How can I keep VS10 from showing a preview when rendering

[edrebisz]

I capture my favorite half hour TV show, edit out the ads, then render the AVI file into MPEG2. During the rendering process, sometimes I get a playback on the preview screen and sometimes the screen remains still. When I get the playback, the file renders in 18 mins. When there is no playback. it renders in only 12 mins. How can I stop VS from showing the playback?

[Ken Berry]

The rendering time is only indirectly related to what shows on the preview screen during the render. If you have a project which contains, say, mpeg-2 video and you have edited it, then at the end of it want to render it into another mpeg-2 file, then you will select Share > Create Video File > DVD (or mpeg-2).

By default, something called SmartRender is enabled which will only render those bits of the files in your project which have been edited i.e changed. During the rendering process, for the unchanged bits, the preview window will only display the first frame i.e. the preview looks as though it has stopped because in effect the program skips those bits and is looking for the next edited bit to work on. In other words, there will only be a moving image when it is rendering the changed/edited bits.

But if, say, you start out with a project composed of (say) DV/AVI files (or something else) and want to render it at the end to a completely different format (say DVD compatible mpeg-2), then the whole project will have to be rendered. In that case, SmartRender does not work, and so the whole render appears in slow motion in the preview window and the rendering process takes longer because the program has to do a lot more work in rendering every frame.

But the fact that the preview window shows all this in no way affects the rendering speed. I repeat that that is only the product of how much work the program has to do. In a SmartRender situation, it only renders those frames which have been edited. In a non-SmartRender situation, it has to render each and every frame. Hence, a lot more work and a longer rendering time. Simple equation.

[edrebisz]

Hi Ken,

A little more information: So far I have captured and edited about 45 of these files. I capture to DV-AVI, edit out commercials, then create a MPEG-2 file. I believe there is no smartrender involved in this case.

I use multi-trim to get rid of the ads. I then go to SHARE and do a create file selecting NTSC-MPEG-2.

As you say, most of the time I see only the first frame in preview pane. When this happens, the file is created in 12 mins. However, about one in three times the entire clip plays during the render process. When it does, it takes 18+ mins to create the file.

I follow the same procedure each time. The files are all the same length. The original DV-AVI file are 30 mins long and edit out to about 20 and a half mins. How can I insure that the preview doesn't play

[Ken Berry]

Pass!

All I can think of is that VS thinks that some of the files are not fully DVD compliant and so feels it has to fully render the whole thing (if you are sure SmartRender is always enabled).

Frankly I am not sure whether you can turn the preview window off. As I say, it is irrelevant to the type of processing being done and the time taken to do it. You could always try changing the Instant Playback target under File > Preferences > General to 'DVD Camcorder' instead of 'Preview Window', I suppose, though I am not sure that would do much good.

[2Dogs]

If VS is not making use of Smart render, it will always show the progress of the re-encoding in the preview window.

I trust you are absolutely certain that you are always rendering to mpeg-2, and not unwittingly rendering to the same properties as, say, the first clip on those occasions when it renders faster?

On a completely unrelated note, I wonder if you are an overclocker - your system looks custom rather than "Tier One".

[edrebisz]

Guys, thanks for the replies.

Ken, I will try setting the preview to an external device. Unfortunately, I've converted all 49 files I have captures and will have to wait till I capture more. Everything I've read about SmartRender says that when starting with a DV-AVI file and creating an MPEG2 file, a complete render will always be done. Am I correct in thinking this?

2Dogs, when I do the create file, I always select the NTSC MPEG2 option. My input files are 6.5 GB .avi files and my outputs are 0.8 GB .mpg files.

My system is homemade but I do not overclock. I find it plenty fast enough for most things. Even with the preview active, the 20.5 minute file fully renders in 18.5 minutes. From what I see of other peoples render times, I really shouldn't complain. It's just that I know it can be faster.

Ken, an interesting observation. My edited file always ends up as four segments. When the create file process runs and the preview doesn't play, the frame showing in the window is always the first frame of the last segment, not the first.

Ed Rebisz

[sl2008]

How can I make VS11+ to recognize my secondary monitor (LCD TV 40") as an external device ? My system is a Vista Ultimate with a NVIDIA 8800 card dual head and quad core CPU. I use the 2nd monitor in a dual-view configuration (not a clone). It looks like the application (VS11+) doesn't even "see" the 2nd monitor.

Going to "preferences" and instant playback target , all I have is preview window and DV camcorder. No mention to my 2nd monitor.

Any clue ?

Thanks

Sergio

[Ken Berry]

ED -- re your first question, as I already told you:

But if, say, you start out with a project composed of (say) DV/AVI files (or something else) and want to render it at the end to a completely different format (say DVD compatible mpeg-2), then the whole project will have to be rendered.

[2Dogs]

My system is homemade but I do not overclock. I find it plenty fast enough for most things. Even with the preview active, the 20.5 minute file fully renders in 18.5 minutes. From what I see of other peoples render times, I really shouldn't complain. It's just that I know it can be faster.

If I had a system like that and wasn't overclocking it, it would feel like driving a Ferrari and staying in 2nd gear! The P5K has a very user friendly auto overclocking feature which ASUS call "Super Memspeed Technology". All you need is decent quality memory - and you surely installed some quality memory to go with your top of the range motherboard. Even with the Intel retail heatsink and fan, the C2D cpu's have such good thermals that you can get significantly more performance - like 3.6gHz+ at stock voltage!

To return to the subject of your post though.... so long as you are encoding an avi to mpeg-2, there is no possibility of Smart render being activated.

Since you can rule out the possibility of having inadvertently smart rendered the files that rendered faster, there must be something else going on.

Are you writing the output files to the same hard drive each time?

Are all scheduled programs disabled whilst you are rendering video? Eg anti-virus scanners, screen savers etc.

Maybe it could relate to your RAID setup - not that I know of any problems specific to that, but most VS users aren't using RAID arrays.

[Ken Berry]

2Dogs -- I am just a little puzzled as to where you saw that he has a P5K motherboard when the motherboard details are not there on either his Profile or System button...???

[2Dogs]

2Dogs -- I am just a little puzzled as to where you saw that he has a P5K motherboard when the motherboard details are not there on either his Profile or System button...???

Hi Ken, I know that we're in different time zones, but I suspect Ed may have updated his profile since you checked it - I just clicked on his "system" info.

Happy holidays to you!

[sjj1805]

Before getting excited about the prospect of overclocking you must remember that the chip manufacturer did various tests to establish what was considered to be the safe maximum speed for a processor.

In this world where one chip manufacturer is in competition with another, if the chip could be guaranteed to work at a higher speed then the manufacturer would have designated it to do so.

There is a risk, however slight, attached to running a processor at higher speeds than the manufacturer intended. This will range from
1. Nothing - you are lucky and got away with it.
2. Programs misbehaving
3. Fried motherboard
4. Fire.

[2Dogs]

Hi Steve,

whilst it's certainly true that overclocking is not for everybody, the thing is that the C2D chips in particular have such fantastic headroom and great thermals that it's possible to overclock them without the kind of risks associated with overclocking previous generations of cpu. You can literally double the speed of the E2000 series for example, on air cooling.

For example, the Pentium 4 Prescott cpu's were widely regarded as being "flamethrowers" - i.e. they ran really hot, at stock settings. Even a highly overclocked C2D runs much cooler than a P4E running at stock settings - yet I don't hear too much about P4E's failing early.

Secondly, motherboards such as the P5K are specifically oriented towards enthusiasts and overclockers. They feature significantly better cooling of components such as the Northbridge, and some can run FSB speeds of 1600mHz. You wouldn't want to overclock a low end motherboard - and in fact motherboards on all Tier One pc's from the big name brands all have a cut down BIOS that precludes overclocking.

As I suggested in my post, you also need to use decent quality RAM. This too is oriented at enthusiasts, and able to be run at greater than stock speeds, in contrast to products sold in the "Value RAM" sector. The higher capability RAM will often feature heat spreaders.

One thing that does cause problems is a poor quality power supply. In order to achieve stable overclocking, you need a power supply that can provide sufficient current at all the various voltage taps, with stable voltages. Many low end units fitted in budget pc's are not good performers, and will limit the potential overclock in an otherwise capable setup. Intel in particular have some very exact requirements for power supply specs for their C2D range.

I personally think it's a good idea to use a quality power supply even in a non-overclocked pc.

You might suggest that an overclocked cpu, since it will be running a little hotter (though still less than the older cpu's like the P4E range) might not last as long. Well, for me, even if it were true, that wouldn't be too much of a concern. In general, a five year old cpu is pretty slow, and probably in dire need of replacement or upgrading.

For me, moderate overclocking might be analogous to inflating your car tyres another couple of psi. You get a bit of a boost in MPG, with little detriment. I'm certainly not an advocate of extreme overclocking for the sake of it, but home built systems can have a "sweet spot" allowing a mid range cpu to perform as well as a top end one.

So I think we'll remain on opposite sides of the divide on this one!

Happy holidays!

[sjj1805]

......
So I think we'll remain on opposite sides of the divide on this one!

Happy holidays!

Not quite..... I know that overclocking is something done by a large number of computer users and there are even dedicated sites and forums relating to overclocking. I just want to make our members aware that there are dangers involved and before following this course of action you need to do your homework and make sure you are both competent and confident before overclocking your machine.

Happy Christmas to you also and I thank you for the help and suggestions you have also provided to our forum members.