Premiere Pro AVI file incomplete?

[kentmcpherson]

I just upgraded from Studio8 to Premiere Pro so I admit I'm in the learning curve here. But I take an AVI file created from S8 that is a 30-minute TV show and bring it into PPro. I edit out the commercials and write out a new AVI file. When I analyze the new AVI file with AVIcodec, it says the file "is incomplete (too small)". When I encode it with TMPGEnc, I get the audio stream only - no video.

I used to do this with S8 and it worked. (One of the few things that did work in S8 ) The AVI file created in PPro is rendered with Microsoft DV AVI codec according to PPro.

Is there a better tool to analyze an AVI file than AVIcodec and see what's wrong with it? I thought when I moved up to PPro I was going to eliminate problems - not create new ones.

[BJ_M]

don't use the microsoft dv codec -- the quality is the pits , its really pretty bad ...

[kentmcpherson]

OK, how do I change the AVI codec that Premiere Pro uses to render an AVI file?

[BJ_M]

Adobe Premiere Pro uses the new Adobe DV Codec , unless you tell it to use the MS one .. the adobe one is by main concept (i think) and is all right ..

check your documentation on using the adobe codec

[kentmcpherson]

The MainConcept encoder is used to create mpgs fro PPro. For AVI files from the Export Movie menu, there appear to be only 2 AVI options: 1) Microsoft AVI, and 2) Microsoft DV AVI. I tried #2 which is what started this thread in the first place. I don't see any ability to add other codecs to the Export Movie menu.

[BJ_M]

http://forum.mainconcept.com/viewtopic.php?t=1202&highlight=panasonic

... am using Premiere Pro. This contains the MC DV codec version 2.4.4.

[kentmcpherson]

BJ_M: I looked through the thread on MC's website for which you provided the link. I didn't get what it or you were trying to tell me. The mcdsdv.ax file that is installed on my system that came with Adobe Encore DVD is V2.1.0.1 according to the version tab on the file properties.

Also, I just installed a utility called Gspot and looked at the incomplete AVI file created by PPro. Gspot says:

Corrupt AVI Header: This is an invalid AVI file due to corruption of the data in the header. This is a serious problem, and this file is not likely to be playable.

Details: While processing chunk /RIFF:AVI , found bad length value 2147110612 at file offset 0x000021c4

[kentmcpherson]

One more data point. I just did another test where I captured a VHS segment through the Dazzle 150; converted the mpg file to an AVI in Studio8; edited that AVI file to remove commercials; wrote out a new AVI file from Studio8.

Gspot says the unedited AVI file is fine but the edited AVI file it says is corrupt. AVIcodec says gives the same file is incomplete message on the editing AVI file so that part has nothing to do with either Studio8 or PPro.

Sorry for all that. So now I'm back to why is the video in an AVI file created with PPro and the MS DV AVI codec not visible to TMPGEnc?

[racer-x]

BJ_M:

Thanks for posting that link. It helps explain a lot of the poor performance I'm getting with Premiere Pro. I've been playing with it now for a week or so. I find it does fades of very poor quality compared with Premiere 6.5. I too use a Panasonic Camera, but not the one that they use. Mine is a PV-DV953 3CCD Camcorder. All my videos edited in Premiere 6.5 came out perfect. The ones edited in Premiere Pro are very sub-par. It appears that the Main Concept DV Codec is to blame. Premiere 6.5 uses Microsoft DV Codec.

The problem isn't limitted to video footage. If I import an image, make is say 20 sec long, overlay a tittle on it and set long fade-ins and fade-outs, the quality during the fades are poor at best. The Main Concept DV Codec is used to render the video during those fades. In Premiere 6.5, the same image and tittle with the same length fades, would look perfect. Again Microsoft DV Codec is used in Premeier 6.5. It apears that the Main Concept DV Codec in Premiere Pro is not up to par.