IMPORTANT for all MBP Users

cordvision

cordvision

Well-known member
If you bought one of the new MacBook Pros and intend to use it with FCP, you should read this.

I bought a 15" MBP myself after I sold my old one (Previous model Okt. 06 I think). When I was at home, I installed FCP 6 and started capturing some footage I shot on a small consumer miniDV cam. When I wanted to start editing, I noticed kind of horizontal distortion lines in the footage from time to time. They showed up randomly and especially when there was something fast moving. First I thought it might just be the camera and didn't worry too much about it. Later this day I looked at footage shot with my HVX200. Guess what? The same distortion lines appeared (looks like corrupted frames). If you just look at a single frame, you can't see anything, but as soon as you start to play the clip or scroll through it they appear randomly all over the footage.
After formating the HD and reinstalling everything the problem wasn't gone. As a former Apple Sales Advisor and Supporter the first thing that came to my mind was that I had e defective logic board (the only strange thing was that the distortion lines didn't show up when I played the very same footage in QuickTime Player even though FCP uses the QuickTime components to play back its video files).

I decided to go to the Apple Store. They looked at it and decided that it is a logic board error and got me a replacement. When I came home and installed FCP, guess what? Same problem. I even recorded footage from the built in iSight that showed me the same distortion lines.
After a very long phone call with the Apple support that couldn't help me (what I excepted) I decided to go back to the store. Several people form the Genius Bar looked at it and couldn't figure out what the problem was. We then started to go around and play the footage on their MBP 15". Unbelievable, they all showed the same problem. They couldn't believe what they saw. They were thinking it's just my footage that is corrupted (even though I had footage from three different sources). They had an own HVX200 in their store (I was surprised). We hooked it up to transfer footage to a guys own computer that worked at the genius bar.... same distortion lines.... So, in the end I got a refund and the guys at the Apple Store are going to report the problem to "Apple".

I'm happy that I got my money back but what I really want is a working MBP :( I guess I just have to wait....
I am wondering if anyone has the same issue with his MBP?

Regards,

Michael
 
so does it just show up while editing? i am editing my first piece in FCP6 and see it, i thought it was because i didnt unpack my tapes. if its only during edit and not in final i dont care.
 
i just did a quick test export, and it wasnt there, yes it annoying, but editing on Avid is way more annoying. yeah I said it!
 
I think it is just during editing. It's still annoying. I don't want to edit something to find out later after I finished the project and exported the footage that it has corrupted frames and I didn't notice during editing because all the footage looked like it was corrupted... by the way, none of the previous MBP's had this problem....

anyone else?
 
I have the same problem on my new MBP 15" i searched over at creative cow and there are folks with the same issue. it only shows up in FCP windows, not on export, but its REALLY ANNOYING. No one has seemed to have a solve.
 
Just to add. It shows up when the MBP is connected to an external monitor as the primary screen as well. But again, not in export. Anyone else have this issue. i have played with DV, HDV, HDV (AIC), DVCProHD and they all have the same horizontal screen tearing.
 
Hey guys, I think I have the same issue, cordvision.. what did you tell the store people???

I'll want to get a refund... mine is just 2weeks old
 
hey hobbes00, just show them what the issue is. Tell them that you just found out and that you can't tollerate it because it is important to you to see if you have corrupted footage or not. I told them that I mainly work with FCP and that if I want to use it for "professional" work it is useless (or at least very annoying because you don't see if your footage is alright before you export it and watch it in FCP). I also told them that I would buy another 15" MBP right away if they can give me one that just works.

keep us updated, good luck.


Michael

PS: By the way, has anyone a new MBP that doen't have this issue?
 
This is an Open GL display issue related to refresh rates not syncing up. Usually the monitors refresh rate is synced to the canvas frame rate and this results in a clean display. If the two are not synced, then you get 'tearing'.

This issue should be easy for Apple to fix, probably in an OS update which has new display drivers rather than FCP, which is probably set correctly.

However since not all video apps have the issue, then it could be an incompatibility with the new GPU's in the MacBook Pros and the FCP overlay settings. Sorry, i know that's not very useful for those of you trying to cut using the computer display. On the plus side, you can be sure it won't effect the final output.
 
Software fix?

Software fix?

So can this only be remedied by a new MBP or will software be able to help this?

Thnks
 
If it is something that can be fixed with FCP or OS update, then that is not so bad, but if this is just a problem with the macbook itself and it needs to be replaced, then the MBP I just bought just might need to be returned.

thenxes
 
Tearing tearing

Tearing tearing

Yeah, I've got the tearing happening too.

My stand right now is to just keep on using it and wait to see what Apple does. I think they will come out with some update or something that will resolve this issue.

I am not planning on returning my MBP. What about others? I know some have already sent their MBP's back, but how many are going to just sit like me and hope that Apple comes out with a nice fix to this?

thenxes
 
from the same discussion over at creativecow

http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/953742

"Just to follow up on this for anyone who's interested... a rep for applecare said that he contacted the engineering group at apple. Their response was that they have been aware of the problem for some time and are trying to work on a solution."
 
Tearing tearing

Tearing tearing

Thanks agwah,

Yes I do hope that Apple can figure this out soon.

Hopefully it's a simple fix, but who knows?
 
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