Maximize EMC9 Efficiency

[DRB55]

I have audio-video sync trouble on DVDs made with MyDVD. The sync is perfect with my input .avi files. The playback sync is perfect at the beginning of the DVDs. However, the longer the DVD plays, the further behind the audio track gets. I notice that others have had similar problems and proposed solutions have included editing the Start-up list and Services List, turning off background programs, system tray processes, LAN connections, etc. I have done that, and cleaned my registry (not with WinDoctor!) and defragmented my drives and still the problem persists. My machine should have adequate power: Dimension 8200, Pentium 4, 3.06 GHz, hyper-threading enabled, 1.50 GB RAM, 3.07 GB Page File, C: HDD = 80 GB, D: HDD = 200 GB. Each HDD is about half full.

 

Two questions:

1. I have EMC9 installed on the D: drive. Is this a problem? Will the program work better if I install it on the C: drive?

2. Any other ideas?

Thanks,

DRB55

[DRB55]

I just thought of another cause, this may actually be a playback issue. Try burning to an ISO image file and then playback directly from the image. If the image file works and a burned DVD doesn't work, then the issue is a playback (not encoding). Try other media if it is a playback issue.

Thanks for the ideas. I'll try a few things and get back to you.

[DRB55]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll try a few things and get back to you.

To John at Roxio:

 

I found this rather active discussion thread (AV Sync Problem)in the Roxio forum but I didn't notice any comments from Roxio about the short insertions in the native audio sound track. This sounds like it relates to my problem. Any comments from Roxio on this?

[grandpabruce]

To John at Roxio:

 

I found this rather active discussion thread (AV Sync Problem)in the Roxio forum but I didn't notice any comments from Roxio about the short insertions in the native audio sound track. This sounds like it relates to my problem. Any comments from Roxio on this?

 

I am not Roxio, but have used EMC 7, 7.5, and EMC 9 for a multitude of video productions with captures from VHS-C tapes and from digital tapes, and I have NEVER had the A/V sync problems. Have you done the normal computer maintenance? It could help, and if it doesn't, you can opt for the workaround in the link you posted.

 

BTW, I don't consider it a rather active thread since the last post was in February. It was a good thread, though.

[cdanteek]

It was a good thread, though.

 

Brought to you by our new 'Ubuntu' gal, Sisterscape!

 

cd

[grandpabruce]

Brought to you by our new 'Ubuntu' gal, Sisterscape!

 

cd

 

That's not what I call her. j/k

[DRB55]

Where are you getting the AVI files, did you make them yourself? Can you test with video files from another source?

Thanks for your reply, John.

The AVI files are from 1-hour-long DVC camcorder tapes recorded using 2 different camcorders (Sony and Panasonic). The tapes were captured from the camcorders via firewire using 3 different programs: an old version of Sonic MyDVD, EMC7 and EMC9. I tested the AVI files by playing them back using Windows Media Player 11. There is no audio lag when files are viewed in WMP11. The lag is detected when the 1-hour videos are made into a DVD using EMC9 MyDVD. The sync is OK at the beginning but gradually and progressively develops during the playback. By the end of the 1-hour movie, the audio lags the video by about 3 seconds. I have tried a few different settings in the EMC9 capture program without improvement.

 

I'm wondering if the fact that I have EMC9 loaded on my D: drive (not the C: drive) has anything to do with it. By the way, I forgot to mention previously that my OS is WinXP Home, SP2.

Thanks again.

[DRB55]

Follow-up on my experience with EMC9 and audio-video sync problems:

 

After solving the problem of A-V sync on a 1 hour unedited AVI file (see previous posts) I put VideoWave to the test. I made a 2 hour movie with about 250 scenes derived from 5 hours of raw AVI files. I had multiple music background clips, scene transitions, text, overlays, the works ... I output the productions to ISO files and then burned to disk. When the ISO files were compressed to fit on a single layer DVD (720x480, Video 4.40 Mb/s, Interlaced, Dolby, Audio 448 kb/s) a slight A-V sync problem (fraction of a second) was present in some but not all the scenes. When the ISO file was maximized for a DL disk (720x480, Video 9.00 Mb/s, Progressive, Dolby, Audio 448 Kb/s) the A-V sync was perfect for the whole 2-hour movie.

 

I am pleased that the problem is solved but this sure seems like a fussy issue. I would appreciate some feedback from Roxio as to why the A-V sync can be so tricky.

[grandpabruce]

Follow-up on my experience with EMC9 and audio-video sync problems:

 

After solving the problem of A-V sync on a 1 hour unedited AVI file (see previous posts) I put VideoWave to the test. I made a 2 hour movie with about 250 scenes derived from 5 hours of raw AVI files. I had multiple music background clips, scene transitions, text, overlays, the works ... I output the productions to ISO files and then burned to disk. When the ISO files were compressed to fit on a single layer DVD (720x480, Video 4.40 Mb/s, Interlaced, Dolby, Audio 448 kb/s) a slight A-V sync problem (fraction of a second) was present in some but not all the scenes. When the ISO file was maximized for a DL disk (720x480, Video 9.00 Mb/s, Progressive, Dolby, Audio 448 Kb/s) the A-V sync was perfect for the whole 2-hour movie.

 

I am pleased that the problem is solved but this sure seems like a fussy issue. I would appreciate some feedback from Roxio as to why the A-V sync can be so tricky.

 

Congratulations on your success! A/V sync problems are not limited to the Roxio software. Do a google, and you will find that problem in many video editing software programs.

[John at Roxio]

Hmm, can you test with other files? I would be curious if we can get some files to work but it always fails with other files. Then we can examine the differences between the files and that might point to an issue in the application. Also the exact steps you are using to create the disc would be helpful as well.

 

For now I don't suspect that having it installed on the D drive should make a difference.

[John at Roxio]

I just thought of another cause, this may actually be a playback issue. Try burning to an ISO image file and then playback directly from the image. If the image file works and a burned DVD doesn't work, then the issue is a playback (not encoding). Try other media if it is a playback issue.

[DRB55]

I have audio-video sync trouble on DVDs made with MyDVD. The sync is perfect with my input .avi files. The playback sync is perfect at the beginning of the DVDs. However, the longer the DVD plays, the further behind the audio track gets. I notice that others have had similar problems and proposed solutions have included editing the Start-up list and Services List, turning off background programs, system tray processes, LAN connections, etc. I have done that, and cleaned my registry (not with WinDoctor!) and defragmented my drives and still the problem persists. My machine should have adequate power: Dimension 8200, Pentium 4, 3.06 GHz, hyper-threading enabled, 1.50 GB RAM, 3.07 GB Page File, C: HDD = 80 GB, D: HDD = 200 GB. Each HDD is about half full.

 

Two questions:

1. I have EMC9 installed on the D: drive. Is this a problem? Will the program work better if I install it on the C: drive?

2. Any other ideas?

Thanks,

DRB55

Here is some feedback for any EMC9 users that might also be having some audio-video sync problems. I think I have solved my problem (at least for now). In my initial posting, I mentioned that I had done what I thought was sufficient computer maintenance. This maintenance included: Windows Disk CleanUp, Registry clean with Registry First Aid, Disk Defragmentation, disabling Startup and Services routines, and disabling the LAN connection. These actions did not solve my problem. Therefore I went on to do the following steps. I don’t know what specifically did the trick, but this is what I did:

 

1. Took a hard look at the StartUp list and disabled everything that I didn’t absolutely need.

2. Changed the Roxio Hard Drive Watcher 9 and the RoxMediaDB9 services to “Manual.”

3. Uninstalled several programs I wasn’t using including my original version of VideoWave 4 and an old version of Sonic MyDVD.

4. Uninstalled EMC9 using the recommended procedure: EMC Clean Install

5. Defragmented the hard drive again.

6. Reinstalled EMC9.

7. Disabled all the scanners and features of my Norton Internet Security installation.

 

After these steps, the audio-video sync was improved but still not perfect. Before steps 1-7, the audio would lag by about 3 seconds after 1 hour of playback. After these steps, the video would lag by about 0.5 second after 1 hour of playback (weird but true).

 

8. As a final step, I purchased WinOptimizer 4 from Ashampoo and ran the Registry Cleaner. I also used the Tweaking Tools to: “Do not cashe drivers and kernel files on the hard drive (recommended)” and “Poll USB ports every 5 milliseconds (instead of every millisecond).”

 

Now I can load a 1-hour AVI file into MyDVD, make a DVD, burn the disk and play it back on a set-top DVD player with no loss of audio-video sync after 1 hour of play. My next task is to edit the AVI file in VideoWave and see if I can maintain the A-V sync. I will report back when I have the answer.

[grandpabruce]

Here is some feedback for any EMC9 users that might also be having some audio-video sync problems. I think I have solved my problem (at least for now). In my initial posting, I mentioned that I had done what I thought was sufficient computer maintenance. This maintenance included: Windows Disk CleanUp, Registry clean with Registry First Aid, Disk Defragmentation, disabling Startup and Services routines, and disabling the LAN connection. These actions did not solve my problem. Therefore I went on to do the following steps. I don’t know what specifically did the trick, but this is what I did:

 

1. Took a hard look at the StartUp list and disabled everything that I didn’t absolutely need.

2. Changed the Roxio Hard Drive Watcher 9 and the RoxMediaDB9 services to “Manual.”

3. Uninstalled several programs I wasn’t using including my original version of VideoWave 4 and an old version of Sonic MyDVD.

4. Uninstalled EMC9 using the recommended procedure: EMC Clean Install

5. Defragmented the hard drive again.

6. Reinstalled EMC9.

7. Disabled all the scanners and features of my Norton Internet Security installation.

 

After these steps, the audio-video sync was improved but still not perfect. Before steps 1-7, the audio would lag by about 3 seconds after 1 hour of playback. After these steps, the video would lag by about 0.5 second after 1 hour of playback (weird but true).

 

8. As a final step, I purchased WinOptimizer 4 from Ashampoo and ran the Registry Cleaner. I also used the Tweaking Tools to: “Do not cashe drivers and kernel files on the hard drive (recommended)” and “Poll USB ports every 5 milliseconds (instead of every millisecond).”

 

Now I can load a 1-hour AVI file into MyDVD, make a DVD, burn the disk and play it back on a set-top DVD player with no loss of audio-video sync after 1 hour of play. My next task is to edit the AVI file in VideoWave and see if I can maintain the A-V sync. I will report back when I have the answer.

 

Thanks for posting your success. Do report how it goes after editing in VideoWave. I would bet it will be okay.

[John at Roxio]

Where are you getting the AVI files, did you make them yourself? Can you test with video files from another source?