Sonoma Aerial Screen Saver Freezing

[Chilltravelers]

I just installed Sonoma on my Mac Studio with a Studio display. I select the aerial screen saver, and it runs for a few minutes and freezes. I also have Sonoma on an iMac Pro, and it runs fine and never freezes. Any help as to a fix would be appreciated. Bob

 

[ThatSomeone]

When the Mac's locked or unlocked? I believe it's supposed to pause shortly after you unlock your Mac.

 

[Chilltravelers]

The screen saver video runs for about 5 minutes on the Studio (M1 Ultra) and then freezes until you open the mac again and let the screen saver start again. It runs nonstop on the iMac Pro. I tried it on my M1 Macbook Pro and it works fine. So, I guess it is a M1 Ulta bug or a setting that I cannot figure out. Bob

 

[Julien]

I'm having this problem. It seems to "freeze" on the last frame of the Aerial when it should change. I have to open settings and select another Aerial to "force" it to change. I can then put it back on Shuffle All and it will work for a few different Aerials and then freeze again.

Also I have an Intel Mac and I thought it might be a legacy bug but since you are seeing it on a M chip then it must be something else.

I also have it set to Shuffle All Continuously.

 

[PorkLip]

I have noticed the same behaviour using the "video" screen savers on two different Mac Studio ( M1 Ultra ). Not really the behaviour you want from a "screen saver".

 

[Chilltravelers]

Okay, I am not crazy.

I traditionally use the photo screensaver tied to a specific folder on my desktop. This works without fail on the Mac M1 Ultra Studio, and the video aerials work without a problem on all my other M1s and Intel's. Just some fuel for the comments! Bob

 

[StoneJack]

Okay, I am not crazy.

I traditionally use the photo screensaver tied to a specific folder on my desktop. This works without fail on the Mac M1 Ultra Studio, and the video aerials work without a problem on all my other M1s and Intel's. Just some fuel for the comments! Bob

well, some readers here don't like reporting of bugs in Sonoma..

 

[Chilltravelers]

well, some readers here don't like reporting of bugs in Sonoma..

Like your 68020 handle, I was an early Mac developer and exhibited at the first Mac World in Boston. Back in the days of the IWM chip that made the 68020 functional. Haha, time flies

 

[thorntonp]

I have the same issue on my M1 Mac Studio Ultra with the Studio Display. Even did a wipe and clean install. Works fine though on my Mac mini m1 with a Lenovo display. I've filed a couple of bug reports with no response, and it lists 0 similar issues...

 

[Julien]

Another oddity I have noticed and some others please check. Sometimes it seems to shuffle between the same 4 to 6 Aerials like it can't find the others. Also have noticed that if I click on them individually it will instantly change to some (the ones it is playing over and over) but others take about >30 seconds to load. After I have manually clicked and waited on them to load they seem to be added back into the shuffle queue. Seems that the "having trouble loading" is related in some way to the freezing too.

 

[vj_pro]

Exact same issue here with M1 Ultra & Studio Display. The aerial screen saver runs for about 5 minutes and then freezes. Unless I change the screensaver, the current screensaver remains frozen. Even if I "preview" the screensaver it remains paused.

 

[Julien]

I'm trying a new approach. I deleted all the Areal video files and rebooted. I'm downloading them one at a time (not using Shuffle) and I let the one I just downloaded be my Screensaver for at least a couple of cycles through the current Areal. After I done this with all the Landscape Areals I will then try Shuffle Landscape and see if they still freeze. Not hopeful but worth a try.

 

[Julien]

Think I have found the problem. It seems to be auto deleting some of the Areal files randomly. I think when it freezes it just happened to randomly delete the file that is playing. Also this is why it sometimes seems to only play a select few since some have been randomly deleted.

 

[MacDream]

well, some readers here don't like reporting of bugs in Sonoma..

As for me, and maybe many others, I have very little to no luck posting (in details) my bugs. After so many years, before posting I have to think first if it is worth the effort or just put up with the bug.
Hopelessness, maybe.

I have a problem too:
I have selected the Sonoma screen saver (the abstract one) and it will stop playing after few times (3 or 6), although it is no constant. No pattern I can tell for sure. I can not reproduce the conditions that allow or stop the screen saver to play or freeze.

What happens exactly:

Scenario: The screen is covered of open windows: Finder, Safari, Messages
Conditions: Selecting fresh the screensaver, set to start in 1 min and to be the wallpaper too.
Timing: 1 minute passed, the screen saver starts fine, but latter on it will freeze. And I mean, it just show the last state/frame the video was stoped the previous time. (Not that plays a bit and stops)
What I see: At the time the screen saver is set to start, everything in the screen disappear: the title bar and dock retracts, the windows disappear. Everything fades into the desktop. BUT no movement. Just the still frame of the last time the screen saver was stoped.
I have tried Somona > Automatic / Light / Dark variations. It won't help.

I have also tried disabling some, what I think are graphic-related, app working in the background. e.i.: Awesome Screenshot & Recorder, Zoom, Pure Paste... to no avail.

Still running, though (something in common with others?):
1 Password, Karabinier, Bitwarden, Shazam, Shortcuts, GhostTile, Bitdefender, GBitdefender VPN, Deliveries, EventScripts, Scripts, CopyCarbon, Hazel, Semulov, et al (see screenshot)

 

[thorntonp]

Not fixed in 14.1 RC

 

[thorntonp]

Not fixed in 14.2 Public Beta 1

 

[Julien]

Gave it a few days try again just to see for myself and it is indeed the same: Auto downloads the files and "seems" to work then a freeze and auto deletes files then after manually changing to another Arial and/or changing the frequency cycle it will start working and auto downloading the deleted files again just to repeat process.

Here is the ridicules proof it is deleting and then redownloading all the files again (over and over).

 

[Julien]

Here it is in (in)action. Noticed it was frozen again and checked files and most were now deleted again (1st pic). Forced it by switching Aerials and between Continuously and Every Hour and it started back redownload all the ones it deleted. WTF is it doing? This is insane.

 

[Julien]

Trying a "new" angle and that may or may not work. I'm locking the files to Read Only hoping the System can't randomly delete them. Will report back in a day or so on results. Anyone know what the chances of this working are?

 

[Julien]

No good and Apple is still able to delete them and when they redownload they are back to Read and Write by the System. Seems odd that the System can still delete them with Read only.

Also think I now understand what the freeze is. It plays the current Areal to the last frame and then it probably tries to pick an Areal it has obtusely deleted and it freezes at that point since the next Arial file is MIA. So Apple is "smart" enough to delete Read Only files but so stupid they don't realize they deleted them.

Anyone know how to remove the ability of deleting a file?

 

[thorntonp]

And still not fixed in 14.2 beta 2

 

[Julien]

And still not fixed in 14.2 beta 2

I have been "using" for several days and it deletes and then downloads almost all the Areal files 2x to 3x a day. Seems like if nothing else Apple would flag all the excessive server use of the same files being downloaded over and over by the same computers.

 

[vj_pro]

I have been "using" for several days and it deletes and then downloads almost all the Areal files 2x to 3x a day. Seems like if nothing else Apple would flag all the excessive server use of the same files being downloaded over and over by the same computers.

I'm on Sonoma 14.1.1, Mac Studio (M1 Ultra) and Studio Display. The Arial movie files are not getting deleted in my case. But I face the same problem. Screensaver plays fine for few minutes and then freezes.

 

[thorntonp]

Still not fixed in 14.2

 

[Julien]

Yea, I was hopeful for over 24 hours then a freeze and I checked and as usual most of the Areal files had been auto deleted. Seems at least 1 person of importance at Apple would use them and insist this obtuse bug be fixed.