Tuning MOV -> AVIsynth -> Virtualdub -> Premiere

[dirtdad]

Let me start with my workflow

1) Contour HD camera source. MOV, h.264
2) AVIsynth directshowsource to read MOV into Virtualdub
3) Deshaker (works great, it is why I am messing with this)
4) Save as AVI (and some kind of codec)
5) Read the AVI into Adobe Premiere Elements 9 for more editing

Before this I was just working in Premiere, getting great performance, great looking results, etc. without using virtualdub. Then I fell in love with deshaker. I have been figuring out all of the tools above to make this work.

The problem I am encountering is that I cannot find a codec for the AVI output from Virtualdub that gives me good playback performance. I made the noob errors of doing uncompressed and overcompressed for editing. I have been trying lossless huffyuv and logarith. The AVI files generated by them work, but they run slow (stutter, freeze, sometimes crash) whereas all of the MOV input files and mpeg output files (that I create as output from Premiere) I have been working with so far all run great. The AVIs that come out of Virtualdub run slow in Premiere and even in movie players like wmv and realplayer. I have also tried link2, that ran slow in Premiere, too. I wait for the peak file to get generated, btw. I render all of the timeline that Premiere says needs to be rendered.

The files have the playback problem throughout. Some of they may start playing fast for a few seconds, sometimes the play fast, then slow, then fast, etc. Sometimes the freeze for a second or two than start again. My system is a Dell with an i5 2.53GHz and 3.24G RAM, Nvidia 3100M mobile gfx, it is fast for all other kinds of video work so far.

I have tried rendering mpeg output files in Premiere just to test, and the rendering process is slow and crashes, too.

Are there other codecs I should be looking at? Are codecs likely the problem? Are lossless codecs just going to be slow at playback time?

[manono]

Since the lossless codecs aren't the final output format, what do you care how they play on their own?

It's if the final DVD or whatever is intended plays slow and/or jerky, that's when you should start to worry. Those lossless codecs are real CPU hogs (and even more so when Hi-Def video is involved) and apparently you don't have enough power to play them smoothly. So what?

[dirtdad]

It is hard to edit that way, and it randomly freezes. The final rendering takes hours and is also prone to freezing.

[manono]

Yeah, but freezing has nothing to do with the codec used, I don't guess, but is more likely due to heat buildup or some other hardware problem. I use Lagarith all the time and it doesn't freeze on me.

You're dealing with Hi-Def source material, right? It always takes a long time, especially when rendering out of something like Premiere. The only fix for that is to buy yourself the latest and greatest.

Maybe someone else has some ideas.

[dirtdad]

I have changed around codecs and format until I have something that works but lossy. Indeo 5.2 XP plays back ok - just barely. And instead of saving to mpeg2 from Premiere I am saving to wmv windows media 9. I would write it off to the speed of my laptop, but several codecs crash the players or won't play at all. I am beginning to think I need to clean up the codecs on my system.

Is there a guide to tell me how to uninstall/reinstall all of my codecs? Not all of them can be managed with Control Panel.

[Khaver]

If you install the free GoPro Cineform Studio (GoPro bought out Cineform) it will install a light version of the Cineform VFW codec (no 4.4.4 encoding, but that's ok since your video is 4.2.0). This is a visually lossless codec made specifically for editing. You will be able to save to Cineform AVI from Virtualdub and use these in Premiere.

[dirtdad]

That is a great codec, it seems to have done the trick. Everything plays at a good speed, has good quality, edits fine, etc. Thanks for that suggestion!

One last little problem on my system. Windows media player cannot play the mpeg2 videos that come out of Premiere Elements 9, but divx can. It is an annoyance, but could be the sign of a bigger problem and I would like to fix it. Does anyone have any suggestions about what might cause that?

If you install the free GoPro Cineform Studio (GoPro bought out Cineform) it will install a light version of the Cineform VFW codec (no 4.4.4 encoding, but that's ok since your video is 4.2.0). This is a visually lossless codec made specifically for editing. You will be able to save to Cineform AVI from Virtualdub and use these in Premiere.

[Khaver]

You don't have a Directshow MPEG2 decoder installed. Install ffdshow (look in the codecs section of this website) for MPEG2 decoding.

[dirtdad]

Woohoo, that fixed that, looks like I am good to go. It was a lot of work to figure out, but worth it to get video stabilization. Thanks Khaver!

You don't have a Directshow MPEG2 decoder installed. Install ffdshow (look in the codecs section of this website) for MPEG2 decoding.

[HexCam]

I know this thread is a year old but, if you are still about Khaver, I would just like to thank you from saving me from tearing what remains of my hair out!!

Thank you!

Elliott
www.hexcam.co.uk

[Khaver]

Still here. Glad I could help.

[HexCam]

I had Cineform installed as I use GoPros, but didn't think of using it as an AVI codec after deshaking in Virtualdub.

I have been messing about and searching the web for ages trying to repackage AVIs with the same frustrations that dirtdad had. Now the full HD is editing and rendering so fast, it is great!