory usage” setting in the preferences, testing values from 50%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 90%, up to 100%—but the same irreversible error always occurs during processing.
  3. I have reinstalled and updated all NVIDIA drivers for all my devices (RTX 4070 Ti, RTX 4080 SUPER, RTX 4090), but this made no difference.
  4. I have updated all hardware and software components on my systems, ensuring there are no conflicts or underlying issues. Despite everything being in perfect working order, there is no way to get Starlight to function correctly.
  5. I have also experimented with different output file parameters during the transformation process, but nothing helps.

Starting in late August 2025, your program no longer works properly, and I’ve been completely unable to process my files ever since. In the very first versions of Starlight Mini and during the first month after its launch, I never had a single issue. The files were perfect, and using the same devices, same settings, and same video files, everything worked flawlessly.

It’s clear that some structural changes have been made that have negatively affected the software’s functionality. I must also report that all my computers occasionally experience full system crashes without explanation when using your program, forcing a hard reboot.

With none of the official or beta versions up to 7.2.0.3b am I able to complete a single Starlight processing task, no matter which desktop or laptop I use. This is a serious and disabling issue.

I have generated numerous log files, but I find it pointless to send them all at once. I’ll attach a few examples instead. Please note, however, that the error is always the same across all devices and software versions. In the New Topaz Video, I couldn’t even find a way to produce logs, so I don’t know what to send—but the issue is the same as in older versions.

I am requesting urgent support, as I have been experiencing these problems daily for over a month, and the entire program has become unusable. I am also concerned that these repeated system crashes could damage my hardware.

Sincerely.
logsForSupport NOTEBOOK 23.09.2025.zip (9.6 MB)
logsForSupport NOTEBOOK 24.09.2025.zip (10.7 MB)
logsForSupport NOTEBOOK 26.09.2025.zip (9.2 MB)
logsForSupport NOTEBOOK 18.09.2025.zip (22.2 MB)
logsForSupport DESKTOP del 26.09 (1).zip (10.3 MB)

2

Sorry for the delay here, the forums have been a bit chaotic to try and catch everything that has come in and I am trying to follow up with every post that I can.

Are you still seeing issues with the Starlight model?

The logs all show the same error code as getting thrown, which tends to point to a memory error and issue with reading the file. This could be a corrupt frame or metadata tag and how the model is reading it. This could be from a change in how the model is called in later releases as compared to the beta’s and early launches.

Can you try converting your input using Handbrake and then try importing the converted version back into the app for processing?

  1. Drag and drop your video to import it

  2. I recommend going to the “dimensions” tab and under “resolution limit” > none

  3. I also recommend going to the “video” tab and under “framerate (FPS)” > Same as source

  4. Then click “start”

This will ensure that it retains the original resolution and frame rate with the converted file.

We have seen this help in some situations with files being read incorrectly. If that does not work and if you are still seeing errors, please email the support team directly at help@topazlabs.com so we can investigate the situation.

3

There were rare cases Topaz used cpu graphic instead installed nvidia card, sure system crashed…may check this by deactivating onboard graphic

4

Yeah, that’s the problem, even if the Topaz staff has hard time answering a new support topic :sweat_smile:

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