Topaz Video AI 5.5 + 5.5.1

[vincentabel42]

Thank you for your response.

would not be a realistic way to source test cases for bug fixes.

Sorry, but this is not completely true.

NVIDIA, AMD, Adobe, ect. has such programs in place.

[meimeiriver]

@tony.topazlabs

Good to know FFV1 does not show the same behavior @meimeiriver – we think your earlier comment about the dropped frame log messages may point to ffmpeg switching to VFR to attempt a sync between the (smaller) total frame count and the input’s track length.

I am still examining the FFV1 file, to ensure it’s really CFR (and not just reporting it).

At one point, I reported a movie with ~2300 (Sic!) dropped frames. Needless to say, the movie was unwatchable. So, for me, dropped frames are prima facie evidence of something going dreadfully wrong.

[meimeiriver]

@tony.topazlabs

One more question: was your FFV1 test written to a .mov or .mkv container?

Written to .mov container (my post-process VapourSynth’s LibavSMASHSource won’t open it with an .mkv container.)

[cab35890]

Has the Resolve plugin bug been fixed in TVAI 5.5.1?
Currently, TVAI 5.3.6 is my only option due to the Resolve plugin bug.

[tony.topazlabs]

Are you seeing an error when installing the plugin, or applying a filter effect from within Resolve?

[cab35890]

I have not installed TVAI 5.5.1 because Resolve terminates abnormally in TVAI 5.4 and 5.5.
Resolve works normally if I delete Program Files\Common Files\OFX\PLUGINS\Topaz Video AI.ofx.bundle and Topaz Video AIframeinterpolation.ofx.bundle.
If I revert to TVAI 5.3.6, the environment settings I set up when uninstalling will not be carried over, so I would like to install TVAI 5.5.1 once I have confirmed that it works.

[annemartensa]

But not per se internally it will upscale depending on focus normal or strong

[meimeiriver]

@annemartensa

it will upscale depending on focus normal or strong

Wasn’t talking about that silly Focus scaling. Normally, an upscale to, say, 4k, will consist of cropping and such, after which the tvai_up portion of command line will use Lanczos to resize to 3840x2160; and the full interpolation will start on that size as workspace.

[annemartensa]

the Lanczos is used for Gigapixel only I am still 100 percent correct enhancing and output and intermediate are independent

• Topaz Gigapixel AI: Utilizes the Lanczos algorithm for image upscaling and enhancement.
• Topaz Video Enhance AI: While it uses advanced AI models for video upscaling and enhancement, it does not specifically rely on the Lanczos algorithm.

[Mellow]

@meimeiriver

I just realised that enhancing an already interpolated and enhanced video with second round where only an enhancement model is used, but the input file had VRF to begin with. A second round with no interpolation resulted in a severe amount of frames dropped. The video went from avg. 59.90 fps(with intended 59.94), to 55,44 avg. fps.

Out of 50 175 frames total after Chronos + Artemis MQ, it dropped to 46 438 frames after a second run of only Artemis HQ.

I thought it only affected videos while they got interpolated, but i guess the variable frame rate messes with their software as well (duh…). TVAi dropped around 7,5% of all frames…

[DannyEl]

I mentioned from the beginning when I first discovered and reported this bug that, since v5.4, this VFR occurs BOTH on enhancement and interpolation passes.

@DannyEl

• Using any enhancement model variant of Artemis (I didn’t test the other ones but I am assuming they do the same thing) the output has a variable framerate, “losing” some frames. My input had a constant framerate 23.976216. The outputs done with Artemis had a variable framerate averaging between 22.875326 and 23.353892.
• Moving to interpolation the “theft of the frames” continues. I interpolate with the output set at 60 fps. Since v5.4.0 the output becomes also variable. If the first step (enhancement) was done in a separate step with the same version, which already lost some frames, the final outputs had an average framerate between 57.220428 and 58.418532, not the 60 fps I wanted.
• The outputs are getting even more “degraded” for 4K inputs where my final variable average framerate was 55.707132, with a minimum of 20fps and maximum 60fps.

[DannyEl]

For me, as mentioned before, the output is either H264 or H265 in a .mp4 container.

EDIT: As soon as I finish my current queue, I will try v6 beta to see if it still does the same thing.

[Mellow]

Ooff… Looks like i’ve only scratched the surface then. Much worse than i first thought.

[DannyEl]

Just tested v6.0.0b and the VFR persists, in case anyone is wondering.

[gene-8240 (GeneK)]

I have yet to encounter the VFR issue here. What I am seeing is exports with the wrong constant FR, i.e., feed in a source with constant 29.97 FPS and get an export with constant 29.89 or 30.02 FPS.

[MovingPixels (Jayezon)]

Yeah similar experience. Since 5.4.0 onwards it’s been a nightmare. I’ve had to revert to 5.3.6. Nothing wrong with my computer specs. I use DaVinci Resolve 99% of the time. Paid a one off license fee for that, free upgrades for life and works beautifully. Right now I feel like I’m paying Topaz a lot of money per year to be a BETA tester instead of a consumer. At this stage I won’t be renewing my license next year. My issues aren’t related to just one machine. I tried it on a second with different hardware specs and same issues across both. Issue is not the user but the program itself. Instead of improving models, features most users didn’t really ask for are being introduced. Seems like for every new feature introduced a dozen bugs pop up.

[vigine2010]

the after effect pluging not working with Topaz Video AI 5.5 + 5.5.1 it crashes after effects … with [Topaz Video AI 5.4 it was working fine … After Effects 25.1

[meimeiriver]

@DannyEl

ust tested v6.0.0b and the VFR persists,

For me, switching to FFV1 output, in a .mov container, made the VFR go away in v6. Your experience may vary.

[meimeiriver]

@Mellow

Out of 50 175 frames total after Chronos + Artemis MQ, it dropped to 46 438 frames after a second run of only Artemis HQ.

I thought it only affected videos while they got interpolated, but i guess the variable frame rate messes with their software as well (duh…). TVAi dropped around 7,5% of all frames…

Oh yeah, I have only ever experimented with frame interpolation models a bit, but they’re never good enough for me, really. So, Constant Frame Rate for me only, and Constant frame drops nonetheless, even on non-interpolation stuff.

My ‘old’ v5.4.0.0b allows me to avoid VFR when I output to FFV1 in a .mov container; same as for the v6 beta.

@Mellow

I thought it only affected videos while they got interpolated, but i guess the variable frame rate messes with their software as well (duh…). TVAi dropped around 7,5% of all frames…

It almost feels liike someone copy & pasted a stray line of code, from an interpolation model, into the general mix somewhere. This absolutely needs to be fixed, though, with extreme prejudice.

[meimeiriver]

@tony.topazlabs

H.265 and AV1 are the only enabled codecs for now. We plan to expand the list of supported codecs

Please, do. The prices notwithstanding, I’d never consider doing this, until Cloud rendering supports a lossless (or near lossless, like ProRes HQ) output format for further processing.