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 Serato Video General Discussion
Finally got VSL Working - but it stutters on higher quality vids
Talk about Serato Video and Video-SL.

Finally got VSL Working - but it stutters on higher quality vids

KMXE 10:04 AM - 9 February, 2008
PC Specs

Windows XP w/ Service Pack 2
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz
2G Ram
Asus 8600GT Graphics Card

I initially had a weird problem scratchlive.net that somehow resolved itself.

The first videos i tried were MP4 files ideal for iPods & PSP's which were made via Super.

ie

***********************************************************
C:\K.M.X.E\Videos\Kanye West - The New Workout Plan (Extended Version).MP4
Length(s) 487.19 (Samples: 43846803, Timescale: 90000)
Size 53.89 MB
Movie Tracks:
VideoType: mp4v (mpeg4 encoded by FFMP), 320x240
Component 1) lppa, Apple MPEG4 Decompressor v.30011, Decompresses images using MPEG4 compression algorithm
Audio Tracks:
AudioType: mp4a (48000kHz, 16bit)
Component 1) lppa, MPEG-4 Audio v.10008, MPEG-4 Audio Decompressor component
Frame rate: 29.97 per second
Keyframes: 1268 (min: 1, max: 13,avg: 11.5)
***********************************************************

These were fluid and smooth, with both decks loaded - absolutely no probs. But of course the video quality is not the greatest. So I started testing with slightly different settings using Super (I don't have another converter at this stage).

The following is the info on the 3 test videos that i did - the only change I made was the Bitrate (I can't change the Keyframe rate with Super).

Video - Bitrate
1 - 2976
2 - 2496
3 - 2016
4 - 1536

***********************************************************
C:\K.M.X.E\Videos\50 Cent - I Get Money 01.MP4
Length(s) 239.08 (Samples: 21517200, Timescale: 90000)
Size 94.16 MB
Movie Tracks:
VideoType: avc1 (h264 encoded by FFMP), 768x576
Component 1) lppa, H.264 Decoder v.40004, Decompresses images stored in the H.264 format.
Audio Tracks:
AudioType: mp4a (44100kHz, 16bit)
Component 1) lppa, MPEG-4 Audio v.10008, MPEG-4 Audio Decompressor component
Frame rate: 25.00 per second
Keyframes: 406 (min: 6, max: 15,avg: 14.7)
***********************************************************

***********************************************************
C:\K.M.X.E\Videos\50 Cent - I Get Money 02.MP4
Length(s) 239.08 (Samples: 21517200, Timescale: 90000)
Size 80.01 MB
Movie Tracks:
VideoType: avc1 (h264 encoded by FFMP), 768x576
Component 1) lppa, H.264 Decoder v.40004, Decompresses images stored in the H.264 format.
Audio Tracks:
AudioType: mp4a (44100kHz, 16bit)
Component 1) lppa, MPEG-4 Audio v.10008, MPEG-4 Audio Decompressor component
Frame rate: 25.00 per second
Keyframes: 406 (min: 6, max: 15,avg: 14.7)
***********************************************************

***********************************************************
C:\K.M.X.E\Videos\50 Cent - I Get Money 03.MP4
Length(s) 239.08 (Samples: 21517200, Timescale: 90000)
Size 66.08 MB
Movie Tracks:
VideoType: avc1 (h264 encoded by FFMP), 768x576
Component 1) lppa, H.264 Decoder v.40004, Decompresses images stored in the H.264 format.
Audio Tracks:
AudioType: mp4a (44100kHz, 16bit)
Component 1) lppa, MPEG-4 Audio v.10008, MPEG-4 Audio Decompressor component
Frame rate: 25.00 per second
Keyframes: 405 (min: 6, max: 15,avg: 14.7)
***********************************************************

With all of these videos, they pretty much performed the same. With 1 deck loaded the video played decent, with both decks loaded the playback was stuttery. Not terrible but noticeable. I tried a 4th test by lowering the bitrate down to about 1536. But no matter what, the video was stuttering.

Since it doesn't seem that I can change any other worthwhile setting and the only usable bitrate that would work may possibly make the video output quality poor - is my video stuttering because of a combination of the keyframes being too close (seems as though Super decides the keyframes) and maybe the video size or something?

For now - i'm happy that I can at least mix videos properly (even if they are not the best quality)
nobspangle 10:11 AM - 9 February, 2008
Your computer should be capable of playing those videos without any issues
KMXE 2:52 PM - 9 February, 2008
Quote:
Your computer should be capable of playing those videos without any issues


thats what i thought - but its definitely stuttering. Like i said before, its not stuttering terribly but you can tell that it's just not a smooth video output. Any ideas?
a-swift 5:40 PM - 9 February, 2008
what is your cpu utilization while both videos are playing. what does the realtime info screen say in VSL, fps, etc.
DJ Mad Matt 8:30 PM - 9 February, 2008
No matter what I try my output isnt smooth either. q6600 m0 here I come.

Whats also strange is if im running SSL without the video plugin running ... my cpu is still at 96% - 100%
itchie 3:58 AM - 10 February, 2008
change your resalution to 640x480! i noticed when i played videos with a 720x480 i was haveing serious trouble! windows was closing down the output window. i tryed changing the bitrate too and it didn't work. when i changed the resilution to 640x480 (which it should be) it ran fine. check you res above, the ones that didn't work have a res of 768x576. change it to 640x480 and you should be gravy.
Funkytownstopsix 5:03 AM - 10 February, 2008
I have tired many different types of configurations so here's what I found. The plug-in is rendering no matter if your playing a video or not. You could do like I did today and buy a quad then it runs at 50 to 60 percent. Also how you encode your videos has something to do with it. The best thing that I have found is to rip them in VOB to hard disk and then convert them using these settings….. MP4 Container Output, Codec H.264./avc ,2064 bit rate, Frame rate 29.97, Video Scale no change,,, yada yada yada.. Works really well. Also if your having issues with video you should check the settings for your graphics card, vsync and what not. Tell u something funny I was having trouble with video uncheck vsync in VSL and it worked like a champ. Today I got a new mother board and quad I moved the drive over and for it to work I had to uncheck frame blend in video settings. So what I am saying is try changing different settings to hopefully get it to work for you.

Like KMXE said you should have no problems playing video according to the so called PC spects. I have nvida 512mb dedicated video and today I bought a 2.4 QUAD, I was using and AMD 64x2 3.0 I see no difference other than cpu usage. If I load a video while one is playing I get a pause on output screen on both systems. Also a few of the mixer effect don’t work but all effects work on each player. All should work on my system but oh well. Tweaking , Tweaking, Tweaking. Like I told my buddy today I finally feel like a Mac user when it comes to software. Clearly SLV was built for MAC, the PC users are left in the cold to figure this shit out..
KMXE 11:27 AM - 10 February, 2008
Quote:
what is your cpu utilization while both videos are playing. what does the realtime info screen say in VSL, fps, etc.


CPU Usage: 95-100%
VSL FPS: 260
Buffer size: 160
KMXE 11:29 AM - 10 February, 2008
Quote:
change your resalution to 640x480! i noticed when i played videos with a 720x480 i was haveing serious trouble! windows was closing down the output window. i tryed changing the bitrate too and it didn't work. when i changed the resilution to 640x480 (which it should be) it ran fine. check you res above, the ones that didn't work have a res of 768x576. change it to 640x480 and you should be gravy.


wow - i think this works..... i even played around with the performance faders. My buffer size is at 1GB, and Output quality is High..... changing the resolution seems to make it smoother if not real smooth like it should be. Ill keep testing to see how i go.

thanks for this.... im just about ready to convert all my vids
a-swift 9:44 PM - 10 February, 2008
Quote:
Quote:
what is your cpu utilization while both videos are playing. what does the realtime info screen say in VSL, fps, etc.


CPU Usage: 95-100%
VSL FPS: 260
Buffer size: 160


you wont get smooth video playback if your CPU is hitting 90-100%
StevenWayne 11:04 PM - 10 February, 2008
hey swift, what do you think is an ideal cpu % should be at?
KMXE 11:09 PM - 10 February, 2008
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
what is your cpu utilization while both videos are playing. what does the realtime info screen say in VSL, fps, etc.


CPU Usage: 95-100%
VSL FPS: 260
Buffer size: 160


you wont get smooth video playback if your CPU is hitting 90-100%


fair enough - but i swear i read some posts from people who were saying they are getting smooth playback even though their CPU is hitting 95-100%.

Changing the resolution to 640x480 seems to give me smooth playback however - i forgot to check the CPU usage with this (ill check later tonight).
a-swift 11:39 PM - 10 February, 2008
Quote:


Changing the resolution to 640x480 seems to give me smooth playback however - i forgot to check the CPU usage with this (ill check later tonight).


changing what resolution? the vsl output or did you re-encode your videos?
a-swift 11:39 PM - 10 February, 2008
Quote:
hey swift, what do you think is an ideal cpu % should be at?


my systems playback silky smooth when cpu is 80% or less on both cores.
KMXE 1:00 AM - 11 February, 2008
Quote:
Quote:


Changing the resolution to 640x480 seems to give me smooth playback however - i forgot to check the CPU usage with this (ill check later tonight).


changing what resolution? the vsl output or did you re-encode your videos?


when I re-encoded the videos

Quote:
Quote:
hey swift, what do you think is an ideal cpu % should be at?


my systems playback silky smooth when cpu is 80% or less on both cores.


im new to Core 2 Duo talk and what it can do etc - is there a setting that can be changed to ensure both cores are used?
a-swift 1:14 AM - 11 February, 2008
you'll see both cores jumpin in the performance monitor applet thingy.
Funkytownstopsix 9:33 PM - 11 February, 2008
KMXE just hit ctrl+alt+delte then click/select the tab named performance. U should have 2 boxes of core 2 duo. I can see four on mine.
W.J. 5:21 AM - 12 February, 2008
Itchie is right. Change resolution to 640x480 and suddely the slow kind of stuttering is gone.
Very weird. I tried almost all settings.
I still do not understand how changing 720 into 640 makes that kind of difference. Maybee someone with more technical background can give some info.

My Guad core Q6600 processor runs at 70% max, while playing videos at 720x480 or 720x576 (PAL dvd) and i could not get ride of the stuttering.
So if it's not the processor maybee it's to heavy for the videocard?
I use a Nvidia GeForce 8400 (which is not the best, but not bad either).
So where is this stuttering coming from?

Than ichtie comes up with this crazy idea of lowering the resolution, which makes no sense to me. I thought: what the hell, i tried it all, lets give this a try and DAMN........the video's where smooth and fast handling at this resolution.

I'm converting everything now in h264 at 640x480 resolution, bitrate 2500, GOP 15, framerate 25, audio at 256 kbit/s.
Videos look good (can't see much of a difference with this somewhat low resolution and the audio sounds great).

Give the 640x480 thing a try and you will notice much of a difference.
StevenWayne 5:42 AM - 12 February, 2008
i tried lowering mine to 640x480, but no luck. i even tried a low-ass bitrate of 1500, just to see if it was the file size causing the problem....no luck. im thinking its someting in my video drivers or a vsl bug. my cpu is always at 96-100%, i cant get it lower.
itchie 8:09 AM - 13 February, 2008
Quote:
Itchie is right. Change resolution to 640x480 and suddely the slow kind of stuttering is gone.
Very weird. I tried almost all settings.
I still do not understand how changing 720 into 640 makes that kind of difference. Maybee someone with more technical background can give some info.

My Guad core Q6600 processor runs at 70% max, while playing videos at 720x480 or 720x576 (PAL dvd) and i could not get ride of the stuttering.
So if it's not the processor maybee it's to heavy for the videocard?
I use a Nvidia GeForce 8400 (which is not the best, but not bad either).
So where is this stuttering coming from?


720x480 is 480i which is close to high def. maybe some computers are having trouble converting 480i... i don't know i'm just a dj(vj haha)
Funkytownstopsix 3:15 PM - 13 February, 2008
I have the 8500GT Nvidia and the Quad 6600 as well with 4gig and running XP optimized and still have the same issues. I have found that if you unload a video and wait like about 10 seconds that sometimes it doesn't freeze or it just a really quick freeze. I think has something to do with the rendering or how the videos sit in the buffer but like itchie said what do I know I'm a DJ.
W.J. 10:31 AM - 17 February, 2008
I changed the Geforce 8400 GS for a Geforce 8600 GT with 512Mb.
But no help their either. The 720x480 or 720x576 video's keep on stuttering in a slow kind of way.
So it's not the processor (my q6600 runs at 70-75% with video-SL) and it's not the graphic card either (a geforce 8600GT is absolutly capealbe enough)

I use ImToo to convert DVD to h264.
Is it the rendering process of the software??

Any how i stick to 640x480. Too bad to run videos at this low resolution, but the video run smooth and handle very well in video-SL.

Weird thing: at the box of the Geforce 8600GT it says:
- World first video processor which relieves the CPU for 100% when decoding HD h264.....

And it actualy does.
Running a h264 video in Quicktime with other appliations closed, the cpu runs at only 7-13%.

But why is video-SL still consuming so much CPU power running at 70-75%?

When i play SSL with only MP3 the CPU is running at 10-15% (even with scratching)
When i play a h264 video in Quicktime at the same time playing an MP3 in SSL the CPU is running at 30-40%.


So why is Video-SL so CPU power consuming?
DJ Mad Matt 11:09 AM - 17 February, 2008
+1 but with an 8800GT 512 megs of Ram on it. and Im getting a Q6600 m0 this week. I already have 4 Gigs of Ram and a 750 gig Baracuda. I'm guessing a couple more weeks till the next beta of SL-Video. Hopefully the coding is more effieciant.

Im way over specs, The minimum specs should be for a MAC. PC's arnt running the same way at all .. as a matter of fact .. PC guys are spending more money with no fix.

I just want serato to call me out. You need to buy this piece to make it work properly.

Just tell us and if you don't know .. say we don't know yet but were working on it. I'd be good with that.
KMXE 12:14 PM - 17 February, 2008
ive converted about 30 or so videos to m4v (640x480, 2496 Video Bitrate) and my system can't handle this. CPU basically lives at 100% and the video jitters quite a bit. I tested a few more videos, same resolution but at approx 1500 video bitrate which was slightly better, but not butter.

Im hoping a new beta is released which lowers the CPU demand so i get into some video mixing already!
nobspangle 12:18 PM - 17 February, 2008
KMXE, what video codec are you using?
a-swift 3:01 PM - 17 February, 2008
hey guys i know how to fix this
DjKboogie 4:53 PM - 17 February, 2008
how swift tell me please
StevenWayne 7:21 PM - 17 February, 2008
Quote:
PC guys are spending more money with no fix.

I just want serato to call me out. You need to buy this piece to make it work properly.

Just tell us and if you don't know .. say we don't know yet but were working on it. I'd be good with that.



i agree with this 100%. i think us PC guys have been pretty patient the last few weeks, but really, what's going on with this 100% cpu usage??? we're spending alot of time experimenting, converting, reconverting, trying different settings, installing different drivers, etc, to get no solid answers on this problem from the serato staff. if its a software problem, let us know that that's a possiblity so we can stop spending more money and time trying to fix it.
really though, me and many others here have spent good money trying to get this thing going and still no progress. at this time, its hard not to feel like your guinea pigs on this software....if thats the case, why bother having in-house beta testers?? or do all your beta testers use mac?? doesnt make sense at all.
sorry to be venting on this, its just frustrating
a-swift 9:17 PM - 17 February, 2008
Quote:
how swift tell me please


sorry kboogie. it's an ongoing joke. i thought you'd get it. when pc users have problems i just tell them they can solve their problems by getting a mac. i guess the joke is getting old.
DJ Dub Cowboy 9:45 PM - 17 February, 2008
Video Sl should just drop PC support so they focus on features like iSight "tivo"-scratch effect...(using the built in camera on macs to record live video samples)
DJ Dub Cowboy 9:57 PM - 17 February, 2008
that'll chap a few hides, eh?
a-swift 9:58 PM - 17 February, 2008
Quote:
Video Sl should just drop PC support so they focus on features like iSight "tivo"-scratch effect...(using the built in camera on macs to record live video samples)


yeah i hear ya. i've alot of guys really want that capability.
DJ Mad Matt 10:20 PM - 17 February, 2008
oh man ... hahahaha
KMXE 10:29 PM - 17 February, 2008
Quote:
KMXE, what video codec are you using?


H264

Quote:
we're spending alot of time experimenting, converting, reconverting, trying different settings, installing different drivers, etc, to get no solid answers on this problem from the serato staff. if its a software problem, let us know that that's a possiblity so we can stop spending more money and time trying to fix it.


when i got my new family PC, i spec'd it up so it would be more than capable of VSL. i kinda wish we could be told to hang in tight a future release should use less CPU etc etc so i can chill for a while. I haven't even bothered to convert all of my music videos just in case.

Quote:
hey guys i know how to fix this
it you can hook it up for free im there, otherwise hopefully they go down in price and i got some cash!
DjKboogie 11:38 PM - 17 February, 2008
Quote:
Quote:
how swift tell me please


sorry kboogie. it's an ongoing joke. i thought you'd get it. when pc users have problems i just tell them they can solve their problems by getting a mac. i guess the joke is getting old.


SWIFT i have a mac with problems :(
skinnyguy 12:22 AM - 18 February, 2008
haha
DJ Dub Cowboy 1:29 AM - 18 February, 2008
a-swift, I have been getting a kick out of your joke.. For what its worth....




then again, I didn't "get it" for a long time
nobspangle 8:26 AM - 18 February, 2008
KMXE, try using xvid instead of h.264 you can bump the bitrate up an extra 500kbps to make up for the poorer codec.
a-swift 9:29 AM - 18 February, 2008
Quote:
KMXE, try using xvid instead of h.264 you can bump the bitrate up an extra 500kbps to make up for the poorer codec.


+1
itchie 10:35 PM - 18 February, 2008
if you use a PC and have any of these problems... this is what i found works (for me)
1.video output window closes. ("windows has to close scratchlivevideo.exe")
2.stuttering of videos during serato play back
3.output window freezing apon loading on new track

1. the codec was not h264. it was some random mp4 codec
2. it seems mp4 containers caused my videos to stutter. when i packed them in a mov container (h24 codec) same videos ran much smoother (cpu is still very high)
3. this happened when hooked up to a projector from my computers s-video. when i used my computers dvi output (dvi to hdmi cable) the freezing was almost unnoticeable.

i spent alot of time trying to find shortcuts to ripping promo only disc and as most of you know there is none(for the specs above). some programs would rip promo only disc but not to mov. some programs would rip promo only to mov but not with the h264 codec. some programs would rip to mov with h264 but couldn't read the seperate chapters on the promo only disc, so...

it comes down to ripping your PO disc to seperate vobs, then converting to mov (h264) and using NOT an s-video out...from my experience (and headaches!)
sorry swift , nobspangle & twizzle for the redundancy...
DJ Dub Cowboy 11:11 PM - 18 February, 2008
Go Itchie!!!

cuttin' to the chase
StevenWayne 11:19 PM - 18 February, 2008
yeah itchie, i thought it'll be smart idea, since the s-video output seems to be causing the hiccups, to buy a vga to composite video adapter. one end is a vga that plugs into my laptop, the other end was female video composite input.....that adaptor didnt even work! wouldnt send a signal to my output monitor, just black and grainy image. sucks
DJ Mad Matt 10:29 AM - 19 February, 2008
I would have to do a DVI to s-video adapter ... soooooooo this should work on my PC's 8800GT's DVI out right?

www.superwarehouse.com

Oh the apple guys are gonna love this.
nobspangle 6:45 PM - 19 February, 2008
Mad Matt, I doubt that that will work on your video card. s-video over a DVI connector is not standard that adaptor is specifically for a Mac.
DJ Mad Matt 8:53 PM - 19 February, 2008
Yeah, I wasnt sure if it was a standard DVI on the mac side or not. I'm gonna look for another one that will be a standard DVi to S-Video.
itchie 9:05 PM - 19 February, 2008
i'm gonna try a dvi-vga cable to go into my projector and see how that works. i don't want to get a hi-def projector just for the hdmi connecton, yeah kno.
DJ Mad Matt 9:23 PM - 19 February, 2008
I have an 8X8 S-Video Matrix Switcher that I use to distribute to all our Plasma's, LCD's and Projectors. So in order to try the DVI out instead if the S-Video, I have to do a good conversion from the DVI output to S-Video.
a-swift 9:24 PM - 19 February, 2008
The mac adapter is not really a DVI to VGA adapter. It's a wiring adapter. The Mac detects the adapter and the card internally outputs a video signal to the correct pins on the wiring adapter.

A real DVI to video adapter would have to do transcoding since the signaling for DVI and video are completely different. You certainly are not gonna find any $20 DVI to video transcoders. Highly unlikely that the Mac DVI adapter is gonna work on your PC 8800GT or any computer not named Mac.

And StevenWayne, why the heck are you buying VGA to video adapters. That will almost always give you crappier output than a real S-video output on your laptop. You have to be careful though since some crappy laptops have hardware acceleration disabled on the TV out, and obviously that will cause mass problems with your PC and VSL.


I know how to fix it though.

Also StevenWayne, your VGA to video adapter probably didn't work because you were sending the wrong resolution and or refresh rate to it. Something that needs to be done manually most likely. Something that's also done automatically on Macs just by plugging the adapter in.
DJ Mad Matt 9:31 PM - 19 February, 2008
I guess I could do DVI to VGA to S-video .. thats cheap to try. However, I dont know what the difference would be because there is still no transcoding going on.

I'm still not sold on the concept that I need a transcoder. I can't even find any ... All i see are upscalers.
itchie 9:53 PM - 19 February, 2008
so dvi-hdmi it is then. thanks
a-swift 10:24 PM - 19 February, 2008
Quote:
so dvi-hdmi it is then. thanks


i picked up a really nice, really long DVI to hdmi cable at svideo.com for like $20.
nobspangle 10:39 PM - 19 February, 2008
Quote:
I guess I could do DVI to VGA to S-video .. thats cheap to try. However, I dont know what the difference would be because there is still no transcoding going on.

I'm still not sold on the concept that I need a transcoder. I can't even find any ... All i see are upscalers.

It's probably worth you doing a bit of research into what each of these connectors entails.
DVI comes in three main forms I,A and D, your DVI port will need to be DVI-I or DVI-A for a DVI-VGA cable to work.
VGA to S-video is a similar deal to your mac cable. There is no S-Video signal provided on a VGA cable, VGA carries separate RGB signals where as S-Video has a luminance signal and a chroma signal.
If you've seen a cheap VGA to S-Video lead it will either be specific to a particular graphics card (and I mean card as in make and model not the chipset used on the card) or it will be terrible quality.
DJ Mad Matt 10:40 PM - 19 February, 2008
Yeah ... they have good prices swift.
a-swift 10:52 PM - 19 February, 2008
The only time i've seen acceptable performance with VGA to S-video is using a full blown scan converter like an Extron box or something like that. Chances are the scan converter will cost more than your laptop and a decent purpose built video out on a laptop will still look better.
DJ Mad Matt 11:07 PM - 19 February, 2008
I'm runnin a Desktop with a PCI Express 16 8800gt 512mb.

fxvideocards.com
nobspangle 11:27 PM - 19 February, 2008
If you want to convert DVI or VGA to S-video you will need an expensive converter like the ones swift is describing.
It might be cheaper, and certainly better quality to invest in a new matrix splitter that supports VGA,DVI or HDMI.
DJ Mad Matt 11:51 PM - 19 February, 2008
Ok ... well that consist of about $10,000 in wiring and an $8,000 matrix switcher plus all the time to do the job which I dont have.

Thats not an option. S-video looks just fine ... I'll keep using the s-video out if its gonna be a $18,000 gig.
a-swift 12:44 AM - 20 February, 2008
when i originally wired my house (screens and in-wall speakers in every room), i only ran a single coax which is used to run composite video to every room. now that HD is a must have, I am SOOOOOO glad i also ran a spare cat5 (3 cat5 to every room).

now i use the spare cat5 to run component video (full HD) to every screen in the house using cheap and easy baluns. i was a little sketchy on whether or not a cat5 balun could really carry HD over a cat5 for hundreds of feet.
KMXE 12:22 PM - 20 February, 2008
Quote:
Quote:
KMXE, try using xvid instead of h.264 you can bump the bitrate up an extra 500kbps to make up for the poorer codec.


+1


Quote:
if you use a PC and have any of these problems... this is what i found works (for me)
1.video output window closes. ("windows has to close scratchlivevideo.exe")
2.stuttering of videos during serato play back
3.output window freezing apon loading on new track

1. the codec was not h264. it was some random mp4 codec
2. it seems mp4 containers caused my videos to stutter. when i packed them in a mov container (h24 codec) same videos ran much smoother (cpu is still very high)
3. this happened when hooked up to a projector from my computers s-video. when i used my computers dvi output (dvi to hdmi cable) the freezing was almost unnoticeable.

i spent alot of time trying to find shortcuts to ripping promo only disc and as most of you know there is none(for the specs above). some programs would rip promo only disc but not to mov. some programs would rip promo only to mov but not with the h264 codec. some programs would rip to mov with h264 but couldn't read the seperate chapters on the promo only disc, so...

it comes down to ripping your PO disc to seperate vobs, then converting to mov (h264) and using NOT an s-video out...from my experience (and headaches!)
sorry swift , nobspangle & twizzle for the redundancy...


i think you've got it right.

i just tried some videos on a .mov container, H264 codec, 2496 bitrate, 640x480

my CPU was hovering around 85-90% and it never went higher than 95%. The only reason why it hit 100% was when i loaded up a new track and for some reason it kept rebuilding the overview. For some reason the overview is not kept. In either case, even though my CPU was hitting 100% during overview building the video didn't stutter.

it's not 100% perfect, every now and then it seemed to freeze or stutter slightly - but ever so slightly. good enough to convert all my videos to these specs and start mixing away.

Even loading up a new track while another video was playing i didnt really notice the freeze that some users like myself experienced before. Only every now and even then there was only a tiny freeze.

thanks itchie for the heads up..... im gonna give it a thorough test and see how i go.

PC users - give itchie's method a go - it seems to be our best bet yet!
boabmatic 2:39 PM - 20 February, 2008
are your files on an external drive (or an internal drvice but on a partition other than c:)

as its a known bug that the overviews are not stored when they are not on the c: partition and serato are working on it.
StevenWayne 6:05 PM - 20 February, 2008
Quote:
The mac adapter is not really a DVI to VGA adapter. It's a wiring adapter. The Mac detects the adapter and the card internally outputs a video signal to the correct pins on the wiring adapter.

A real DVI to video adapter would have to do transcoding since the signaling for DVI and video are completely different. You certainly are not gonna find any $20 DVI to video transcoders. Highly unlikely that the Mac DVI adapter is gonna work on your PC 8800GT or any computer not named Mac.

And StevenWayne, why the heck are you buying VGA to video adapters. That will almost always give you crappier output than a real S-video output on your laptop. You have to be careful though since some crappy laptops have hardware acceleration disabled on the TV out, and obviously that will cause mass problems with your PC and VSL.


I know how to fix it though.

Also StevenWayne, your VGA to video adapter probably didn't work because you were sending the wrong resolution and or refresh rate to it. Something that needs to be done manually most likely. Something that's also done automatically on Macs just by plugging the adapter in.


i have no idea what i was thinking. i'm not too familiar with video signals and outputs, so i saw a vga to s-video adaptor, figured i'd plug it in, tweak the video card settings and get an instant picture. the reason why i was attempting to go vga to svideo was because right now, using the svideo output, when loading your next track, it freezes your output window for a second, then resumes....but this doesnt happen with the vga output.
a-swift 11:27 PM - 20 February, 2008
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The mac adapter is not really a DVI to VGA adapter. It's a wiring adapter. The Mac detects the adapter and the card internally outputs a video signal to the correct pins on the wiring adapter.

A real DVI to video adapter would have to do transcoding since the signaling for DVI and video are completely different. You certainly are not gonna find any $20 DVI to video transcoders. Highly unlikely that the Mac DVI adapter is gonna work on your PC 8800GT or any computer not named Mac.

And StevenWayne, why the heck are you buying VGA to video adapters. That will almost always give you crappier output than a real S-video output on your laptop. You have to be careful though since some crappy laptops have hardware acceleration disabled on the TV out, and obviously that will cause mass problems with your PC and VSL.


I know how to fix it though.

Also StevenWayne, your VGA to video adapter probably didn't work because you were sending the wrong resolution and or refresh rate to it. Something that needs to be done manually most likely. Something that's also done automatically on Macs just by plugging the adapter in.


i have no idea what i was thinking. i'm not too familiar with video signals and outputs, so i saw a vga to s-video adaptor, figured i'd plug it in, tweak the video card settings and get an instant picture. the reason why i was attempting to go vga to svideo was because right now, using the svideo output, when loading your next track, it freezes your output window for a second, then resumes....but this doesnt happen with the vga output.


this is most likely what i mentioned above. the TV out on your laptop is not hardware accelerated. the reason i know this? i purchased a dell specifically for video mixing and it said the video was go fast, accelerated, yada yada. then i find out that the tv out is not hardware accelerated. i was so pissed.
StevenWayne 12:30 AM - 21 February, 2008
damm, i dont feel bad now spending $10 on an adapter if you bought a new dell and it didnt work
KMXE 2:08 AM - 21 February, 2008
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are your files on an external drive (or an internal drvice but on a partition other than c:)

as its a known bug that the overviews are not stored when they are not on the c: partition and serato are working on it.


ok cool - thanks for clearing that. i might use C: temporarily - thanks!
itchie 5:03 AM - 21 February, 2008
i just got a dvi-vga adapter and it seems to work just as well as the dvi-hdmi cable (almost unnoticable freezing). i couldn't find a dvi-vga cable(locally) just the adapter and it's kinda bulky but it was only $15... just as an update. i saw a projector that had a DVI in. swift, do you think this would be a better bet; dvi out of my computer-dvi into the projector? maybe no freezing?...
DJ W 12:21 PM - 21 February, 2008
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how swift tell me please


sorry kboogie. it's an ongoing joke. i thought you'd get it. when pc users have problems i just tell them they can solve their problems by getting a mac. i guess the joke is getting old.


@a-swift:
As I am having similar problems, I am really considering to follow your "solution". I guess a MacBook with 2,2 Ghz and 4 Gig RAM should be OK.
What are your specs?
a-swift 4:05 PM - 21 February, 2008
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how swift tell me please


sorry kboogie. it's an ongoing joke. i thought you'd get it. when pc users have problems i just tell them they can solve their problems by getting a mac. i guess the joke is getting old.


@a-swift:
As I am having similar problems, I am really considering to follow your "solution". I guess a MacBook with 2,2 Ghz and 4 Gig RAM should be OK.
What are your specs?


my specs are a 2.0Ghz macbook pro. i would not recommend that though. it's not fast enough for my taste. get the fastest macbook pro you can afford.
DJ W 4:38 PM - 21 February, 2008
Does it have to be a pro?
I was considering to buy a "normal" macbook, with the specs I mentioned in my last post.
That will allready cost double the money I paid for my PC-Notebook (and that allready had the min. specs that were recommended).

Do the other mac users here all have pros, or do some use the smaller ones?
sixxx 9:39 AM - 22 February, 2008
I have a macbook 2.0 Ghz core 2 duo with 2 gigs of RAM and it works good. Could your performance be increased by using a Macbook Pro? Sure. Is the increase in price justified? To me, no. I bought my Macbook for $500. Anyone can buy a new Macbook for well under $1200 maxed with non-apple RAM.

The Macbook Pro will also help with other stuff if you're not using it for VSL alone. Of course, this is just one man's opinion.
DJ Mad Matt 10:31 AM - 22 February, 2008
To me .. a Mac no longer is a Mac when you use non Mac Ram. Apple / Mac is propritary which is what they pride themselves on ..

Run a Mac on non Mac only stuff and all have to say is ... Booooooooooooooooooooo.

Your turnin a Mac into a PC and you don't even know it.
DJ Dub Cowboy 3:43 PM - 22 February, 2008
i believe you can get the same ram, just with a different price.
a-swift 3:54 PM - 22 February, 2008
Yeah Mad Matt. When Apple starts manufacturing ram, that statement might mean something.
DJ Mad Matt 6:29 PM - 22 February, 2008
hahahahah ... I was waitin for someone to say that.
DJ W 2:37 PM - 10 March, 2008
OK, i got myself a macbook pro, and now everything works fine.
a-swift 3:12 PM - 10 March, 2008
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OK, i got myself a macbook pro, and now everything works fine.


someone should just make a sticky that says THIS
a-swift 3:13 PM - 10 March, 2008
we're all gonna be jealous though in the next release version, the PC works better than mac.
DJMark 3:21 PM - 10 March, 2008
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we're all gonna be jealous though in the next release version, the PC works better than mac.


And the next version of Windows will be open-source, the next version of MSIE will stick to established standards, and the cow will hop merrily over the moon.
DJ W 3:22 PM - 10 March, 2008
As it works fine for me now, I won't be jealous if it works better on a PC in the future. BTW I still have the PC-Notebook...
Dj_KaGeN 4:39 PM - 10 March, 2008
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we're all gonna be jealous though in the next release version, the PC works better than mac.


And the next version of Windows will be open-source, the next version of MSIE will stick to established standards, and the cow will hop merrily over the moon.


and why was that necessary? what crawled up your ass and died? Or you just pissed that a within spec PC to run VSL will be $700.. Get over it already. You bought the cadallic of computing now just pls... put a lid on your negativity towards everything else.