No video or poor quality video in the Import preview window

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There can be several causes for no video or poor quality video in the Importer preview window. This FAQ will help to resolve most cases of this problem.


1. Minimum Requirements

Verify that the computer being used meets the minimum system requirements for Studio.

Avid Studio System Requirements

Studio 16 System Requirements

Note: Some features such as HD (High Definition) video editing require a higher performance graphics card compared to working with SD (Standard Definition) video material.


2. Get the Latest Patch

Make sure that you have the latest version of Studio installed.

Click here to download the latest Avid Studio update

Click here to download the latest Studio 16 update

3. Make sure that the capture device is detected.

Make sure that the capture device is properly detected by checking in Device Manager. To get to Device Manager, right-click on Computer and select Properties. In the next window select the Device Manager from the Tasks bar on the left side of the screen. If installed correctly, the capture device will be displayed in Device Manager. If it is not displayed there or if it has a yellow exclamation mark on it, try to reinstall the device driver.

 

4. HDV Import

If you are noticing that the video preview does not seem as smooth as you might expect with HDV Import, this may be normal. HDV Import only displays every 3rd frame in the Importer preview. The video should preview all frames in editor however.

 

5. Import Errors

No input signal: If you get a message in the Importer that says “No input signal” It means that there isn’t any communication detected between the source and the capture hardware. If this happens, try the following:


- Make sure that the connections are secure and connected properly.

- Make sure that you have S-Video/Composite selected properly when applicable.

- Make sure that the source is powered on.

- Power the source off and on.

- Try reconnecting the capture hardware to the computer.

 

 

6. Update Drivers

Make sure that you have the latest sound and video card drivers loaded from their manufacturer's websites.

Determine what sound and video card is on the system by checking in Device Manager.

To determine what video card is on the system, click the plus sign in front of Display Adapters in the Device Manager list. The video card will be displayed. To determine the manufacturer and date of the video card driver, double click on the video card name. Now click the Driver tab and you will see all the driver information including Driver Provider and Driver Date.

The process for the sound card is very similar. In Device Manager the sound card is displayed in the Sound, video and game controllers section. You can double click on the sound card to determine the driver information in the same fashion as the video card.

Please note that a sound card is required in order to have smooth video playback (even without using audio in the project).

Here are some links to common sound and video card manufacturers websites that would have driver updates available:

ATI : http://support.amd.com/

Nvidia : http://www.nvidia.com

Sound Blaster (SB) : www.creative.com

 

Note: Even if your computer is new, it may have older drivers installed. Do not skip this step because the

computer is new.

 

 

7. Install the Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtimes.

Normally the Studio installation will automatically detect if your system needs this update or not, but just in case it was unable to do for any reason you can manually initiate the installation of this Microsoft update by browsing your Studio disc or download to locate the “Prerequisites” folder.

Alternatively you are also able to download the file from the Microsoft website by clicking here


Note:

Before installing the Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtimes update try running the "NemoCheck" tool and see if that displays anything, then run it again after the Microsoft update is installed to check again.

You can find the "NemoCheck" tool by going to the Windows Start Button >> All Programs >>... Studio >> Tools >> NemoCheck


8. Display Settings

Sometimes with higher graphics card display settings selected, the video preview window in Studio may not perform as expected.

Close Studio and right-click on the desktop and select Personalize. In the Personalize window, click Display Settings.

There are two options in this settings window that may need to be changed:

 


Try lower resolutions such as 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 800 , with 32 bit color selected. Once changed, start Studio and see if there is improved performance in the preview window. If there is no improvement, try different resolution settings. In some cases a lower resolution may work better.

 

9. Multiple Monitors

If multiple monitors are being used, try using only one monitor and see if performance improves.

 

10. Direct X Diagnostic Tool


Go to the Windows START button and type in DXDIAG in the search window to run the DirectX Diagnostics Tool.

Check for any errors that may be displayed with the graphics card or sound card. To check for errors in the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, check the Notes section in the various tabs of the tool. If there is a problem, it would make note of it in this section. If there is a problem, please contact the vendor of the device displaying the problem for assistance.

 

11. Background Processes


Make sure there are not too many extra background processes running that may interfere with Studio. Click here for the FAQ on how to do this.

 

12. Virus scanners or continuous media scanning applications


Virus scanner software can hinder performance. As a test, try disabling the virus scanner and see if it helps.

Note: For safety reasons, it is recommended to disconnect from the internet while the virus scanner is disabled.

If it helps, try to exclude media directories from the scanning paths and/or remove media files (MPG, AVI, WAV, BMP, JPG, etc.) from the files to be scanned. Contact the virus scanner vendor for instructions on how to do this.

Try disabling indexing tools or services from running such as Google Desktop Search, Yahoo Desktop Search, Adobe Photoshop Album Importer, etc.


13. Check for “HP RC Mirror Driver”

 

Go to Device Manager and expand the Display Adapters category. If you see an entry called “HP RC Mirror Driver” in addition to your video card, this could be causing the problem. To resolve the issue right-click on HP RC Mirror Driver and choose the option to disable it. Follow any on-screen prompts. Finally restart the computer, launch Studio, and then check if the issue is resolved.


Note: Do not disable your graphics driver; only disable the HP RC Mirror Driver entry.


14. Increase the Priority of Studio


In some cases it can be helpful to increase the priority of the Studio application in Windows. Here is how to do that:

 

15. Reinstall Studio


If none of the previous steps have helped, try uninstalling and reinstalling Studio.

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