Intermittent, random crashing… aaargh!

[Lifeisabeach]

Howdy all. I'm having a persistent problem with Handbrake crashing on me. It seems quite random. Sometimes after successfully doing a run of 4 or so transcodes, sometimes shortly after beginning one transcode. It doesn't always happen with the same file it is working on… eventually it gets through the one that it crashes on, but sooner or later crashes on another. I've tried many things, including cleaning out the system/user caches, removing the Handbrake support files and starting over, moving the file locations to different drives, trying a different user account… nothing proves to help the situation.

System specs are:
Mac Pro 2x2 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon, 8 GB RAM
Mac OS 10.6.2
Handbrake v0.9.4 (32-bit version)

Attached is a sample log from one of the crashed sessions. What I'm doing is transcoding BD rips in an MKV container, using the Normal preset modified for AC3 or DTS Passthrough (depending on the file). For files with AC3 tracks, I've tried MKV and MP4 container options… I get crashes either way.

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HandBrake Activity Log for /Volumes/Backup Volume/Converted Videos/Supernatural.S03E07.mkv: 2010-01-26 15:22:25 -0500
Handbrake Version: 0.9.4 i386 (2009112300)

[15:22:25] macgui: incrementQueueItemDone currentQueueEncodeIndex is incremented to: 2
[15:22:25] macgui: incrementQueueItemDone currentQueueEncodeIndex is incremented to: 2
[15:22:25] macgui: scanning specifically for title: 1
[15:22:25] macgui: performNewQueueScan currentQueueEncodeIndex is: 2
[15:22:25] hb_scan: path=/Volumes/Backup Volume/Incoming/Supernatural.S03E07.mkv, title_index=1
[15:22:25] scan: trying to open with libdvdread
libdvdnav: Using dvdnav version 4.1.3
libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.10 for DVD access
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.IFO failed
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.BUP failed
libdvdread: Can't open file VIDEO_TS.IFO.
libdvdnav: vm: failed to read VIDEO_TS.IFO
[15:22:25] dvd: not a dvd - trying as a stream/file instead
Input #0, matroska, from '/Volumes/Backup Volume/Incoming/Supernatural.S03E07.mkv':
  Duration: 00:40:16.28, start: 0.000000, bitrate: N/A
    Stream #0.0(eng): Video: vc1, yuv420p, 1920x1080 [PAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 23.98 tbr, 1k tbn, 23.98 tbc
    Stream #0.1(eng): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1, s16
[15:22:25] scan: decoding previews for title 1
[15:22:25] scan: audio 0x1: AC-3, rate=48000Hz, bitrate=640000 English (AC3) (5.1 ch)
[15:22:26] scan: 10 previews, 1920x1080, 23.976 fps, autocrop = 0/0/2/2, aspect 16:9, PAR 1:1
[15:22:26] scan: title (0) job->width:1936, job->height:1088
[15:22:26] libhb: scan thread found 1 valid title(s)
[15:22:26] macgui: ScanDone state received from fQueueEncodeLibhb
[15:22:26] macgui: Preset: 720p + AC3
[15:22:26] macgui: processNewQueueEncode number of passes expected is: 1
[15:22:26] macgui: prepareJob exiting
[15:22:26] 1 job(s) to process
[15:22:26] starting job
[15:22:26] job configuration:
[15:22:26]  * source
[15:22:26]    + /Volumes/Backup Volume/Incoming/Supernatural.S03E07.mkv
[15:22:26]    + title 1, chapter(s) 1 to 7
[15:22:26]    + container: matroska
[15:22:26]  * destination
[15:22:26]    + /Volumes/Backup Volume/Converted Videos/Supernatural.S03E07.mkv
[15:22:26]    + container: Matroska (.mkv)
[15:22:26]      + chapter markers
[15:22:26]  * video track
[15:22:26]    + decoder: vc1
[15:22:26]    + frame rate: same as source (around 23.976 fps)
[15:22:26]    + loose anamorphic
[15:22:26]      + modulus: 0
[15:22:26]      + storage dimensions: 1920 * 1080 -> 1280 * 720, crop 0/0/0/0
[15:22:26]      + pixel aspect ratio: 1 / 1
[15:22:26]      + display dimensions: 1280 * 720
[15:22:26]    + encoder: x264
[15:22:26]      + options: ref=2:bframes=2:subq=6:mixed-refs=0:weightb=0:8x8dct=0:trellis=0
[15:22:26]      + quality: 20.00 (RF)
[15:22:26]  * audio track 0
[15:22:26]    + decoder: English (AC3) (5.1 ch) (track 1, id 1)
[15:22:26]      + bitrate: 640 kbps, samplerate: 48000 Hz
[15:22:26]    + AC3 passthrough
libdvdnav: Using dvdnav version 4.1.3
libdvdread: Using libdvdcss version 1.2.10 for DVD access
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.IFO failed
libdvdnav:DVDOpenFileUDF:UDFFindFile /VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.BUP failed
libdvdread: Can't open file VIDEO_TS.IFO.
libdvdnav: vm: failed to read VIDEO_TS.IFO
[15:22:26] dvd: not a dvd - trying as a stream/file instead
[15:22:26] reader: first SCR 0 id 1 DTS 0
[15:22:26] encx264: keyint-min: 24, keyint-max: 240
[15:22:26] encx264: encoding with stored aspect 1/1
[15:22:26] encx264: Encoding at constant RF 20.000000
x264 [info]: using SAR=1/1
x264 [info]: using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast SSSE3 Cache64
x264 [info]: profile Main, level 3.1
No accelerated IMDCT transform found
[15:22:26] sync: expecting 57956 video frames

[jbellanca]

Wish I could help you. All I can say is that this is happening to me also. I keep compiling the new SVN's hoping it will fix one of these times, but hasn't. Had the problem for a long time now. About 70% of the crashes on my system will actually totally lock up my iMac entirely and I have to hold in the power button to reboot. The other 30% will just crash HB. No rhyme or reason - some encodes will crash or lock it up, then encode perfectly the next time. Very weird.

[TedJ]

If you're getting a kernel panic (i.e. grey screen of death) then you may be looking at a hardware issue... I was having a similar problem on a quad core 2.66 GHz Mac Pro at the office and tracked the issue down to a damaged RAM module.

[Deleted User 11865]

Lifeisabeach, you're transcoding VC-1 sources. Random crashes aren't uncommon for such sources, though using the snapshot and its newer ffmpeg build should improve things a bit: http://forum.handbrake.fr/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13969

[Lifeisabeach]

Thanks for the replies all. I was beginning to suspect it might have something to do with VC-1 since it happened most frequently with those sources. I have gotten it working reliably now by setting B-Frames to 0. I've re-transcoded Supernatural S3 and S1/S2 of Battlestar Galactica, and so far not a hitch. I also enabled and cranked up a few other options, which easily doubled my transcoding times and knocked up the file sizes a bit, but it's working stable now for over a week and the quality is improved a bit. Here's the string if it interests anyone:

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rc-lookahead=50:me=umh:merange=64:subq=9:analyse=all:no-dct-decimate=1:no-fast-pskip=1:bframes=0:weightb=0

[Deleted User 11865]

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merange=64

This is very overkill. Even the official x264 placebo preset only uses 24 for merange.

[Lifeisabeach]

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merange=64

This is very overkill. Even the official x264 placebo preset only uses 24 for merange.

I figured a couple of the options I "tweaked" while troubleshooting my crashing problem were probably overkill, that one in particular. Appreciate the pointer!