What's covered
Beginning troubleshooting
Troubleshoot capture issues
Troubleshoot playback issues
Advanced troubleshooting
This document can help you resolve problems that occur while you capture or play back DV in Adobe Premiere Pro. This document is for those using OHCI-compliant IEEE 1394 (FireWire or iLink) cards or non-OHCI-compliant, third-party capture cards that allow analog/DV input and come with their own editing mode and compressor. For assistance with analog-only cards, see document332660 , "Troubleshoot analog capture problems in Premiere Pro."
Capture or playback problems can manifest themselves in many different ways, including (but not limited to) the following:
-- Video plays stuttered or jerkily.
-- Video output contains blocky artifacts.
-- Video appears in the Clip window but not in the Monitor window.
-- No video appears in the Capture window.
-- A system error occurs.
-- Playback quality is degraded or audio plays as static.
Different factors can cause capture or playback problems, including conflicts among device drivers, software, and hardware, and corrupt elements in specific files. Although some problems may occur only when you work with Premiere, Premiere may not necessarily be the cause--it may be the only application that is memory- or processor-intensive enough to expose the problem.
To benefit most from this document, perform the tasks in order. Keep track of the tasks you perform and the results of each, including errors or other problems. Adobe Technical Support can use this information to better assist you, should you need to call.
Beginning troubleshooting
The tasks in this section can help you resolve the most common problems that occur when capturing or playing back digital video. Always restart the computer after a system error occurs to refresh the memory. If you continue to work without restarting the computer, you may compound the problem.
1. Make sure that the system meets the minimum requirements for Premiere Pro.
Premiere Pro may not run correctly if the system doesn't meet the following requirements:
Note: If you use a third-party capture card, you may have additional system requirements. Contact the manufacturer of your capture card for those requirements.
Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0:
-- Intel Pentium 4 1.4GHz processor for DV (SSE2-enabled processor required for AMD systems; Pentium 4 3GHz processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology for HDV; dual Intel Xeon 2.8GHz processors for HD)
-- Motherboard and CPU support for SSE2 (Streaming SIMD Extensions 2)
-- Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2
-- 512MB of RAM for DV; 2GB of RAM for HDV and HD
-- 800 MB of available hard-disk space for installation
-- 6GB of available hard-disk space for content
-- Dedicated 7,200RPM hard drive for DV and HDV editing; striped disk array storage (RAID 0) for HD
-- Microsoft DirectX-compatible sound card (multichannel ASIO-compatible sound card for surround sound support recommended)
-- DVD-ROM drive required for installation
-- DVD +-R burner required for DVD creation
-- 1,280x1,024 video display with 32-bit color adapter
-- OHCI-compatible IEEE 1394 video interface card for DV and HDV (AJA Xena HS for HD)
-- QuickTime 6.5 required to import/export QuickTime files
-- For third-party capture cards: Adobe Premiere Pro certified capture card
-- Internet or phone connection required for product activation
Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5:
-- Intel Pentium III 800MHz processor (Pentium 4 3.06GHz recommended)
-- Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 1
-- 256 MB of RAM installed (1 GB or more recommended)
-- 800 MB of available hard-disk space for installation
-- Microsoft DirectX-compatible sound card (multichannel ASIO-compatible sound card for surround sound support recommended)
-- CD-ROM drive
-- DVD recorder (DVD-R/RW+R/RW) required for export to DVD
-- 1024 x 768 32-bit color video display adapter (OpenGL card recommended)
-- For DV: OHCI-compatible IEEE 1394 interface and dedicated large-capacity 7200 RPM UDMA 66 IDE or SCSI hard disk or disk array
-- For third-party capture cards: Adobe Premiere Pro certified capture card
-- Internet or phone connection required for product activation
Adobe Premiere Pro 1.0:
-- Intel Pentium III 800MHz processor (Pentium 4 3.06GHz recommended)
-- Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 1
-- 256 MB of RAM installed (1 GB or more recommended)
-- 800 MB of available hard-disk space for installation
-- CD-ROM drive
-- Compatible DVD recorder (DVD-R/RW+R/RW) required for export to DVD
-- 1024 x 768 32-bit color video display adapter (1280 x 1024 or dual monitors recommended)
-- For DV: OHCI-compatible IEEE 1394 interface and dedicated large-capacity 7200 RPM UDMA 66 IDE or SCSI hard disk or disk array
-- For third-party capture cards: Adobe Premiere Pro certified capture card
-- ASIO audio hardware device; surround speaker system for 5.1 audio playback
-- DirectX-compatible sound card
To check how much RAM is installed, choose Start > Control Panel, and then double-click System. The amount of RAM appears on the lower half of the General panel in the System Properties window.
2. Re-create the Premiere ProPluginCache file.
Some problems may be caused by a damaged PluginCache file. To re-create this file, hold down the Shift key while choosing Start > Programs > Adobe Premiere Pro. Release the key when the Select Initial Workspace window appears.
Note: In previous versions of Premiere, similar problems are eliminated by re-creating the Preferences file. Premiere Pro, however, stores the application preferences in the PluginCache file. It stores only the user preferences in the Preferences file.
3. Determine if the problem is specific to a clip or a project.
By eliminating variables, you can determine if a problem is specific to a clip or to a project. For example, if you're unable to capture a particular source tape or section of source tape, try capturing from a different tape. If you can capture from a different tape or different section of tape, then the problem is related to the source material. If you're able to capture footage in a new Premiere Pro project, but can't capture footage in an existing project, the project file may be the cause.
Troubleshoot capture issues
1. Check cable connections and camera mode.
If you try to capture video and either an error occurs when you choose Capture or no signal or preview appears in the Capture window, make sure that cables are secure and functional. If you use a camera, make sure that it's set to VCR/VTR mode.
2. Disable scene detection.
Scene detection in Premiere Pro works by reading the Time/Date stamp information encoded onto the video tape. If no Time/Date stamp information exists on the tape, or if the Time/Date stamp information contains data errors, scene detection will fail and prohibit video capture.
To disable scene detection:
1. Open the Premiere Pro Capture Window by selecting File > Capture.
2. Deselect Scene Detect.
3. Change or disable device control settings.
Device control allows Premiere Pro to communicate with and control a DV camcorder or DV deck. The device control protocol used to communicate with these devices varies by brand and sometimes by model. Ineffective device communication can result in capture problems and even capture failure. Premiere Pro provides DV device control settings for a variety of device brands and models. If your specific model is not listed, use the Standard Device Type setting for your DV device brand. If the Standard Device Type setting doesn't improve the capture process, then try the Alternative and Generic settings and attempt to capture video again. If these settings don't improve the capture process, then disable DV Device Control and attempt to capture manually.
To change the DV Device Control settings:
1. Select Edit > Preferences > Device Control.
2. Select DV Device Control from the Devices menu, and click Options.
3. Select options for Video Standard, Device Brand, Device Type, and Timecode Format.
4. Click OK to close the DV Device Control Options, and click OK again to close Preferences.
To disable Device Control:
1. Select Edit > Preferences > Device Control.
2. Select None from the Devices menu.
Note: Third-party capture card manufacturers and plug-in developers may provide their own device control modules. Consult the manufacturer's documentation for the product regarding specific device control details.
4. Capture with another application or capture utility.
To capture video in another application or utility, do one or more of following:
-- Try to capture video or audio with the capture utility that installed with the card's driver. (Check the documentation for the card to determine the capture abilities of the utility.) If the problem occurs with the utility, it is related to the capture card, and you should contact the capture card manufacturer for assistance.
-- If you have an OHCI-compliant capture card, try to capture video using a different application, such as Windows Movie Maker. If the problem also occurs in the third-party application, your problem may be system related. Refer to the Advanced troubleshooting section of this document.
Troubleshoot playback issues
1. Make certain that all video placed on the timeline has been rendered.
Video files that have not been rendered may not play smoothly from the timeline. Premiere Pro 2.0 real time playback is dependent upon several things including the system CPU, complexity of the project, video file format, video compression, and available system resources.
2. Select an appropriate playback quality setting.
Playback in the Premiere Pro Monitor window can be displayed at either Highest Quality, Draft Quality, or Automatic Quality. By default the Monitor window is set to the Automatic Quality setting. To choose the Monitor window playback quality, open the Monitor window menu and select an appropriate playback quality setting:
-- Automatic: When selected, Premiere Pro will dynamically adjust image resolution between Highest Quality and Draft Quality to best address the available system resources.
-- Highest Quality: Displays all the pixels of each frame of video. When Premiere Pro is forced to play back unrendered video at the Highest Quality setting, the video may stutter or jerk.
-- Draft Quality: Always displays video at one-half resolution in the Monitor Window. When Draft Quality is selected, playback will be smooth but the image quality will be affected.
3. Switch the Desktop Display Mode.
Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 is designed to take advantage of display cards with accelerated GPUs. If you are having playback issues, then make sure you use the correct Desktop Display Mode that corresponds with your display card:
-- Compatible: This setting offers the lowest performance but is appropriate for display cards that do not fully support Direct 3D.
-- Standard: This is the default setting and is appropriate for video cards that support Direct 3D version 9.
-- Accelerated GPU Effects: The availability of this setting requires that the display card support Pixel Shader 2.0, Vertex Shader 1.1, Direct 3D version 9, and have 64 MB of onboard VRAM. This setting is used to provide accelerated performance on specific Premiere Pro 2.0 effects including Motion, Opacity, Fast color correction, Cross dissolve, and Proc amp. It also provides improved support for color space conversion and playback in the Multi-camera monitor.
Advanced troubleshooting
If the tasks in the previous sections don't solve the problem, try the following troubleshooting tasks.
1. Log in to the system as the Administrator.
If you are logged into the system with limited user rights, log in to the system as Administrator, start Premiere Pro, and then try to capture. If you're able to capture video, users with limited rights can also log into the system and capture video without further errors.
2. Use an Adobecertified capture card or a Microsoftcertified OHCI-compliant capture card.
Problems may occur if the capture card or the video driver isn't compatible with Premiere and the operating system. For a list of Adobe certified capture cards and drivers, visit the Adobe website atwww.adobe.com/products/premiere/6cards.html . For a list of Microsoft certified OHCI-compliant, IEEE 1394 cards for Windows XP, visit the Microsoft website. You can also check the manufacturer's label for theDesigned for Microsoft Windows XP logo.
3. Use manufacturer presets for the capture card.
You must apply the manufacturer presets for the capture card to both the project settings and the capture settings. If you use an OHCI-compliant card, choose the appropriate DV-NTSC or DV-PAL preset. Certified capture cards may include a DV device control plug-in that is different from the DV device control included with Premiere Pro. Be sure to select the capture card's device control in Premiere Pro:
-- If you use an OHCI-compliant card, choose Edit > Preferences> Device Control, and then choose DV Device Control from the Devices menu.
-- If you use a non-OHCI-compliant card, choose Edit > Preferences > Device Control, and then choose the card's device control from the Devices menu.
4. Run Premiere Pro while no other applications are running.
Some applications may interfere with video capture when running concurrently with Premiere Pro. Before starting Premiere Pro, disable other applications, including startup items (items that start automatically with Windows).
To disable startup items:
1. Quit all applications.
2. Choose Start > Run, and typemsconfig in the Open text box. Click OK.
3. Click the Startup tab, and click Disable All.
4. Select any startup items that are essential for testing the problem. If you are unsure whether or not an item is essential, leave it deselected (disabled).
5. Click OK, and restart Windows.
6. Right-click to close or disable any items in the Notification Area (called the System Tray in earlier versions of Windows).
Then, try to re-create the problem:
-- If the problem doesn't occur, one of the disabled startup items conflicts with Premiere. Reenable startup items one at a time, testing each time until you determine which item conflicts with Premiere. Then contact that item's developer for an update, if available.
-- If the problem recurs, startup items aren't the cause and you can reenable them:
a. Choose Start > Run, and typemsconfig in the Open text box. Click OK.
b. Click the Startup tab, and click Enable All.
c. Click OK, and restart Windows.
5. Update device drivers.
Device drivers are files that enable Windows to communicate with devices such as SCSI and IDE controller cards, and mainboard BIOS and chipsets. Contact the computer or device manufacturer for the latest device drivers.
To check for device driver problems:
1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.
2. Double-click System, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
3. Click the plus sign (+) to the left of each device type.
4. If a device appears with a black exclamation mark in a yellow circle, double-click that device for more information about potential problems.
5. Click the General tab, and check the properties for the device:
-- Check the Device Status field: If the device isn't working properly, information in this field can help you troubleshoot the problem.
-- If the Properties dialog box has a Driver tab, click it. If the Driver tab doesn't indicate the driver provider, click Driver Details. If Microsoft is the provider, you probably have a generic driver and should obtain the most recent driver provided by the device manufacturer.
6.Update the video carddriver.
Many video card manufacturers frequently update their software drivers. If you haven't updated the display adapter driver recently, contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver or download one from the manufacturer's website. (To determine the manufacturer of the video card, view the card's properties in Device Manager.) You can often determine if the video driver is outdated by changing the color-depth and resolution of the video card or by disabling graphics hardware acceleration. Be sure to follow manufacturers instructions when removing old video card drivers and installing new drivers. Old drivers that are not completely removed can cause problems.
To change the color-depth and resolution:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel, and then double-click Display.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Change the color depth using the Color quality menu:
-- If the current color depth is 16-bit or 32-bit, choose True Color (which may be designated as 24-bit color; 16,777,216 colors; or millions of colors).
-- If the current color depth is True Color, choose 16-bit or 32-bit color.
4. Change the resolution using the Screen resolution menu:
-- If the current resolution is 1024 x 768, move the slider to a different resolution, such as 800 x 600 or 1280 x 1024.
-- If the current resolution is not 1024 x 768, move the slider to 1024 x 768.
5. Click Apply, and then click OK.
6. Restart Windows and Premiere Pro. If changing the color-depth and resolution of the video card fixes the problem, contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver.
To disable graphics hardware acceleration:
1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double-click Display, click the Settings tab, and then click Advanced.
3. Click the Troubleshooting tab.
4. Move the Hardware acceleration slider to None.
5. Click OK to accept the new setting, and then click OK to close the Display Properties window.
6. Restart Premiere Pro. If the problem no longer occurs, contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver.
7. Reinstall the capture card and drivers according to manufacturer specifications.
For most capture cards, you need to install the PCI card first, Premiere Pro second, and capture card drivers third. (If you use a Microsoft certified OHCI-compliant capture card, let the system automatically load the Microsoft drivers instead of installing the drivers included with the capture card.) Reinstalling the capture card or software in the wrong order may make the capture card unusable in Premiere Pro.
8. Optimize the system for digital video.
Optimizing the system can eliminate compatibility problems that can interfere with video editing. For instructions to optimize the system, see document322683 , "Optimize Windows XP for Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0."
