I thought we were talking about stuttering in preview playback of 1280 x 760 50fps clips with transitions.

Can someone define what is being discussed/tested here? I am lost, I guess. I have no problem rendering the test clips.

Dafydd and Videocentricity...are we testing stuttering on preview playback or failure of rendering? Any new clips to test this on yet??

The original symptom of the original problem was (still is) that when playback from the timeline crosses from one clip to another (using the downloadable sample clip which has the 1280 x 720 AVCHD 50fps format which, here, gives the trouble) the video playback freezes completely (showing the last frame of the outgoing clip) but the audio carries on. It happens intermittently but enough to drive me nuts when trying to edit lots of short clips in time to a music bed.

Presence or absence of a transition between the shots doesn't actually come into it as far as I am concerned (that was a red herring in the original thread).

I've also been having problems with rendering but that seems to be another issue, and one which perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned in this thread. However, I am delighted to report that after a reboot (required because a render attempt completely froze the PC) the project finally rendered end to end.

However, thinking that the reboot might help the timeline playback problem too, I at once replayed the project timeline, and almost immediately I got a video freeze as before.

As for further sample clips, I managed to get out of the house for a little while today and grabbed some nondescript shots in town which I will upload in about 12 hours time and I'll post the link here in due course.

OK;
I did a few more tests and here are some observations (for what they are worth):

1. Reboot machine
2. Create new project with 4 clips and transitions
3. Playback multiple times with no video pause error
4. SAVE the project
5. playback now freezes as reported

SO (with no reboot)....

1. Created new project (4x clip) no transitions
2. playback has no errors (multiple times played)
3. SAVE the project
4. playback now freezes as reported

SO (with no reboot)....

1. Tried to recreate the problem the THIRD and FOURTH time (with transitions and without)...
COULD NOT GET THE CLIPS TO FAIL!!!
MULTIPLE PLAYS...MULTIPLE SAVES...VIDEO PLAYS with SOUND!!

Maybe I will reboot and try again.

I can report that Powerdirector 8 freezes sometimes, which makes me SAVE often (and this may NOT be a good idea if I see the results above correctly)...also, if I have other graphic intensive programs like PhotoShop7 open, the cursors and function of that program starts to degrade as I use PD8. Makes me suspect a memory leak.

Some further samples for those who are (a) interested and (b) have reasonable download allowances and speeds!

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/9/22/1451533/GH1_01.zip
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/9/22/1451533/GH1_02.zip
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/9/22/1451533/GH1_03.zip

There's five x 10 second samples of street views there to play with. The content is a little more interesting than the original sample, but only marginally! Sorry....

OK, my opinion is that the problem is related to SAVING the project:

1. Downloaded all clips
2. Create new project and added media folder to library
3. added all clips to timeline (no transitions)
4. played timeline MULTIPLE times (no stutter)
5. Saved as new project (PD8 still open)
6. attempt to play the timeline and video hangs on second-to-third transition.

SO THEN I..REBOOT

1. Open saved project
2. play timeline and video hangs on second attempt to play!

NEXT (PD8 still open)...

1. Create New project
2. add media folder with clips
3. add clips to timeline
4. play multiple times NO HANG
5. SAVE project
6. play timeline and video hangs on second attempt to play.

NEXT...

1. Turn ON Shadow files (all of the tests above were with it OFF)
2. no failures on saved project during multiple times playback (while shadow files are being created)
3.Wait for shadow files to create (wash my car, take a shower, get haircut, balance checkbook, etc.)
4. timeline of video plays successfully multiple times, NO STUTTERS.

Thanks Peter -

I'm off & away for a few days, but have downloaded... will test on my return.

I'm glad you got your project rendered, even if you/we haven't solved the problem yet.

Cheers - Tony
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Hi Peter,

Just tried one of your new videos.

Same result

1. The program freezes at the first fade and sound continues. When I click on something else on the screen I get the "White Screen of Death" for about 2 seconds and the program comes back.

2. Shadow files on, video plays through fine no problem.

Cheers

Robert S My youtube channel====> http://www.youtube.com/user/relate2?feature=mhsn

Hi Peter and Everyone,

I too tested these 5 clips by doing the following...

- applied "fade to all"
- applied fades manually
- applied what I would deem to be the most demanding of the transitions
- shadow files on
- shadow files off
- made multiple "save as" pds files
- closed PD8
- opened PD8 with saved pds files
- added music to music track
- split clips
- trimmed clips
- added bmp images into clips
- switched preference to PAL
- switched back to NTSC
- did everything I would normally do in any one of my projects

Results?
During preview, not a single stutter, stall, audio drop, or any other problem.
Like a hot knife going through warm butter, it all played perfectly at each preview of an edit or change to the test project.

Dell Inspiron 530
Intel Core2 Duo Processor / E7400 / 2.80 Ghz
4GB DDR2 SDRAM / 800Mhz
500GB Serial ATA II HD / 7200rpm
AMD Radeon HD3450 256MB (graphics card)
XP Pro SP3
PD8 Ultra (1930)
K-lite (Full) Codec Pack
Divx Pro 6.5


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Cranston;

- did everything I would normally do in any one of my projects

MY GOODNESS...you normally do all that to your project??

Did you have the "stutter" with the FIRST set of files (the phone screen)??

Hey Fred,

MY GOODNESS...you normally do all that to your project?

Unfortunately, yes

Did you have the "stutter" with the FIRST set of files (the phone screen)?

No, I had no problems with that one either.

But what I really want to know is...
When this problem is finally solved by someone, and they receive the Nobel Prize. Do we all get share of the prize money?

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Cranston;

ok, so your system doesn't have the problem at all!

I think only Cyberlink can solve this issue. I am just participating in the hope that they might "look in". According to dafydd, they (Cyberlink) can't find ANY problem...like"Works for me!" should ever be an answer!!

As fine a people as dafydd and Videocentricity are, Cyberlink should define the testing parameters and monitor the results (IMHO).

Times up...I have to charge someone if I talk anymore on this...

At least I have no rendering problems so life is good.

P.S. - I ain't sharing my Nobel Prize with ANYONE!!!

ok, so your system doesn't have the problem at all!

No, not with these clips. But that isn't to say that I don't have my own stutters, crashes, and issues when working in PD8.
I've been working on a project where I have a 16:9 image template in the Master track, music in 2 music tracks, and 4 PIP's filled with 4:3 Mpeg2 video clips, which most are trimmed to between 3 to 10 second edits in the style of a music video.
Yesterday, I was getting all sorts of minor stutters and stalls while editing, as the preview playback was dealing with jumping back and forth between the 4 quick cut PIPs. And PD8 completely locked up probably 2 or 3 times every couple of hours.
And that's why we all should make multiple, consecutive, and frequent "save as" pds saves.

But I attribute the crashes to the fact that there is a lot going on in that project. And I know I get to executing a rapid fire set of commands, and not stopping to take breath now and then, thus giving PD8 and my computer a chance to catch up and finish processing all those edit commands I throw at it.

However, with just Peter's 1280x720 50fps clips gliding through the transitions in the Master timeline, they seem to play/preview just fine. But I'm sure if I added 4 frantic PIP's, plus added effects from the Effects Room in the effects track, I might have a different outcome.

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Open PD8 with no project loaded
Insert latest five sample clips
Play
Video freezes and audio continues between 4th & 5th clip

Save currently unsaved project
Play
Same freeze

Click on first clip
Click on "Movie" button
Play
Freeze between 3rd & 4th clip

Click on last clip
Click on "Movie"
Home
Play from start
Freeze between 3rd & 4th clip

Play from start (to which it has returned on its own)
Freeze between 1st & 2nd clip

Note that I've not inserted any transitions anywhere anyhow.

Now I insert fade between all clips using the button
Plays to end with no problem

Play again from start
Freeze between 2nd and 3rd clip

Play from middle of second clip
Freeze between 2nd and 3rd clip

Play at high speed using fast forward button
No problem

Play using normal play button
No problem

Play using normal play button
No problem

Play using normal play button
No problem

Play from middle of middle clip
No problem

Play using normal play button
No problem

Save
Play using normal play button
No problem

Add another instance of 1st clip after 5th clip
Play
Freeze between 5th and new 6th clip

Go end to end with fast forward again
Play
Freeze between 5th and new 6th clip
(so fast forwarding doesn't in itself fix the problem)

Add fade to all clips again (thus adding one to the 5th/6th)
Plays all

Plays again end to end

Shorten the end of the 1st clip by about one second by dragging right edge
Plays all

Play from start
Freeze between 5th & 6th clip

Play from start
Freeze between 3rd and 4th clip

I could go on... I see no clear pattern.

I have heard that when you get a lot of random crashes two possible causes are overheating of the system or memory problems........or the one I like the best......the moon is in the wrong phase. My youtube channel====> http://www.youtube.com/user/relate2?feature=mhsn

Whilst I haven't participated actively in this thread I'm not sure it's the moon phase that's important.

As with many things PD the words butterfly, flapping, wings, chaos and theory come to mind.

Having said that I applaud the co-operation demonstrated - it's what makes the forum a good thing.

Cheers
Adrian

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. (see below)
Confucius
AMD Phenom IIX6 1055T, win10, 5 internal drives, 7 usb drives, struggling power supply.

OVERHEATING? My system has so many fans, I use it to cool my house!
I attribute the crashes to the product...nothing else.

Later today I will try and replicate using some 30fps clips (AVCHD) to see if it is just the 50fps stuff.

The pattern is pretty consistant on mine, but, I also notice the random freezes/pauses/whiteouts when I move to quickly for PD8's liking.

Right now I attribute the freezes (here at least) as being related to this particular flavour of AVCHD which is pretty new, as I understand it, and there may not have been a chance for Cyberlink to test PD8 with it before the release date. I've also seen very heated debate elsewhere as to the inner structure of this AVCHD variant and the problems it can cause in replay and editing (on top of the usual AVCHD challenges!).

In my experience with releases by software companies, release dates are often set way in advance and if something new comes along between the setting of the date and the date itself, tough.

So I'm sitting on the fence for the moment.

Ouch....

SO we are talking about 50fps AVCHD videos here. For those reading along with this thread, in the hope of finding problems (and answers) with 30fps 1920 x 1080 clips, I cannot get the produce function to fail.

Adding transitions causes the preview timeline to jerk, go out of sync (sound) and sometimes freeze/pause the program. However, production always goes well and the movie is good at completion.

I am sad that I don't have a 50fps camera...and HAPPY at the same time.

An update - I've now found out how to hack project files to allow me to substitute one set of clips for another set having the same content but in a different video format.

If I substitute in my full project (almost 100 AVCHD 1280 x 720 Panasonic GH1 clips) clips in the same format (except 25fps instead of 50) transcoded using MediaShow Espresso, it plays through for 15 minutes from the timeline with no problems at all. Interestingly these transcoded clips have a similar Mbps figure to the original even though the frame rate is halved - their size compared to the originals is smaller but nothing like half.

So the problem seems to me proven to lie with something about the original clips themselves - either the way the frame types follow each other or the frame rate, but it's clearly not project related nor 1280 x 720 progressive AVCHD (as such) related.

Check out this post by Dafydd down the bottom about only using 2 cores of your cpu. It certainly worked for me with the fading transition and not enough system ram problems.

http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/7909.page My youtube channel====> http://www.youtube.com/user/relate2?feature=mhsn

I tried that already, thanks.