Troubleshooting iMovie 3.0.1: Performance woes; splitting; PAL default; Localized string; Sony converter box; more
Troubleshooting iMovie 3.0.1: Performance woes; splitting; PAL default; Localized string; Sony converter box; more
iMovie 3.0.1 has already proved one of the most volatile incremental iApp updates ever released by Apple. As of this morning, MacFixIt's e-mail boxes have been flooded with varying feedback reports, and online discussion venues have seen a similar spike in complaints, comments and concerns.
As we wade through the reported problems, it is important to remember that some problems are specific to certain system configurations, and that repairing permissions using Apple's Disk Utility is always a good idea after applying a significant software update.
Reverting to iMovie 2.1.1 With the problems introduced in iMovie 3.0.1, several users have been trying to revert to the previous release, iMovie 2.1.1. However, as stated by Knowledge Base 120054, "iMovie 2.1.1 for Mac OS X is not available for download. iMovie 2.1.1 was included with the Mac OS X v10.1 system software release."
The only releases available for standalone download are Mac OS 9-only. In order to re-install iMovie 2.1.1 for Mac OS X, you'll need to use the Software Restore CDs that came with your system, or the Mac OS X 10.2 CD. And these installation methods will not allow you to install only iMovie. You will need to reapply the entire installation.
Currently, the most viable option for restoring iMovie 2.1.1 seems to be locating another Mac OS X system with the older version still intact and simply copying the application.
Slow performance The most widely reported and lamented issue with iMovie 3.0.1 is poor performance. Owners of virtually the full gamut of Mac models report sluggish performance in some areas, where iMovie 2 performed respectably.
A particular area of concern is the Ken Burns effect:
"After fooling around with the 'Ken Burns' effect I gave it a whirl. Much to my disappointment, this feature can't compete with the amazing and speedy shareware app, Photo to Movie. It's just too slow, Apple."
Other readers note that, as is to be expected, having the movie playback window at too large a size can seriously degrade performance. But the same readers report much improved performance when using the older iMovie 2 at the same sizes:
"While playing around with iMovie 3, the video was stuttering and the audio was skipping during the playing of clips. I noticed that I had increased the size of the window, as I have a large monitor. As soon as I re-sized the window down to its smallest size, all my playback problems went away. I edited a movie for 3 hours afterwards, without any more problems."
UPDATE: Hiding the dock for performance boost Tim Rosencrans reports that hiding the dock can cause iMovie to stop automatically re-sizing its main window, eliminating some performance bottlenecks:
"I noticed that iMovie would resize itself automatically to prevent itself from being under the dock so on a hunch I turned on dock hiding so it would remain normal size. Interface problems are gone and responsiveness is greatly improved. It seems that even though the window can be sized smaller doing so throws a monkey wrench into the works."
Date bug Anthony Kassir notes a problem that prevents users from time-stamping the creation of movies.
"iMovie 3.0.1 has a bug such that the time code of a given DV clip matches the time the DV was imported, not the time the DV was originally recorded. Thus, there is no way within iMovie to find out when the original video was shot. That information appears to be lost.
"This makes iMovie 3.0.1 useless to those of us who rely on such time stamp information for one reason or another."
Tip: Making iMovie default to PAL MacFixIt reader Cliff Mould offers a tip for making iMovie default to the PAL video format rather than the standard NTSC.
"Control-click on iMovie and show package contents. Navigate to Contents/Resources/English.lproj. Then drag Localizable.strings file to TextEdit
"Find 'NTSC' you should find the line 'Default to PAL or NTSC' and change the value to 'PAL'"
Video splitting time sync iMovie seems to have a problem synchronizing the two pieces of video that are created when using the "split functionality." Generally the application actually splits it a second or so before the designated point.
Using the arrow keys then splitting does split at the correct position, but as many readers note, it's usually hard to find the desired spot without audio and in slow motion. This problem also seems to occur more when using the PAL video format.
Localized string missing Several readers have reported receiving the message "There is a problem with the file PlugIn Localized.rsrc." If you get this message, try re-installing iMovie 3.0.1, or re-applying the Mac OS X 10.2.3 combo updater.
Sony converter box broken It seems confirmed that the Sony Media Converter box (DVMC-DA2) has problems interacting with iMovie 3.0.1. Posters to Apple's discussion boards and letters to MacFixIt indicate that iMovie will fail to recognize the device when connected. Ken Glinka writes:
"When trying to export a movie from iMovie 3 I get an error stating that there is no camera attached, I am trying to export the movie through the Sony Media Converter box (DVMC-DA2). The import through the converter box works fine."
The Formac Studio DV Pro A/D converter box also seems to cease proper functioning under iMovie 3.0.1, with users also unable to launch the Studio TVR x.2 v1.1 application.
Feedback on this issue? Drop us a line at late-breakers@macfixit.com.
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