H.264 Audio Out Of Sync in Media...

I use Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and I find that the best way to get a good video with low file size is by Exporting to Media Encoder and using

the H.264 codec. Note, this is the codec by itself NOT the one used with the Quicktime preset.

Here's the problem : When I export these files, they always end up a few frames slower than what I have on the timeline and the audio is always

out of sync by just less than a second. Although it's a very small difference, timing is crucial in editing when it comes to dialogue as I'm sure anyone who uses Premiere understands.

I have tried tweaking with the settings. I've used VBR 1 Pass, 2 Pass, CBR, Progressive Scan, Upper and Lower fields first, all of that.

Has anyone else had this problem, and if so how was it solved?

IF not, can anyone give me a good solution as to how I can get good video quality + low file size. The benchmark is a 45second video takes a maximum of 5MB, Quicktime video. Any suggestions or any methods you find better? Any ideas on how the guys at Apple Trailers manage to do the job so well?

All the help is appreciated. Thanks, guys!

H.264 Audio Out Of Sync in Media...

What are the properties of your source footage, both video and audio?

What are your sequence settings, both video and audio?

What are your export settings, both video and audio?

-Jeff

H.264 Audio Out Of Sync in Media...

Hi Jeff, I've experimented with a bunch of formats to find the root of the problem, but for this conversation I'll use a Quicktime (.mov) example.

Source Footage Settings :

Video : 640x268, Millions of colors. FPS : 23.98 Data Rate : 1.15mbits/sec

Audio : AAC, Stereo (L R), 44.100 kHz

Sequence Settings :

Video : Quicktime Movie, Pixel Depth : 640, Frame Rate : 23.976

Audio : Source Audio Format : 44100 Hz - 16bit Stereo. Project Audio Format : 44100 Hz - 32bit floating point - Stereo

Average Data Rate : 141KB / second

Pixel Aspect Ratio : 1.0 (Square Pixels)

Export Settings :

Main Concept H.264 Video, Custom Preset.

Video : Frame width %26amp; height is same as source. Frame Rate : 23.976. Field Order : None (Progressive) Pixel Aspect Ratio : Square Pixels

Profile : High. Level : 3.0. Encoding : VBR, 1 Pass. Target Bitrate [Mbps] : 1.3. Maximum Bitrate [Mbps] : 1.5

Audio : AAC, Stereo, 44.1 kHz. Audio Quality : High. Bitrate [kbps] : 192. Precedence : Bitrate

Multiplexer : MP4. Stream Compatibility : Standard

NOTE : I have done the same with .avi files as well with the same audio lag issues. As for the file above, it's a trailer off Apple Trailers which also uses the H.264 encoding. To prove that there is a lag, I imported the 'rendered' file back into Premiere, placed it on a seperate layer on top of the original footage in the timeline and pressed play. As expected, there was a difference in audio playback and video was about a frame late.

Any ideas? Thanks!

With this source material you probably are on your own. Most users here use a video camera as source material. Maybe another application is more suitable, like Movie Maker.

Have you heard from GIGO? That applies here.

Why are you using Level 3 for export? Most H.264 stuff these days,

including BD, is level 4.1 or higher.

You're also showing a pixel depth of 640 for your sequence settings.

That's a typo, isn't it?

I don't have Pr available right now. So on a whim, I'd experiment with

different precedence, different multiplexers and different stream

compatibility for the audio. For the video, try Main profile and/or

Level 4.1 or better. Export short segments as necessary for testing.

-Jeff

I use Level 3 because it's the minimum standard for me to select a larger resolution.

I will try to use 4.1 or higher, though.

As for the pixel depth, it actually does say 640 in the sequence settings.

The only other available multiplexer is 3GPP, and since I'm excoding videos for an online portfolio, that format

doesn't really seem 'up-to-par' (?). But I will definitely experiment with what you've given me. Thanks for the tips, I'll post if

I find anything new. I'm sure it isn't a sequence or source footage thing...almost sure that is, because I've experimented with various

formats. It has to be something with the encoder and its settings.

Any idea if it could be a video card / processor / system problem?

Hehe, I like your sense of humor with the Movie Maker tip.

Actually I use Pr to edit what I've shot on camera and I've used it for a number of short films. It works great. Difference is that for those projects,

huge file sizes were not a problem. With the web, though, H264 encoding is the best way to go in terms of size and quality.

The settings above were quoted because it was the easiest for me to get (a basic Quicktime trailer off the net) which produced the same audio lag issues when encoded. As I've mentioned, I've tested .avi files, mpegs, and large Quicktime files. The issue here isn't with the souce I believe, but the encoder and the way it produces a result.

PS : This isn't just my problem as you'll notice quite a few of these similar H264-related questions on the net...and in all cases, minus the solution.?I've also heard of GIGO (hehe) but to be honest, there's nothing wrong in re-editing 'off-the-net' videos for a lil' fun, right? People do it all the time.

Cheers!

I like your sense of humor with the Movie Maker tip.

Hehe, I get it. While Movie Maker (even programs like Sony Vegas) tends to handle 'off the net' videos in an easier manner, there's no denying that Pr ultimately has the best set of options and tools at one's disposal (with only FCP currently posing as a rival of its standards). I actually do handle professional camera formated video and the thought of that being related to Movie Maker had me giggling for a second. And the fact that a H264 codec was related to Movie Maker just seemed somewhat funny....in an insult-to-Movie-Maker kind of way.

What bugs me is that Pr renders / exports / encodes videos perfectly well in each and every other format except H264. That's my issue here.

Note, it also tends to have an audio lag when it comes to professional camera footage...and when I say footage I mean uncompressed video with whopping file sizes.

What bugs me is that Pr renders / exports / encodes videos perfectly
well in each and every other format except H264. That's my issue here.

What bugs me is that Pr renders / exports / encodes videos perfectly well in each and every other format except H264.