slow preview?

[deedee]

Hi!

Just installed VS9. I made some projects in VS7, but it seems that the preview is very slow now..
for instance, i have this simple bit where i only put some titles (just some static words, no fx) on a background of a bitmap. now surely it shoudn't have a problem showing that, but it starts skipping.. the cpu goes up to 100% on my P IV 1.6. (memory seems to be sufficient).

other example: i have this bit where all that happens is that a color changes, each color 2 seconds. can't preview it properly!!

now should i have a pentium gigahzxx for this or am i doing something wrong..?

dee

[jchunter]

Dee,
IMHO, 1.6 GHz is marginal but should not choke. What are your project property settings? With no video in the timeline, they could be set to something strange...
Also, try creating a video file of the sequence and see how that plays.
John

[THoff]

(memory seems to be sufficient).

What makes you say that? How much RAM do you have? 512MB is the lower limit of what is practical with UVS 8 and later.

Also, make sure that the playback target doesn't include anything other than the Preview window -- if a dual-head or DV device is selected and not connected, playback can stall/stutter/lock up.

[deedee]

well, the task manager says not all memory is used (ok to be honest i have 256 mb but if it says 30 mb of it is unused i guess it is still enough?)

playback device is o.k. property settings are quite modest, the original files are small in size. (esides, it starts with just a bmp and a text overlay...)

dee

[THoff]

30MB of free memory is nothing, that can get chewed up in a hurry.

With only 256MB of RAM total, your system is likely constantly swapping to and from virtual memory, a symptom known as thrashing. You'll notice that there is constant hard disk activity, and the system will be quite sluggish and slow to respond to mouse clicks etc.

Adding another 256MB will help greatly.

[deedee]

o.k. i could try that, but the disk activity is very low at the point that the movie starts skipping.. it's the cpu that goes up to 100%. which is cool if it's some effect rendering, but just a text overlay on a bitmap background..?

dee

[THoff]

Is that a desktop P4, or a P4M (mobile/laptop)? A P4M should have no trouble with realtime preview, whereas an old desktop P4 will be quite busy doing that.

[deedee]

desktop.. not _that_ old though..

i really wonder if adding more memory will help as the task mamager says there's still some RAM available. but mayby XP always keeps some ram available? will adding RAM make the task for the cpu a bit 'easier'?

dee

[deedee]

well i just got 256 mb extra but it doesn't make a difference. it does make a slight difference when i put the project properties down a lot, but it becomes blurry as well. it just seems to 'hang' after 10-15 seconds, hit the pause button and it takes many seconds before it finally stops, and the cpu stays up to 100%... sluuugggissshhh.

btw does the edit-> resampling quality affect the final render? (that would be silly as you'd have to change the program settings every time you want to render something)

dee

[integron]

I have been a computer tech for 20 years and can tell you this problem is associated with your physical hardware not your software. I went through what you are experiencing first upgraded to XP Pro, then dual hard drives and found that one drive was old and not working properly. Assessment towards speed of hard disk- NTFS for sure. With computers ALL components are as good as the weakest link. In this order an NLE is built for speed in rendering. First Motherboard with sufficent RAM 1 gb recommended then new hard drive atleast 7200rpm with all cache, internet files and even defrag run on the drive (general cleanup). Then video atleast 64mb. And disconnect any slower legacy periferals to the machine. And second to last a weakened power supply causes unforeseen problems with all components. And lastly update the BIOS on the motherboard or just buy a new motherboard ASUS makes some of the best in my opinion.