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  1. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
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    United States
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    I've been wondering if there is a more 'efficient' codec that I can use for editing in premiere. I usually use the picvideo mjpeg (18 or 19) which seems to work 'ok' and retains decent quality throughout the workflow but, I'm sometimes annoyed with the lag on my 3.2 P4 (1.25gb pc3200). Maybe I just need to get up to 2gb of ram...

    What's your opinion on the best format to edit?
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  2. Premiere was optimized for DV video editing.

    When you start a new project, it asks if you want a preset design or to create a custom one. Any preset you choose expects DV codec information, which means all the mjpeg codec video must be re-rendered into DV format for Premiere to display (This is probably the source of your lag). The best thing to do is create a new project, and on the new dialog, choose custom and select "Video for Windows" as your video editing mode, and set PicVideo as the codec for rendering previews. Now you can use PicVideo mjpeg without a problem.

    Also, keep in mind that any filters, Effects, and adjustments will cause the processor to have to render the effects on the fly while scrubbing through the timeline. To prevent this, hit "Enter" after adding effects, filters, speed changes, etc. before you try to scrub the timeline to check the edited video.

    I have an AMD64 1800+ with only 1.5 GB Ram and use PicVideo as well and have no lag except when doing the things I mentioned above.

    A second option to look at is the hard drive you are using. Is it fast enough to play Full motion Video in realtime? You need plenty of free space and a sustained transfer rate of 33MB MINIMUM. Most ATA drives drop below 33 after about 30 seconds of sustained video transfer and then you get lag and stuttering (ATA100 is a PEAK burst rate, not sustained rate. ATA 133 or SATA seem to consistently be high enough for no trouble) I suggest a basic drive for software and a separate, dedicated drive (ATA133 or SATA150) for video editing. That prevents multiple access issues due to page files, etc.

    Good Luck!!
    Mike
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  3. Member
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    Mar 2004
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    United States
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    Great information!

    I have not been setting a custom workspace... thanks for the heads up!

    I've just migrated up from 6 so I'm still getting used to the 'realtime' rendering aspect of 7... It is really neato to preview the results of the filters in real-time but I have to keep in mind the obvious tax on the processor...

    True I'm giving my drive a workout... I'm editing on a laptop, the drive is a 7200 rpm 60g but the interface is fuzzy (ata? sata? 133? 150? dunno...) Would an external firewire or usb 2 drive work better for storing project data? Like most video junkies I have a pile of those!!
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  4. I try to avoid laptops due to the power savings vs processing speed compromise, so I can't help much on that, but if you have a firewire connection, that "should" be fast enough for an external video drive.

    I would also only edit video when the laptop is plugged in, since the mobile chips drop performance when on battery power. I don't know about the newer chips, but the older mobile chips had about a 20% drop in performance!

    You don't notice it in Word, Excel, or other programs, but video, 3D Graphics, or other heavy duty programs really show the gap in performance. Laptops work, but I like Desktops more. (Yeah I'm Biased )

    Mike
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  5. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
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    Miskatonic U
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    When I started I transfered DV on a celeron 500 using 5400 rpm drives without any problems. Turn off all power saving features, shutdown all unneeded background processes, capture to the internal drive and transfer it to the external drive afterwards. Render from one drive to the other. (So yes, and external firewire/USB2 drive is probably a good thinsg, depending on how you use it)
    Read my blog here.
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