DSLR footage ridiculously choppy playback

Azmyth

Azmyth

Veteran
I don't know if its my computer of if there is something I need to do..

But, I can't get more than 2 or 3 clips on the timeline without playback being extremely choppy making it difficult to edit stuff where I am trying to make sure its in sync.

I have windows 7 with 4 gigs of ram, and a 6000+ 3ghz dual core CPU...
 
Which version of PP?

32-bit or 64-bit?

What kind of graphics card?

Older versions of Premiere aren't as good with that footage as newer versions, particularly CS5.

4 GB is a little light on RAM, especially if you're using W7 32-bit with a graphics card of 512MB or more.

Premiere leverages Nvidia graphics cards better than ATI, especially CS5 and the Mercury Playback Engine.

You may be a generation behind on what you need to cut DSLR footage smoothly. It's murder on a system.
 
A dual core should be enough to edit one stream of dslr footage. Scrubbing will be choppy but you should be able to play one stream back (without effects). Are you applying any effects and is the bar above your clip yellow or red?


Edit: Yeah, forgot to ask which version.
 
CS5. ATI Radeon 3870 512mb 64 bit windows 7.

Can I transcode into something that I can edit easier?
 
Yeah, not ideal. The Radeon isn't really helping you. A CUDA Nvidia card would be a big help. And more RAM.
 
Which DSLR? Some have better codecs than others.

Even on my machine, which is relatively beastly, I transcode almost always. Although that's mostly for when I have layered clips and effects, it's just a good habit to have, and Neoscene is incredible in that regard.

You also should get more RAM if you ever have a chance. Video eats that stuff like candy.
 
Can't I like do offline editing, and then link the offline files with the original files just for the render? I've heard of doing this somewhere..
 
A dual core Intel CPU might do it but I doubt a Dual Core AMD will play it back in highest quality. Using a quad core would be wise. I cheap Nvidia GT 240 with DDR5 RAM would also be a good investment. I did edit AVCHD using a Dual Core but the experience sucked. The quad Core i7 experience rocks.
 
A new graphics card won't help at all with simple playback. It only accelerates certain effects.

A new CPU is very much in order here. An Intel i7 950 or i7 2600K are the minimums you should consider for this kind of media.
 
I edit T2i footage on my i7 920 system in Premiere CS5 with no problems. Seems like you need a faster processor. The i7 2600k's are cheap check them out. I'm doing another build this year with one.
 
Take note that the new Sandy Bridge processors are in a state of flux right now. Intel found a problem with the chip on motherboards, so all mobos have been recalled for a fix. You may not be able to put together a new i7 2600K system for a couple of months.

In the meantime, go for an i7 950 for this kind of media.
 
I've tried to edit footage without a GPU in the system and it was shocking, may be something to do with CUDA; I thought that Nvidia found a way to make more use of the GPU for general video work rather then effects.
 
Azmyth said:
Can't I like do offline editing, and then link the offline files with the original files just for the render? I've heard of doing this somewhere..
Click to expand...

What about reducing the resolution of the playback in the program monitor - maybe try 1/2. That may help.
 
Make sure you right click the monitor and adjust playback resolution until you get smooth playback. Also given your current computer configuration you could get Cineform Neoscene and convert all dslr footage into Cineform Avis prior to editing. Converts quickly and edits/plays/scrubs in Premiere like butter!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top