Frequent video and audio frame skips on preview monitors

[lokus]

Hello, I'm new here. I'm using Edius 4 to edit a video footage. I'm experiencing somo annoying problems in my preview monitors: when I put the footage in play, every 2/3 seconds there are video and audio frame skips, little jumps. I was wondering if this is normal...I tried saving the project as a file and as a tape, and the recorded video is just perfect...still I don't understand why there are such annoying frame skips in the preview monitors.
Another problem, which might be linked with the one above, is that when I try to match the video with a soundtrack (based on a mp3 file), I'm beginning to experience some synchronization problems: that's to say, for example, I put play a first time and I can hear the sound of a trumpet at 7'07"...if I go back and put in play again, I will hear the same trumpet playing a few seconds before or after (maybe 7'09"). Each time is different, and of course each time the trumpet sound plays, it is associated with a different image...I cannot work like that!
Can you help me to solve these problems?
Thanks!
Luca

[pjsssss]

Give us a little system info. What video card? Are you OHCI or do you have a hardware board?

[STORMDAVE]

I am guessing that the system is dropping frames and is not capable of playing back that certain file.

If you enable "Stop at Frame Drop" you will get a popup that says "Frame dropped".

Look at the buffer (lower left corner) and if it says something along the lines of 1/92 during playback then your system isn't able to play it.

[lokus]

Hi, I'm using a Canopus Edius NX PCI-Express card (the base version without any extra feature). Buffer in the low left corner says 30/32.

My system is:
motherboard: Asustek P5LD2-SE
CPU: Intel Core Duo 6700 2.66GHz
RAM: 3 GB
Video card: Radeon x1650

How about the soundtrack issue? Looks like there's no match betwen the waveform and how it plays....

Thanks for your help
Luca

[antonsvideo]

it appears you are not in hardware editing mode

once you start a hardware based project or switch the existing OHCI based to hardware based, the sound will match the waveform

be sure you listen to the sound from the NX card and not the sound from the PC

your buffer is set too low, it should be on 96, you have to do that in hardware settings and OHCI settings, set both to 96

[lokus]

Yes, probably I'm not in hardware editing mode, because when I connect the audio to my card I can't hear anything. But I cannot just shift the project to hardware based, because my hardware (Canopus Edius NX PCI-Express) is recognized by the system as NHX-E2 SD, there's no HD available...is that normal? I thought with this card, even the base version, I could edit HD contents...
I tried to adjust the buffer at 96, but the frame skips are still there....
any more sugestions?
Thanks you guys
Luca

[antonsvideo]

lets assume your footage is DV 16:9 Pal

go to project settings, select NHX-E2 SD Pal and select DV 16:9

connect video monitor to S-Video out of NX

connect amplifier and speakers to audio out of NX or connect a lead to video monitor if it has speakers built in

do not use the internal audio card as a loop through, you would only be degrading the signal

The NX without component out option may not give you any HD presets and will not give you Titlemotion Pro

[lokus]

Ok, but my footage is High Definition stuff...It's a travel shooting coming from a Canon Hv20, shot in High Definition. I'd like to edit it, then save it again to tape and then connect the Canon Hv20 to a HD Television to see the edited movie in High definition. But if I choose NHX-E2 SD Pal and then DV 50i 16:9 as an output, it won't output in HD, but just SD, isn't it?
That's my problem: I'm using generic OHCI because it allows me to output in HD...instead for NHX there's only the SD option. So if I'm willing to get HD output I think I can only use OHCI...is that so? Please explain this point, it's the first time I do some editing and I'm a bit confuse about it.

[antonsvideo]

I had no idea that you are editing HD, I was only assuming

is your HD file m2t or a HQ?

with m2t you will have problems, HQ will be fine

is your end result going to BR HD disk or standard def? If standard def, you may as well edit in standard def mode

[lokus]

To be able to save the end result in High definition to tape, I have to save it as a m2t file. After I have it on my tape, I'm going to use it on a full HD television, that's why I think I need to edit in High definition mode...what do you think?
But if things stay this way...my canopus card is useless for HD editing, unless I buy the expansion kit??? That's pretty strange, I thought I could use it to edit HD even without expansion...otherwise, instead of the Edius NX PCI-Express I would have bought a cheaper card such the Edius DVX...

[SRsupport]

I think you must be confused or did not do your research:


from the canopus website:1. What are the differences between the Grass Valley EDIUS NX, EDIUS NX with HD Expansion Kit, and EDIUS NX Express?
The original EDIUS NX hardware consisted of a 64-bit PCI/PCI-X or x1 PCI Express main board, and a second optional 32-bit PCI board for the HD Expansion Kit.

EDIUS NX Express is designed for newer PCI Express-based motherboards and includes the x1 PCI Express EDIUS NX main board and an x1 PCI Express HD Expansion board in one convenient package. The main PCI Express EDIUS NX board provides an exceptionally high-quality, realtime NLE system on which you can edit a mix of media including DV, HDV and a variety of other SD and HD formats.

The PCI Express Expansion board adds the capacity to output full quality, full frame rate HD video — in realtime — to an HD video monitor, making the HD editing process as fluid and reliable as editing DV in realtime, because you can preview your work in progress, as it is intended to be displayed. It also includes a standard definition MPEG-2/MPEG-4 encoder for high-speed standard definition rendering.

[lokus]

Yes, it happened that I ordered a Grass Valley EDIUS NX from the only official Canopus dealer in Italy, because in their website they said that the card came with another expansion card (which is the expansion board). Instead I realized later that there was a mistake in their website, because the Edius Nx product linked to a webpage showing the Edius NX bundled with the expansion board. When I got the card I call them back and pointed out their mistake, but they refused to assume their faults. This was a couple days ago...today, I noticed they've modified their website link...pretty strange, uh?
Anyway, the situation is that I have a base Edius NX without expansion. Can I use it to edit high definition with Edius, or is it a waste of time? In that case, I will sell it and opt for a Matrox (there's no way I'm buying anymore Canopus products from the italian dealer, since they're so rude)...

[SRsupport]

I hope you change your mind. Maybe you can buy the expansion kit somewhere else?
The NX will give you lip perfect sync out in broadcast HD without any problems.
For now I would suggest you sync you project in SD so you can use a NX hardware profile and switch to OHCI HD only when doing your titles and output.
The when you do you titles don't worry about the ohci delay or being in sync.
It will be perfect since you did that in a hardware profile.

SR

[lokus]

If I get it right, I can switch the actual project (which is OHCI HD pal) to NHX-E2 SD PAL when doing the editing part, and switch it back to OHCI HD pal before saving it to file and tape. Is that so? This won't affect the quality of the movie, isn't it?
Thanks for your help
Luca

[SRsupport]

No quality loss. Edius is using the original HD files in the sd project. It just will give you a down converted SD signal for output.
So you hd files are always intact full quality