dropped frames

Hello,

When I work with the audiomixer window open I keep getting an error message about
dropped frames. The message is:

Warning - Dropped frames.

One or more frames were dropped during playback. If this occurs frequently, try:


* Turning off "Unlimited RT".

* Lowering your compression data rate.

* Closing open sequences.

* Lowering the preference for real time audio tracks.

* Increasing the speed of your system and/or disck drives and/or network connection.


I have Unlimited RT turned off, it is on 'Safe' at the moment.

I have closed all other sequences, so that only the one I am editing in is open.

If I deselect "dropped frames during playback" the message will stop and I can edit with no problems. But is that OK? The problem is not solved just because the error messages stop coming, right?


My Macbook pro:
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB Memory
250 GB Serial ATA/100, 5400 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 256MB
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard

I keep the mediafiles on a LaCie Rugged Drive 250 GB Triple interface. I have only
used 30 GB on it.

I use Final cut studio 2.

Göran

I would NOT shut off that warning. That's like shutting off the pain in your body. Pain (as well as dropped frames) is a warning that your system is not right.

We need more information = How many real time audio tracks are you running? What are your Sequence Settings (all of them)?

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

> I would NOT shut off that warning.

I disagree with Joe there. While in normal circumstances you shouldn't see that warning, I've also seen this warning where it makes no impact and does not mean the system is under-powered.

Dropped frames in capturing and tape output are deadly. Dropped frames in playback aren't necessarily.


www.derekmok.com

Quote

While in normal circumstances you shouldn't see that warning

Exactly.

Yeah, D...I will have to disagree with you here. Dropped frames in playback, if you turn off the warning, though not as big a deal as during capture, is pretty important during playback because it could manifest itself as an our-of-sync timeline and you could pull your hair trying to fix something that doesn't exist. I would rather step back and fix the dropped frames issue and KNOW that my system is right with the Edit Gods.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

For the moment I work with 3 audio tracks in my sequens.

My user preferences:
real time audio mixing: 8 tracks
Audio playback quality: low (faster)


Frame size: 720 576
Pixel aspect ratioAL CCIR 601 (720x576)
Field dominance: lower(even)
editing timebase: 25
Quicktime video settings
compressor: DV PAL
quality: 100%

Audio setting
Rate: 48 Khz
Depth: 16-bit
config: channel grouped

Video processing: Render in 8 bit YUV
process maximum white as: white
Motion quality: normal

Render control
render and playback
filters, selected
blending for speed, selected
frame rate: 100%
resolution: 100%
codec: same as sequens codec

Master templates and motion projects
Always use best quality when rendering movies, selected

Thanks for your help

Sorry for the "smile"

Pixel aspect ratio: PAL CCIR 601 (720x576)

>I keep the mediafiles on a LaCie Rugged Drive 250 GB Triple interface.

And which of those interfaces are you connecting with Goran? If its USB then that is likely the problem.



>I keep the mediafiles on a LaCie Rugged Drive 250 GB Triple interface. I have only
used 30 GB on it.

You might want to check that the media files in question are where you expect them to be (ie on the Rugged drive) ... if they have inadvertently found their way onto the internal then that could be the problem


>For the moment I work with 3 audio tracks in my sequens.

How many layers of video?


For what its worth, unless you are working on short form promo type stuff (in which case I'd defer to Joey's experience) I would advise turning off the warning ... occasional dropped frames on playback are really not much of an issue, its only on capture from and and layoff to tape that you'd need to be worried about it.

> Dropped frames in playback, if you turn off the warning, though not as big a deal as during
> capture, is pretty important during playback because it could manifest itself as an our-of-sync
> timeline

The difference is probably that Joe works in graphics...where dropped frames even in playback can be deadly, because you're constantly modifying the contents, adding processor-intensive elements, and the playback is being evaluated as you go. Graphics clips need to be pristine, and you can't judge the motion on graphics if it's choppy.

There's much more leniency if you're just editing. The shots don't change, so if you know a clip doesn't have a real, captured dropped frame (eg. checked the QuickTime clip, or previous playbacks were perfect), that the dropout only happens occasionally on playback, you can often let it go (hence my viewpoint and Andy's).

Still, it is true that if dropped frames start occurring, it's a sign of something going wrong, and should be diagnosed, if time permits. And in Goren's case, given that it's just DV PAL, it really shouldn't be dropping frames at all.


www.derekmok.com

I use the firewire 400 connection or the firewire 800 connection on the LaCie Rugged Drive to connect with my Macbookpro.

I have checked that the mediafiles are on the LaCie Rugged Drive.


I work with 3 or 4 audio tracks and 2 video tracks. It is short sequenses (2 to 3 minutes) in DV PAL. I work with short news- and sportstories.

Thanks

2 things you need to do now...

In FCP

? Set your Realtime Audio tracks to 99 and high quality in User preference


In the Mac OS

? Open > Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility

? Click on your Mac HDD and then run "Repair Disk Permissions"

? Restart Mac



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

...Oh and also check that the Rugged is Formatted Mac OS Extended HFS+ (Journalling OFF)

If it has Journalling ON or is Formatted for MS-DOS then offload the data and reformat it in Disk Utility then copy the Data you Backed-up back to the drive.


If it is already Mac OS Extended HFS+

Using Disk Utility

? Click on the Rugged and run Repair HDD


If you are still having problems you might need to get DiskWarrior or reformat the Rugged.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]