Missing frames

RickD wrote on 12/9/2007, 1:14 PM
I have had this missing frames problem with every version of Vegas since I began using it a few years ago and have never found a solution.

When I load a file into the trimmer or onto the time line, Vegas drops groups of frames every so often. The missing frames occur for about five to ten seconds every few minutes. On the time line, if you expand the section, the groups of missing frames show up as red rectangles. When playing through the section, the video just goes black (but the audio is still there).

The missing frames occur only when using Vegas. The files play fine in Windows Media Player and they load with no problems in the other video editing applications that I have. Any ideas or suggestions?

Comments

rmack350 wrote on 12/9/2007, 2:00 PM
Vegas thinks the frames are bad.

Have you been using the same camera, capture utility, or capture card, throughout? Same computer?

It's significant that you see red frames in the trimmer too. The trimmer has lower overhead than the timeline and often does a better job of playback when something is a little flakey.

Rob Mack
RickD wrote on 12/9/2007, 2:27 PM
But why does Vegas think that the frames are bad? None of my other video applications think so. And if really it does think they are bad then why doesn't it tell me? Isn't there anyway to inspect frame-by-frame the status of media on the time line?

I have been using the same computer all along but I don't use cameras or video capture myself. I mainly edit pre-existing raw video footage that is supplied to me.

Why would overhead affect the frames on the time line when a file is loaded? I can see how it would affect real-time playback, but when loading a file shouldn't Vegas do it right?
rmack350 wrote on 12/10/2007, 11:29 AM
five to ten seconds of missing frames? That's a LOT.

When I've seen red frames it's been a low memory issue, but with HDV (which I'm not using) it's always sounded more like Vegas couldn't read the data.

I know the SCS tech support is slow, but you have to run it by them. Have they every answered a support request about this?

The first test I'd do is a sanity check on some other Vegas system.

What sort of media? Is there anything consistant about it? Same codec, same source...anything like that? Or is it just random media having this problem?

Rob
Bill Ravens wrote on 12/10/2007, 1:35 PM
Rob...

Similar problem here. I finally tracked it down to the TimeCode bits from the camera. If there's a momentary glitch in the TC, Vegas goes red. My solution was/is to change the TC method setting on my camera. "User Bit" ILO TC works best for me on my HD110. I always shoot tapeless, so I don't have a TC anyway.
RickD wrote on 12/10/2007, 2:53 PM
Rob,

Most of the files I edit have some type of compression already applied - usually DivX, but not always. SCS has told me in no uncertain terms that Vegas is a professional editor that does not officially support any type of codec on source material - only raw, uncompressed digital video - so they won't offer any help.

Bill,

TC is not the problem in my case as every other video display editing or editing application I have handles the files flawlessly. It is only Vegas that fails miserably and that's the problem that I am trying to resolve.

I really suspect that the problem is that Vegas still uses the long-obsolete VideoForWindows interface that actually dates back to Windows 3.0 and it's really convenient to simply blow-off anyone who isn't using raw, uncompressed source material.