Dolby Audio Decoder missing after Premiere CC 2018 (V12) update

[zeno303]

I just updated to the most recent version of Premiere: CC 2018 from Creative Cloud.

When I opened a project I had been working on earlier today that has some .ac3 tracks on some of the sequences, those tracks are redded out and I now get an error message "Missing Dolby Audio Encoder." I get the same message when I try to import .ac3 files into the updated Audition program.

I have been using Premiere CC for several years, have installed all the updates & never had this problem before.

I have an individual (not Enterprise) Subscription on Windows 7.  I ran CC Cleaner Registry check after the install.  It cleared up some paths, but didn't fix this issue.

Please help.  I am up against a deadline!

Wsquared

[RjL190365]

Ashraf,

I understand your concerns. But what I stated still stands, in light of a near-complete lack of cooperation between Adobe and Minnetonka over the Dolby matter. (In this particular instance, Adobe now wants you to pay Minnetonka the full $595 cost of the full version of the Surcode.) And the fact that Media Encoder CC 2018 completely lacks direct support for the optional Surcode for Dolby Digital and thus the workflow now requiring separate programs and separate steps still stands.

Randall

[Richard M Knight]

I have just updated Surcode on my CC2018 installation. Here is a section of the email Minnetonka sent me with the install codes.

"Adobe dropped native support for DD and DD+ encoding in CC 2018 and future CC releases. SurCode used to get automatically installed with Premiere, but this has since changed – hence the side installer. I should note that CC updates literally install a new version of the application(s) on your machine (removing the previous release) so you may need to re-install SurCode with subsequent updates (more likely to occur with a major version update like CC 2019, etc.). As long as your CodeMeter software license is still activated on your machine, all you should have to do is install our plug-in (let me know if you need help reactivating). SurCode may make it back into the box in a future CC release, but in the interim, we are providing a side installer to fulfill customer requirements."

[Stan Jones]

Richard, you were good to go with a previously purchased license?

Do you have any information as to the current price for a license?

[Richard M Knight]

This is taken from their website

[RjL190365]

I have just discovered this on the Minnetonka site. There are two Dolby Digital 5.1 surcode encoder plugins available. The surcode without the "Plus" is NOT compatible with Windows 10. The Dolby Digital Plus surcode is.

And Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 is required with the currently available 2017.1.4 and 2018 versions in order to even get AC-3 decoding (playback) at all. Windows 7 does not have native AC-3 decoding support, and any externally-installed decoders for that OS may become uninstalled and deleted when 2017.1.4 or 2018 is installed.

[Richard M Knight]

Could you post a link to show the two versions, I have searched the Surcode site and i can only find one.

[RjL190365]

My bad. What I stated was for the standalone ($595 plus taxes) version of the Surcode, which is used for video and audio editing programs other than Adobe's. The full version also includes a front end that is not included in the Adobe plugin ($295) version.

[Richard M Knight]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Richard+M+Knight  wrote

I have just updated Surcode on my CC2018 installation. Here is a section of the email Minnetonka sent me with the install codes.

"Adobe dropped native support for DD and DD+ encoding in CC 2018 and future CC releases. SurCode used to get automatically installed with Premiere, but this has since changed – hence the side installer. I should note that CC updates literally install a new version of the application(s) on your machine (removing the previous release) so you may need to re-install SurCode with subsequent updates (more likely to occur with a major version update like CC 2019, etc.). As long as your CodeMeter software license is still activated on your machine, all you should have to do is install our plug-in (let me know if you need help reactivating). SurCode may make it back into the box in a future CC release, but in the interim, we are providing a side installer to fulfill customer requirements."

The story continues.........

I installed Surcode using the stand alone installer and have been using Dolby encoding for a couple of months, all has been fine........until this morning. Adobe seem to have reinstated the Premiere inbuilt Surcode installer which has disabled my current Surcode licence, the October 2017 activation code does not work so I now can't export until I get a new code.

[diegobarcenilla]

But, what about MacOS High Sierra?

[pstemberg]

This has nothing to do with a 'more secure operating system'. Win7 is still supported by Microsoft. This is all about Adobe not paying the Dolby licensing fees. I can't even downgrade to v2017 anymore. So, after thousands of dollars spent with your company I'm told that my professional tool can only be made operational with an OS upgrade (something I don't want) or a $350 3rd party plug-in (something I can't afford).

Thanks.

[Richard M Knight]

It's worth remembering that the Surcode plugin is for encoding only, it will not help with the decoding issue in Win 7 and the Dolby software is for Macs only. For Windows users , updating to Win 8 or 10 is the only option.

[JasonNVSD]

We have 500 computers with Adobe CC and discovered this new "feature" halfway through deployment of 2018.  We have hundreds of computers that don't have Windows 10 support, but still meet the "system requirements" (big air quotes there) for Adobe CC.  What a cluster fudge...

We're currently in the process of getting our 2017 packages off of backup tapes and then figuring out how to re-deploy over top of 2018.  Once that's sorted out, we're going to look at alternatives to Adobe for our next deployment.

I only have one question.  Why can't Adobe include this decoder when free applications like Handbrake and countless others do?

[RisenVideoProduction]

Really that's your ** answer! Update to Win 10... You ** it up.... We pay for your services and products to work properly without have to go and purchase outside products.... That's like buying a car then have to take it to Jiffy Lube to get the oil add, then Bridestones to have the wheels installed, etc....

You broke it, you fix it with the appropriate update. Switching to Win 10 ** up all the other programs that designed for Win 7.

** HATE ADOBE, finish this ** now they are raising the price to subscription... for broken ** software .... Going back to AVID! ** Adobe!

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[jamesr3863496]

This is very disappointing. You know honestly paying a subscription for what should be the greatest suite of integrated products to get derailed on a simple Dolby Codec from the footage from all my cameras (as stated elsewhere here) outrageous indeed. This should be a standard codec for your products. For all of us with no control over our company computers ... and those of us who pay for these tools ourselves for our jobs this really is not good. Please find another solution for Win 7 users.

[RjL190365]

Unfortunately, there is no foreseeable solution for this. Adobe had to discontinue in-program Dolby support due to Dolby's lawsuit against Adobe (as I had discovered from another source) that involves Adobe products sold or marketed since 2014.

[ProDesignTools]

Sorry for the difficulty! Try one of these suggestions if you've lost Dolby functionality:

1. Your simplest and best bet is to recover your CC 2017 apps as they were before you installed CC 2018. See if you can use Windows Restore to roll back the state of applications on your computer to before that time. On a Mac, you'd use Apple's Time Machine.

2. If you can't do that, then do you have a system backup or image from when you had CC 2017 installed, or perhaps it's installed on another machine? You could possibly use that backup together with the CC 2017 direct download links to get back to where you were before. At  a minimum, you'll need both the Premiere Pro and Adobe Media Encoder apps.

3. If neither of those strategies recover a working CC 2017 for you, then you could try moving forward with CC 2018. You could use a third-party utility like Handbrake (a free open-source video transcoder) or XMedia Recode to convert your MTS/ACS files. Rename the files and reimport them into Premiere Pro. Then clear your media cache.

4. If none of the above work, then maybe consider upgrading to Windows 10 while it's still free, and press ahead with CC 2018 (if you're concerned about Windows telemetry, that's easily handled). Meanwhile, for Mac users, macOS upgrades are always free... Windows 8.1 or above and macOS 10.11 or above contain native support for Dolby decoding functions. Again, rename the applicable files and reimport them on your new setup. Then clear your media cache.

5. If you can't upgrade your operating system, can't move forward with CC 2018, can't go back to CC 2017, and are genuinely stuck with a project caught in the middle – and none of the above solutions work for you – then you could try contacting Adobe Customer Care to let them know and see if they can help.

6. Moving forward, when upgrading Creative Cloud apps, use 'Advanced Options' in the Desktop app to retain older CC versions rather than the default behavior, which is to remove them.

Hope that helps!

[deeeeeeeee]

I can't recommend XMEDIA recode enough, as mentioned in point 3.

1) No image quality loss as only audio gets recoded (Handbrake cannot do this!)

2) No need to upgade your whole system, or change in any way

3) No need to rename anything, just backup your old files, put the new ones on the old location, open your project again. done. Premiere will make new cache files automatically.

4) No need to use several or older versions of premiere which eat up your disk space

5) Super fast batch conversion, just seconds per file (as video is untouched!!)

6) No need to re-import, re-link or align anything. Audio and video will stay together just like your old files.

7) FREE - without any drawbacks

[excited_Genie16B8]

Please find another solution for Win 7 users.

Upgrade to Windows 10.  Make the argument that if you're to continue working, you have to.

[digabyte]

I love it when issues are marked as "solved" when they are absolutely not. 😐  "We decided to screw over any and all people not using Windows 10" is CERTAINLY not a solution.

[Profesor98BC]

[abuse removed by moderator]

[TomaszM]

The same issue ... I also do not want to upgrade to Win10, It is not your business Dear Adobe to press me to upgrade Windows.
Adobe, you — up this. Please give us solution to be able use the software we pay.

Regards

Tomasz

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[aleg38450904]

I'm having the same problem...

[mattw2]

Same problem here.  Can't get the company I work for to update my machine to Win 10, can't roll back to the 2017 version....can't do my job.  This is a pretty serious problem here.

Edit - A staff reply briefly offered this link in case anyone wanted to install the previous 2017 version.  Seems to work for me, though I also have to install the 2017 Media Encoder.

Download Creative Cloud apps

[Ann Bens]

In the old days we installed the ac3 filter.

Would that work?

[Firstcut2020]

Thanks, mattw2

My CC2017 project is back!!

Thanks much!!