Video Studio 10 Plus unexpected pixels shifting

[ste66]

Hi everybody

First of all many thanks to Steve who helped me in solving my problem logging in.

I created a new project in Video Studio 10 plus (Upgrade version) with a short clip, about 7 seconds trimmed out of a longer one, and some jpeg images, all on the main track; I added titles and music, shared in a wmv file and all was right.

I powered off my PC and the next day I made some changes to the project, specifically I changed the music file on the music track, removed some images, modified some titles and adjusted duration. Now, regardless the output format I choose, when I create the video both the video section and the image section are a little confused, I mean quite "foggy" or better, not focused.
I eventually found out that now in the Video Studio editor a small shift of pixel occurs in the upper right direction when the video plays: if I move the slider, or simply click on it, the shift is evident, when I release the slider ("unclick" it) all the pixels return to their original position. But when the video plays it seems that both the original image and the shifted image are shown overlapping, so the result is a non focused effect. And this occurs also to titles, while all is ok with sound.

I experienced in the past other kinds of problems, arising unexpectly mainly when creating output files or disks, and found out that saving the project with another name or, at last, creating a new project was a workaround, but not this time.

Then I tried opening projects done in the past with the same or previous version of Video Studio, with no problem in the output files, and found out that they are now affected by the same issue.

I repaired the intallation of Video Studio, uninstalled and reinstalled it, but no way, the problem is still there.

Any idea about a solution?

Thanks in advance

Stefano

[Black Lab]

I'm assuming these changes you made were, in fact, made to the original project, not the resulting wmv that you produced. If so, it sounds as if this project file has somehow become corrupted. Have you tried re-creating the same project from the original clips?

Please tell us the properties of your video clips (right click on a clip in the library or timeline).

Tell us the properties of your project (File>Project Properties).

[ste66]

Yes, you're right, the changes have been made in the project.

I've already tried to recreate a new project with the same clip and images, but it doesn't work; and also other projects done in the past now have the same issue (see my previous post).

I've tried also to create a new project with only one clip or one image, using different ones each time, but no way, the problem is always the same.

The properties of the project and of the clip are the same: Microsoft AVI, lower field first, display ratio 4:3. I experimented also in changing this settings (frame based, 16:9) but it doesn't help.

The clip comes from a Sony DCR-HC20E, which records Mini-DV; the images from a Nikon D80.

The OS is Windows XP Professional SP2

At this point I don't think it's a problem of the project, but of some setting that has changed and that neither installation repair nor reinstallation of Video Studio fix. Or some environment property or setting that Video Studio doesn't treat in the right way: in fact. if I play the wmv video done first by this project, or other video files, in Windows Media Player, they look correct, so it doesn't seem to be a system problem, but a Video Studio problem

[Black Lab]

How are you connecting your camera to your PC, via firewire?

You say you've tried a new project using the same clip and you get the same results. You also said you used different clips, but are they ones you had already captured? In other words, have you tried shooting new footage and using that?

[bvideo]

Does ULVS use the graphics card "overlay" I wonder? If so, it sounds like the shift is occurring at the moment the program would be entering or leaving the overlay mode. And then this would point to graphics card configuration or maybe the configuration of what mode ULVS uses for playback. Just guessing.
Bill B.

[ste66]

The camera is connected to PC via firewire.

I've tried with different clips captured in the past, not with new ones; same for images, which are transferred via USB 2.

After reading Black Lab post I shoot a new photo and transferred it: nothing changes, in a new project with only that image in the main track I get again a shift. This occurs also if I put the image in the overlay track instead of the main track.

But let me say that nothing explains why at first the project, and all previous ones too, worked correctly; I don't think the issue is in the project or in the clips, but in Video Studio interaction with the environment where something happened when powering off the PC after the creation of the first video file (or when creating that file, or when switching on again the computer, or ...). In fact I created the file, played it, shut down the notebook, switch it on again the next day, opened Video Studio, made the changes I described in the first post, shared the new video file and, when playing it, I noticed the problem; nothing else. Then I suppose something happened in one of these phases.

I don't know if this can help, but the first file shared was a WMV HD PAL (1440 x 1080 25 fps) and worked good, the second one was a WMV (352 x 288 30 fps) and got the issue; from that moment playing the project in Video Studio Editor or creating any output file format gives the same problem.

After writing about the creation of the two files above, I've got a suspect about fps and took a look at setting of Video Studio: TV standard are both set to PAL (25 fps) in Video Studio Preference and Project Properties (but is playing on PC in Windows Media Player affected by these settings?).

I've got also a look at graphic card driver setting, as guessed by Bill, but found out nothing about overlay; it's an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256 MB memory installed on HP notebook NX9420, CPU Intel T2400, 1.83 GHz, 1 GB RAM, choosed specifically for its power thinking to video editing. And up to now it has always worked good.
Usually I use high capacity external HDs with no less than 7200 RPM connected via firewire or USB 2 and get no problem, but in this case moving the files on the local HD (85GB with 42 GB free and a very small project, the greater source file is the 123 MB AVI from the camera) doesn't solve the issue.

Thanks to everybody trying to help me.

Stefano