Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems
by Brandon King
on
Jan 31, 2009 at 7:17:59 pm
Whenever I attempt to play a video in Premiere Pro (including preview monitor, timeline, etc.) the video itself won't play at all, like you'll see the frame that you are on but it won't play the full clip. However, the audio is intact so you can hear the audio playing but the video is just one frame. I can browse through it by dragging the cursor across the timeline, but no actual playback. This only occured recently, as before I had no problem playing back video, so it has nothing to do with my computer specs, or source files; it is simply Premiere Pro.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tracy Peterson on Feb 1, 2009 at 5:59:59 pm
Yeah, I wouldn't count anything out so fast, only makes for longer troubleshooting. It very well could be that something changed about the computer, but let's start with premiere:
How do you have monitoring set up? Are you putting the signal out to firewire or to another monitor out? When it was attempting to play out to my camera or deck, it would do this to me. Or something like it. It would play for a few frames then freeze.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Brandon King on Feb 2, 2009 at 1:21:23 am
The only monitor I have it set up to is a monitor connected directly to my computer, through (I think) a DA-15, D-Sub. The monitor is out. I mean the video won't play AT ALL, if I select a frame, then click the play button, all it does is pause on the frame, while the audio continues to play seamlessly. What I mean that it has nothing to do with my specs, is that before this happened the video and audio would play seamlessly; even using AVCHD, so my thoughts are towards the program itself.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tim Kolb on Feb 3, 2009 at 8:46:23 pm
My question would be what did you install in the machine in between the time when the codecs worked and the the time they didn't?
Something broke these codecs...
Reinstalling, or repairing the Adobe suite will be what you have to do, but I don't know what all those codecs are connected to...the last four don't have anything to do with Adobe. Were any of those installed after CS4?
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Brandon King on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:10:13 pm
Previously I had another video editing program called Pinnacle Studio, and that is probably where those other codecs came from, but I later uninstalled the program to free up hard disk space. The only things I installed were a few computer games and other software. Those codecs were installed before CS4.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tim Kolb on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:19:32 pm
Ah, yes...computer games.
I won't jump on you like we've done in the past to people who install computer games in their professional video editing machine...and then blame the editing software for malfunctioning...
Get a game machine if you need one...if you edit video for a living, keep that machine clean. Computer games are very intrusive and they damage lots and lots of other software.
I'd be willing to bet that you rip out the computer games and reinstall your CS4 apps...and you're back in business.
CS4 isn't the likely problem as it turns out...how about that?
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Brandon King on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:29:46 pm
Is it possible that I just re-install those codecs? Also, this only occurs with Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, not After Effects which also involves video footage. When Premiere Pro was working, I still had some games on it and it would work fine. Not to mention I re-installed Premiere Pro CS4 and it still wouldn't work. In the case if I uninstall my games and CS4, you are most like referring to ALL games and CS4 products, if I am correct?
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Brandon King on Feb 3, 2009 at 2:45:57 am
Although this may sound trivial, the video duration timer always remains the same at whatever part its left off. So I'm not sure if there's a setting where Premiere only plays the audio of the selected clip.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Ron Blanchard on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:18:32 pm
I have re-installed Premiere CS3 2 times and that hasn't corrected it, I have been using Adobe Premiere since 1995 and have never had a problem until now? Not only that but now I'm dropping frames....something change and I'm not sure either. I even restored Windows back to an earlier time when I thought the change happened and that also did nothing.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Brandon King on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:31:58 pm
Like I said, I already had some computer games when it was working, but I just installed a few more and I don't quite understand how some games could disrupt CS4 products.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tim Kolb on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:42:07 pm
It didn't disrupt CS4...it broke the codecs that CS4 needs to playout your timeline.
Get the games off your machine. If you have CS4 Production Premium, you paid what? 1400 bucks? 1700 bucks for the software? Why do you need games on a working machine?
I still don't understand why this isn't obvious to you honestly...before you installed the games everything worked...after installing the games it doesn't right?
Games are just bad news. They're full of hacks and non-standard coding to 'hot rod' their performance, which is fine until whatever they altered to help themselves run better breaks something else. This is an old, old story. i've been answering this question on forums for 10 years...
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tim Kolb on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:54:08 pm
Yep... I think if all the games are cleared out and CS4 is uninstalled and installed clean, I'd bet it solves the issue.
If not, post back of course because there is something else, but Occam's Razor says whatever changed in the machine between when CS4 worked and when it doesn't is the problem...one of the added games did something to those codecs.
...I'd clear the rest of games off on principle...but if you reinstall with any games on the machine and it doesn't work, we haven't really progressed.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Ron Blanchard on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:57:39 pm
I have been using premiere since 1995 and just recently had the same problem with CS3 (and still do)and I've never had a game on my computer....It is a dedicated computer. That's not to say I don't have allot of software on it, 100% is for design purposes. So something else must be going on! I have reinstalled CS3 2 additional times to no avail. I noticed that while in the time line if I turn off the fire wire connected deck everything plays as normal so I'm thinking it has something to do with the "Device Control"... Any thoughts
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Ron Blanchard on Feb 3, 2009 at 11:25:36 pm
Yes CS3 worked on my machine, and it is a DV time line. I have been editing with Adobe products since 1995 and have a well developed sense of how things work and have tweaked everything I know to do but this is a big question of why.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tim Kolb on Feb 4, 2009 at 2:22:55 pm
More details Ron...
Machine/proc/ram/drive specs
Project settings (if any) when the playback does work...and when it doesn't.
Is there any other way to get video in and out that you could look at?
When the camera is plugged in, is the video going out to the camera that you can see?
The EXACT behavior is the CT moves but you see a freeze on the overlay? A graphic? The audio runs? Does the timeline seem to move normally otherwise?
Have you run the Sherlock app to track any broken system elements?
...also...what, if anything, have you installed on the machine recently? Games are dicey of course, but other pieces of software may not be immune from causing an issue...
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Ron Blanchard on Feb 4, 2009 at 3:12:16 pm
Thanks Tim for the brain power....
When I first open a project (DV) connected by fire wire, Sony DSR-30 deck or cam...(I've tried all different types),the video passes through to the monitor for about 10-12 seconds then it goes away. So when I hit the play button the play head stays frozen and audio plays but at this point no A/V out through fire wire to deck any longer. Preview output settings are all where they should be to output when playing, and all project settings are set correctly. So with a frozen time line I turn off the deck and the play head now plays audio/video in the Premiere project monitor completely normal.
I Have not run Sherlock, but saw it in a link somewhere.
I'm not a gamer at all, but a content producer, and have rolled back Windows (system restore) two times to different times and have taken off all things I though might cause a problem....still nothing changed.
The only thing I can think of that I tried and it caused problems with Premiere was I tried "Aspect HD" trial version and it caused all kinds of issues so I uninstalled it but I think it left a bunch of codecs in the drop down window when you first setup a new project. If I remember correctly Premiere still worked after that and I can't think of anything else that might have triggered this.
Thanks again for you assistance in trying to solve this.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tim Kolb on Feb 4, 2009 at 3:53:04 pm
...and you said you've tried an uninstall/reinstall?
Have you tried some other FW device to see if it may be related to the Sony VTR itself?
Does the app error when this happens? You should see a little yellow symbol with an exclamation somewhere on the bottom...(I can't remember if it was left or right...I think CS4 is on the right). You should be able to click on it and get some data on the error.
If nothing else, some chicken soup on the Aspect install (though I've never experienced CineForm's uninstaller to leave anything behind myself):
Are all the CineForm components out of the plugins folder?
Is there a CineForm QuickTime component in there anywhere?
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Ron Blanchard on Feb 4, 2009 at 4:56:55 pm
I have done 2 uninstalls/reinstalls (CS3). I have tried all kinds of Cameras/VTR mode, I just looked over all folders in Premiere to see if something from CineForm or anything unusual...nothing? I can no longer output to tape either. Thank God I have Premiere 2.0 on another PC and it works fine.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tim Kolb on Feb 4, 2009 at 5:51:30 pm
There's nothing else on the FireWire buss?
It sure sounds like a FW problem from what I'm hearing...what if you buy a cheap FW card and slap it in the box and see if it works better?
There's no chance that anyone plugged in a 6 pin FW connector to the machine upside-down is there? I recently had the FW port on a Sony Z1 camcorder trashed most likely because of this scenario. Some 6 pin FW ports...particularly on PCs for some reason are a little too accommodating and the fitting, which should NOT fit in upside down does...
Any of these things possibilities? You didn't answer as to whether you've tried another FW device to rule out the VTR.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Ron Blanchard on Feb 4, 2009 at 6:19:03 pm
I have thought of getting a new FW card and new cable, just haven't done it yet. I have 2 different FW cards pci slot, and a FW input on the front side of the tower. Most of the slots are taken up with hard drives,, and I have tried different slots with the cable and have tried FW out of my Sony DSR-200 DVCAM camera. No issues as far as I know with putting in 6 pin upside down. I'll get a new FW card & cable and see if that works, I should have done it first...process of elimination. I'll let you know if that works.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tim Kolb on Feb 4, 2009 at 6:38:49 pm
Have you always run this system with FW drives as well as a FW video device?
Do you always plug the video device into the same port?
Why don't you try dropping off all the FW drives and trying a small project with only the VTR attached...and move the VTR from port to port and see if it makes a difference?
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Ron Blanchard on Feb 6, 2009 at 4:21:42 pm
RE: CS3 playback - Ron Blanchard,
Tim I had After Effects open today and was trying to import some files on a recently purchased hard drive a... " Maxtor 500 GB, I bought it thinking about capturing live footage on location w/On Location (DV Rack)and all of a sudden AE just crashed and closed...then I remembered!!! I was unable to capture footage from my deck onto this drive through Premiere Capture....it just could not handle it even though it was attached via FW and supposed to be able to handle the through-put data size... SOOOO! I disconnected the drive and WALA! problem solved!
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Rick Connolly on Sep 1, 2009 at 1:23:29 am
I have a simialar problem. This is a new fresh copy of Adobe CS4 installed on a dedicated dual processor HP XW6200 workstation with 4 gigs of RAM and 90gig 7500rpm SCSI and a terabyte SATA that I use for storage of data and as the disk paging file.
I had the same problem on an identical system when I first installed, then I reinstalled fresh on this system where I had the same problem. I then completely reformatted and reinstalled fresh again.
The problem happens nearly every time I use Prem Pro but I found the following patterns.
1) After importing, I found that rather than open into the source window, if I dragged from the preview directly to the timeline, and then dragged from the timeline to the source window, it would avoid the lockup.
2) Nevertheless after a while, if I were to switch between various media files enogh times when editing, the window might freeze...in fact you will see a partial piece of the video or even the menu "stuck" in the source window with no way to clear it. Once this happens the only way of fixing it is to exit Adobe and then start it again, where it will open up perfectly and you can continue.
Before this happens, often the window might go black and then you can hear audio but you get no video. Once it gets to this point, the only way is to shut down the app and reopen.
Sometimes you have to reboot the system.
Given I this seems to be a problem on this PC and the other system it leads me to believe that this might be some sort of "bug". While both systems are HP xw6200s they have different hard drive systems, and they have different mem configurations.
I am highly technical, and I have gone over everything I can think of that might affect the system performance.
As I indicated I this is the 2nd install on BOTH systems and each time I built new partitions and reformated the drives fully.
Video on one system is NVIDEO Quadro, and on the other system is a high performance ATI board.
Given the problem is the same on both systems yet has different setups, leads me to believe again that there is some sort of bug.
Occasioanlly I get a fatal error that causes Premier Pro to close suddenly with an error that it cannot identify.
I am up to date on all Adobe updates and I run XP Service pack 3.
This is very frustrating...you feel that you are always waiting for the other shoe to drop,
Ohh by the way, I had no problems with any other software prior to the Adobe installations, and I was using autocad, and other video intensive programs.
The only other software installed is Microsoft Office on one system, and on the other is another version of MS Office. Office was installed on one system long after I was having the problem.
I hate to say this, but somedays I wish I went to the APPLE route!
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Ron Blanchard on Sep 1, 2009 at 2:10:56 pm
My problem was with CS3 not being to play back video out of the Timeline or composite window or through the firewire out to an external monitor. Video just stopped playing & locked up.
Then I remembered that I had a problem with a new hard drive crashing in the middle of something, I turned off that drive and used another drive and everything worked. Now I only use that drive for storage backup.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Greg Marlow on Oct 28, 2009 at 9:03:07 pm
I was having trouble getting video out of my machine to a dv tape and others talked about the control being the problem. I turned off the start record on device (or it says something like that) at the top of the out to tape menu. Find the camera or whatever device you are using record and start manually and then hit ok on out to tape and for me everything played fine after that. No freezing or the video going away.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Martin Fitzgerald on Mar 25, 2009 at 9:41:16 pm
Hi Guys... Just made a very interesting discovery whilst testing a trial version of prem cs4 (upgraded to 4.0.1). I have a black magic sdi card and the 10bit SD uncompressed video captures were staggering and stopping (after 5/6 sec) in both source and edit windows. I tried everything to sort out the issue when I discovered purely by accident that if you start adobe exporter (export your timeline) and then stop it the machine starts to play the files back perfectly!!! I had read a few different solutions which didn't work like gfx drivers and processor affinity (thats setting premiere to work with just one core on an duo/quad and whilst this did help with 8bit it couldn't handle the 10bit) and while messing with all these seemed to do things they didn't solve the problem.
Now its working fine... bit messy, but!
Hope this helps someone!!!
Reply to this thread if it works for you.
Vista 32 (all updates to 25/3/09)
Quad Q6600 @ 2.4G
2GB Ram
Nvidia Geforce 8500 (256MB) Running 182.08 drivers
Black Magic decklink driver 7
Segate 7200.11 500GB eSATA
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Eric Marshall on Sep 11, 2009 at 5:54:49 am
I have the same issue. No picture during video playback in CS4.1! I've called customer support and they're no help at all! You pay hundreds of dollars on a product and it doesn't even work! I just bought a Sony Vaio and installed it first thing, same problem. I'm by no means a tech wizard, and would love some help! I just want to be able to see the dang picture! HELP!
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Rick Connolly on Sep 13, 2009 at 9:33:11 pm
I've tried everything....the funny thing is I was using it the other day and worked on a large project and everything went great, except that I had to reboot from time to time when I sensed things were slowing down.
Today I opened the same project and now I have the freezing of the monitor again when I drag the video from the time line. Can hear it but cannot see it. After "playing" around with the OUTPUT option on the playback monitor....suddently the video pop'd up and then I could see it. But then the menu that was on the screen didnt entirely go away and I was left with a partial menu on the screen. I then tried to drag the timeline video to the SOURCE monitor and the whole thing crashed.
I dont know what the hell Adobe is doing, but there is no way you can have these many problems without them knowing. As I indicated I had reinstalled twice on two different systems with different hardware setups and same problems. This is not some Dell clone, these are HP x6200 workstations with 4 gig RAM and a terabyte disk space in one and hundreds of gigs in the other.
Bottom line....a software package especially this expensive should not be having these issues.
I've sent the crash reports and contacted Adobe and nothing back from them at all.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Andrew Garley on Oct 7, 2009 at 11:46:04 am
Its a real problem with these issues, I started off Haha trying to work with HD.
My machine AMD x2 3g with 4g ram, Asus Crosshair.
OS win7 64bit. I am running the OS from a Solid State Drive.
4T of Drives and Video on a Raid 0 drive.
I recently got a Black Magic Intensity Pro, thinking some how this would fix the problems. nope.
I have a project i have to finish within a few weeks,
At the moment All I have is Footage and some Titles and some music, It will not play for more than a few seconds. Naturally I need to watch and listen to get it right. I have to keep exporting the file to view progress.
What I did find helped was upped the page file size as the HD is SSD it acts much like ram anyway, as far as I understand.
Another issue i have found is when i have been working and close a project, opening up Priemier Pro CS4 Kills the Machine, SO frequent restarts needed. I have tried ram refreshers, helps a little, but not sure I understand why the machine seems to fill up, if that makes sence.
I dont have any Games or Apps, Just Adobe and Office. on a clean Install, generally it seems to work ok, apart from Playback, the one thing you need.
I am Assuming its PC power issues, as my Dual Core Max's out everytime i hit play.
But reading the above posts some have Quad core and the same issues?
Today I am going to try hooking up my Intensity Pro, via HDMI to an LCD TV monitor that supports 1080. and see if I can just get it to play back Via the IP card. Naturally If the CPU max's out it will do the same.
Man its been a learning curve for sure.
Will let you know how I get on.
I would rather the system slow down that Max out the Dual core, and stop playback, I cant help wondering if I am expecting too much from my PC. Its not bang uptodate, But should do the job? maybe.
All the best
Andrew
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Martin Fitzgerald on Oct 7, 2009 at 4:25:22 pm
Hi Guys,
Wow still posting here!
Well after my last post in March I gave up the Vista route and
went back to XP and an old set of drivers for the Black Magic sdi card.
I had an edit I had to get done asap, so the frills were not
necessary when I just wanted to cut!!!
To say I still had problems is an understatement!!! But I got through the edit in the end. There were a lot of Sound issues, but this time (XP) it was that it would drop the audio during playback. It seems to be a memory problem, but since I have given up on BM and Adobe for any kind of serious work its not worth me investigating any further... After my performance -'Its a software driver issue' every few hours to my client, I doubt that I will be doing any more work for them.
In the end this little experiment cost me money and work.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Andrew Garley on Oct 7, 2009 at 6:47:59 pm
Martin, I wouldnt give up, Its a real hard learning curve, I have spent weeks, learning, and even to day about lower field order or higher, I am in the UK so setting are Pal, but seems most the settings are Not only Hidden, you have to go look, but are set to NTSC, would also explain some of the issues I have had.
Anyway, Hours are mounting up, but i am getting there.
I have loads of hard drives and set the scratch disks, This has helped, and turned everything else off.
Anyway, I may have not done it correctly, on the top toolbar "Sequence" I hit "render Effects in work area"
It didnt take long, said it was proccessing my clips and audio,
And Now IT PLAYS perfectly!! 50% on CPU, and it looks crystal clear, no problems what so ever now, so maybe this will help everyone, can but hope. I still dont know what i am doing in PP CS4 but this has worked what ever it did.
All the best
Andrew
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Rick Connolly on Oct 7, 2009 at 4:43:53 pm
Frustrated...I tried calling Adobe again for support. I was onhold for over an hour before I gave up.
Obviously they have their hands full with problems.
I'm working in DV 720x480....given the extra probs that are occuring in full HD. A shame since we shoot with a Sony HRV-Z&U in full HD onto a digital flash card. The resulting video file is an .avi which is transfered to the PC.
Yesterday I struggled all day to get video to work in the source monitor after suddenly the source stopped working for no apparent reason.
Everytime I tried to drag a clip from the timeline to the source so that I could drag back video only, the moment I dropped it on the source monitor, or tried to open in source, the program either hung for a minute then crashed, or just crashed right before my eyes.
Eventually...I was able to get the source monitor working again, by opening an audio file and editing it in the source. After that, I tried dragging video and like majic it began to work again.
One thing for sure using Adobe....you learn to save every time you do more than 1 minute of work!
I tell you if they dont do something about this soon, my next mini doc is going to be on "using Adobe CS4 and the Perils of doing so".
That will make a great Youtube video for Apple marketing of Final Cut Pro!!!!
Again.....bottom line...for anyone who might say...you need to tweak this or that, or feed the mice a diffent grain.....this is an expensive package, I'm using it on top notch industry standard equipment....and therefore, one should expect it to reasonably operate.
As a technical person who has developed software, there is no excuse for an application to act in this manner, except to say it is full of programming holes where the app does not intercept errors.
Obviously Adobe has done a very poor job in stabilizing their product.
Re: Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Playback Problems by Tobias Steidle on Nov 4, 2009 at 11:07:23 am
Hello together.
I experience the same trouble at the moment. After following this thread and heaving done all the tips included to hopefully solve the problem I found that changing the playback-options in the sequence-settings helped. But just in one case (a XD Cam project). Another one (DV PAL with mpeg-footage) still does not run (just sound, no picture). The code detective app found several codecs broken, but they stay broken, even if I re-install Adobe CS4 and uninstall every other video-device. Only thing I added after the last time when it worked perfectly fine are some Codecs like AVIDs DNxHD.
I work on a Dell Precision with a Matrox rt.X2 card and external RAID 5 eSATA HD.
Maybe one day there will be an answer to this issue ....
