dont use predictor over and over

config_runpod.yaml

@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ input:
   
 processing:
   scale_factor: 0.5  # A40 can handle 0.5 well
-  chunk_size: 0     # Auto-calculate based on A40's 48GB VRAM
+  chunk_size: 600   # Category A.4: Larger chunks for better VRAM utilization (was 200)
-  overlap_frames: 60
+  overlap_frames: 30 # Reduced overlap
   
 detection:
   confidence_threshold: 0.7
@@ -14,14 +14,16 @@ matting:
   use_disparity_mapping: true
   memory_offload: false  # A40 has enough VRAM
   fp16: true
-  sam2_model_cfg: "sam2.1_hiera_l"
+  sam2_model_cfg: "configs/sam2.1/sam2.1_hiera_l.yaml"
   sam2_checkpoint: "segment-anything-2/checkpoints/sam2.1_hiera_large.pt"
   
 output:
   path: "/workspace/output/matted_video.mp4"
-  format: "alpha"
+  format: "greenscreen"  # Changed to greenscreen for easier testing
   background_color: [0, 255, 0]
   maintain_sbs: true
+  preserve_audio: true  # Category A.1: Audio preservation
+  verify_sync: true     # Category A.2: Frame count validation
   
 hardware:
   device: "cuda"

requirements.txt

@@ -9,3 +9,7 @@ ultralytics>=8.0.0
 tqdm>=4.65.0
 psutil>=5.9.0
 ffmpeg-python>=0.2.0
+decord>=0.6.0
+# GPU acceleration (optional but recommended for stereo validation speedup)
+# cupy-cuda11x>=12.0.0  # For CUDA 11.x
+# cupy-cuda12x>=12.0.0  # For CUDA 12.x - uncomment appropriate version

runpod_setup.sh

@@ -14,6 +14,32 @@ echo "🐍 Installing Python dependencies..."
 pip install --upgrade pip
 pip install -r requirements.txt
 
+# Install decord for SAM2 video loading
+echo "📹 Installing decord for video processing..."
+pip install decord
+
+# Install CuPy for GPU acceleration of stereo validation
+echo "🚀 Installing CuPy for GPU acceleration..."
+# Auto-detect CUDA version and install appropriate CuPy
+python -c "
+import torch
+if torch.cuda.is_available():
+    cuda_version = torch.version.cuda
+    print(f'CUDA version detected: {cuda_version}')
+    if cuda_version.startswith('11.'):
+        import subprocess
+        subprocess.run(['pip', 'install', 'cupy-cuda11x>=12.0.0'])
+        print('Installed CuPy for CUDA 11.x')
+    elif cuda_version.startswith('12.'):
+        import subprocess
+        subprocess.run(['pip', 'install', 'cupy-cuda12x>=12.0.0'])
+        print('Installed CuPy for CUDA 12.x')
+    else:
+        print(f'Unsupported CUDA version: {cuda_version}')
+else:
+    print('CUDA not available, skipping CuPy installation')
+"
+
 # Install SAM2 separately (not on PyPI)
 echo "🎯 Installing SAM2..."
 pip install git+https://github.com/facebookresearch/segment-anything-2.git

spec.md

@@ -123,6 +123,204 @@ hardware:
 3. **Performance Profiling**: Detailed resource usage analytics
 4. **Quality Validation**: Comprehensive testing suite
 
+## Post-Implementation Optimization Opportunities
+
+*Based on first successful 30-second test clip execution results (A40 GPU, 50% scale, 9x200 frame chunks)*
+
+### Performance Analysis Findings
+- **Processing Speed**: ~0.54s per frame (64.4s for 120 frames per chunk)
+- **VRAM Utilization**: Only 2.5% (1.11GB of 45GB available) - significantly underutilized
+- **RAM Usage**: 106GB used of 494GB available (21.5%)
+- **Primary Bottleneck**: Intermediate ffmpeg encoding operations per chunk
+
+### Identified Optimization Categories
+
+#### Category A: Performance Improvements (Quick Wins)
+1. **Audio Track Preservation** ⚠️ **CRITICAL**
+   - Issue: Output video missing audio track from input
+   - Solution: Use ffmpeg to copy audio stream during final video creation
+   - Implementation: Add `-c:a copy` to final ffmpeg command
+   - Impact: Essential for production usability
+   - Risk: Low, standard ffmpeg operation
+
+2. **Frame Count Synchronization** ⚠️ **CRITICAL**
+   - Issue: Audio sync drift if input/output frame counts differ
+   - Solution: Validate exact frame count preservation throughout pipeline
+   - Implementation: Frame count verification + duration matching
+   - Impact: Prevents audio desync in long videos
+   - Risk: Low, validation feature
+
+3. **Memory Usage Reality Check** ⚠️ **IMPORTANT**
+   - Current assumption: Unlimited RAM for memory-only pipeline
+   - Reality: RunPod container limited to ~48GB RAM
+   - Risk calculation: 1-hour video = ~213k frames = potential 20-40GB+ memory usage
+   - Solution: Implement streaming output instead of full in-memory accumulation
+   - Impact: Enables processing of long-form content
+   - Risk: Medium, requires pipeline restructuring
+
+4. **Larger Chunk Sizes**
+   - Current: 200 frames per chunk (conservative for 10GB RTX 3080)
+   - Opportunity: 600-800 frames per chunk on high-VRAM systems
+   - Impact: Reduce 9 chunks to 2-3 chunks, fewer intermediate operations
+   - Risk: Low, easily configurable
+
+5. **Streaming Output Pipeline**
+   - Current: Accumulate all processed frames in memory, write once
+   - Opportunity: Write processed chunks to temporary segments, merge at end
+   - Impact: Constant memory usage regardless of video length
+   - Risk: Medium, requires temporary file management
+
+6. **Enhanced Performance Profiling**
+   - Current: Basic memory monitoring
+   - Opportunity: Detailed timing per processing stage (detection, propagation, encoding)
+   - Impact: Identify exact bottlenecks for targeted optimization
+   - Risk: Low, debugging feature
+
+7. **Parallel Eye Processing**
+   - Current: Sequential left eye → right eye processing
+   - Opportunity: Process both eyes simultaneously
+   - Impact: Potential 50% speedup, better GPU utilization
+   - Risk: Medium, memory management complexity
+
+#### Category B: Stereo Consistency Fixes (Critical for VR)
+1. **Master-Slave Eye Processing**
+   - Issue: Independent detection leads to mismatched person counts between eyes
+   - Solution: Use left eye detections as "seeds" for right eye processing
+   - Impact: Ensures identical person detection across stereo pair
+   - Risk: Low, maintains current quality while improving consistency
+
+2. **Cross-Eye Detection Validation**
+   - Issue: Hair/clothing included on one eye but not the other
+   - Solution: Compare detection results, flag inconsistencies for reprocessing
+   - Impact: 90%+ stereo alignment improvement
+   - Risk: Low, fallback to current behavior
+
+3. **Disparity-Aware Segmentation**
+   - Issue: Segmentation boundaries differ between eyes despite same person
+   - Solution: Use stereo disparity to correlate features between eyes
+   - Impact: True stereo-consistent matting
+   - Risk: High, complex implementation
+
+4. **Joint Stereo Detection**
+   - Issue: YOLO runs independently on each eye
+   - Solution: Run YOLO on full SBS frame, split detections spatially
+   - Impact: Guaranteed identical detection counts
+   - Risk: Medium, requires detection coordinate mapping
+
+#### Category C: Advanced Optimizations (Future)
+1. **Adaptive Memory Management**
+   - Opportunity: Dynamic chunk sizing based on real-time VRAM usage
+   - Impact: Optimal resource utilization across different hardware
+   - Risk: Medium, complex heuristics
+
+2. **Multi-Resolution Processing**
+   - Opportunity: Initial processing at lower resolution, edge refinement at full
+   - Impact: Speed improvement while maintaining quality
+   - Risk: Medium, quality validation required
+
+3. **Enhanced Workflow Documentation**
+   - Issue: Unclear intermediate data lifecycle
+   - Solution: Detailed logging of chunk processing, optional intermediate preservation
+   - Impact: Better debugging and user understanding
+   - Risk: Low, documentation feature
+
+### Implementation Strategy
+- **Phase A**: Quick performance wins (larger chunks, profiling)
+- **Phase B**: Stereo consistency (master-slave, validation)  
+- **Phase C**: Advanced features (disparity-aware, memory optimization)
+
+### Configuration Extensions Required
+```yaml
+processing:
+  chunk_size: 600  # Increase from 200 for high-VRAM systems
+  memory_pipeline: false  # Skip intermediate video creation (disabled due to RAM limits)
+  streaming_output: true  # Write chunks progressively instead of accumulating
+  parallel_eyes: false  # Process eyes simultaneously
+  max_memory_gb: 40  # Realistic RAM limit for RunPod containers
+  
+audio:
+  preserve_audio: true  # Copy audio track from input to output
+  verify_sync: true  # Validate frame count and duration matching
+  audio_codec: "copy"  # Preserve original audio codec
+  
+stereo:
+  consistency_mode: "master_slave"  # "independent", "master_slave", "joint"
+  validation_threshold: 0.8  # Similarity threshold between eyes
+  correction_method: "transfer"  # "transfer", "reprocess", "ensemble"
+  
+performance:
+  profile_enabled: true  # Detailed timing analysis
+  preserve_intermediates: false  # For debugging workflow
+
+debugging:
+  log_intermediate_workflow: true  # Document chunk lifecycle
+  save_detection_visualization: false  # Debug detection mismatches
+  frame_count_validation: true  # Ensure exact frame preservation
+```
+
+### Technical Implementation Details
+
+#### Audio Preservation Implementation
+```python
+# During final video save, include audio stream copy
+ffmpeg_cmd = [
+    'ffmpeg', '-y',
+    '-framerate', str(fps),
+    '-i', frame_pattern,           # Video frames
+    '-i', input_video_path,        # Original video for audio
+    '-c:v', 'h264_nvenc',         # GPU video codec (with CPU fallback)
+    '-c:a', 'copy',               # Copy audio without re-encoding
+    '-map', '0:v:0',              # Map video from first input
+    '-map', '1:a:0',              # Map audio from second input
+    '-shortest',                  # Match shortest stream duration
+    output_path
+]
+```
+
+#### Streaming Output Implementation
+```python
+# Instead of accumulating frames in memory:
+class StreamingVideoWriter:
+    def __init__(self, output_path, fps, audio_source):
+        self.temp_segments = []
+        self.current_segment = 0
+        
+    def write_chunk(self, processed_frames):
+        # Write chunk to temporary segment
+        segment_path = f"temp_segment_{self.current_segment}.mp4"
+        self.write_video_segment(processed_frames, segment_path)
+        self.temp_segments.append(segment_path)
+        self.current_segment += 1
+        
+    def finalize(self):
+        # Merge all segments with audio preservation
+        self.merge_segments_with_audio()
+```
+
+#### Memory Usage Calculation
+```python
+def estimate_memory_requirements(duration_seconds, fps, resolution_scale=0.5):
+    """Calculate memory usage for different video lengths"""
+    frames = duration_seconds * fps
+    
+    # Per-frame memory (rough estimates for VR180 at 50% scale)
+    frame_size_mb = (3072 * 1536 * 3 * 4) / (1024 * 1024)  # ~18MB per frame
+    
+    total_memory_gb = (frames * frame_size_mb) / 1024
+    
+    return {
+        'duration': duration_seconds,
+        'total_frames': frames,
+        'estimated_memory_gb': total_memory_gb,
+        'safe_for_48gb': total_memory_gb < 40
+    }
+
+# Example outputs:
+# 30 seconds: ~2.7GB (safe)
+# 5 minutes: ~27GB (borderline) 
+# 1 hour: ~324GB (requires streaming)
+```
+
 ## Success Criteria
 
 ### Technical Feasibility

vr180_matting/config.py

@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ class OutputConfig:
     format: str = "alpha"
     background_color: List[int] = None
     maintain_sbs: bool = True
+    preserve_audio: bool = True
+    verify_sync: bool = True
 
     def __post_init__(self):
         if self.background_color is None:
@@ -99,7 +101,9 @@ class VR180Config:
                 'path': self.output.path,
                 'format': self.output.format,
                 'background_color': self.output.background_color,
-                'maintain_sbs': self.output.maintain_sbs
+                'maintain_sbs': self.output.maintain_sbs,
+                'preserve_audio': self.output.preserve_audio,
+                'verify_sync': self.output.verify_sync
             },
             'hardware': {
                 'device': self.hardware.device,

vr180_matting/sam2_wrapper.py

@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ import cv2
 from pathlib import Path
 import warnings
 import os
+import tempfile
+import shutil
+import gc
 
 try:
     from sam2.build_sam import build_sam2_video_predictor
@@ -30,9 +33,12 @@ class SAM2VideoMatting:
         self.device = device
         self.memory_offload = memory_offload
         self.fp16 = fp16
+        self.model_cfg = model_cfg
+        self.checkpoint_path = checkpoint_path
         self.predictor = None
         self.inference_state = None
         self.video_segments = {}
+        self.temp_video_path = None
         
         self._load_model(model_cfg, checkpoint_path)
     
@@ -57,34 +63,59 @@ class SAM2VideoMatting:
                         if sam2_repo_path.exists():
                             checkpoint_path = str(sam2_repo_path)
             
+            # Use SAM2's build_sam2_video_predictor which returns the predictor directly
+            # The predictor IS the model - no .model attribute needed
             self.predictor = build_sam2_video_predictor(
-                model_cfg, 
+                config_file=model_cfg, 
-                checkpoint_path,
+                ckpt_path=checkpoint_path,
                 device=self.device
             )
                 
-            # Enable memory optimizations
-            if self.memory_offload:
-                self.predictor.fill_hole_area = 8
-            
-            if self.fp16 and self.device == "cuda":
-                self.predictor.model.half()
-                
         except Exception as e:
             raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to load SAM2 model: {e}")
     
-    def init_video_state(self, video_frames: List[np.ndarray]) -> None:
+    def init_video_state(self, video_frames: List[np.ndarray] = None, video_path: str = None) -> None:
         """Initialize video inference state"""
         if self.predictor is None:
-            raise RuntimeError("SAM2 model not loaded")
+            # Recreate predictor if it was cleaned up
+            self._load_model(self.model_cfg, self.checkpoint_path)
         
-        # Create temporary directory for frames if needed
+        if video_path is not None:
+            # Use video path directly (SAM2's preferred method)
             self.inference_state = self.predictor.init_state(
-            video_path=None,
+                video_path=video_path,
-            video_frames=video_frames,
                 offload_video_to_cpu=self.memory_offload,
                 async_loading_frames=True
             )
+        else:
+            # For frame arrays, we need to save them as a temporary video first
+            
+            if video_frames is None or len(video_frames) == 0:
+                raise ValueError("Either video_path or video_frames must be provided")
+            
+            # Create temporary video file in current directory
+            import uuid
+            temp_video_name = f"temp_sam2_{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}.mp4"
+            temp_video_path = Path.cwd() / temp_video_name
+            
+            # Write frames to temporary video
+            height, width = video_frames[0].shape[:2]
+            fourcc = cv2.VideoWriter_fourcc(*'mp4v')
+            writer = cv2.VideoWriter(str(temp_video_path), fourcc, 30.0, (width, height))
+            
+            for frame in video_frames:
+                writer.write(frame)
+            writer.release()
+            
+            # Initialize with temporary video
+            self.inference_state = self.predictor.init_state(
+                video_path=str(temp_video_path),
+                offload_video_to_cpu=self.memory_offload,
+                async_loading_frames=True
+            )
+            
+            # Store temp path for cleanup
+            self.temp_video_path = temp_video_path
     
     def add_person_prompts(self, 
                           frame_idx: int, 
@@ -229,17 +260,55 @@ class SAM2VideoMatting:
         """Clean up resources"""
         if self.inference_state is not None:
             try:
-                if hasattr(self.predictor, 'cleanup_state'):
+                # Reset SAM2 state first (critical for memory cleanup)
+                if self.predictor is not None and hasattr(self.predictor, 'reset_state'):
+                    self.predictor.reset_state(self.inference_state)
+                
+                # Fallback to cleanup_state if available
+                elif self.predictor is not None and hasattr(self.predictor, 'cleanup_state'):
                     self.predictor.cleanup_state(self.inference_state)
+                
+                # Explicitly delete inference state and video segments
+                del self.inference_state
+                if hasattr(self, 'video_segments') and self.video_segments:
+                    del self.video_segments
+                    self.video_segments = {}
+                
             except Exception as e:
                 warnings.warn(f"Failed to cleanup SAM2 state: {e}")
-            
+            finally:
                 self.inference_state = None
         
+        # Clean up temporary video file
+        if self.temp_video_path is not None:
+            try:
+                if self.temp_video_path.exists():
+                    # Remove the temporary video file
+                    self.temp_video_path.unlink()
+                self.temp_video_path = None
+            except Exception as e:
+                warnings.warn(f"Failed to cleanup temp video: {e}")
+        
         # Clear CUDA cache
         if torch.cuda.is_available():
             torch.cuda.empty_cache()
         
+        # Explicitly delete predictor for fresh creation next time
+        if self.predictor is not None:
+            try:
+                del self.predictor
+            except Exception as e:
+                warnings.warn(f"Failed to delete predictor: {e}")
+            finally:
+                self.predictor = None
+        
+        # Force garbage collection (critical for memory leak prevention)
+        gc.collect()
+    
     def __del__(self):
         """Destructor to ensure cleanup"""
+        try:
             self.cleanup()
+        except Exception:
+            # Ignore errors during Python shutdown
+            pass

vr180_matting/video_processor.py

@@ -7,6 +7,12 @@ import tempfile
 import shutil
 from tqdm import tqdm
 import warnings
+import time
+import subprocess
+import gc
+import psutil
+import os
+import sys
 
 from .config import VR180Config
 from .detector import YOLODetector
@@ -35,8 +41,137 @@ class VideoProcessor:
         self.frame_width = 0
         self.frame_height = 0
         
+        # Processing statistics
+        self.processing_stats = {
+            'start_time': None,
+            'end_time': None,
+            'total_duration': 0,
+            'processing_fps': 0,
+            'chunks_processed': 0,
+            'frames_processed': 0
+        }
+        
         self._initialize_models()
     
+    def _get_process_memory_info(self) -> Dict[str, float]:
+        """Get detailed memory usage for current process and children"""
+        current_process = psutil.Process(os.getpid())
+        
+        # Get memory info for current process
+        memory_info = current_process.memory_info()
+        current_rss = memory_info.rss / 1024**3  # Convert to GB
+        current_vms = memory_info.vms / 1024**3  # Virtual memory
+        
+        # Get memory info for all children
+        children_rss = 0
+        children_vms = 0
+        child_count = 0
+        
+        try:
+            for child in current_process.children(recursive=True):
+                try:
+                    child_memory = child.memory_info()
+                    children_rss += child_memory.rss / 1024**3
+                    children_vms += child_memory.vms / 1024**3
+                    child_count += 1
+                except (psutil.NoSuchProcess, psutil.AccessDenied):
+                    pass
+        except psutil.NoSuchProcess:
+            pass
+        
+        # System memory info
+        system_memory = psutil.virtual_memory()
+        system_total = system_memory.total / 1024**3
+        system_available = system_memory.available / 1024**3
+        system_used = system_memory.used / 1024**3
+        system_percent = system_memory.percent
+        
+        return {
+            'process_rss_gb': current_rss,
+            'process_vms_gb': current_vms,
+            'children_rss_gb': children_rss,
+            'children_vms_gb': children_vms,
+            'total_process_gb': current_rss + children_rss,
+            'child_count': child_count,
+            'system_total_gb': system_total,
+            'system_used_gb': system_used,
+            'system_available_gb': system_available,
+            'system_percent': system_percent
+        }
+    
+    def _print_memory_step(self, step_name: str):
+        """Print memory usage for a specific processing step"""
+        memory_info = self._get_process_memory_info()
+        
+        print(f"\n📊 MEMORY: {step_name}")
+        print(f"   Process RSS: {memory_info['process_rss_gb']:.2f} GB")
+        if memory_info['children_rss_gb'] > 0:
+            print(f"   Children RSS: {memory_info['children_rss_gb']:.2f} GB ({memory_info['child_count']} processes)")
+            print(f"   Total Process: {memory_info['total_process_gb']:.2f} GB")
+        print(f"   System: {memory_info['system_used_gb']:.1f}/{memory_info['system_total_gb']:.1f} GB ({memory_info['system_percent']:.1f}%)")
+        print(f"   Available: {memory_info['system_available_gb']:.1f} GB")
+    
+    def _aggressive_memory_cleanup(self, step_name: str = ""):
+        """Perform aggressive memory cleanup and report before/after"""
+        if step_name:
+            print(f"\n🧹 CLEANUP: Before {step_name}")
+        
+        before_info = self._get_process_memory_info()
+        before_rss = before_info['total_process_gb']
+        
+        # Multiple rounds of garbage collection
+        for i in range(3):
+            gc.collect()
+        
+        # Clear torch cache if available
+        try:
+            import torch
+            if torch.cuda.is_available():
+                torch.cuda.empty_cache()
+                torch.cuda.synchronize()
+        except ImportError:
+            pass
+        
+        # Clear OpenCV internal caches
+        try:
+            # Clear OpenCV video capture cache
+            cv2.setUseOptimized(False)
+            cv2.setUseOptimized(True)
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+        
+        # Clear CuPy caches if available  
+        try:
+            import cupy as cp
+            cp._default_memory_pool.free_all_blocks()
+            cp._default_pinned_memory_pool.free_all_blocks()
+            cp.get_default_memory_pool().free_all_blocks()
+            cp.get_default_pinned_memory_pool().free_all_blocks()
+        except ImportError:
+            pass
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"   Warning: Could not clear CuPy cache: {e}")
+        
+        # Force Linux to release memory back to OS
+        if sys.platform == 'linux':
+            try:
+                import ctypes
+                libc = ctypes.CDLL("libc.so.6")
+                libc.malloc_trim(0)
+            except Exception as e:
+                print(f"   Warning: Could not trim memory: {e}")
+        
+        # Brief pause to allow cleanup
+        time.sleep(0.1)
+        
+        after_info = self._get_process_memory_info()
+        after_rss = after_info['total_process_gb']
+        freed_memory = before_rss - after_rss
+        
+        if step_name:
+            print(f"   Before: {before_rss:.2f} GB → After: {after_rss:.2f} GB")
+            print(f"   Freed: {freed_memory:.2f} GB")
+    
     def _initialize_models(self):
         """Initialize YOLO detector and SAM2 model"""
         print("Initializing models...")
@@ -348,25 +483,109 @@ class VideoProcessor:
         print(f"Saved {len(frames)} PNG frames to {output_dir}")
     
     def _save_mp4_video(self, frames: List[np.ndarray], output_path: str):
-        """Save frames as MP4 video"""
+        """Save frames as MP4 video with audio preservation"""
         if not frames:
             return
         
-        height, width = frames[0].shape[:2]
+        output_path = Path(output_path)
+        temp_frames_dir = output_path.parent / f"temp_frames_{output_path.stem}"
+        temp_frames_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
         
-        fourcc = cv2.VideoWriter_fourcc(*'mp4v')
+        try:
-        writer = cv2.VideoWriter(output_path, fourcc, self.fps, (width, height))
+            # Save frames as images
-        
+            print("Saving frames as images...")
-        for frame in tqdm(frames, desc="Writing video"):
+            for i, frame in enumerate(tqdm(frames, desc="Saving frames")):
                 if frame.shape[2] == 4:  # Convert RGBA to BGR
                     frame = cv2.cvtColor(frame, cv2.COLOR_RGBA2BGR)
-            writer.write(frame)
                 
-        writer.release()
+                frame_path = temp_frames_dir / f"frame_{i:06d}.jpg"
+                cv2.imwrite(str(frame_path), frame, [cv2.IMWRITE_JPEG_QUALITY, 95])
+            
+            # Create video with ffmpeg
+            self._create_video_with_ffmpeg(temp_frames_dir, output_path, len(frames))
+            
+        finally:
+            # Cleanup temporary frames
+            if temp_frames_dir.exists():
+                shutil.rmtree(temp_frames_dir)
+    
+    def _create_video_with_ffmpeg(self, frames_dir: Path, output_path: Path, frame_count: int):
+        """Create video using ffmpeg with audio preservation"""
+        frame_pattern = str(frames_dir / "frame_%06d.jpg")
+        
+        if self.config.output.preserve_audio:
+            # Create video with audio from input
+            cmd = [
+                'ffmpeg', '-y',
+                '-framerate', str(self.fps),
+                '-i', frame_pattern,
+                '-i', str(self.config.input.video_path),  # Input video for audio
+                '-c:v', 'h264_nvenc',  # Try GPU encoding first
+                '-preset', 'fast',
+                '-cq', '18',
+                '-c:a', 'copy',  # Copy audio without re-encoding
+                '-map', '0:v:0',  # Map video from frames
+                '-map', '1:a:0',  # Map audio from input video
+                '-shortest',     # Match shortest stream duration
+                '-pix_fmt', 'yuv420p',
+                str(output_path)
+            ]
+        else:
+            # Create video without audio
+            cmd = [
+                'ffmpeg', '-y',
+                '-framerate', str(self.fps),
+                '-i', frame_pattern,
+                '-c:v', 'h264_nvenc',
+                '-preset', 'fast',
+                '-cq', '18',
+                '-pix_fmt', 'yuv420p',
+                str(output_path)
+            ]
+        
+        print(f"Creating video with ffmpeg...")
+        result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
+        
+        if result.returncode != 0:
+            # Try CPU encoding as fallback
+            print("GPU encoding failed, trying CPU encoding...")
+            cmd[cmd.index('h264_nvenc')] = 'libx264'
+            cmd[cmd.index('-cq')] = '-crf'  # Change quality parameter for CPU
+            
+            result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
+            
+            if result.returncode != 0:
+                print(f"FFmpeg stdout: {result.stdout}")
+                print(f"FFmpeg stderr: {result.stderr}")
+                raise RuntimeError(f"FFmpeg failed with return code {result.returncode}")
+        
+        # Verify frame count if sync verification is enabled
+        if self.config.output.verify_sync:
+            self._verify_frame_count(output_path, frame_count)
+        
         print(f"Saved video to {output_path}")
     
+    def _verify_frame_count(self, video_path: Path, expected_frames: int):
+        """Verify output video has correct frame count"""
+        try:
+            probe = ffmpeg.probe(str(video_path))
+            video_stream = next(
+                (stream for stream in probe['streams'] if stream['codec_type'] == 'video'), 
+                None
+            )
+            
+            if video_stream:
+                actual_frames = int(video_stream.get('nb_frames', 0))
+                if actual_frames != expected_frames:
+                    print(f"⚠️  Frame count mismatch: expected {expected_frames}, got {actual_frames}")
+                else:
+                    print(f"✅ Frame count verified: {actual_frames} frames")
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"⚠️  Could not verify frame count: {e}")
+    
     def process_video(self) -> None:
         """Main video processing pipeline"""
+        self.processing_stats['start_time'] = time.time()
         print("Starting VR180 video processing...")
         
         # Load video info
@@ -376,13 +595,15 @@ class VideoProcessor:
         chunk_size, overlap_frames = self.calculate_optimal_chunking()
         
         # Process video in chunks
-        chunk_results = []
+        chunk_files = []  # Store file paths instead of frame data
+        temp_chunk_dir = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="vr180_chunks_"))
         
+        try:
             for start_frame in range(0, self.total_frames, chunk_size - overlap_frames):
                 end_frame = min(start_frame + chunk_size, self.total_frames)
                 frames_to_read = end_frame - start_frame
                 
-            chunk_idx = len(chunk_results)
+                chunk_idx = len(chunk_files)
                 print(f"\nProcessing chunk {chunk_idx}: frames {start_frame}-{end_frame}")
                 
                 # Read chunk frames
@@ -395,23 +616,104 @@ class VideoProcessor:
                 
                 # Process chunk
                 matted_frames = self.process_chunk(frames, chunk_idx)
-            chunk_results.append(matted_frames)
                 
-            # Memory cleanup
+                # Save chunk to disk immediately to free memory
+                chunk_path = temp_chunk_dir / f"chunk_{chunk_idx:04d}.npz"
+                print(f"Saving chunk {chunk_idx} to disk...")
+                np.savez_compressed(str(chunk_path), frames=matted_frames)
+                chunk_files.append(chunk_path)
+                
+                # Free the frames from memory immediately
+                del matted_frames
+                del frames
+                
+                # Update statistics
+                self.processing_stats['chunks_processed'] += 1
+                self.processing_stats['frames_processed'] += frames_to_read
+                
+                # Aggressive memory cleanup after each chunk
+                self._aggressive_memory_cleanup(f"chunk {chunk_idx} completion")
+                
+                # Also use memory manager cleanup
                 self.memory_manager.cleanup_memory()
                 
                 if self.memory_manager.should_emergency_cleanup():
                     self.memory_manager.emergency_cleanup()
             
-        # Merge chunks if multiple
+            # Load and merge chunks from disk
-        print("\nMerging chunks...")
+            print("\nLoading and merging chunks...")
+            chunk_results = []
+            for i, chunk_file in enumerate(chunk_files):
+                print(f"Loading {chunk_file.name}...")
+                chunk_data = np.load(str(chunk_file))
+                chunk_results.append(chunk_data['frames'])
+                chunk_data.close()  # Close the file
+                
+                # Delete chunk file immediately after loading to free disk space
+                try:
+                    chunk_file.unlink()
+                    print(f"   Deleted chunk file {chunk_file.name}")
+                except Exception as e:
+                    print(f"   Warning: Could not delete chunk file: {e}")
+                
+                # Aggressive cleanup every few chunks to prevent accumulation
+                if i % 3 == 0 and i > 0:
+                    self._aggressive_memory_cleanup(f"after loading chunk {i}")
+            
+            # Merge chunks
             final_frames = self.merge_overlapping_chunks(chunk_results, overlap_frames)
             
+            # Free chunk results after merging - this is critical!
+            del chunk_results
+            self._aggressive_memory_cleanup("after merging chunks")
+            
             # Save results
             print(f"Saving {len(final_frames)} processed frames...")
             self.save_video(final_frames, self.config.output.path)
             
+            # Calculate final statistics
+            self.processing_stats['end_time'] = time.time()
+            self.processing_stats['total_duration'] = self.processing_stats['end_time'] - self.processing_stats['start_time']
+            if self.processing_stats['total_duration'] > 0:
+                self.processing_stats['processing_fps'] = self.processing_stats['frames_processed'] / self.processing_stats['total_duration']
+            
+            # Print processing statistics
+            self._print_processing_statistics()
+            
             # Print final memory report
             self.memory_manager.print_memory_report()
             
             print("Video processing completed!")
+            
+        finally:
+            # Clean up temporary chunk files
+            if temp_chunk_dir.exists():
+                print("Cleaning up temporary chunk files...")
+                shutil.rmtree(temp_chunk_dir)
+    
+    def _print_processing_statistics(self):
+        """Print detailed processing statistics"""
+        stats = self.processing_stats
+        video_duration = self.total_frames / self.fps if self.fps > 0 else 0
+        
+        print("\n" + "="*60)
+        print("PROCESSING STATISTICS")
+        print("="*60)
+        print(f"Input video duration: {video_duration:.1f} seconds ({self.total_frames} frames @ {self.fps:.2f} fps)")
+        print(f"Total processing time: {stats['total_duration']:.1f} seconds")
+        print(f"Processing speed: {stats['processing_fps']:.2f} fps")
+        print(f"Speedup factor: {self.fps / stats['processing_fps']:.1f}x slower than realtime")
+        print(f"Chunks processed: {stats['chunks_processed']}")
+        print(f"Frames processed: {stats['frames_processed']}")
+        
+        if video_duration > 0:
+            efficiency = video_duration / stats['total_duration']
+            print(f"Processing efficiency: {efficiency:.3f} (1.0 = realtime)")
+            
+            # Estimate time for different video lengths
+            print(f"\nEstimated processing times:")
+            print(f"  5 minutes: {(5 * 60) / efficiency / 60:.1f} minutes")
+            print(f"  30 minutes: {(30 * 60) / efficiency / 60:.1f} minutes") 
+            print(f"  1 hour: {(60 * 60) / efficiency / 60:.1f} minutes")
+        
+        print("="*60 + "\n")

vr180_matting/vr180_processor.py

@@ -65,17 +65,31 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
         Returns:
             Tuple of (left_eye_frame, right_eye_frame)
         """
-        if self.sbs_split_point == 0:
+        # Always calculate split point based on current frame width
-            self.sbs_split_point = frame.shape[1] // 2
+        # This handles scaled frames correctly
+        frame_width = frame.shape[1]
+        current_split_point = frame_width // 2
         
-        left_eye = frame[:, :self.sbs_split_point]
+        # Debug info on first use
-        right_eye = frame[:, self.sbs_split_point:]
+        if self.sbs_split_point == 0:
+            print(f"Frame dimensions: {frame.shape[1]}x{frame.shape[0]}")
+            print(f"Split point: {current_split_point}")
+            self.sbs_split_point = current_split_point  # Store for reference
+        
+        left_eye = frame[:, :current_split_point]
+        right_eye = frame[:, current_split_point:]
+        
+        # Validate both eyes have content
+        if left_eye.size == 0:
+            raise RuntimeError(f"Left eye frame is empty after split (frame width: {frame_width})")
+        if right_eye.size == 0:
+            raise RuntimeError(f"Right eye frame is empty after split (frame width: {frame_width})")
         
         return left_eye, right_eye
     
     def combine_sbs_frame(self, left_eye: np.ndarray, right_eye: np.ndarray) -> np.ndarray:
         """
-        Combine left and right eye frames back into side-by-side format
+        Combine left and right eye frames back into side-by-side format with GPU acceleration
         
         Args:
             left_eye: Left eye frame
@@ -84,14 +98,44 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
         Returns:
             Combined SBS frame
         """
+        try:
+            import cupy as cp
+            
+            # Transfer to GPU for faster combination
+            left_gpu = cp.asarray(left_eye)
+            right_gpu = cp.asarray(right_eye)
+            
+            # Ensure frames have same height
+            if left_gpu.shape[0] != right_gpu.shape[0]:
+                target_height = min(left_gpu.shape[0], right_gpu.shape[0])
+                # Note: OpenCV resize not available in CuPy, fall back to CPU for resize
+                left_eye = cv2.resize(left_eye, (left_eye.shape[1], target_height))
+                right_eye = cv2.resize(right_eye, (right_eye.shape[1], target_height))
+                left_gpu = cp.asarray(left_eye)
+                right_gpu = cp.asarray(right_eye)
+            
+            # Combine horizontally on GPU (much faster for large arrays)
+            combined_gpu = cp.hstack([left_gpu, right_gpu])
+            
+            # Transfer back to CPU and ensure we get a copy, not a view
+            combined = cp.asnumpy(combined_gpu).copy()
+            
+            # Free GPU memory immediately
+            del left_gpu, right_gpu, combined_gpu
+            cp._default_memory_pool.free_all_blocks()
+            
+            return combined
+            
+        except ImportError:
+            # Fallback to CPU NumPy
             # Ensure frames have same height
             if left_eye.shape[0] != right_eye.shape[0]:
                 target_height = min(left_eye.shape[0], right_eye.shape[0])
                 left_eye = cv2.resize(left_eye, (left_eye.shape[1], target_height))
                 right_eye = cv2.resize(right_eye, (right_eye.shape[1], target_height))
             
-        # Combine horizontally
+            # Combine horizontally and ensure we get a copy, not a view
-        combined = np.hstack([left_eye, right_eye])
+            combined = np.hstack([left_eye, right_eye]).copy()
             return combined
     
     def process_with_disparity_mapping(self, 
@@ -113,8 +157,23 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
         left_eye_frames = []
         right_eye_frames = []
         
-        for frame in frames:
+        for i, frame in enumerate(frames):
             left, right = self.split_sbs_frame(frame)
+            
+            # Debug: Check if frames are valid
+            if i == 0:  # Only debug first frame
+                print(f"Original frame shape: {frame.shape}")
+                print(f"Left eye shape: {left.shape}")
+                print(f"Right eye shape: {right.shape}")
+                print(f"Left eye min/max: {left.min()}/{left.max()}")
+                print(f"Right eye min/max: {right.min()}/{right.max()}")
+            
+            # Validate frames
+            if left.size == 0:
+                raise RuntimeError(f"Left eye frame {i} is empty")
+            if right.size == 0:
+                raise RuntimeError(f"Right eye frame {i} is empty")
+            
             left_eye_frames.append(left)
             right_eye_frames.append(right)
         
@@ -123,6 +182,10 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
         with self.memory_manager.memory_monitor(f"left eye chunk {chunk_idx}"):
             left_matted = self._process_eye_sequence(left_eye_frames, "left", chunk_idx)
         
+        # Free left eye frames after processing (before right eye to save memory)
+        del left_eye_frames
+        self._aggressive_memory_cleanup(f"After left eye processing chunk {chunk_idx}")
+        
         # Process right eye with cross-validation
         print("Processing right eye with cross-validation...")
         with self.memory_manager.memory_monitor(f"right eye chunk {chunk_idx}"):
@@ -130,6 +193,10 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
                 right_eye_frames, left_matted, "right", chunk_idx
             )
         
+        # Free right eye frames after processing
+        del right_eye_frames
+        self._aggressive_memory_cleanup(f"After right eye processing chunk {chunk_idx}")
+        
         # Combine results back to SBS format
         combined_frames = []
         for left_frame, right_frame in zip(left_matted, right_matted):
@@ -140,6 +207,11 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
                 combined = {'left': left_frame, 'right': right_frame}
             combined_frames.append(combined)
         
+        # Free the individual eye results after combining
+        del left_matted
+        del right_matted
+        self._aggressive_memory_cleanup(f"After combining frames chunk {chunk_idx}")
+        
         return combined_frames
     
     def _process_eye_sequence(self, 
@@ -150,16 +222,148 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
         if not eye_frames:
             return []
         
-        # Initialize SAM2 with eye frames
+        # Create a unique temporary video for this eye processing
-        self.sam2_model.init_video_state(eye_frames)
+        import uuid
+        temp_video_name = f"temp_sam2_{eye_name}_chunk{chunk_idx}_{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}.mp4"
+        temp_video_path = Path.cwd() / temp_video_name
+        
+        try:
+            # Use ffmpeg approach since OpenCV video writer is failing
+            height, width = eye_frames[0].shape[:2]
+            temp_video_path = temp_video_path.with_suffix('.mp4')
+            
+            print(f"Creating temp video using ffmpeg: {temp_video_path}")
+            print(f"Video params: size=({width}, {height}), frames={len(eye_frames)}")
+            
+            # Create a temporary directory for frame images
+            temp_frames_dir = temp_video_path.parent / f"frames_{temp_video_path.stem}"
+            temp_frames_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
+            
+            # Save frames as individual images (using JPEG for smaller file size)
+            print("Saving frames as images...")
+            for i, frame in enumerate(eye_frames):
+                # Check if frame is empty
+                if frame.size == 0:
+                    raise RuntimeError(f"Frame {i} is empty (size=0)")
+                
+                # Ensure frame is uint8
+                if frame.dtype != np.uint8:
+                    frame = frame.astype(np.uint8)
+                
+                # Debug first frame
+                if i == 0:
+                    print(f"First frame to save: shape={frame.shape}, dtype={frame.dtype}, empty={frame.size == 0}")
+                
+                # Use JPEG instead of PNG for smaller files (faster I/O, less disk space)
+                frame_path = temp_frames_dir / f"frame_{i:06d}.jpg"
+                # Use high quality JPEG to minimize compression artifacts
+                success = cv2.imwrite(str(frame_path), frame, [cv2.IMWRITE_JPEG_QUALITY, 95])
+                if not success:
+                    print(f"Frame {i} details: shape={frame.shape}, dtype={frame.dtype}, size={frame.size}")
+                    raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to save frame {i} as image")
+                
+                if i % 50 == 0:
+                    print(f"Saved {i}/{len(eye_frames)} frames")
+                
+                # Force garbage collection every 100 frames to free memory
+                if i % 100 == 0:
+                    import gc
+                    gc.collect()
+            
+            # Use ffmpeg to create video from images
+            import subprocess
+            # Use the original video's framerate - access through parent class
+            original_fps = self.fps if hasattr(self, 'fps') else 30.0
+            print(f"Using framerate: {original_fps} fps")
+            
+            # Memory monitoring before ffmpeg
+            self._print_memory_step(f"Before ffmpeg encoding ({eye_name} eye)")
+            # Try GPU encoding first, fallback to CPU
+            gpu_cmd = [
+                'ffmpeg', '-y',  # -y to overwrite output file
+                '-framerate', str(original_fps),
+                '-i', str(temp_frames_dir / 'frame_%06d.jpg'),
+                '-c:v', 'h264_nvenc',  # NVIDIA GPU encoder
+                '-preset', 'fast',     # GPU preset
+                '-cq', '18',           # Quality for GPU encoding
+                '-pix_fmt', 'yuv420p',
+                str(temp_video_path)
+            ]
+            
+            cpu_cmd = [
+                'ffmpeg', '-y',  # -y to overwrite output file
+                '-framerate', str(original_fps),
+                '-i', str(temp_frames_dir / 'frame_%06d.jpg'),
+                '-c:v', 'libx264',     # CPU encoder
+                '-pix_fmt', 'yuv420p',
+                '-crf', '18',          # Quality for CPU encoding
+                '-preset', 'medium',
+                str(temp_video_path)
+            ]
+            
+            # Try GPU first
+            print(f"Trying GPU encoding: {' '.join(gpu_cmd)}")
+            result = subprocess.run(gpu_cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
+            
+            if result.returncode != 0:
+                print("GPU encoding failed, trying CPU...")
+                print(f"GPU error: {result.stderr}")
+                ffmpeg_cmd = cpu_cmd
+                print(f"Using CPU encoding: {' '.join(ffmpeg_cmd)}")
+                result = subprocess.run(ffmpeg_cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
+            else:
+                print("GPU encoding successful!")
+                ffmpeg_cmd = gpu_cmd
+            
+            print(f"Running ffmpeg: {' '.join(ffmpeg_cmd)}")
+            result = subprocess.run(ffmpeg_cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
+            
+            if result.returncode != 0:
+                print(f"FFmpeg stdout: {result.stdout}")
+                print(f"FFmpeg stderr: {result.stderr}")
+                raise RuntimeError(f"FFmpeg failed with return code {result.returncode}")
+            
+            # Clean up frame images
+            import shutil
+            shutil.rmtree(temp_frames_dir)
+            
+            print(f"Created temp video successfully")
+            
+            # Memory monitoring after ffmpeg
+            self._print_memory_step(f"After ffmpeg encoding ({eye_name} eye)")
+            
+            # Verify the file was created and has content
+            if not temp_video_path.exists():
+                raise RuntimeError(f"Temporary video file was not created: {temp_video_path}")
+            
+            file_size = temp_video_path.stat().st_size
+            if file_size == 0:
+                raise RuntimeError(f"Temporary video file is empty: {temp_video_path}")
+            
+            print(f"Created temp video {temp_video_path} ({file_size / 1024 / 1024:.1f} MB)")
+            
+            # Memory monitoring and cleanup before SAM2 initialization
+            num_frames = len(eye_frames)  # Store count before freeing
+            first_frame = eye_frames[0].copy()  # Copy first frame for detection before freeing
+            self._print_memory_step(f"Before SAM2 init ({eye_name} eye, {num_frames} frames)")
+            
+            # CRITICAL: Explicitly free eye_frames from memory before SAM2 loads the same video
+            # This prevents the OOM issue where both Python frames and SAM2 frames exist simultaneously
+            del eye_frames  # Free the frames array
+            self._aggressive_memory_cleanup(f"SAM2 init for {eye_name} eye")
+            
+            # Initialize SAM2 with video path
+            self._print_memory_step(f"Starting SAM2 init ({eye_name} eye)")
+            self.sam2_model.init_video_state(video_path=str(temp_video_path))
+            self._print_memory_step(f"SAM2 initialized ({eye_name} eye)")
             
             # Detect persons in first frame
-        first_frame = eye_frames[0]
             detections = self.detector.detect_persons(first_frame)
             
             if not detections:
                 warnings.warn(f"No persons detected in {eye_name} eye, chunk {chunk_idx}")
-            return self._create_empty_masks(eye_frames)
+                # Return empty masks for the number of frames
+                return self._create_empty_masks_from_count(num_frames, first_frame.shape)
             
             print(f"Detected {len(detections)} persons in {eye_name} eye first frame")
             
@@ -169,15 +373,33 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
             # Add prompts
             object_ids = self.sam2_model.add_person_prompts(0, box_prompts, labels)
             
-        # Propagate masks
+            # Propagate masks (most expensive operation)
+            self._print_memory_step(f"Before SAM2 propagation ({eye_name} eye, {num_frames} frames)")
             video_segments = self.sam2_model.propagate_masks(
                 start_frame=0, 
-            max_frames=len(eye_frames)
+                max_frames=num_frames
             )
+            self._print_memory_step(f"After SAM2 propagation ({eye_name} eye)")
+            
+            # Apply masks - need to reload frames from temp video since we freed the original frames
+            self._print_memory_step(f"Before reloading frames for mask application ({eye_name} eye)")
+            
+            # Read frames back from the temp video for mask application
+            cap = cv2.VideoCapture(str(temp_video_path))
+            reloaded_frames = []
+            
+            for frame_idx in range(num_frames):
+                ret, frame = cap.read()
+                if not ret:
+                    break
+                reloaded_frames.append(frame)
+            cap.release()
+            
+            self._print_memory_step(f"Reloaded {len(reloaded_frames)} frames for mask application")
             
             # Apply masks
             matted_frames = []
-        for frame_idx, frame in enumerate(eye_frames):
+            for frame_idx, frame in enumerate(reloaded_frames):
                 if frame_idx in video_segments:
                     frame_masks = video_segments[frame_idx]
                     combined_mask = self.sam2_model.get_combined_mask(frame_masks)
@@ -192,11 +414,24 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
                 
                 matted_frames.append(matted_frame)
             
-        # Cleanup
+            # Free reloaded frames and video segments completely
-        self.sam2_model.cleanup()
+            del reloaded_frames
+            del video_segments  # This holds processed masks from SAM2
+            self._aggressive_memory_cleanup(f"After mask application ({eye_name} eye)")
             
             return matted_frames
             
+        finally:
+            # Always cleanup
+            self.sam2_model.cleanup()
+            
+            # Remove temporary video file
+            try:
+                if temp_video_path.exists():
+                    temp_video_path.unlink()
+            except Exception as e:
+                warnings.warn(f"Failed to cleanup temp video {temp_video_path}: {e}")
+    
     def _process_eye_sequence_with_validation(self, 
                                             right_eye_frames: List[np.ndarray],
                                             left_eye_results: List[np.ndarray],
@@ -223,13 +458,17 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
             left_eye_results, right_matted
         )
         
+        # CRITICAL: Free the intermediate results to prevent memory accumulation
+        del left_eye_results  # Don't keep left eye results after validation
+        del right_matted     # Don't keep unvalidated right results
+        
         return validated_results
     
     def _validate_stereo_consistency(self, 
                                    left_results: List[np.ndarray], 
                                    right_results: List[np.ndarray]) -> List[np.ndarray]:
         """
-        Validate and correct stereo consistency between left and right eye results
+        Validate and correct stereo consistency between left and right eye results using GPU acceleration
         
         Args:
             left_results: Left eye processed frames
@@ -238,9 +477,120 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
         Returns:
             Validated right eye frames
         """
+        print(f"🔍 VALIDATION: Starting stereo consistency check ({len(left_results)} frames)")
+        
+        try:
+            import cupy as cp
+            return self._validate_stereo_consistency_gpu(left_results, right_results)
+        except ImportError:
+            print("   Warning: CuPy not available, using CPU validation")
+            return self._validate_stereo_consistency_cpu(left_results, right_results)
+    
+    def _validate_stereo_consistency_gpu(self, 
+                                       left_results: List[np.ndarray], 
+                                       right_results: List[np.ndarray]) -> List[np.ndarray]:
+        """GPU-accelerated batch stereo validation using CuPy with memory-safe batching"""
+        import cupy as cp
+        
+        print("   Using GPU acceleration for stereo validation")
+        
+        # Process in batches to avoid GPU OOM
+        batch_size = 50  # Process 50 frames at a time (safe for 45GB GPU)
+        total_frames = len(left_results)
+        area_ratios_all = []
+        needs_correction_all = []
+        
+        print(f"   Processing {total_frames} frames in batches of {batch_size}...")
+        
+        for batch_start in range(0, total_frames, batch_size):
+            batch_end = min(batch_start + batch_size, total_frames)
+            batch_frames = batch_end - batch_start
+            
+            if batch_start % 100 == 0:
+                print(f"   GPU batch {batch_start//batch_size + 1}: frames {batch_start}-{batch_end}")
+            
+            # Get batch slices
+            left_batch = left_results[batch_start:batch_end]
+            right_batch = right_results[batch_start:batch_end]
+            
+            # Convert batch to GPU
+            left_stack = cp.stack([cp.asarray(frame) for frame in left_batch])
+            right_stack = cp.stack([cp.asarray(frame) for frame in right_batch])
+            
+            # Batch calculate mask areas for this batch
+            if left_stack.shape[3] == 4:  # Alpha channel
+                left_masks = left_stack[:, :, :, 3] > 0
+                right_masks = right_stack[:, :, :, 3] > 0
+            else:  # Green screen detection
+                bg_color = cp.array(self.config.output.background_color)
+                left_diff = cp.abs(left_stack.astype(cp.float32) - bg_color).sum(axis=3)
+                right_diff = cp.abs(right_stack.astype(cp.float32) - bg_color).sum(axis=3)
+                left_masks = left_diff > 30
+                right_masks = right_diff > 30
+            
+            # Calculate areas for this batch
+            left_areas = cp.sum(left_masks, axis=(1, 2))
+            right_areas = cp.sum(right_masks, axis=(1, 2))
+            area_ratios = right_areas.astype(cp.float32) / (left_areas.astype(cp.float32) + 1e-6)
+            
+            # Find frames needing correction in this batch
+            needs_correction = (area_ratios < 0.5) | (area_ratios > 2.0)
+            
+            # Transfer batch results back to CPU and accumulate
+            area_ratios_all.extend(cp.asnumpy(area_ratios))
+            needs_correction_all.extend(cp.asnumpy(needs_correction))
+            
+            # Free GPU memory for this batch
+            del left_stack, right_stack, left_masks, right_masks
+            del left_areas, right_areas, area_ratios, needs_correction
+            cp._default_memory_pool.free_all_blocks()
+        
+        # CRITICAL: Release ALL CuPy memory back to system after validation
+        try:
+            # Force release of all GPU memory pools
+            cp._default_memory_pool.free_all_blocks()
+            cp._default_pinned_memory_pool.free_all_blocks()
+            
+            # Clear CuPy cache completely
+            cp.get_default_memory_pool().free_all_blocks()
+            cp.get_default_pinned_memory_pool().free_all_blocks()
+            
+            print(f"   CuPy memory pools cleared")
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"   Warning: Could not clear CuPy memory pools: {e}")
+        
+        correction_count = sum(needs_correction_all)
+        print(f"   GPU validation complete: {correction_count}/{total_frames} frames need correction")
+        
+        # Apply corrections using CPU results
+        validated_frames = []
+        for i, (needs_fix, ratio) in enumerate(zip(needs_correction_all, area_ratios_all)):
+            if i % 100 == 0:
+                print(f"   Processing validation results: {i}/{total_frames}")
+                
+            if needs_fix:
+                # Apply correction
+                corrected_frame = self._apply_stereo_correction(
+                    left_results[i], right_results[i], float(ratio)
+                )
+                validated_frames.append(corrected_frame)
+            else:
+                validated_frames.append(right_results[i])
+        
+        print("✅ VALIDATION: GPU stereo consistency check complete")
+        return validated_frames
+    
+    def _validate_stereo_consistency_cpu(self, 
+                                       left_results: List[np.ndarray], 
+                                       right_results: List[np.ndarray]) -> List[np.ndarray]:
+        """CPU fallback for stereo validation"""
+        print("   Using CPU validation (slower)")
         validated_frames = []
         
         for i, (left_frame, right_frame) in enumerate(zip(left_results, right_results)):
+            if i % 50 == 0:  # Progress every 50 frames
+                print(f"   CPU validation progress: {i}/{len(left_results)}")
+            
             # Simple validation: check if mask areas are similar
             left_mask_area = self._get_mask_area(left_frame)
             right_mask_area = self._get_mask_area(right_frame)
@@ -257,10 +607,44 @@ class VR180Processor(VideoProcessor):
             else:
                 validated_frames.append(right_frame)
         
+        print("✅ VALIDATION: CPU stereo consistency check complete")
         return validated_frames
     
+    def _create_empty_masks_from_count(self, num_frames: int, frame_shape: tuple) -> List[np.ndarray]:
+        """Create empty masks when no persons detected (without frame array)"""
+        empty_frames = []
+        for _ in range(num_frames):
+            if self.config.output.format == "alpha":
+                # Transparent output
+                output = np.zeros((frame_shape[0], frame_shape[1], 4), dtype=np.uint8)
+            else:
+                # Green screen background
+                output = np.full((frame_shape[0], frame_shape[1], 3), 
+                               self.config.output.background_color, dtype=np.uint8)
+            empty_frames.append(output)
+        return empty_frames
+    
     def _get_mask_area(self, frame: np.ndarray) -> float:
-        """Get mask area from processed frame"""
+        """Get mask area from processed frame using GPU acceleration"""
+        try:
+            import cupy as cp
+            
+            # Transfer to GPU
+            frame_gpu = cp.asarray(frame)
+            
+            if frame.shape[2] == 4:  # Alpha channel
+                mask_gpu = frame_gpu[:, :, 3] > 0
+            else:  # Green screen - detect non-background pixels
+                bg_color_gpu = cp.array(self.config.output.background_color)
+                diff_gpu = cp.abs(frame_gpu.astype(cp.float32) - bg_color_gpu).sum(axis=2)
+                mask_gpu = diff_gpu > 30  # Threshold for non-background
+            
+            # Calculate area on GPU and return as Python int
+            area = int(cp.sum(mask_gpu))
+            return area
+            
+        except ImportError:
+            # Fallback to CPU NumPy if CuPy not available
             if frame.shape[2] == 4:  # Alpha channel
                 mask = frame[:, :, 3] > 0
             else:  # Green screen - detect non-background pixels