Newbie: VS very slow & laggy

[gugglebum]

Hi there - sorry if there is a very obvious answer to this but....I just bought VS10, only want to use it for making my own music & family holiday videos etc - I'm not a pro at this but have outgrown Windows MM.

However, when I import even small video files from my computer (AVI format, from my camera) + pics + an MP3, the whole thing slows right down, and lags about 5 seconds behind commands, making it virtually unusable....icons disappear while moving from Edit -> Audio options for example, and take ages to reappear, I am left just with outline frames.

I am not using big files, and I think my PC is a decent spec (XP SP2, AMD Athlon 64, NVidia GEForce 7900 card) and handles high spec games etc. Only thing it doesn't have is a decent soundcard (Realtek AC97 audio).

Can anyone advise on why this might be happening - it's soooo frustrating as I can see the programme itself is great and does what I need it to. NB I downloaded the trial of VS11 and - same thing.

If I need to upgrade something am happy to do so - but....what?

Thanks in advance for anything you can say to help.

[Ken Berry]

Well, it certainly shouldn't be doing that and doesn't normally... Otherwise, as you might imagine, this Board would be flooded with complaints from other users about precisely that!

Can you right click on one of your AVI files, please, either in the Video Studio timeline or in its library window, and copy ALL its properties here please. I ask since there are over 800 different video formats which use the .avi extension.

[Clevo]

And also... How much RAM do you have installed?

[Ron P.]

Is this happening all the time? The reason I ask, is while I've been trying to replicate problems reported here on the forums, I've noticed on one occasion VS start to slow way down. I found that my Anti-Virus decided it was time to scan my computer.

So anyway check to make sure that any anti-virus, anti-spyware scheduled updating is disabled. These things can kick in when you really don't want or expect them to..

[sjj1805]

Hi there - sorry if there is a very obvious answer to this but....I just bought VS10, only want to use it for making my own music & family holiday videos etc - I'm not a pro at this but have outgrown Windows MM. .......

Version 10 is already out of date by 2 years. The current version 11 was released a year and half ago and we are due for the next release soon.
I do hope you haven't been "had" and have been sold a "bad copy" by an unscrupulous source.

There are some tips here for speeding things up a bit.
Run a Program in High Priority
and
Creating a Video Editing Profile.

Please click here --> so that we can then view your system specifications.

[gugglebum]

[Can you right click on one of your AVI files, please, either in the Video Studio timeline or in its library window, and copy ALL its properties here please. I ask since there are over 800 different video formats which use the .avi extension.[/quote]

Thanks for your very quick reply. OK, picked a clip which I was using, and here's what it says...

FILE
File format: Microsoft AVI files
File size: 10,240KB
Frame rate: 15.000 frames/sec
Duration: 58.800 secs

VIDEO
Compression: Divx Decoder Filter
Attributes: 24 bits, 640x480
Total frames: 882 frames

AUDIO
Compression: Microsoft ADPCM
Attributes: 11.025KHZ, 4 bit, mono
Total samples: 647,564 samples

+++

I did notice, while I was waiting for the program to catch up, the blue Divx icon in the system tray would flash a few times. I couldn't use the program until it had decided to stop flashing.

Anyways, I really hope the above gives you something to go on, and look forward to your advice....

Many thanks
Martin

[gugglebum]

And also... How much RAM do you have installed?

1 gig of RAM according to the system.

[gugglebum]

Is this happening all the time? The reason I ask, is while I've been trying to replicate problems reported here on the forums, I've noticed on one occasion VS start to slow way down. I found that my Anti-Virus decided it was time to scan my computer.

So anyway check to make sure that any anti-virus, anti-spyware scheduled updating is disabled. These things can kick in when you really don't want or expect them to..

Hi - I did think of this one and made sure my machine wasn't running any checks and it wasn't. Yes, it does happen all the time - well, certainly it happens when I load in the media I want to edit. Possibly tellingly, it does NOT happen if I just work with the included video samples. etc. I think we might be getting somewhere

[gugglebum]

Version 10 is already out of date by 2 years. The current version 11 was released a year and half ago and we are due for the next release soon.
I do hope you haven't been "had" and have been sold a "bad copy" by an unscrupulous source.

Well, I bought it via Amazon from a Used & New Seller. It came sealed, the cd's were clearly unused, and the paper covers were sealed with a sticker which had the Serial Number on it, so it all seemed pretty kosher.

I did find the exact same problem when i downloaded the trial version of VS 11 - once my files were in for editing, the whole thing fatally slowed down. I'm starting to become convinced that either it's my system or it's the files I'm using.... ugh....

[martythebrit]

I've never worked with Div-X before, but it is a highly compressed format, I imagine it has to decompress the footage as you edit, which would explain the lag.

[Black Lab]

I agree with Marty. DivX is a highly compressed format used for distribution, and not meant to be edited. Do you have access to DV-AVI files (the VS samples would do)? Do they perform the same way?

And as Ron said, make sure nothing is running in the background (virus scan, MS or other software updates, etc.).

[gugglebum]

I agree with Marty. DivX is a highly compressed format used for distribution, and not meant to be edited. Do you have access to DV-AVI files (the VS samples would do)? Do they perform the same way?

And as Ron said, make sure nothing is running in the background (virus scan, MS or other software updates, etc.).

Yes, I tried the VS samples and they work fine, so it's clearly related to the DivX thing. However, I don't know what to do next. I'm taking the video clips from my camera, which is just a Samsung digital L700. I don't know if the clips come from that already in DivX format, or if the format is applied by my PC. I removed the DivX codec & bundle from my PC, but the result, predictably, was that I couldn't play any videos...So any advice on what to do next would be greatly appreciated - even if you can recommend a different camera - whatever!

Thanks for your help

[Ron P.]

Actually your camera records the video in MPEG-4 using the AVI containter. See This Website for more info on Samsung Digital L700.

I can't find anything saying that it uses the DivX codec, so it should not have any bearing on your video clips. When trying to insert a clip, in the Open Video File dialog window, change the Files of Type to MPEG-4 files(*.mp4). Then navigate to one of your video clips, select and open it. VS should accept it.

[martythebrit]

I didn't realize that you had a still photo camera that can record movies. I would use that for photo's and buy another camera for movies. Essentially it¡¦s a photo camera that can record movies, but it¡¦s primary function is good quality photo¡¦s. I think you¡¦ll be much happier with a real movie camera and have way better movies.

[gugglebum]

I didn't realize that you had a still photo camera that can record movies. I would use that for photo's and buy another camera for movies. Essentially it¡¦s a photo camera that can record movies, but it¡¦s primary function is good quality photo¡¦s. I think you¡¦ll be much happier with a real movie camera and have way better movies.

Yep I think you have hit the nail on the head. Problem only happens when I import clips taken by my wee camera, whether direct from the device or after taking them into my PC....so I think it's time to invest in something a bit more capable.

Thanks for all your good advice folks!