Lagging overlaytracks

[Wouterj1993]

Hi,

This afternoon i wanted to use corel videostudio X5 for putting some .AVI files in sequence as a making-of movie for
my local youth-musicalassociation. The AVI files are imported succesfully and previewing as clips works just fine.
Now, when i put one of the clips in the main videotrack it also runs fine, but when i put one of the clips in one of the
overlaytracks it becomes laggy (sometimes at instant, sometimes after 2-3 secs.). I've used VS X5 before using clips in the overlaytracks which ran fine.

File format details
Video: 24 bits, 1280x720, 29.97 frames/sec
Audio: 44,100 kHz, 4 Bit, Stereo

Any ideas on why this is happening?
(If any more information besides my laptop's specs, please let me now )

[EDIT:]
Nevermind the striped-through sentence above. Now, next morning (as i'm from the Netherlands) the clips previewing from the imported items still works fine,
but the clips do also lag when inserted into the main videotrack.

Post edited by lata--- I have removed that line

[lata]

Hi
Some thoughts?
You say you are making a movie, would that be a DVD Disc or a video file played on the computer.

Your video file is using 29.97 fps, that is NTSC standard, Netherlands use Pal at 25fps, the difference may impact on the final quality.
Set your Project properties to use NTSC, then the timeline will display all video frames.

AVI is just a container there are hundreds of different types???, right click a clip and choose properties, what are they?

I don’t quite understand what you mean by lagging, is it a playback issue, jumpy/jerky, or they out of sync?
It may be that Video Studio needs to use Smart Proxy, make sure this is enabled and that the files have been created, that should improve playback.
A small icon will show on the clip when Proxy Files have been created.
View Settings – Smart Proxy File Manager to see a list of files created.

Can you say that playback has improved when using Smart Proxy

[Wouterj1993]

Hi Lata,

I was making a video which will be rendered into a videofile for playing on a computer and i would like
to make a DVD from it as well, but the videofile is my main goal.

The lag i'm talking about concerns the video playback in the preview-window. The sound keeps going well but the video
is like it skips frames in the preview, just to be able to keep up with the sound. It's like watching some CCTV footage.
As you suggested i enabled the Smart Proxy option and let VSX5 create the proxy files, too bad it didn't helped though.

Just to be sure my copy of VSX5 didn't get corrupted somehow i tried to install VSX7, though it's in trial period worked just fine!
Though i'm pleased VSX7 doesn't lag, i don't have the smallest clue why .

[lata]

Hi

Can you render the video to Mpeg2, that is the format required to burn a DVD.

Share Create Video File – DVD 16:9

You may have to use the Custom option to set 29.97 fps, or create your own ntsc template using Tools Make Movie Templates Manager……….
Otherwise the default settings will convert it to Pal.

If that plays ok in the timelines then it does appear to be a timeline playback problem and not affecting the output files.

Are you able to provide a sample of the original video file, upload to maybe One Drive, DropBox or indeed any convenient sharing site.

[Wouterj1993]

Yes, i can render succesfully a MPEG2 file, with settings on PAL (as i'm from the netherlands). Playback in X7 isn't the problem, and as i'm
getting comfortable with X7 i think i'll stay with it. However, a brand-new problem raised itself...
When i try to create a DVD-menu in X7 i'm getting a white screen on where the dvdmenu should be previewed.
It occurs after i tried what a different dvd-setting would do with the "projectsettings" button in the dvd-creating menu
http://i59.tinypic.com/etzknp.png

[lata]

Hi

First your project is a little to large, showing Yellow on the timeline.
The progress bar should show only green

Try selecting a Thumbnail or Text menu, that uses less memory than Smart Scene.

Do the thumbnail or Text menus display ok.

Do you have QuickTime and Flash installed on your computer. I am not sure if these are required to display some details within the program.

[Wouterj1993]

Hi,

Berfore i tried what a different dvd-setting would do i succesfully created a dvd with X7, also with the sizebar within
the yellow. When i proceeded to burning the dvd, X7 warned me that the dvd was "probalby" too large, but burned succesfully.

I tried to alter the dvdmenu template, but still am getting a white screen where the menu-preview should be. When i hit the button that show me the running preview of the dvd menu it seems to work ok, but the editable small preview is still white.

I've been checking whether i've got Quicktime and Flash installed and concluded they are.

[Wouterj1993]

Bump

[Davidk]

Hi there,

If you are still getting playback lags - not really evident from the latest posts - one place to look for the cause is the location of the source files and their interface to your machine.

Example from personal experience
Project source files on a USB memory stick, attached to laptop running X6 and X7, being edited in a vsp. Edit OK, but when playback selected (eg to see effects of recent changes) the play would proceed and then the image seems jammed, but the audio kept going. After a few seconds - longer than one's inclination to hit stop because a problem is suspected - the imagery starts again and catches up. Only for the process to repeat a little while latter.

After a lot - a lot lot lot - of investigating, I concluded that the issue was that a slow laggard transfer of data between the source files and X7 (and X6 before it) was the main cause: basically the program, running playback would begin working and then was being starved of data by the slow interface to the memory store. (recall: getting data from a file is not done directly but by function calls to the OS, which in turn calls the routines which read the data from a memory store. In the mean time, VS continues playing using the data it has: until that data runs out before the OS refills the cache. If the cache is refilled before the end, playback continues without you noticing anything). The cache being re-filled, playback resumes until data starvation again occurs. Happened to me using more than one memory stick and several sets of project files.

Basic cause: a specific brand (Imation classic) of usb2 memory stick plugged into a usb3 port. Commonly used because it is cheap and thus widely used. Some other brands of usb2 memory stick did not seem to be affected. In this configuration, the data transfer rate is limited to the slowest partner - the usb2 stick. And a handy MS tool confirmed that it was a usb2 stick, but the variation in usb2 memory performance seems to indicate that the brand mentioned was at the bottom end of the spec range.

Commentary
This lagging memory transfer effect won't just be evident for VS playback. It will affect every operation being performed with that memory stick, like explorer file copying. The VS playback just makes it noticeable because the imagery now has a critical external time reference measuring it's performance (you).

Ways to alleviate it:
1) add more RAM to your machine. Go to the allowable limit if you can. What this does is (among other things) allow larger data cache sizes for the program to work with. If lagging playback still happens, it won't be as often, and lasts for shorter duration.
2) use usb sticks that match the port you are using (eg a usb3 stick for a usb3 port).
3) copy all your project source files from the memory stick to the computer's internal hard drive before beginning editing work (best option). Irritating, but once I started doing this, playback issues went away.

Cheers,

Davidk

[lata]

Hi

Sorry for the delay in my replies, I have not been on the forum as much as I wished.
The image of the gallery shows three templates, do you have a similar issue with all templates.

The template image you show is called 07_OneS01_W.jpg
The template itself is a UFO file -- 07_OneS01_W.ufo.
There are a few others associated with each template.

At least that’s what I have, they are here:-
C:\Program Files\Corel\Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X7\Content\Menu Template\16x9\One Scene Button

Do you see the files in the above folder