Stuttering Playback in CS5.5

As far as I understand, h.264 is just a wrapper, there can be different codecs in different h.264 files.  I have been using some AVCHD footage in a project, which I have needed to transcode to h.264 (prores codec).  After the transcode, the h,264 footage plays back terribly, LOTS of stuttering.  BUT, if I open the clips in Quictime and perform a trim, even just one frame, the clips payback smoothly.  I have no explanation for this, so go figure.  But this might be the same thing you're experiencing, which might suggest some sort of codec or wrapper ussue.  Try the trim and see.

Your issue suggests a lack of horsepower in the CPU.  That is, you can play/edit MPEG2 files OK, but MPEG4/AVC files stutter.  All flavors of MPEG4/AVC in Pr require a minimum of a quad core CPU, and even with that you'll sometimes get dropped frames.  Dual quad core CPUs or a hyper-threaded quad core CPU will go a long way towards improving your DSLR editing experience.

-Jeff

I have a dual quad core processor, hardware is not the issue.  If you had read my comment about trimming the clips you might have deduced that.

I wasn't responding to you.  If you had checked the header of my post you might have figured that out.  Deduction not required.

-Jeff

File plays back just fine for me in CS5, so perhaps it is just one of those teething issues with the newest version.

I also have the same issue with CS5.5 trail version, specially when using nikon D7000 files, CS5 itself had some issues now CS5.5 looks more trouble.

csgaraglino,

I downloaded the clip and it stutters on my machine as well.  I'm running CS5.5 on Windows, i5, 8 GB ram, and GTX 460 (hacked).  It's strange, all my T2i footage plays smooth as silk.  Were you having trouble with all DSLR footage or just the one clip?

KMS

Earlier you said you had updated to the latest Nvidia driver.  Which one?  Recent ones have had issues in 5.5.  Try 266.58.

-Jeff

As I mentioned in an earilier post, I saw this problem go away if I trimmed a frame of the suspect clips.  I just tried this in CS5.5 and it has no effect - the trimmed clips stutter just like the original.

THIS SEEMS TO BE A BUG IN CS5.5!

It would be nice to hear from someone at Adobe about this.

What type of DSLR is that clip from?  It would be interesting to get a clip from the same kind of camera to try.  Let me know and I will try to locate another clip from the same model to try.

KMS

I found some interesting results that I will post tomorrow with some screen shots....seems like there is a problem in CS5.5 specific to the D7000.

KMS

csqaraqlino,

I found a website (http://tinyurl.com/6hfom6c) that had numerous D7000 files to download and non of them would play smoothly.  I don't have any experience with Nikon DSLR footage (all my DLSR footage is from Canon cameras).  So, I decided to find footage from other Nikon models and I was able to find footage from Nikon's D300S and D5100.  Footage from those two models played fine in CS5.5.  I'm not sure what is different about the D7000, but the difference may be effecting your Footage Firm clips as well.  What codec does the Footage Firm clips use?  If I right click on a Canon T2i file in the project window and select "Properties" I get a dialog box like the one below for all the camera clips except the D7000:

When I pull up the clip properties for the D7000 clips, it looks like this:

It's strange that it show such fluctuations in the data rate.  I'm not sure why all other DSLR clips show up as MPEG under movie type and there isn't a Data Rate Analysis, but footage from the D7000 shows up as Quicktime for the movie type along with the Data Rate Analysis.  Seems like a bug in CS5.5.  I don't believe that it is a video card driver problem.  I wish someone from Adobe would jump in here.  I may start a new thread outlining the details.  What does the clip properties look like in CS5?

From the looks of it, you are seeing the symptoms of long GOP encoding in the data analysis view with a GOP limit of 12 frames, which coincides nicely with your 24 fps material.

If I just re-name the file from .MOV to .mpg it plays fine.

I put both on the timeline and the .MOV will stutter and the .mpg plays smooth.

Maybe this will work with you as a work-around.

Confirmed here, changing the file extension allows the clip to be played without any stutter.  It works for all of the D7000 clips that I downloaded.  Seems like it should be an easy fix for Adobe to allow the files to be played back without having to modify the extension.

KMS

Colin, could this be a case where one is forced to use the crippled QT32 server with the MOV extension, that is removed when the extension is changed to MPG and thus runs in 64 bit mode?

Glad you got it working.

When it comes down to it all we really want is for things to work.

GLenn

GREAT!  This clears up the same problem I was having with AVCHD files transcoded in Clipwrap.

THANKS!!!!!

Steve

Kevin,

I noticed that these clips are using High profile versus, say Canon DSLR clips which use Baseline profile. Is that the source of the issue? These do appear to be latching into the QT32Server process, instead of functioning with the native Premiere importers, resulting in the rather abyssmal performance, I assume--changing the extension to MPG forces Premiere to use the MPEG handler instead of the QT handler.

Just curious

FYI: You may find this interesting.

http://forums.adobe.com/message/3780003#3780003

The suggested workaround doesn't appear to work for Win 7. 

i also have horrible stuttering problems with my canon 60d  footage.its so bad you  cannot work in PPcs5.5.

i reinstalled PPcs5 lastninght,updated  to latest version,imported same files on same computer.......... PP works worlds better!!!!!!!!!!

i can now actually work with my canon files.

so if anyone from adobe is here, if it matters,this is not only a nikon problem its canon as well.

if working strictly with native dslr files,demo cs 5.5 before updating

No, it's actually a Nikon-only problem. Canon files do work and have worked fine--I've been using them since CS5 came out. Something was likely broken with your installation, hence the reason a reinstall "fixed" things.

hello Colin . i reinstalled CS5 from CS5.5

CS 5.5 cannot play my canon files

CS 5    plays my canon files

this is on the same exact computer no hardware changes

That's pretty bizarre, but I assure you it's a localized issue. As said, if Canon DSLR clips were causing this issue across the board with CS5 or CS5.5, you'd hear much more about it; I work with them 80% of the time that I'm in Premiere Pro.

I have--on occasion--had weird issues with said files that were resolved by deleting the media cache files created by Premiere Pro when those files were imported. Once I reopened my project, the files worked fine. Sometimes weird things happen where playback will fall back to QuickTime instead of using the native importers; deleting the cache files typically has resolved this.

i wish it were that simple

ive been trying to troubleshoot my problems for the last month nothing seems to help except,  going back to PP cs5.

again, this is on the exact same computer with no hardware change.

if i can open dslr file x in PPcs5 edit, scrub, add effects with for the most part no problems at all

then open same exact dslr file x in PPcs5.5 and cannot scrub,edit,add any effect

i would think there is a prob with cs5.5?

also not trying to flame and i know its hard to tell someones emotion via text. sincerly appriciate everyones help

p.s i switced to PP from vegas pro. all files work fine with perfect scrubbing, editing in vegas pro

on the exact same machine. its a bit frustrating

i will update if i make any foward progress

I'd really suggest starting your own thread with as much relevant information as you can muster. Your issue here with the Canon DSLR files is a completely separate issue from the one originally posited in this thread, despite similar symptoms, and it will go a long way toward resolving the problem.