render "stutters"

[Skipper]

I have made an 11minute video using VS 2018 including some use of the Mercalli image stabilisation plug in on a number of pan shots. Beyond that there is nothing very special or complex about the project.
The footage was shot on my now aging Canon Legria HFG30 which is set to record 50P and save in H.264 giving an output of True HD of Blu-ray quality. So, when I rendered it I chose AVC/H.264 and selected AVC (1920 x 1080, 50p, 28Mbps)
The first 4minutes or so run perfectly well and produce a very high quality image file in .m2t that I then re-name .mpg so they will play on my smart TV, also in the same beautiful HD.
Lata suggested the renaming of these files to me several years ago as a way to get around the painful rendering and burning of Blu-Ray discs.
The problem is that after about 4 or more minutes the picture in the video starts having intermittent micro seizures which continue towards the latter part of the 11 minute video then disappear as mysteriously as they arrived, leaving the remaining footage, perhaps 3 plus minutes unscathed. In total there may be about 15 of these seizures over a 4 minute period. The files already display the stutters before the name change, even playing back on my PC from .m2t files - same places on the video exactly. I have re-rendered without any benefit, checked for obvious signs in the timeline which might cause this (thought it might relate to the sound track perhaps) - all without success. I even tried rendering in AVC/H.264 using the lower 25p to see if that might east the rendering burden but that straight away brought in a different problem, telling me that "ProDAD Mercalli has a problem and the video analysis must be executed again" - I just can't win -the micro seizures went away at the lower frame rate. Re-doing the Mecalli plug in's does not make that issue go away.
I'm am sure there are much wiser people out there than I who will know what I am doing wrong so would appreciate the benefit of that knowledge

[lata]

Hi
Your project properties should use the same settings as your recordings.
You should also render using the same settings as your recordings, I assume 1920 x 1080 x 50P
Share -- at the top left has the option for Same as Project Settings or Same as First clip, a good option as those will use the original video files settings including the data rate.

Pro Dad Mercalli scans the video file comparing frame by frame in order to stabilize each frame.
If we change the frame rate from 50P to 25P then the scan will need doing again
Basically going from 50P to 25P has removed 50% of the frames and that does mess up Mercalli
I can only assume the poor playback has something to do with applying Mercalli?
I assume you have used 50P and Mercalli before without issues.

OK try
1 / Open your original 50P project
2 / Are the project properties correct, same as video files. (Alt+Enter)
3 / Check Mercalli is ok and no scans are required otherwise redo
4 / Share – top left Same as Project Settings
5 / Bottom of panel – deselect Smart Render
6 / Start

Working with 25P
If that is the only option you have to improve playback then first save the project to create a copy
Change the project properties frame rate to 25P
Mercalli will require re-doing

Share – Same as Project Settings

[Skipper]

Hi Lata. Yes my settings were all correct in the original effort, having "agreed" to let the program set the attributes when the first clip was laid down on the time line.
That is to say, the profile called up was AVC 1920 x 1080, 50p 24Mbps. (PAL 16 x9) and that was the output I tried to achieve at render point
I have done this previously without a problem but it is a while since I did any video editing and wonder if: a/ - I have forgotten something in my old age or b/ the program files have become corrupted?
I understand about the Mercalli plug in requiring a re-run when I tried the 50p - 25p change but cannot understand what is going on with the higher resolution output? As I have stated, the mid section only of the video appears to be affected and I can find no logical explanation for this. This section is made up of a series of clips that have been modified in length (shortened) and I have used across fade transition between each, but that should not challenge anything and there are no Mecalli plug in's on this area. Soundtrack has been modified in volume only, with some minor increases and decreases to provide effect. The "problem" does not occur with any consistency and as mentioned shows up perhaps 15 times in the 3 -4 minute section. It seems to me that only a fraction of a second freeze occurs before returning to normal sharp HD output. Like my PC was struggling to keep up with the render but there are far more challenging events happening in other parts of the video. Is it possible I should be trying a different output file type that would still give me the full benefit of my 50p files and if so -what? Your help is appreciated

[Ken Berry]

But can you confirm that you used "Same As Project Setttings" on the Share page, and deselected SmartRender as suggested by lata.

[Skipper]

Ok Guys - you nailed it! Yes I had used the right project settings BUT - I did not uncheck Smart Render, something I did not think was a problem, clearly it is!
I have just finished watching on a big screen TV the whole video after a re-render without "Smart Render" and including a file name change from .m2t to .mpg afterwards
Stutter free and sharp, just as it should be
Thanks for solving my problems once more!