Imported MPEG2 video immediately out of sync

BP wrote on 4/25/2010, 4:28 PM

Please bear with me, I'm very new to this level of software.
I'll describe this as best I can, I'm fairly certain this is a user error, some setting that I've missed part of the time.

I'm capturing short videos with an Avertv HD DVR High Definition / Analog Video Capture Card MTVHDDVRR. I'm very limited in formats with this card. Mpeg2, hd.126 or iPod, that's it. So I'm working with Mpeg2's as a result.

I can capture the video without issue and then I can view the video, and all is fine. No sync issues.

Day 1:
I import any video in this format to Vegas 9 and the video is slightly faster than audio, which is playing at normal speed. Several attempts, no luck.

Day 2:
I import videos to Vegas 9 and all is fine. No sync issues at all.

Day 3:
I import videos and I've got sync issues. On a short video, about 3 minutes, I can manually adjust the video to a playback rate of 88% and it seems fine, but probably due to being short.
On a video length of about 20 minutes, it becomes apparent that the video sync issue is not a constant. Tested running the source video side by side with Vegas (this is all in preview in timeline as well as rendered video). The video preview in Vegas outpaces the original more and more as the video continues. A progressive sync issue.

My card allows for HDMI input as well as component through an adapter. Same issue both ways. The software on the capture end with my card is extremely limited in options; it's not a setting there. Plus the resulting video from there is fine. After importing, even the preview in the timeline of Vegas is out of sync, and obviously the rendered final product is as well.

I have experimented with project properties and I can post a screenshot of my latest attempt if it will help. I'm dumbfounded and incredibly frustrated.
Any help? I can't find quite the same issue in searching several forums.

Thank you

edit:
Forgot to mention that when I hit play on the preview, there is almost always a stutter for about 1 second. I'm assuming that's when something happens here.

Comments

xberk wrote on 4/25/2010, 4:56 PM

Day 2: I import videos to Vegas 9 and all is fine. No sync issues at all.

Are you saying one day this capture card works and the next day it gives you files that will not stay in sync in Vegas? .. To me this means your Vegas settings are fine (if you haven't changed them) --- but something is up with the capture day to day. Vegas doesn't particularly like MPEG2 files, but I've not had a problem keeping them in sync. Your capture card is creating a compressed file. That's probably the issue -- Vegas seems able to decode some of the files made on a certain day but not others made on a different day. Seems likely to me that something is changing at the time of capture, unless I misunderstand about DAY 2.

BP wrote on 4/25/2010, 5:18 PM

I thought that too, but the initial video, taken by the capture card & software, is fine.

I will try re-seating the card. I have tried this with giving the capture software cpu priority, and then giving Vegas cpu priority. Either way, the cpu is barely 80% and memory not even half utilized.

Is it possible to have a glitch in the source video that would not surface until it was further processed? This is capture from a game console, not dvd or other protected media. The initial video plays correctly.

I can't help but think I'm missing something that I did (unknowingly) right yesterday, but have failed to do today.

Here are screencaps of the project properties:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Abraxis007/PC%20Games/Screen%20Captures/4-25-2010-65913PM.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Abraxis007/PC%20Games/Screen%20Captures/4-25-2010-65848PM.jpg

xberk wrote on 4/25/2010, 5:35 PM

Why are you using 32 bit floating point for Pixel format? .. I'd change this to 8 bit.
But I'm not sure this will help during playback --- it should speed up rendering.

You say "he initial video plays correctly." .. Plays where? In Windows Media Player?

BP wrote on 4/25/2010, 6:05 PM

Advice from some youtube video, I'm scrounging for info on using this thing. LOL

Been with this all day, but I suppose I have something figured out.
I can record with the capture card set to any supported resolution:
720x480/720x576
1280x720
1920x1080

The video produced will be fine, this is playing them back in Windows Media Player.

However, if I want to work with it further, I'm limited to 720x480 / 720x576. I'm assuming that with the card being on the cheap side it's just not encoding video well above that. I've got more faith in Vegas than in the card. Also tested by converting to .avi with Any Video Converter and I got the same issues with the video sync. Still don't know exactly why, but at least I know the limitations until I get a better card.

Thanks for your help--and any other issues you see in properties, please let me know. A lot to soak up here.

musicvid10 wrote on 4/25/2010, 6:34 PM

Best thing would be to post a sample clip from your capture card and let us determine whether its a capture or playback issue.

xberk wrote on 4/25/2010, 6:41 PM

Good idea musicvid ! ..

Try to have Vegas match the video properties. In the project properties use Match Media Settings button. This is the folder icon next to the template name. Use your captured mpeg2 file to set the project properties. Vegas will attempt to get the best settings. I don't know how it does it -- but I've used it with good results.

John_Cline wrote on 4/25/2010, 10:03 PM

"Vegas doesn't particularly like MPEG2 files"

You are stating an opinion and presenting it as fact. HDV and Sony's implementation of MXF are both based on the MPEG-2 video codec and Vegas handles them just fine.

Rob Franks wrote on 4/26/2010, 2:20 AM

Vegas has no issues with mpeg2 at all. A bad quality mpeg2 is something else though.
FWIW.... I have a tv capture card as well (hauppage).... and it's ALWAYS out of sync.