Edius can't playback avchd in RT but Premiere can!

[gerbow]

I have posted a couple of times about problems with Edius playing back avchd on the timeline but not maxing out the cpu. I now feel that there is definitely a problem with Edius playing back Canon 25psf footage. Why? Well I just bought Premiere Pro CS4 for Mac OSX only for Encore CS4 to be able to create blu-ray discs. However, I just thought I'd test out Premiere Pro since I have not used it since version 4. I have used the exact same avchd footage that stutters in Edius and on the exact same machine and the preview is a smooth as butter! Why is Edius is choking. I wonder if it is because of the codec Edius is using? In another recent post it was confirmed that Edius uses 4.0 profile not 4.1. Could this be the reason why Edius struggles? I know avchd is hard and needs lots of CPU power, but why can Premiere do it well and Edius can't?

[SRsupport]

So you can hook up your machine to a Plasma or LCD screen and see full frame quality out from your pc?

[GrassValley_KH]

I'd be interested in knowing if the preview window in the GUI is even showing full quality/frame rate display of the AVCHD stream...

Sounds very "Vegas"

[SRsupport]

It is reduced quality preview. Just like vegas. People don't understand this when comparing. Can't do anything serious with it.

[GrassValley_KH]

That's the reason then.

EDIUS will only play AVCHD streams in full quality/frame rate - even in the preview window. In fact, that's how it works for any video clip, with the exception of XDCAM, XDCAM HD (both coming from the Professional Disc System) and Infinity JPEG 2000; those formats factor in proxy (or proxy-like) data.

[gerbow]

I have not tried that as yet. However, I can playback avchd footage on the timeline which Edius cannot do. The premiere pro settings are at highest quality. That is at least a starter, unlike on Edius.

Don't misunderstand me. I am trying to understand why Edius can't playback these files at all, whilst PPCS4 can. I prefer editing with Edius to Premiere and FCP for a number of reasons.

To dismiss this stuttering as a cpu issue when cpu usage never exceeds 32% is something I cannot understand. I could understand if the cpus were maxed out and playback was stuttering; but they are not. So, I then begin to question why.

[tingsern]

PPCS4 don't have to drive a full frame, full raster output. EDIUS have to. All the software that can play AVCHD on timeline do so at a reduced rate (either smaller than full frame or less than full raster).

[SRsupport]

That is correct.

[caminostereo]

gerbow, I understand your concern AVCHD playback ... but the philosophy of Edius was playing in its total quality full format, which is not the case in other software prior to play down correctly ...

Currently I have a Quad Core 9550 and I have no problems in playing well in full resolution XDCAM EX, DVCPRO HD and HDV ... Edius 5 in there no problem with playback, this problem only happens with the full resolution AVCHD requires an 8-core processor to play properly in Edius.

I want a solution, I think you should ask for an injunction to Edius in this forum, where hayga an option to download or monitor the quality of the suit prior to the reproduction of that format, I think that would be a healthy choice.

[tingsern]

Camino,

I am sorry to disappoint you ... I have a dual Xeon, quad core (3.2Ghz) system here. See my signature. Still won't play AVCHD native on timeline. Have to convert to Cineform's codec first - then plays nicely.

I have posted this earlier - but, you need either one of the two to happen ....

a) Intel introduces a new SSE instruction specifically to decode AVCHD stream

b) Intel introduces a 5 to 6 Ghz processor.

I think (a) is a more do-able thing than (b).

[caminostereo]

thanks for the info, hopefully it will come to fruition, and finally an Intel processor that quickly decodification this format, which by the way was wrong with the Panasonic codec that should never be released to the consumer so heavy is this codec AVCHD, is a limitation since most such users do not have an ideal team for high demands. Greetings and thanks for the information reached

[gerbow]

Excuse my naivete and frustration. AVCHD should come with a huge "avoid if you want to edit" sticker. The footage on camera is excellent when viewed via hdmi straight to plasma. It takes so long transcoding to canopus hq (which is nice to edit) and I am finding export to bluray discs (h.264)problematic at the moment. I am so frustrated. I wish there was a really simple way of creating bluray (h.264) discs from Edius. I can do Mpeg2 HD but want more video on the discs / better quality for the same amount of length therefore need bluray compatible h.264 output (which I can't seem to achieve with Edius (or procoder) - I must be doing something wrong.

[SRsupport]

Buying in to a format requires research.
Personally I think Avchd is not worth the trouble you have to go trough to edit. It totally defeats the purpose of recoding to memory card.
The time you loose (in making it editable) you could have shot on HDV tape and captured to HQ and edited without frustration.

AVCHD is too compressed, all nle's struggle with it.

[caminostereo]

I wish there was a really simple way of creating bluray (h.264) discs from Edius. I can do Mpeg2 HD but want more video on the discs / better quality for the same amount of length therefore need bluray compatible h.264 output (which I can't seem to achieve with Edius (or procoder) - I must be doing something wrong.

The ProCoder 3.0591, presets has already defined for the H.264 encoding directly BluRay, then scrambled to save you import the clip in "Corel DVD Movie Factory 7" that has the support for the AVCHD H.264, use of this software is quite simple ... as an alternative have the Encore DVD CS4.

Colleague that this bothers anyone ... so it is best to use methods that allow to use this format for editing in Edius fluid, one is free utility "Convert AVCHD to Canopus HQ", this codec is very complex to decode AVCHD for any NLE Software so that some of them to play lower the quality and continuity after the full frame rate. Health and success

[gerbow]

Hi. Yes I have tried the presets for avchd withDVD Architect but it will not accept avchd files from there (it will, I have now discovered accept m4v files from Adobe Media Encoder). I am struggling to come to a fluid workflow while I move from SD to HD. There is no doubt that the canopus HQ codec creates crisp images that are identical (or as near as possible) to the original. I imagine there will be a few more weeks or months trying to get my head around this.