1080p 29.97fps dropping frames

Hey everyone.
I can't quite figure out what it is I'm doing wrong here.
I'm taking an AVCHD MTS file recorded at 1080i/30fps and converting it to 1080p/30fps with Adobe Media Encoder CS4 using the H.264 codec at 16Mbps.
When I open the resulting MP4 file to edit in QT Pro or Premiere Pro CS4, I can't get it to play more than 8fps, it's dropping frames like crazy.
I thought it might have been the encode, but if I upload the file to YouTube it plays just fine after processing (with the new option to choose 720p or 1080p).
Previously I just converted the MTS files to 720p to upload to YouTube but now that YouTube supports 1080p, I'd like to take advantage of that but the fact that the video is so jumpy and dropping frames (not just in QT Pro, same in VLC and Adobe Premiere CS4) makes editing almost impossible.
Anyone have any ideas how I can get smooth playback of 1080p content? Am I possibly doing something wrong during the encode (I don't think that's it since it plays smoothly once uploaded to YouTube)?
Also, I have 1080p trailers from Apple saved that run just fine (albeit at 24fps).
Thanks in advance.
P.S., having this problem on two Macs of mine, specs below:
MacBook Pro
10.5.8
2.4 Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM
iMac
10.5.8
2.8 Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM

the_wine_snob wrote:
That's what I started to think but I have no problems playing 1080p trailers in QuickTime, VLC or Premiere (for testing purposes)
This can easily give one a false sense of security. Playing a file is vastly different than editing that same file, even though the necessary CODEC's are installed. Players can handle the GOP structure easily. With an NLE, the GOP's are reconstructed so that everything is I-frame for the frame-by-frame editing. This is ton more work for the CPU. Depending on the actual structure, this can be 7x to 30x more work.
Good luck,
Hunt
That's good to know but I'm having this frame rate problem playing files encoded with Adobe Media Encoder in stand-alone players as well.

Similar Messages

QT Pro 1080p 29.97fps dropping frames

Hey everyone.
I can't quite figure out what it is I'm doing wrong here.
I'm taking an AVCHD MTS file recorded at 1080i/30fps and converting it to 1080p/30fps with Adobe Media Encoder CS4 using the H.264 codec at 16Mbps.
When I open the resulting MP4 file to edit in QT Pro, I can't get it to play more than 8fps, it's dropping frames like crazy.
I thought it might have been the encode, but if I upload the file to YouTube it plays just fine after processing (with the new option to choose 720p or 1080p).
Previously I just converted the MTS files to 720p to upload to YouTube but now that YT supports 1080p, I'd like to take advantage of that but the fact that the video is so jumpy and dropping frames (not just in QT Pro, same in VLC and Adobe Premiere CS4) makes editing almost impossible.
Anyone have any ideas how I can get QT Pro to playback 1080p content smoothly? Am I possibly doing something wrong during the encode (I don't think that's it since it plays smoothly once uploaded to YouTube)?
Also, I have 1080p trailers from Apple saved that run just fine (albeit at 24fps).
Thanks in advance.
P.S., having this problem on two Macs of mine, specs below:
MacBook Pro
10.5.8
2.4 Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM
iMac
10.5.8
2.8 Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM

Tom Torrillo wrote:
.. QT Pro, I can't get it to play more than 8fps,
.. but if I upload the file to YouTube it plays just fine .. 1080p.
.. the video is so jumpy and dropping frames (not just in QT Pro, same in VLC and Adobe Premiere CS4) ..
so, to summarize: as a stream, video is fine, not so played as 'local'?
my assumption would be a 'lack of speed' from your drives, the files are located on (=obviously, your Mac is able to playback such large files) .. any 'exotic' (=not internal HDD) set-up, ntfs-formatted network drive, TM using as mass-storage device, wireless connection in a 'crowded' surrounding etc?
and, if files are on internal drive: how much free disk space avail, any partitioning, 'drive consuming' apps running (FileVault, Spotlight indexing etc)?

Flash player drops frames with playing live h264 frames

Hi
i have been tryin to get to a adobe representative for a long time now regarding this but unfortunately no one responds fast enough. I am facing a terrible issue. When broadcasting h264 live video from a flash based encoder client i notice severe frame drops on the playback end no matter what player i use. It even happens if i use fms development server on my own system. Video becomes smooth if i add a 1 sec buffer to the player. but then the video is no longer live.
So my question is , is theer somethign wrong with h264 encoding in flash player or thats the way it is suppose to be ? at zero buffer frame drops are severe. Sample config :
320 x 240 @ 24 fps @ 90000 bps @ 100 KFI @ 3.1 level @ baseline profile.
I sincerely some one at adobe to respond. There are many stranded questions on this topic on the forum and on the web already.

The CPU usage is 2-6% on the i7 920 vista 64bit computer. The audio doesn't seem to be dropping. Some more clues that might help you help me
- The quality of the video doesn't matter, 360p drops frames just as often as 720p or 1080p.
- The dropped frames still occur even when the video is completely downloaded and replayed without any buffering needed.
One thing that does fix the dropped frames is completely disabling my sound card in the windows playback sound options. This also fixes the second computer's dropped frames which only has onboard realtek audio. I have tried using a Creative PCI sound card and the built in realtek sound but they both behave the same. The latest drivers were installed for both.

Flash player dropping frames.

Flash player has been dropping frames while watching youtube on two vista computers that I own, one 32 bit and the other 64 bit. Every few seconds the video drops a frame or two which is very annoying. As a troubleshooting step I dual booted windows 8 64bit and it plays youtube videos perfectly without dropped frames. I own an older dell that runs windows XP and it doesn't drop frames so I'm guessing this might be a flash + vista problem.
> No frames are dropped when using the youtube HTML5 player on the vista computers.
> Uninstalled and reinstalling flash doesn't fix the dropped frames.
> Dropped frames occur in IE, Firefox and Chrome. IE and Firefox were both tested in Windows 8 and neither dropped frames.
Please help me fix this problem.

The CPU usage is 2-6% on the i7 920 vista 64bit computer. The audio doesn't seem to be dropping. Some more clues that might help you help me
- The quality of the video doesn't matter, 360p drops frames just as often as 720p or 1080p.
- The dropped frames still occur even when the video is completely downloaded and replayed without any buffering needed.
One thing that does fix the dropped frames is completely disabling my sound card in the windows playback sound options. This also fixes the second computer's dropped frames which only has onboard realtek audio. I have tried using a Creative PCI sound card and the built in realtek sound but they both behave the same. The latest drivers were installed for both.

Linux: flash 10.2 and crystalhd dropping frames @1080p

I'm testing through the adobe stage demo video page the performance of the new plugin using a CrystalHD minipci-e card under linux.
It works somewhat ok @ 720p, as I can see 25fps in the video info window and no dropped frames. CPU usage is 20% in a SL9400 with a 4500MHD.
The problem is that in 1080p I get 4 video fps and lots of dropped frames. Shouldn't this be faster?
On the other hand... why the stage fps stay at 10fps?

Hi, if you have the 10.2 beta, you may want to look at this forum as they have info on Linux.
http://forums.adobe.com/community/labs/flashplayer10/flashplayer10_2/
Thanks,
eidnolb

What is the best setup to encode h264 (1080p) and to avoid stuttering, dropped frames?

Hello,
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thanks

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Can Quicktime on a Macbook Pro play DVCpro HD without dropping frames?

I know this is a cardinal forum sin, but I think I posted this in the wrong place to start.
Hey All,
I'm trying to output a 40min DVC Pro Hd 60, 1280x720 video to a projector for a large group. I'm using Quicktime 7.2 at full screen playing back on the second "monitor", but it seems like the video is dropping frames. The playback is stuttering and kind of strobing. This is a new 2.4ghz Macbook Pro with 2gb of Ram. The video is DVC Pro Hd from start to finish.
Is this to much to ask from a Macbook Pro? Is there another codec with comparable quality that doesn't take overly long to encode that I could use?
Any suggestions would be appreciated,
Steve

Hi
You absolutely can ... as long as you have the DVC Pro HD codecs installed. I have used a lowly G4 Power Book with 2 GIG on many occasions to playback full screen 720p 24/30 fps from a FW400 drive. (60fps and 1080p might be too much..)
I just project the desktop through a projector and it looks awesome. It's the fewest compression cycles you can get assuming you shot in DVCPro HD.
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My MacBook Pro however is fine with the same software...
Something bad is going on with QT....
Lee

Optimizing work flow in FCP on new iMac? (dropped frames)

Hello-
I've recently purchased a new iMac, first in about 6 years. I'm looking for some advice about optimizing my work flow in FCP. I am largely self-taught, using FCP for hobbyist/amateur video.
Until this new computer, I have been using FCP on other people's Macs (schools, arts institutions, etc), only resorting to my old Powerbook when absolutely necessary. So I have not had to worry about performance issues until now.
I am shooting on a Kodak Zi8 pocket cam in 1080p HD .MOV files, 1920x1080 H.264, AAC audio.
In my first attempts at editing the footage, I find that I am getting dropped frames on playback at every edit point - any time I cut between shots, add titles, etc.
(I also tried editing some much smaller, compressed files (QT 854x480, H.264, AAC audio) in the timeline and had the frame drop problem.)
Also, when I add titles, they do not preview render - I have to render them completely to be able to playback.
When I allow FCP to change the sequence settings to match the clip, I get the following:
1920 x 1080
Aspect: HDTV 1080i (16:9)
Pixel Aspect: Square
Field Dominance: Upper (Odd)
Editing Timebase: 29.97
In this instance I am editing footage that is stored on the local HD, but I have also tried editing footage from a USB 2.0 external drive, and got the same dropped frame problem.
...its a little frustrating to get these performance issues on this new computer, so I hope that someone here can help me resolve some of my problems. Hopefully this is a work flow issue, but if its a lack of hardware, well, shame on me for not looking into it enough.
thanks in advance.

Hi -
H.264 is a recording and delivery format, but as you have discovered, it is very difficult to edit. Its qualities of recording a high quality image in a small file size, which make it attractive for use in Flash based camcorders, makes it very difficult for FCP to work with. Attempting to work in H.264 makes FCP drop frames, require constant rendering, etc.
The best solution is to convert your footage to an edit friendly file format, such a ProRes LT or AIC. There will be minimal impact on the quality of the image. This conversion will result in files that are much larger than your original files, but will work easily in FCP.
You don't say if you have FCS or just FCP, but if you do have FCS then you can use Compressor to do the conversion.
Hope this helps.

What's the deal with Drop-Frame / Non-Drop-Frame Timecode?

I'm having trouble with 30fps Drop-Frame and 30fps Non-Drop-Frame timecode formats! I thought 29.97fps means 30fps Drop-Frame, but now I'm all confused.
I'm working with DSLR footage filmed with a frame rate of 29.97. For example, this one clip is listed as (in Project panel)
Media Start: 11:16:11:23
Media End: 11:22:42:22
Duration: 00:06:31:00
Frame Rate: 29.97fps
If I open this clip directly in Source Monitor, the timecode display (yellow, on lower left corner) says 11:16:11:23 at the beginning and 11:22:42:23 at the end. OK. But if I right-click on the timecode display, the pop-up indicates "Non-Drop-Frame"(!!). If I manually change that to "Drop-Frame", the start and end timecode would become 11:16:52:11 and 11:23:23:23, and the duration display (white, on lower right corner) becomes 6:31:12.
Now I create a new sequence of 1080p30, which has a 29.97fps time base. I right-click the yellow timecode display on the upper left corner of the Timeline, it says "30fps Drop-Frame". I drag the said clip onto the sequence. It occupies a length of 6:31:12. If I double-click the clip to open it in Source Monitor, now the Source Monitor timecode display indicates "Drop-Frame", and the start/end timecodes are 11:16:52:11 and 11:23:23:23. Huh??
Now I apply the "Timecode" effect on the clip. The timecode burn-in says 11:16:51:11 at the first frame and 11:23:23:22 at the last frame. I then go to the Effect Controls tab and look at the Timecode effect. It says
Format: SMPTE
Timecode Source: Media
Time Display: 30 Drop Frame
Just playing around, I switch "Timecode Source" to "Clip" - now the timecode burn-in goes from 00:00:00:00 to 00:06:31:11 - and then I switch it back to "Media". Now the Effect Controls tab says:
Format: SMPTE
Timecode Source: Media
Time Display: 30 Non-Drop Frame
And the timecode burn-in says 11:16:11:23 at the first frame and 11:22:42:22 at the last frame!
HUH??
Just for kickers, I switch "Timecode Source" to "Clip" again... Now "Time Display" stays on "30 Non-Drop Frame", and the timecode burn-in goes from 00:00:00:00 to 00:06:30:29.
What's the REAL length of this clip? Is it drop-frame or non-drop-frame? What are the REAL timecodes for it?
Also in a general sense, since I can change the "Time Display" field in the Timecode effect at any time, and change the Timecode display format of the Timeline at any time... How do I avoid creating mismatching timecodes??
Thanks in advance for any clarification!!

So obviously, only one of them could be "correct" in terms of reflecting what actually happened. The other one is slightly sped-up or slowed-down. You might say "oh that's a tiny difference, it doesn't matter".
Zooropa75, just for matter of clarification I want to make sure you understand that no matter which you use, it won't actually speed up or slow down your video. TC, wether it is non-drop or drop, is only a counting system. For that reason, it doesn't even matter which you use to reference edits, so long as everyone editing uses the same TC basis.
If you want actual time accurate TC, as was already mentioned, use drop-frame.
I'm going to kill two birds here. The "drag clip to new sequence button" action I was referring to in my earlier post is dragging your clip to the icon seen below. It should create a timeline using your videos format.
Also, remember I recommended looking in the manuel for "actual" time used? You can see below a snapshot I took from your cameras manuel. You're not shooting in whole numbers for anything unless you're using the 50hz system and shooting at 50p. That is the ONLY exception. ...and this is good for everyone to remember. Very few US digital cameras shoot frames per second in whole numbers. If it says you're shooting in 24p, 30p, 60p, etc. ad nauseum, you can bet your biscuits it's actually the multi-decimal NTCS counterparts like you see below And that should be your final answer. *chuckle*

Dropped frames during exporting

I have noticed that I am loosing frames when I export. I have tried changing my settings to "Match Sequence Settings" and my video settings to "Match Source", but am still loosing frames, which is very apparent in my pans. Any thoughts on how I should fix this?
I shot with a Canon 7D with my settings at 30fps. I initially setup my sequence for 1080P 23.97fps, but have changed it to match the RAW video settings.

Just how did you change the sequence settings? Did you modify the existing sequence? If so, that might create some weirdness.
What I would try is (in the same project) create a New Sequence with the 1080p 29.97 settings, then Select All/Copy the edits of the original sequence and Paste them into the new sequence.
I recommend against using the "Match Source" business in AME, control the parameters yourself so you know what you will be getting on the export.
Also, what is intended destination for the export? Let's make sure you're choosing the best export options. The setting you chose is neither for web nor Blu-ray - what did you want to do with that file?
Thanks
Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers

Can't figure out why I'm dropping frames during capture

I'm dropping frames when capturing 1-hour Mini DV tapes and I can't figure out why.
I'm capturing on a Mac Pro (Early '08) with 8 GB of memory running FCP 7.0.3 and OS X 10.6.6. I'm capturing to a 4 TB G-Speed eS (eSATA) formatted as RAID 5 (Non-Journaled Extended) with about 750 GB of remaining space. I'm capturing via FireWire with a Canon GL-2. This should be a breeze for this system.
I've run Apple Disk Utility, Disc Warrior 4 and Techtool Pro 5 on the drives and they seem to be fine. I've unplugged all USB and FireWire devices besides the keyboard and mouse. No virus protection or background utilities are running. I've trashed preferences. AJA System Test shows a 286 MB/s write speed and 254 MB/s read speed. Blackmagic Disk Speed Test shows a 312 MB/s write speed and a 379 MB/s read speed. No other applications besides FCP are running. I edit 1080p HD footage on this system all day long with no issues but when I try to capture DV SD footage, I run into issues.
The dropped frames error does not ever occur in the same place on the tapes. The tapes are brand new and don't seem to have any time code issues. The only thing I haven't done is to defragment the hard drives. I wouldn't think that capturing simple DV video would be that demanding; the defragment for a 4 TB RAID would likely take 2 or 3 days.
Any other ideas on what's going on and how to try to fix it? Thanks!

Thanks for the prompt reply, Studio X. Yes, I'm using FireWire Basic and no other FireWire devices. I've switched FireWire cables, although I doubt that's the issue as the cable I was using was brand new and fit snuggly. Unfortunately, I don't have an alternate playback device right now. Would switching to Non-controllable device capture settings be worth a try?

Why SDK always generates non-drop-frame clips?

I've created a sequence in Premiere: NTSC DV, Codec: DV NTSC, 29.97fps, 720x480, Drop-Frame Timecode.
When I try to render a clip with MXF OP1a preset file (DV25 NTSC) by SDK, it always generates non-drop-frame clip.
If I use 'File->Export->Media...' with same preset file, it's drop-frame exactely.
'Drop-frame' seems to be an option from sequence and there is no place to config it in preset settings dialog.
How can I generate drop-frame clip by SDK (exporter controller)?

I also meet the same problem.
I have created a 'Export Controller' plug-in. when export media using this plug-in, and choose the preset 'DV 25 NTSC', MXF OP1a.
Confirm that sequence setting is 29.97 drop-frame.
But export mxf file is always NDF.
However, using Export->Media, and choose MXF OP1a + DV 25 NTSC, will export DF mxf file.
Could you help to double check it?
I have check from code, it will get correct result (DF or NDF) after call function 'GetTimecodeDropFrame' in 'Sequence Info Suite' , so what's the problem would be?
Thanks,
Iris

Mixing Drop Frame and Non Drop Frame In One Timeline

We did a 7-camera multicam shoot of a rock concert over the weekend. Upon capturing we realized two of our camera operators were shooting Non Drop Frame mode while the remaining 5 were shooting drop frame. Can someone describe to me how I can eventually get all seven cameras into one timeline? I realize I might have to output/convert the non drop frame stuff. And since we're one the topic, I'd also like to ask (in case I find this out later) what I might do if we find a camera that shot 24P (29.97). Thanks in advance!
G5 DUAL QUAD & 2 X Power PC G4 (Dual 533) & 550 TiBook Mac OS X (10.2.x)

There is nothing different about the footage from the cameras...they all run at 29.97fps. The only difference is in the way the timecode NUMBERS are treated. Drop frame code simply loses 2 numbers (00 and 01) every minute except for every 10th minute. That's it. They all run at the same speed, so putting them all in the same timeline shouldn't cause any problems.
Trying to make a multiclip based on timecode will be a problem, however. You will have to find a common frame on all and use that.
Shane

PPro CS6: Source Monitor Dropping Frames

Greetings,
Currently I'm working off an iMac, OSC 10.8.4, 12 GB RAM, with i7, and ATI Radeon 1GB video card. I haven't noticed it recently until today for some reason, but my source monitor keeps dropping frames like crazy after about 5 seconds of playback.
I've read other threads that recommend lower preview frame res, as well as playback res to 1/4. I've tried that, allocated more memory to PPro (only 2GB left to other applications, yet PPro seems to only use 1.9GB during dropped frame playback), shut down other proccesses that might be consuming memory, switched PPro to enable better "Performance" in preferences, and rebooted several times.
I realized that it could be the source footage from the start: 1080p 23.976fps TIFF sequence.
How can I get PPro to actually use more than 1.9GB of memory during playback in order to get over this TIF hump? Or does the real answer lie not in memory, but more processing power?
Not a job-threatening situation, but just curious as to what it takes.
Thanks!
-Hunter

Okay, thanks for the additional infor. I've taken note of this issue and will investigate when we return from the company shutdown on July 8.

29.97 Drop Frame Broken?

Hey all,
I'm trying to lock Pro Tools up to Logic 8, like I've been doing in Logic 7 for years.
Strangely, it only works if I put PT into 29.97 (non drop). Whether or not I put Logic into 29.97df or not, PT locks up if it's in 29.97 non drop.
This suggests that Logic 8 is putting out 29.97nd when i set it to 29.97df.
Am I missing something? Can anyone confirm this?
Thanks for help!

It is the same old story with the same old confusion. and I don't even know where to start:
* If you are setting the sample rate on your DAW or any digital device, you are setting the CLOCK FREQUENCY, or CLOCK SPEED, i.e. 44kHz, 48kHz. You determine a speed on how fast the ADC cuts the analog wave form into discrete samples or how fast the DAC puts each sample back together.
* If you look at SMPTE timecode you see number like 24fps, 30fps, 29.97fps. This is called the Frame Rate. However here is the big difference. *The Frame Rate tells you TWO things*. Yes 2TWO ! If you are not aware of that, then you might have difficulties understanding frame rates like 29.97df or 23.976
_The two informations are:_
1) The SPEED or FREQUENCY or RATE. How fast do you take samples (in this case picture frames), or how often you take a picture snapshot: 24 times per second, 30 times per second or an uneven number 29.97 times per second. This is called the "FRAME RATE" measured in "fps" frames per second. Again just a clocking information. How fast the frames where taken and therefore how fast (at what speed) do you have to put the frames back together to get everything back into sync.
2) The second information in the Frame Rate number deals with LABELING. Now this is important. It tells you how to label each frame, or how you count them. "0 to 29 and start again" or "0 to 29 and start again, but at specific minutes you start counting from 2 to 29". You see these are just rules how you label each frame. The reason for some of the rules have to do with history and how some not so smart engineers came up with bad compromises.
_One Example;_
The Frame Rate 29.97df tells you that the clock rate is 29.97 frames per second and the numbering of the frames follows the "drop frame" rules. If you sync two devices, you only send the clock speed. In order that the slave counts the frames exactly the same way, you have to make sure to to set the Frame Rate on the slave to the correct number. Now it counts the frames in the same way as the master.
Everybody outside the USA who doesn't have to deal with NTSC video standard is lucky and might not even be aware of that dual information in the Frame Rate setting because with 24f (film standard) or 25f (PAL standard the clock speed and label convention is the same, i.e. sampling the picture 25 times per second and labeling the frames 0 to 24.
One major feature addition to L8 was the 23.976 frame rate. Whoever had to work in the past with animation, feature film output from an Avid or HD production was faced with 24f picture clocked to 29.97 fps. And selecting that new Frame Rate in the Synchronization Setting lets you do that. I clocks Logic with 29.97 fps but counts the frames from 0 to 23.
_My little rant:_
With the transition to HDTV, engineers had the chance to get rid of that 29.97 nonsense clock speed. But guess what, they carried it over. Of course they saved money by keeping their house clock in their facility at 29.97 but if you think of all the continuing errors based on those clock speed mismatches for all the future projects you will see that the monetary damage will be much bigger, it will just be equally spread to everybody involved in the project. If you work with film, just think on how many hours of troubleshooting you are wasted just to deal with video sync issues (most likely 29.97fps related)

1080p 29.97fps dropping frames

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